Page 21 of The Last Hope

“You… you’ve never seen the sea,Pulcinomio?” she asked gently, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rafael tore his eyes away from the window to look at her.

“No, but now I will, thanks to you, Aunt Sienna !” he beamed before turning back to the view, completely oblivious to the effect of his words.

My sister sank into her seat, her fingers gripping the armrests. I heard her breathing change—fast and shallow—and my chest tightened as I watched her stare blankly ahead.

“Sienna…” I began, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away abruptly, standing up so quickly it startled me.

“I… I need to freshen up. I’ll be right back,” she muttered, avoiding my gaze before hurrying toward the back of the plane.

I wiped away the tears that escaped despite myself and winced as I moved my injured hand. A glance beneath the bandages made my stomach churn—my fingers were swollen, the red turning to an ominous purple.

“Excuse me, ma’am, please fasten your seatbelt. We are beginning our descent,” a flight attendant told me with a polite smile.

I returned the smile and nodded, watching her walk away.

“Alright,Angelomio, time to buckle up. We’re about to land,” I told Rafael, kissing the top of his head.

He nodded enthusiastically, but when I tried to secure his seatbelt, my injured hand made it impossible. Frustration rose in my chest—I couldn’t even buckle my own child in.

Two hands appeared, fastening his seatbelt swiftly before doing the same for mine. I glanced up to see Sienna settling into her seat, fastening her own belt, her eyes slightly red from crying.

“Sienna,” I whispered, “this isn’t your fault. It never was.”

She shook her head tightly, lips pressed together, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

“It’s all my fault. All of it.”

“No ! You defended yourself ! You—”

“Enough, Selina. Let’s forget about it,” she shut me down in a quiet, defeated voice. I said nothing more, just squeezed my son against me.

Once our passports were checked, we headed toward the exit. Rafael was still half-asleep, his little body heavy in Sienna’s arms as she hurried toward the main doors.

I adjusted my cap, struggling to keep up with her pace. I was so exhausted that my legs barely cooperated. Sienna had promised we’d soon be somewhere safe, that I just had to hold on a little longer.

A loud cry suddenly cut through the crowd behind me.

I froze.

A small figure appeared between the throngs of people, running straight toward me.

“Mom ! Mom !”

I barely had time to process the words before Andrei Ivanov crashed into my legs, wrapping his little arms around them.

I didn’t fall—miraculously—but I stood there, utterly frozen.

I looked down at the boy, his bright eyes sparkling with excitement, a wide grin stretching across his lips.

“I found you, Mom.”

“What…?” I stammered, completely lost.

“Andrei !” a voice called out, and I recognized the man approaching—an Ivanov, one of the brothers.

Andrei turned excitedly toward him.

---