All Chapters of OFF LIMIT: FOURTEEN NIGHTS WITH MY HUSBAND'S BEST FRIENDS : Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

238 Chapters

PROLONG HER SUFFERING

Chapter 209ElowenLater that evening, after Giuliana had finally fallen asleep surrounded by the clothes and books we'd carefully packed for the hospital, I found myself standing outside Matteo's office.My hand was raised to knock, but I hesitated.This was stupid.This was a conversation that could wait.But I couldn't stop thinking about the look on Giuliana's face when she'd mentioned Marco. The way her voice had gone soft. The way she'd blushed.The way she'd looked heartbroken when she said she'd pushed him away.I knocked before I could talk myself out of it."Come in," Matteo's voice called.I pushed the door open and found him sitting at his desk, papers spread out in front of him, his reading glasses perched on his nose.He looked up and immediately straightened when he saw me."Elowen," he said, standing. "Is everything okay? Is Giuliana...""She's fine," I said quickly. "She's sleeping. I just..." I paused. "Can I talk to you about something?""Of course." He gestured to

IN A CLASS WITH SHORT PEOPLE

Chapter 210ElowenDr. Ferraro met us at the entrance to the pediatric oncology ward.When he spoke to Giuliana, he crouched down to her level instead of looming over her."Ciao, Giuliana," he said warmly. "Sei pronta?""Sì," she said, though her voice was small.He smiled and stood, turning to Matteo."We'll get her settled in her room first," he said. "Run some preliminary tests. Start the first infusion this afternoon. You're all welcome to stay with her.""We're not leaving," Matteo said firmly.Dr. Ferraro nodded, understanding.He led us down a hallway painted in cheerful colors, past rooms with open doors where I could see other children in various stages of treatment.Some were playing. Some were sleeping. Some were crying.My heart clenched.This was Giuliana's world now.At least for a while.We reached her room—a private room, because of course Matteo had arranged for that—and Dr. Ferraro helped her into the bed."I'll be back in an hour," he said. "To start the tests. For

BY HER SIDE

Chapter 211ElowenMarco laughed. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just tall."They fell silent again, but it was a comfortable silence now."I'm sorry," Giuliana said suddenly. "For not... for pushing you away before. When I got sicker. I just didn't want you to have to see me like this. I didn't want you to feel sorry for me."Marco looked at her seriously."I don't feel sorry for you," he said. "I mean, I'm sad that you're sick. But that's different. You're still you, Giuliana. You're still the smartest, bravest person I know. Being sick doesn't change that."Giuliana's eyes filled with tears again."I'm not that brave," she whispered. "I'm scared all the time.""Being brave means being scared and doing it anyway," Marco said. "My dad told me that once. And you're about to do this treatment thing, even though you're scared. That's brave."He was quoting almost exactly what I'd told Giuliana just yesterday.Wise kid."Will you..." Giuliana hesitated. "Will you come visit me again? While I'm do

LIVING IN THE HOSPITAL

Chapter 212ElowenThree weeks.That's how long we'd been living in the hospital.Three weeks of watching Giuliana endure treatments that made her violently ill.Three weeks of holding her head while she vomited into a basin.Three weeks of hearing her cry in pain when she thought we weren't listening.Three weeks of hell.But also three weeks of something else.Three weeks of Marco showing up every single day after school, homework in hand, ready to sit with her.Three weeks of watching Kian and Matteo slowly, impossibly, become something that looked almost like friends.Three weeks of stolen moments in the garden behind the hospital, where Matteo would find me when the weight became too much to carry alone.Three weeks of learning that love wasn't always gentle. Sometimes it was brutal and unforgiving and demanded everything you had.And you gave it anyway.I was sitting in the chair beside Giuliana's bed—my permanent residence now—when she stirred.It was early morning, the sun jus

THE WAY WE'D PROMISED

Chapter 213"No," Giuliana said, reaching for his hand. "It's perfect. It's the most perfect thing anyone's ever given me."Marco relaxed slightly. "Really?""Really," she confirmed. "Can I keep it?""Of course," Marco said. "I drew it for you."He carefully tore the page out of his sketchbook and handed it to her.Giuliana held it like it was made of gold."Will you help me hang it up?" she asked. "Where I can see it?""Sure," Marco said.He found some tape and hung the drawing on the wall across from her bed, right in her line of sight.When he was done, Giuliana studied it."That's how I want to feel," she said quietly. "Like I'm winning. Like I'm strong enough to fight.""You are strong enough," Marco said firmly. "You're the strongest person I know.""You keep saying that," Giuliana said."Because it's true," Marco said. "You want to know something?""What?""When kids at school found out I was visiting you, some of them said I shouldn't. That it would be too sad. That I should j

