Page 65 of Seduced By the Enemy

Every part of him hurt,his throat most of all. That was the tube, the nurses had told him. It was to be expected. Confusion dogged his thoughts, as he stared around the room at his family, wondering, firstly, what they were all doing. Then, where he was? And finally, why? The questions that pounded around and around in the back of his mind though was: Emilia. Where was she? Was she okay? Those questions he was familiar with. They were his first waking thoughts, each day, and his final thoughts at night.

He had no choice but to lay there as Dante explained everything to him. The car accident, the driver, and as his brother spoke, flashes of memory came back to him. It had been wet, and he’d been tired. Not drunk, thank god—he would neverget behind the wheel of the car after drinking. Even he, in his recent state, wouldn’t be that stupid. But he had been exhausted after more than a month of barely sleeping, not eating, and imbibing scotch like water, so his reflexes had undoubtedly suffered.

“The other driver,” Salvatore managed to croak out. “Is he?—,”

“She,” Marco corrected. “Is fine. She broke one arm, was in hospital for a night, before being taken to the prison and charged.”

“Thank god,” he said, hating the thought of having killed a person.

“It was her fault,” Dante stressed. “She was beyond drunk and driving like a maniac. You had no chance to avoid her.”

Salvatore’s head hurt too much to answer. He lifted his fingers and pressed them there, wincing a little as they connected with a bruise.

“So, what’s the prognosis?” he asked, looking down at his body, seeing the wires, the casts.

“You were lucky,” Raf said, so Maria scoffed, tears running down her cheeks at the sight of her boy like this. “You have a broken arm, and leg, but both will recover quickly enough.”

“And you all came to Singapore?” he said, shaking his head.

Maria sobbed, and Gianni wrapped his arm around her. “We’ve missed you,” she said. But it was the wrong sentiment.

It reminded Salvatore instantly of everything that had come before. Of the way his family had pushed him into the worst decision of his life. If only they’d loved and welcomed Emilia as part of the family, he could have made his peace with her family’s rejection. But to have her left with no family beyond him, all because he loved her?

He closed his eyes on a wave of bitterness. Grief quickly usurped every other feeling of pain in his body.

“Let’s give him some time,” Dante suggested, gesturing towards the door. Salvatore didn’t open his eyes as they walked from the room.

“We’ll come back in a couple of hours,” Maria promised.

Salvatore didn’t acknowledge that.

He expelled a breath—it hurt. His chest felt as though it had been cracked open, too.

“You should know something,” Dante said, so Salvatore opened his eyes, frowning, to look at his brother.

“How lucky I am?” because he sure as hell didn’t feel it.

Dante’s lips twisted to the side, showing he understood.

“Emilia came to see you.”

Salvatore moved to sit up, his entire body fighting that. But damn it, he didn’t want to be in such a recline as his brother told him this.

“What? When?”

“A few days ago. Salvatore—,” Dante’s voice trailed off and his lips formed a deep frown. “You are aware of the grief I’ve faced. The wrenching pain I’ve had to grapple with, and recover from.”

Salvatore nodded gingerly.

“I cannot say that I’ve ever seen someone so completely destroyed as Emilia was by the sight of you. It was…heartbreaking.”

Salvatore’s brain felt like it was swelling all over again. He angled his face away to stare out of the windows, looking at the view from the Singaporean hospital, without seeing it. How could he hear that without responding? How could he hear it without aching to wrap her in his arms and hold her against his chest? But what had changed? What difference did it make?

“It was good of her to come,” he said, finally.

“I don’t think she felt she had a choice. She looked ruined, bro.”

Exasperation fired through him. “What are you doing,bro?” he layered the word with sarcasm. “You trying to play matchmaker now? We both know why that can’t happen.” He closed his eyes. “And in case you’re wondering, this doesn’t change anything. I appreciate the concern, but as far as I’m concerned, we stopped being family the minute you all decided not to support my choices.”

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