Chapter 3

Marco took out his phone and found the security capo's number.

Lia stopped him, placing a hand over his.

"Do you really need to call that many people? Elena had a medical checkup recently, and she's always been in good health. Why would she suddenly need so much blood?"

The doctor, Alberto Volpe, looked at her.

"She can't stop the bleeding right now. No matter how healthy she was before, she can't withstand losing this much blood."

"That's not what I meant…"

Lia let go of Marco's hand, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"She begged you for so long earlier, but you still chose to take me first. Do you think she feels that unless she makes things serious enough, you won't care about her?"

Marco's hand froze over his phone.

"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "I shouldn't have asked the boat to take a detour, and I shouldn't have kept insisting that you stay."

Wiping her tears, she glanced in my direction.

"Would she finally cooperate if you admitted that choosing to take me first was wrong?"

"She isn't refusing to cooperate," Alberto interrupted, his voice growing stern. "We're talking about the severity of her injuries right now."

Marco, however, turned to Lia instead.

"I was the one who decided to take you first," he said, steadying her with a hand. "You don't have to blame yourself for everything."

Clara stayed by my side, helping me reposition my arm. I followed her instructions, struggling to lay my hand flat.

The doctors around us kept asking when the blood would arrive, and I looked at Clara until she leaned closer.

"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked softly. "I'll cooperate with anything as long as it helps stop the bleeding."

"Please lie still and refrain from speaking. We're trying to find a solution."

"Then please tell him I'm not throwing a tantrum."

She glanced at me, pulled the slipping blanket back over me, and headed toward the door.

The door hadn't been shut properly, and I heard her urge Marco once again to contact the donors.

"Don Romano, Donna Elena has been cooperating with the treatment. Please call the donors first. The blood bank can arrange the screening."

"There's no need to alert the entire family," he said, putting his phone away. "Bring her out first. I want to ask her what it'll take for her to stop making a fuss."

Clara didn't move. She hesitated, looking troubled.

"But Donna Elena is still receiving treatment."

"I only need to ask her a few questions. It won't take long."

"Maybe it'll be good for the two of you to talk things through," Lia chimed in. "When we were on the island, Elena could still call you over and over and argue with you. Now, she won't even speak—"

"It's because she doesn't have the strength to," Clara cut her off.

"When I left, she was covered with a blanket," Marco said, glancing through the doorway. "She didn't seem to have lost nearly this much blood."

"The blanket was red. The blood had already soaked right through it," Clara replied, her voice strained. "We warned you while we were still on the island. We called again later to urge you to come back, and Donna Elena even begged you to let her leave first."

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

I watched the narrow gap in the doorway, waiting for his response.

"So, she's still blaming me for what happened."

Any trace of unease vanished from Marco's voice.

"Bring her out," he ordered. "I'll explain why I didn't go back for her.

Clara returned to my side. She didn't touch the stretcher's handles.

"Don't be afraid," she reassured me. "Just lie still and let us continue treating you."

I nodded weakly.

Earlier, Marco had said he would stay with me and take me home once I recovered. I'd actually believed him. But even after Alberto had made the severity of my injuries perfectly clear, all he cared about was asking why I couldn't just be more understanding.

His phone was right there in his hand, yet he still hadn't dialed the number.

Clara went out to urge him again later, but returned alone.

The clock on the wall reached 12:14 am.

Alberto returned to my bedside and called my name twice before I managed to open my eyes. Clara leaned over me and asked if I could hear her.

"Please don't let them take me out," I whispered, moving my fingers until they brushed against her hand. "Please… Keep treating me."

She clasped my hand tightly and promised she would.

Another medical staff member picked up the phone and continued asking about the blood supply.

But after all that waiting, Marco still hadn't made the call to summon people to donate blood.