BETWEEN MATTEO AND KIAN

Chapter 214ElowenThe waiting room outside the imaging department was painted a cheerful yellow.Someone had thought that would be comforting.They were wrong.I sat between Matteo and Kian on a hard plastic bench, my hands clasped so tightly in my lap that my knuckles had turned white.Marco sat across from us next to his father, his leg bouncing anxiously.None of us spoke.What was there to say?The scan would take forty-five minutes, they'd told us. Forty-five minutes to get images of Giuliana's brain and spine, to see if the tumors were shrinking, stable, or growing.Forty-five minutes to determine if we kept fighting or started saying goodbye.I'd never known time could move so slowly.Every minute felt like an hour. Every hour felt like a lifetime.Matteo's leg was pressed against mine, and I could feel the tension radiating from his body. His jaw was clenched so tight I worried he'd crack a tooth.Kian sat perfectly still on my other side, but I could see his hands gripping h

MORE BATTLES LAY AHEAD

Chapter 215Elowen Giuliana noticed too."Uncle Kian," she said. "Come here."Kian turned back, his eyes red, and moved to the bed.Giuliana held out her free hand to him.He took it, and she pulled him down so she could whisper something in his ear.I saw his face crumble completely.When he straightened, he nodded at whatever she'd said."I promise," he said hoarsely. "I promise.""What did she say?" I asked.Kian looked at me with such raw emotion that it stole my breath."She asked me to take care of you," he said. "If the news is bad. She asked me to make sure you're okay. You and him." He nodded towards Matteo who raised his head confused."Giuliana..." I started."Just in case, Mama," she said. "Just in case."I couldn't speak.Couldn't breathe.Could only hold her hand and try not to break apart completely. ......Two hours had never felt so long and so short at the same time.We tried to distract ourselves.Marco drew. Giuliana dozed. Matteo paced.Kian stood at the window,

TEMPORARILY

Chapter 216ElowenFive days later, Giuliana was discharged from the hospital.Temporarily.She'd have to come back in three days for her next round of treatment, but Dr. Ferraro had given her permission to go home for a brief respite."Fresh air," he'd said. "Family time. Normal life, as much as possible. It's good for healing too."Watching Matteo carry his daughter out of the hospital—she was still too weak to walk far—while Kian pushed the empty wheelchair behind us and Marco carried the bag with Fuoco and all her drawings, I felt something shift inside me.Hope.Real, tangible hope.Not the desperate, clinging hope of the past few weeks, but something steadier. Stronger.The ride home was quiet but comfortable.Giuliana dozed against my shoulder in the back seat, exhausted from the simple act of getting dressed and leaving her room.When we pulled up to the house, she stirred and looked out the window."Home," she breathed, and I heard such longing in that single word.Matteo car

EVERYTHING ELSE DISAPPEARED

Chapter 127Elowen "How do you know about that?" I asked carefully."I heard you leave," she said. "And then I heard Papa leave too, a few minutes later. And you were both gone for a long time."She was watching me with those too-knowing eyes."We just needed some air," I said. "And to talk about... about things.""What things?""Giuliana...""Did you kiss him?"The question hit me like a physical blow."What? No. I..." But I couldn't lie to her. Not when she was looking at me like that. "Why would you ask that?""Because you're both different now," Giuliana said. "Since that night. You look at each other differently. Papa smiles more when you're around. And you get all pink when he touches your hand."I stared at her, speechless."I'm eight, not blind," she said, sounding far too much like a teenager. "So did you kiss him or not?"I took a breath."Yes," I admitted quietly. "We did. But Giuliana, it was complicated. We were both upset and scared and...""Do you love him?" The questi

I WON'T SURVIVE IT.

Chapter 218ElowenTime fractured.One moment I was running, the next I was at Giuliana's bedside, the next Matteo was shouting into his phone for an ambulance, the next Kian was trying to turn her on her side to keep her airway clear.Everything was happening too fast and too slow at the same time."How long has she been seizing?" Matteo was asking Kian, but his voice sounded like it was coming from underwater."I don't know. I heard a noise from her room. I came in and she was already..."Giuliana's body jerked violently.A sound came from her throat that didn't sound human."No, no, no," I heard myself saying. "Please, no, not now. Not when she's doing better. Please."I reached for her hand but Kian caught my wrist."Don't," he said gently. "You can't. Just let her body do what it needs to do.""What it needs to do?" I nearly screamed. "It needs to stop! She needs to stop!"But she didn't stop.The seizure went on and on.Thirty seconds.A minute.More."Where's the fucking ambula

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