Isaak and Alessio dragged Lyov into the room and pushed him on the bed. Before I could go in, Maddie grabbed my arm. “I think we should wait here,” she suggested in a gentle tone.
My eyes went to Alessio and saw him coming my way. He opened his arms for me, and I went into them gladly. Burying my head into his chest, I let out my worst fear. “Will he be okay?”
When I heard no answer from him, my arms tightened around his waist. That was when I noticed his arms trembling. It was a slight shake but enough to tell me what he was feeling.
I felt his lips on my temple, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. I placed a kiss over his beating heart, not wanting to let him go.
We stayed locked in an embrace. In that moment, I was his strength. “He’s going to be okay, Alessio. He promised that he will hold Princess. Lyov needs to meet his granddaughter.”
The words were hard to speak. My voice came out scratchy as I tried to keep the tears at bay. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t be weak. Not now. I had to be strong.
Lyov saved us…he took the bullet for us.
I had to be strong for all of us.
Now that Alberto was captured, everything would be okay. We were safe.
Fear. Anger. Relief. Sadness. Disgust. Shock.
At the moment, my feelings were a dormant volcano. I buried everything inside and concentrated on Alessio and Lyov.
“Ayla.”
My name brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked at Maddie. “Why don’t you go rest? When Sam is done, we’ll call you.”
I shook my head and hugged Alessio tighter. “No. I’ll stay here until I know he is perfectly fine.”
“Ayla,” Alessio warned.
Before he could say anything, I pulled away and stood on my toes. Bringing my lips to his, I kissed him softly. “I’m not going anywhere, Alessio. Please, let me stay here,” I whispered against his lips.
He sighed, his eyes closing. “You are so stubborn.”
“I know,” I muttered back, hugging him again. “We will wait together, Alessio.”
And that was exactly what we did.
The air around us was heavy with uncertainty, like a dark cloud settling over us.
With every minute that passed, I grew more scared. I felt chilled to my bones at the thought of Lyov not making it out alive.
“Ayla…Ayla…wake up.”
I groggily blinked my eyes open and stared into Maddie’s smiling face. Rubbing the sleepiness away, I went to stand up. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”
“Sam was able to take the bullet out. Lyov is okay. He’s resting now,” Maddie said excitedly.
My mouth fell open, and my heart leaped at Maddie’s words. When I felt a kick, my hand instinctively went to my stomach.
I rubbed soothing circles around my belly. Turning, I looked for Alessio. His tensed back was to me as he faced the wall. I walked over and placed a hand over his shoulder.
He instantly relaxed under my touch, and I heard him release a long, painful breath. “He’s okay, Alessio.”
He gave me a sharp nod. “I know.”
“Do you want to see him?” I asked when silence fell upon us.
I moved in front of Alessio and palmed his cheeks. “What are you scared of?”
I sucked a harsh breath when I saw the pain in his eyes. “I thought he never cared, Ayla. He wasn’t really a father. After I lost my mother, he never acted like a father. I was just a forgotten son most of the time.”
Alessio bent his head, burying his face in my neck. “I don’t know how to look him in the eyes and thank him for saving you. He took that bullet for you.”
Wrapping my arms around his head, I rubbed my fingers on the back on his neck. “You’re wrong. He saved us. If it wasn’t for him, you would have gotten shot. In that moment, I don’t think he cared who he was saving. Whether it was me, you, or Princess. He’s a good man, Alessio. Just a little lost and broken, but a good man.”
I felt Alessio’s sigh against my skin before he pulled away. “Let’s go.”
I smiled, looking into his captivating blue eyes. Taking hold of my hand, he intertwined our fingers together before pulling me into the room.
Lyov was on the bed with Isaak beside him. When we approached, his gaze went to us. His face was a mask of pain, but he sent us a smile. “Glad…you…are…both okay.”
I gave him a wobbly smile. “Thank you…thank you so much.”
He chuckled but quickly gasped, his face turning pale. “Don’t…thank me.”
Isaak looked at us before standing up. “I’ll leave you guys alone,” he muttered before leaving the room.
I took his place on the chair beside the bed. Taking Lyov’s hand in mind, I looked at his stomach.
He was covered with the bedsheet, but I grimaced, remembering the bloodied scene from before. “Does it hurt really bad?”