Page 164 of Matteo
“She’ll come back to us,” Mom said with conviction I only wished I had while she attempted to hold back more of her tears. “The doctors believe she’ll recover nicely. She just…”
“She just has to wake up,” Gianna said, her voice strained.
Mom panted through her tears, holding on to her chest, and I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. They spilled like a broken dam, along with long whooshes of breath that made it hard to breathe.
“She’ll wake up,” I whispered, tasting salt on my tongue and hyperventilating. “She’ll wake up, if for no other reason than to take revenge.” I met the gaze of the man who’d raised us. The man who’d always been here for us. “And you, Dad, will keepthat fucker alive until Hannah’s strong enough to make him pay.”
After all, we were all legacies of heathens and revenge was in our blood.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
ARIANNA
My head whipped up when my twin’s body stirred, and an overwhelming, crushing feeling of relief surged through me.
“Hannah,” I called out and her eyes fluttered open.
She blinked once, twice, then whispered, “Arianna?”
Her voice was barely audible and a myriad of emotions started to suffocate me. I didn’t think, I just reacted, wrapping my arms around her frail frame. She had lost weight during her captivity, even in the last three days since I returned from the island.
“I’m so sorry, sis.” I squeezed her to me, her heartbeat against mine. “I should have been there for you. I’m so, so sorry.”
She stared at me, that usual spark in her eyes gone. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, shaking my head. “I do. I was selfish and?—”
She shook her head, pain filling her features. “You must be talking about me. You’re never selfish.”
“I let you down.” It was getting harder and harder to breathe as the lump in my throat grew. I dragged in a heavy breath. “I wasn’t there for you and I’ll never forgive myse?—”
“No,” she cut me off. “You are always there for me.”
“But—”
“No buts. Whenever I cry or feel sad, you jump through hoops to fix it all and make me laugh. That sums up sisterhood. And what have I done?”
“You’ve been there for me too,” I reminded her.
She shook her head. “Not lately. For Christ’s sake, you were willing to sacrifice your love for Matteo for me.”
I gasped and our gazes locked.
“You knew?” I breathed.
“I didn’t know for sure until—”Until that night the planetarium burned down.The unspoken words lingered in the air and she let out a tired breath. “You should have told me.”
I hung my head with guilt. “I know. I was a coward.”
“You’re not a coward, but you should have trusted me enough. You’re my other half. Don’t you know I love you more than anything?”
A shuddering breath swished through my lips.
“You’re right. If I had, none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t be lying here.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” I didn’t say anything, but how could I not? I didn’t even know she was using drugs. How could I have been so damn blind?
“Why did you—” I faltered, unsure how to frame my question. I didn’t want to sound accusatory. “How long have you been using?”
