Page 193 of The One
Could I really walk away?
Chapter Seventy-Two
Mateo
Mari and I are sitting wrapped in a warm blanket under our tree at Carloso. She’s been playing guitar for me under the stars, but not even that is bringing me solace tonight. The notes drift away on the night air, but they do nothing to quiet the storm raging inside me.
I’m unsettled, my mind torn in so many different directions.
Ella is with Tiero tonight. His last night on this earth, if he has his way.
“Should I just step in?” I ask the question that’s been plaguing me the most.
Earlier today, Uberto informed me that the Swiss woman’s biological markers are a match for what Ella and Tiero need.
It’s a miraculous result.
Under another guise, she’s been taken to Rome, where she’s currently enjoying some sightseeing, under close observation, of course.
Mari pauses, her fingers resting lightly on the strings. “And do what?” she asks softly.
“Make the decision for them,” I say.
Mari exhales, setting the guitar aside. “You mean have the Swiss woman killed even though Ella decreed that no living person was to be sacrificed for her?” Her voice isn’t accusatory, but there’s gravity to it.
I drag a hand through my hair. “She doesn’t want to take an organ from someone who isn’t already dead. By the time this woman reaches the hospital, she’ll already be gone. It wouldn’t be a lie, not really.”
Mari shifts beside me, tucking her knees under the blanket.
“I can’t let him just throw his life away like this. Not when there’s a solution right under our noses,” I insist.
“It’s your brother’s life, so it has to be his decision,” she says softly. “You said that he’s tired of everything. I think the thought of him living on in Ella brings him a lot of comfort. He won’t really be dead then.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “But he could be with her… with both of them alive.”
Mari raises an eyebrow, studying me for a moment. “How?”
I meet her gaze, and then tell her my idea.
She listens attentively, her lips parting in understanding.
“That could work,” she says when I’m finished. “But—”
“How can there be a but? It gives them both a chance. Not just to live, but to be happy together.”
She exhales. “Yes, there’s a chance, but plenty could still go wrong. What if Tiero survives the transplant, but Ella doesn’t? What then?”
I rub my hands over my face, moving my head from side to side to relieve the tension in my neck and shoulders.
Mari shifts behind me, her hands gliding over my shoulders before kneading gently. Her touch is soothing me.
“Teo, I understand you want to fix this. You don’t want to let your brother die. I’d be contemplating the same things if this were Isa. Still, you can’t decide for Tiero,” she insists. “Your brother is of sound mind and has thought this through.”
“Has he though? He’s made the decision to give Ella his heart awfully fast.”
Ignoring my outburst, Mari continues to work on my shoulders.
“Definitely tell him about your plan, but the ultimate decision has to be his.”
