Chapter 3

Anna POV

The shift happens so quickly, it’s dizzying. One moment, Marco is looking at me like a particularly amusing puzzle he’s figured out how to solve but hasn’t decided is worth the effort.

Then, his face is shadowed, becoming all sharp edges like hidden knives.

It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room, and I don’t know if there really isn’t any air and that’s why I can’t breathe, or if I’ve become afraid of breathing in Marco’s presence.

So far, the situation has been strange, but it felt like I was talking to family friends, which is somewhat accurate considering Marco knew my dad.

Now, I see the reality.

This is the Don.

I might’ve figured out before that Marco is the Don, but witnessing him as a strategist who’s just been upset is terrifying.

My instinct is to refuse a marriage, of course it is, but maybe I should’ve held my tongue and waited to find a way out of it rather than refusing outright. Then, my veins wouldn’t feel like they’re filled with ice instead of blood.

I made a mistake, and now I’m terrified of what Marco could do as a result.

Except whatever unknown punishment I’m bracing for never comes.

“I don’t have time for this. The adoption paperwork is already filed.” He doesn’t give me a chance to reply. “As far as the system is concerned, you’re my adopted daughter. A position I’m sure you’ll come to see the prestige of soon enough.”

Then, he gestures at his sons. “You two will take turns guarding her while she’s in the hospital.”

With that, Marco leaves.

Leandro and Giovanni share a look once he’s gone. Giovanni mutters loud enough that I can hear him but soft enough that he’s almost pretending that he doesn’t want me to hear him say, “I have too much to do to spend my time caring for an injured little bird.”

With a shrug, Leandro says, “Go ahead. I can take care of her today. Then, you take tomorrow, and we’ll keep switching off until Anna’s discharged.”

Giovanni nods, only once, to Leandro and leaves the room without a single glance at me. After how terrifying it was to see Marco’s anger, Giovanni ignoring me almost feels like a blessing.

Almost.

With the other two gone, Leandro takes a seat in the chair next to my bed with an easy, warm grin. “Welcome to the Falcone family, my sister.”

I look at the door, then back at Leandro. “I’m not sure I’m that welcome, actually.”

Leandro barks out a laugh. “Oh, Giovanni? He’s always like that towards women.”

He shakes his head. “It’s no wonder he’s still single with an attitude like that. As my dad already said, I’m Leandro, your second brother.”

I open my mouth to respond, but my stomach has other ideas, growling loud enough that I’m certain Leandro can hear it. And he must, since he leans over and finds the remote on my bed that includes a ‘Call Nurse’ button, pressing it.

It takes a few minutes for the nurse to arrive, and Leandro’s easygoing aura makes the silence in the room while we wait feel comfortable rather than suffocating.

The nurse enters the room with quick steps. Her hair is tied back, but enough strands are escaping to show that it must be a busy day for her.

Before I can even think about what to say, Leandro says, “I think a hearty meal is in order for the patient.”

He looks at me and gives me a quick wink. “And I’m quite hungry myself.”

It’s a little embarrassing that he heard my stomach and then took it upon himself to fix the problem, even claiming that he’s the hungry one. But it also makes me feel warm to have somebody pay that much attention to my needs and take care of them without me asking.

The meal arrives, and my portion is a bowl of plain oatmeal and some broth, which I understand when I try to take a bite and my jaw aches from the minimal amount of effort it takes to chew oatmeal.

Still, I take my time and eat as much as I can. After all, I’m starving, and my body is going to need the energy to recover. From his seat, Leandro has his own sad meal, and he seems much less interested in it than his earlier claim of being hungry suggested.

“So, you’re really a mafia family. And you’re going to make me get married to a man I’ve never met because it benefits you,” I say between spoonfuls of oatmeal. Whether it’s from the shock of the situation or a sense of resignation sinking in, my voice sounds emotionless.

“You’re right about the first part that we’re a mafia family, but you don’t have to be anxious about that. We take care of our own, and nobody is going to mess with the Don’s daughter,” Leandro leans down and speaks softer so that only I can hear him. “If you truly don’t like your future husband, I’ll speak up on your behalf. Believe it or not, my words have some merit in this family.”

I turn my attention from my bland food to search Leandro’s face for any sign that he might be lying, but I can’t find any. My panic and anxiety about the future fade a bit, and maybe it won’t be so bad to be part of this family when my brother is so gentle and considerate.

Shortly after my meal, a doctor walks in, his glasses slipping low on his nose and his hair turning gray at his temples. “I’m glad to see you awake, Anna,” he says. “You have a full set of examinations to get through today.”

The doctor gestures to the hall, and a nurse enters pushing an empty wheelchair.

Now, I have to get from the bed to the chair, and without the sheets covering it, I can see the damage done to my foot. Still, I prepare myself to grit my teeth through the pain and hobble to the chair.

But then Leandro’s hands are on my arms as he crouches in front of me before I can even try standing up. “You’re in pain… Do you need my help?”

My heart skips a beat at the offer.

At the orphanage, nobody would ever offer that kind of help. Instead, the nuns were strict and harsh, giving us ambiguous punishments for breaking rules we didn’t know existed.

But I shake my head, looking down at my lap because it’s too embarrassing to meet his eyes like this.

“Mhm, sure,” Leandro says, clearly ignoring my refusal and lifting me into his arms instead.

While he lifts me like I don’t weigh a thing, the sudden shift has me wrap my arms around his neck with an iron grip to steady myself.

His arms are warm and strong, and I can hear the rhythmic beating of his heart from where my ear is pressed against his chest.

I’m not used to being this close to a man, not after being at the orphanage for so long with the only man there being Father Tobias. However, part of me knows that the electricity and heat I feel from where he’s touching me is inappropriate, especially since Leandro is now my adoptive brother.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Leandro asks softly, apparently sensing the discomfort that’s coming from my own spiraling thoughts.

All I can do is lower my head and hope that it hides the blush I feel flooding my cheeks.

Get yourself together, Anna, I tell myself. He’s your brother now. You can’t feel like that about him.