Chapter Hundred: Fifty-Three

She couldn’t find a response. She simply stared at his face, searching for any sign that he was joking. But he hid behind his usual lazy smile, even though inside, he was just as anxious. He didn’t even understand why he had said the word so suddenly. It had slipped out of him before he could think it through.

Before either of them could speak again, Kara’s phone rang. She lowered her gaze quickly, handed the bowl of soup to him, and reached for her phone. When she saw the caller ID, she glanced back at him.

“It’s Luci,” she said.

Jairo nodded lightly. He told her he was feeling much better now and that Luci wouldn’t be as shaken as before.

She answered the call and spoke to Luci, telling her to ask Alejandro to bring her to the hospital.

When Luci arrived, she already suspected something serious had happened. But seeing her uncle lying there with a thick bandage wrapped around his chest and shoulder still made her eyes fill with tears. The white dressing looked too big.

Jairo tried to reassure her that he was feeling much better now, but his words didn’t ease her heart. Kara watched the scene with her heart slightly heavy, then she excused herself when her phone rang again.

“Hi, Victoria,” she greeted warmly.

“Hi to you too, Kara,” Victoria replied. “I think you will need a manager soon. I’m handling the schedules of other models, and always being the one to reach you is tiring.”

Kara pressed her lips together. She hadn’t followed up after the last shoot because of everything.

“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely.

“Good. But I need you to stay active. A post from your last shoot with Luca has been uploaded. You’re tagged. The company likes your expression. There will be another shoot with a different theme. Drop by the company anytime this week for inquiries.”

“Sure. Thank you so much. Have a nice day,” she replied politely before the call ended.

She opened her social media account immediately. The post already had over a thousand likes. But most of the comments were praising Luca. Only a few asked if she was new to the company. And her personal page still had zero followers.

She sighed quietly.

Then she turned back toward the room but paused before entering. Through the glass, she watched Luci and Jairo talking. They looked deeply involved in whatever conversation they were having. Her mind drifted back to his words.

The thought made butterflies rise in her stomach. Being his wife. Mrs. Vitale. The idea felt comforting and soft, almost dreamy. But then she remembered her sister. Their unfinished family matters.

Her excitement slowly settled. She adjusted her expression before walking back into the room.

.

.

Jairo stayed in the hospital three more days before leaving. It wasn’t because he had been fully discharged. He simply felt useless lying there and he was more worried about Kara than himself. She barely slept.

Soon, life tried to return to normal, though they were still staying in the countryside for safety.

But Luci had to return to school, and Kara and Ann also needed to go back to work. They couldn’t remain there forever. They thanked Leo and the elderly couple sincerely for their help.

Kaicus decided to stay back with the older couple for safety reasons. Emilia didn’t like the idea at first, but she eventually agreed.

Meanwhile, Salvatore was steadily losing allies. Every day, another supporter distanced themselves. Within a week, he had killed ten of his own guards out of rage and suspicion. Fear and quiet rebellion began spreading among his men.

Back at the house, Emilia was formally welcomed. The staff were shocked to meet her and Kara introduced her as her twin sister.

Emilia asked to stay in the same room as Kara, and Kara agreed happily.

Luci noticed that Andro had been trying to get closer to her since their last conversation. She pretended not to notice, but it was becoming harder to ignore him.

Kara suggested that instead of sending Emilia abroad for treatment, she could recover her memories while staying somewhere familiar, surrounded by people she trusted. Jairo agreed. And a neuropsychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, and a neurologist were hired to take care of her.

That night, Emilia stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Kara was lying on the bed, scrolling through the comment section of the modeling company’s post.

Emilia stared at her sister longer than usual. Kara felt the gaze and looked up immediately. She dropped her phone and straightened.

“Do you need anything?” she asked, already preparing to get up if needed.

Emilia shook her head.

“I was just thinking about something.”

“Like what? Do you want to share?” she said, making Emilia smiled gently. Her sister had always been open with her.

“It’s nothing serious. I was just wondering… are you dating Jairo?”

Kara froze. A faint blush spread across her face instantly.

Emilia noticed and looked away. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No, no. I was just caught off guard. Of course I want to answer you. But why did you ask?”

Emilia shrugged as she moved closer. “It’s obvious. Last night during dinner, you kept adding vegetables to his plate. And he kept telling you to rest. You’re always on time with his medication. I also overheard Luci telling Brie that you stayed with him in the hospital when he injured his shoulder.”

She didn’t know he had been shot. She only knew about an injury.

Kara stared at her. She hadn’t even realized she had been that obvious.

“So… if we are dating… what do you think about it?” she asked slowly, her heartbeat increasing.

Emilia thought for a moment before sitting on the bed.

“I approve of him. He’s a nice man. He saved me. He helped us meet again. And soon we will meet our family. You are dating him, right?”

Kara nodded slowly.

Emilia’s face lit up and she clapped her hands excitedly. “I knew it! Tell me everything. How did you two meet? But first…” she leaned forward. “You like him, right?”

“Very much,” Kara answered immediately, and they both laughed softly.

“When you see him, do you feel safe? Do you miss him when he’s not around?” Emilia asked.

Kara nodded again.

“Wait… how do you know that?” she asked playfully.

Emilia bit her lip.

“I think I like someone too.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“Kaicus. But I’m not sure about my feelings yet. Maybe I just like that he doesn’t look at me like I’m fragile or broken. He talks to me normally. Sometimes bluntly. I don’t know why that makes me feel grounded.” she admitted.

Kara listened carefully. The fact that her sister was talking about feelings like this made her heart swell.

“How does he look at you?” she asked gently.

Emilia thought. “With a gentle gaze. He protected me several times at the villa. I don’t know if I’m confusing his kindness for something else. Does loving Jairo scare you?”

“Yes. It terrifies me. But I’m still here. I’m still choosing to love him. Does Kaicus know?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid he will think I’m still recovering and don't know what I want yet.”

“Then let it grow naturally. If it’s real, it won’t disappear.”

Emilia looked at her with admiration.

“Now tell me about you and Jairo,” she said eagerly, standing to get her nightwear from the closet.

Kara watched her with a soft smile. It felt surreal and warm, talking about love with her sister like this. She began telling Emilia that she met Jairo through her. She didn’t go into too much detail, just enough for her sister to understand.

~~~

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