0051: The Ones Who Knew

ALESSANDRO’S POVI woke up with a jolt and found the room too quiet. The afternoon light had shifted across the floor, and the chair beside my bed sat empty. Adriana was gone, Rocco was gone, Garcia was gone. Only Liora was in the room, standing near the window as she scrolled through her phone. I instantly felt fear hit me harder than the residual pain in my chest. I pushed myself upright, ignoring the pull of the stitches. “Where is Adriana?” I asked, my voice dripping with panic. Liora looked up, her brows raised. “What?” “Where is Rosa?” I repeated, my voice rougher than I intended. She set the phone aside and gave me a patient look. “Relax, Aless. You were right here when she left with Mama to see Luca. They have not come back yet.” That was correct. I remembered they left together to the pediatric unit, I was awake before whatever that nurse gave me knocked me out cold. But still the absence stretched longer than it should have, and unease began to settle under my ribs. Th

0052: The Mask Comes Off

ADRIANA’S POVI stood near the window and watched the change settle over Alessandro the moment Rocco spoke Cassian’s name. His jaw tightened. The warmth that had lingered after Garcia and Liora left instantly drained away, replaced by the cold focus I had seen on him in darker rooms and blood hunting situations. He said nothing at first. He only stared at the closed door as if the answer was already waiting on the other side. My mind began sorting through every person who had known the surgery schedule. I knew about his surgery, yet I had contacted no one outside these walls. Why would I? Rocco knew about it, and betrayal from him was unthinkable. The hospital staff knew, but they had no reason to connect me to the De Santis family and even less courage to risk the Orsini name. Alessandro’s security team lived by loyalty; snitching on their own boss would end them faster than any rival. Garcia and Liora had learned of the surgery only after the surgery, they had known because they co

0053: Blood For A Touch

ALESSANDRO’S POVThe minutes stretched longer than they should have. Adriana had said she would find food and return shortly, yet the corridor outside stayed empty and the quiet inside the room pressed against my ears. My gut had never lied to me. Something was wrong. I felt it the same way I felt a gun aimed at my back in a dark alley. I tore the tape from my arm and pulled the intravenous needle free. Blood beaded at the site, but I didn’t care. The heart monitor leads followed. A nurse standing near the door stepped forward at once. “Signore Orsini, you cannot remove those,” she said, fear dripping from her voice. “You are still recovering. Please return to the bed.”I rose to my full height and looked down at her. “Get the fuck out of my face if you still want you tongue in your mouth.” Color drained from her cheeks as she scrambled backward and fled the room without another word. The door swung shut behind her. I walked into the hallway on bare feet, hospital gown hanging open

0054: The Man Who Watched

ADRIANA’S POVI left Luca’s room with a lighter heart than I had carried in days. He had smiled when he saw me, asked for his father, then asked for another drawing pad, and drifted back toward sleep looking stronger than the morning before. The nurse at the station took my order for Alessandro’s food and promised it would reach the room within twenty minutes. I walked the quiet corridor back toward his door with the simple plan of sitting beside him until the tray arrived.Voices drifted through the half-open doorway before I reached it. Rocco’s low tone mixed with Alessandro’s sharper one. I stopped short of the threshold and stayed in the shadow of the wall, not meaning to eavesdrop at first, yet the words pulled me closer. “Boss, this is everything I could gather on the doctor, Cassian Vale,” Rocco said as rustled papers followed next. “His medical license, hospital records, and family history. On the surface he looks clean, a dedicated pediatric cardiologist with a solid reputat

All Chapters of AFTER FIVE YEARS, HE FOUND ME: Chapter 51 - Chapter 54

0051: The Ones Who Knew

0052: The Mask Comes Off

0053: Blood For A Touch

0054: The Man Who Watched