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Alexander's POVThe clock on the wall seemed to move slower with every passing minute.Five hours.Five fucking hours.Emily had been inside the operating room for five hours, and all I could do was sit outside and wait. That was the hardest part. I had faced enemies with guns pointed at my head. I had walked into situations knowing there was a good chance I wouldn't walk out alive.But this was different.There was nothing I could fight.Nothing I could threaten.Nothing I could control.The only thing I could do was sit in this hospital corridor and pray that the woman I had already lost once wouldn't be taken from me a second time.My eyes remained fixed on the red light above the operating room doors.SURGERY IN PROGRESS.Every time the doors opened, my heart stopped.And every time they closed again, I felt like I was being dragged back into the same nightmare.My family was scattered across the waiting area.My mother sat quietly, her hands clasped together as she prayed beneath

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ALEXANDER…More than twelve hours had passed.Twelve hours since Emily had been taken into surgery.Twelve hours since I had watched those doors close behind her and been forced to stand outside, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait. And now, she still hasn't opened her eyes. I sat beside her hospital bed, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.The monitors beside her continued their quiet rhythm, each soft beep confirming what I already knew.She was here.She was alive.But she hadn't woken up.The doctor had told me it could take time. He had assured me that the sedation was wearing off gradually that Emily would wake when her brain was ready.I understood the words.I just didn't know how to make myself believe them. Every minute felt like an hour.Every silence felt too loud.I hadn't left her side, not once.I reached for her hand.Her fingers were warm. I gently wrapped my fingers around hers."You've been sleeping long enough," I murmured.A faint smile touched

172

ALEXANDER…Her voice broke on the last word.I bowed my head for a moment.I couldn't hide it anymore.The tears I'd been holding back for more than a year finally slipped free.I had imagined this moment countless times. I had dreamed of hearing her say my name again.But I had never imagined how much it would hurt. Or how much it would heal.I looked back at her.She was crying. I was crying.And neither of us tried to hide it.I leaned closer and gently pressed my forehead against hers.She closed her eyes.I closed mine.Our tears mixed as we held on to each other."You're back," I whispered.Her fingers tightened around mine."I'm here."Those two words shattered me.I pulled her gently into my arms, careful of the wires and the healing wounds, and held her as though she might disappear again if I loosened my grip.She buried her face against me.I felt her tears against my chest.And I cried with her.For the first time in more than a year, I wasn't grieving her.I wasn't searchi

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ALEXANDER…And for the first time, those words didn't feel like a promise. They felt like a second chance.A second chance I had spent more than a year believing I would never get.I was still holding her hand when I heard the quiet sound of the door opening.Emily lifted her head.Vincenzo stepped into the room first.Behind him came Erina, Raphael, Teresa, and Poala. Everyone stopped the moment they saw Emily awake.No one spoke.For a few seconds, the room was completely silent.Emily looked from one face to another. Confusion slowly gave way to recognition.Her eyes widened."Erina..."My mother's hand flew to her mouth. Tears immediately filled her eyes."Oh, my God."She took one hesitant step forward."Emily."Emily's lips trembled."Mom..."That was all it took.Erina crossed the room and gently took Emily's face between her hands."My daughter."Her voice broke."My beautiful daughter."Emily began crying again."I remember you."Erina pulled her into a careful embrace, mindfu

174 Epilogue

ALEXANDER… FIVE YEARS LATER Five years.That was how long it had been since Emily opened her eyes and gave me back the life I had thought I lost forever.Five years since I had stood beside her hospital bed, terrified that if I let go of her hand, she might disappear again.But she never did.She recovered completely after the surgery.It wasn't immediate.There were difficult days, long nights, endless appointments, and moments when her memories returned too painfully. There were days when the past felt heavier than she could carry.But Emily fought through every one of them.And I stayed beside her.Every step of the way.Six months after her recovery, I asked her to marry me again.Not because we had forgotten the wedding we never got to have.But because I wanted to give her the wedding she had been robbed of.And this time, nothing stopped us.Five years ago, Emily became my wife.I still remembered the moment she walked toward me.She wore the same kind of smile I had spent ye

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174 Epilogue