Melina wakes up late the next morning to find the house empty and a bodyguard at her door. Everyone appears to have gone out. She goes to the mafia house in search of Thomas. She's hoping he hasn't already left for work. She wants to know what he has planned for the day of the exchange. Melina believes there is no way Thomas will go in blind, so she might as well know everything he plans to do that day if she can't persuade him to change his mind. Perhaps I can help in some way.Getting there, she finds his office and bedroom empty, so she checks the next possible place he could be, which is the basement. Melina asked Linda if he had gone to the office, and she said he was still at home.Melina saunters into the basement because the lights are dim. As she walks down the stairs, she hears Thomas' voice. Thank goodness I’ve found him. Following the sound of his voice, she finds him talking to someone she’s only ever met again in her dreams.

THOMAS“Where is she? Where the fuck is she?” Thomas barks at the men in the basement with him. He was asking for Kimberley. He just found out that she took Melina out of the house and handed her over to James.Thomas wouldn’t have caught on to Kimberly’s plans if Melina hadn’t told him Kimberly apologized and took her out. He didn’t believe it for a minute. He knew immediately Kimberly was up to something.On getting home, he realized she used it to get Melina out of the house. And that’s not all he discovered. He asked Richard to look through her phone and discovered she was the one who had told Rafael about Melina. Thomas couldn’t believe she would betray him in this manner. He’s enraged by what she did and wants to rip her head off her body right now.“They found her boss. They’re bringing her in,” Leo informs him.A few seconds later, two men walk into the basement with Kimberley. She barks at them to let her go, but they ignore her, throwing her in front of a seething Thomas.“T

Unfortunately, this doesn’t help Melina because James surprisingly kicks the bucket off her hands and backs her into a wall. He wraps his hands around her neck, restricting her airflow.“Fuck having your body; I’ll just fucking kill you.” He digs his nails into her skin and draws blood as he strangles her. Her face darkens as the veins around her face appear ready to burst at any moment. Melina places her hands above his to free them from her neck. She scratches his hand, drawing blood, but he doesn’t budge. Melina can’t believe this is how she dies. I have to do something.She checks her surroundings for anything that might be of help. Nothing is within her grasp because everything is on the floor. As he squeezes her neck tighter and presses her head deeper into the wall behind her, the wound behind her head burns. Her eyes become heavy. Melina could feel her soul slipping out of her body. I must act now.

A few hours have gone by since Thomas was shot. The whole family is in the hospital. Melina fears every second, the doctors will just come out and confirm Thomas is dead. Hopefully, that won’t happen. She snaps out of her reverie when someone calls her.“Melina,” someone says, barging into the room. Melina turns her head to the door, and her eyes widen in shock.“Franky!” Melina jolts out of her seat and runs to her sister.“Hello, Mel,” Franky says, smiling.“Oh, my God! Franky, it’s really you,” Melina says, pulling her in for a hug.“Yes, it’s me.” “I’m so sorry for what happened to Thomas,” Franky says, pulling from their embrace.“I don’t know what I will do, Franky, if he dies. I didn’t even tell him I forgave him before he closed his eyes,” Melina says, as fresh tears sting the back of her eyes.

Two Weeks LaterMELINA“Thomas, I might not know much of Sicily, but at least I know the surrounding area on the way home,” Melina says, looking out the window. They are on their way home. Thomas just got discharged from the hospital. Melina is so happy as he is almost fully recovered.“I know, principessa. I need to make a quick stop at one of the warehouses before we go home.”“You just got discharged. How could you already be working?” Melina asks, concerned he might be stressing himself.“Don’t worry. I’m not doing anything strenuous.”