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107. Stay With Me

last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-04-27 08:20:10

ROCCO

I pressed both hands to the back of my neck. My head was about to explode.

That's when Luca appeared in the doorway, gasping for air.

"The plane's here! The pilot managed to come early! He's at the helipad, ready to take off."

I didn't even think. I scooped Diana into my arms—she weighed less than she should, her body limp, her eyes half-open—and ran down the stairs. Maria followed with a bag of towels and whatever little we had.

Diana groaned when I set her in the jet's seat.

"Rocco... i
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  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   108. Until the Last Breath

    ROCCOI considered it for a second. Just one."Save my wife.""Mr. Moretti, I don't think you understand. In this situation, it's easier to save the baby. Your wife… she won't make it. If we focus on her, we could lose both of them."The world crumbled at my feet.I stood there, arms hanging at my sides, my chest hollow. I could barely breathe. There was only that word echoing inside my head: lose. I couldn't lose her.And then, before I could stop it, a tear slid down my face.It moved slowly, hot, burning my skin."You need to decide," the doctor insisted, his voice more urgent now.I lifted my head."I'm not deciding a fucking thing."I turned my back on him and started walking toward the delivery room."Sir, you can't go in there!" the doctor shouted behind me.I kept walking.His hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. He tried to catch up, grabbing my shoulder."Sir, I strongly urge you to wait here, or I'll call security—"I didn't hear the rest.Nurses appeared in front of

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   107. Stay With Me

    ROCCOI pressed both hands to the back of my neck. My head was about to explode.That's when Luca appeared in the doorway, gasping for air."The plane's here! The pilot managed to come early! He's at the helipad, ready to take off."I didn't even think. I scooped Diana into my arms—she weighed less than she should, her body limp, her eyes half-open—and ran down the stairs. Maria followed with a bag of towels and whatever little we had.Diana groaned when I set her in the jet's seat."Rocco... it hurts so much...""I know, baby. I know. We're almost there. Stay with me. Stay awake for me."She tried. She really tried. But halfway there, when Hawaii was already appearing on the horizon, her eyes closed.Her face went slack. Her hand, which had been squeezing mine, loosened."Diana?" I called. "Diana!"She didn't answer."Fuck! Wake up, baby! Wake up!"Maria put her hand to Diana's neck."She passed out, Rocco. Her pulse is weak."The jet touched down on a runway in Honolulu. An ambulanc

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   106. The Wedding and the Storm

    ROCCOAfter the "I do" and the kiss that felt like it lasted forever, the party was exactly what Diana wanted: simple, full of love, and no fuss.Maria had set up a long table on the sand, loaded with fruit, cheese, bread, and a bunch of Hawaiian food I couldn't even name. Ramón was strumming a guitar in the corner, off-key as a squeaky door, but nobody gave a damn.Diana laughed the whole time.I couldn't stop looking at her.The setting sun hit Diana's face dead-on, turning her golden, almost like an angel. Her white dress swayed in the breeze, and her seven-month belly looked like a tiny full moon under the light fabric."You gonna stare at me like that through dinner?" she teased, with that crooked smile that fucking killed me."Yep.""Won't you get tired?""Never."She laughed, threw her head back, and my chest filled with something I'd never felt before. It wasn't just love. It was peace. It was the certainty that after all the shit I'd been through in my life, I was finally exa

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   105. The Bride

    DIANAThe sun hadn't even fully risen yet when I looked at myself in the beach house mirror.The dress was simple. Thin straps, white fabric flowing light to my feet, nothing too tight, nothing too fitted. My seven-month belly made the fabric pull a little across the front, and I loved that. Didn't want to hide it. Wanted to show it. This baby was part of our story, and he deserved to be there, that day, like that.Maria walked in without knocking, her eyes glossy with a smile."You look beautiful, girl." She pressed a hand to her chest like she might cry. "Rocco's a lucky man to have a bride this gorgeous.""I agree!" I said, and she grinned.I walked down the wooden stairs barefoot, feeling the fine sand between my toes. The sky was painted pink and orange—one of those Hawaiian sunrises that look like they came straight out of a dream. The air smelled like salt, like flowers, like a beginning.Luca was right by the entrance, fixing his light blue tie with this goofy concentrated loo

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   104. Plans

    DIANA Dinner was weird. Luca sat at the far end of the table, as far from us as humanly possible, eating his pasta in silence. Rocco was next to me, his hand on my thigh under the table like he couldn't go five minutes without touching me. "You two gonna stare at each other all night?" Luca asked, not even looking up from his plate. "We're not staring," I said. "Yeah, you are. Like two pigeons in heat." Rocco laughed with his mouth full. "Pigeons in heat? Where the hell did you get that?" We finished eating in silence. Luca stood up, took his plate to the sink, and came back with his arms crossed. "I meant what I said. About going back to Italy." My heart squeezed. "Luca—" "No, Diana. Let me finish." He took a breath. "I came here because Rocco asked me to. Because he needed to surprise you. But now you two are… together. It doesn't make sense for me to stick around like some intruder, living your lives." "You're not an intruder," Rocco said, his

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   103. The Best Mess in the World

    ROCCOWe got home as the sun was setting.Diana went straight to the shower, complaining that the car seat had stuck to her thigh. I went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and a lemonade for her, and put them on the coffee table.The front door opened before I could even sit down.Luca walked in carrying a giant backpack on his shoulders. He looked at me. Looked at Diana, who was coming down the stairs in a robe. Looked at me again.The silence lasted three seconds.Diana came down the last few steps carefully, one hand on the railing. Her hair was still wet, the robe tied at her waist, feet bare. Beautiful. Fucking devastating.“Sit down, kid,” I said, pointing at the couch. “We need to talk.”“Are you okay?” she asked.“I’m okay,” Luca said, kind of hunched in on himself. “Just… weird.”“Weird how?”“Weird seeing you two together again. And now what?” he asked. “What are you gonna do?”“Live,” I said. “Away from the mafia. Away from Italy. Away from everything.”“Here?”“Maybe. We have

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL    53. The Way Out

    ROCCOThe street was poorly lit, the streetlights flickering on and off, throwing dancing shadows between the run-down buildings. A row of prostitutes lined the curb, their short, shiny clothes standing out against the darkness. I scanned them with a calculating eye, looking for the one who’d fit t

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   51. Alessandro Knows Something

    DIANAI woke to pale dawn light filtering through the curtains, the feel of soft sheets against my bare skin giving me a brief moment of comfort before I realized I was alone in bed. My hand reached out for Rocco’s side, but all I found was cold fabric. I sat up slowly, pushing messy hair out of my

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   47. Soft Toothbrushes and Bad Decisions

    ROCCOI was standing there, staring down the shelf at the pharmacy, weighing my options. The list Diana had scribbled out before we left the house was crumpled in my pocket, items crossed off as I grabbed them. I ran my fingers over the toothbrush packaging, trying to figure out which one she'd act

  • PROTECTED BY THE DEVIL   46. This Is My Revenge

    ROCCODiana pressed her hand to her mouth, horror written all over her face, but she didn’t say anything. Just let me keep going.“She left me a letter.” My voice cracked, but I pushed through. “Apologizing for not being able to open up to me about any of it. About what the fuck was happening to he

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