Page 185 of The One
Dr. Romano, my brother’s physician, appears at the end of the corridor. I grab his arm and pull him with me.
When we enter, Ella is hunched over in the chair, clutching Tiero’s hand, her chest heaving with ragged sobs.
Fuck.
Why wasn’t her doctor alerted?
Then I see it. Her wrist monitor is gone.
God, she’s reckless.
I scoop Ella off the chair and carry her to the small sofa in the corner of the room, lowering her gently onto the cushions. I crouch in front of her and pull her into my arms, holding her tight.
She buries her face in my shoulder, her body shaking as sobs wrack through her.
I murmur the same words over and over, half prayer, half plea, not even realizing I’m speaking Italian. She doesn’t ask what they mean, just clings to me, her tears soaking into my shirt. Eventually, her sobs quieten, but I can still feel her erratic heartbeat against me.
“Please calm down, Ella,” I whisper, my voice raw. “Please, your heart.”
She pushes away slightly, blinking up at me, her face blotchy, eyes red-rimmed.
“Aiden filled me in,” I say, searching her face. “You risked everything to be here. You should have told me. I would never have asked you to come. If anything had happened to you—”
Guilt churns in my gut.
“Nothing could have stopped me, Mateo. Nothing,” she insists. “Trust me, Aiden tried. So did my doctor. I’m likely going to d—”
“No.” The word rips from my throat before she can finish. “No. Not on my watch, Ella. I will find a heart for you, just like I’m going to find new lungs for Tiero.”
The promise isn’t empty. I mean every word. Iwillfind what she needs.
But the way she looks at me, the way she stiffens in my arms, tells me she already knows exactly what I’m capable of.
“You cannot kill anyone to save my life, Mateo,” she says, her voice steely. “If it is my time to go, then so be it.”
I shake my head, refusing to accept it.
“Mateo, promise me.”
Before I can answer, Dr. Romano steps forward, drawing my attention. I rise, dragging a hand over my face before rubbing the back of my neck, an unconscious habit I’ve picked up from my brother.
Ella watches me, her gaze drifting to Tiero, lying motionless in the hospital bed. The pain in her eyes is gutting me.
I return to her, this time sitting beside her. “The room next door is ready for you. Aiden is waiting, along with your team. It’s late. You need rest.”
She shakes her head. “I can rest later. Tiero needs me. That’s why I’m here. It’s not like sitting in that chair is exhausting.”
My patience thins. “Not a chance, princess. Tiero is sleeping, and so should you.”
Her eyes flash with frustration.
Damn these overbearing men,I can practically hear her thinking.
I move to lift her again, but she stops me with a hand on my chest.
“I’ll walk. Tiero can’t see you carrying me. He might ask why, and I don’t want him to know.”
I exhale sharply. “Ella, you have to tell him.”
