Page 143 of Betrayed in the Dark
Seconds later, the room is filled with familiar faces: Mom, Vin, Alex, Mauro, Leo, Scarlett, and Alina. All of them tell me how thankful they are that I’m okay and how worried they’ve been.
“Seeing that you were just shot, I’ll ignore the fact that you got married without your mother present,” my mom says as she makes her way to my side. She reaches for my hand with a smile on her face. “I’m just so relieved you’re okay.”
“Always trying to be Mom’s favorite when we both know that title belongs to me,” Vin jokes with a wink as he makes his way to my other side.
“It’s been my title since the day I was born,” I respond, sticking out my tongue.
His expression softens, and his smile fades. “There aren’t many things in this world that frighten me, but you somehow managed to give me one of the biggest scares of my life.” He clears his throat and wipes his forearm across his eyes.
“We were so worried.” Scarlett squeezes my hand, with Leo standing protectively behind her as Alina takes my other hand.
“Try not to let this happen again, okay?” Alina advises, smiling with tears forming in her eyes.
“I’ll try not to.” I squeeze their hands in assurance.
Mauro approaches Alina and stands beside her. His eyes scan every inch of me, searching for more injuries, but after not finding anything besides my shoulder injury, his eyes lock with mine, silently holding a conversation.
“I’m okay, I promise,” I tell him, reaching out my hand for his.
His large hand envelops mine gently, squeezing it reassuringly. With his free hand, he points to his eye, then to his chest, and finally toward me. His eyes water, but he blinks the tears away before anyone else notices.
“I love you, too,” I whisper.
“We all love you,” Mom adds with tears forming in her eyes.
A knock sounds at the door, and Dr. Rose walks in with Eli.
“Looks like my patient is awake,” Dr. Rose notes with a smile as she approaches. “I’d like to change your bandages and give you some medication for your pain.”
“Of course,” I reply, shifting slightly on the bed.
“Well, everyone,” Mom begins, “let’s give Madeleine some space. We can all take turns visiting her later.”
Everyone says their goodbyes, leaving the room one after another, and that’s when I notice Alex standing in the corner.
I turn to Eli and Dr. Rose and ask, “Can you please give me a minute with Alex first?” They both nod and step into the hall, with Eli closing the door behind him.
Alex stands at the foot of my bed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. His eyes are cast down, revealing dark bags beneath them. His shirt is wrinkled and unbuttoned at the top. This isn’t the Alex I know, and it’s killing me inside to see him like this.
“You saved me,” I state.
He nods. “I did.”
“Why do I feel like you regret it?”
His brows knit together as he shakes his head. “I would never regret saving you. You’re my blood. My sister. I would do anything for you.”
“I know. But I can’t help but worry that you’re going to take this harder than you should.”
He turns away and walks to the window, glaring outside. “She needed help. She needed…” He shakes his head. “To be honest, I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know exactly what she needed or if she was too far gone for treatment.” He turns to me. “The world we live in isn’t kind. It’s cruel and dark to its core. Because of that, I’ve killed many men—men who deserved it.” He shrugs slightly. “Maybe some who didn’t, but I’ve never…” He shakes his head again. “I’ve never killed a woman. I’ve never even laid a hand on one.”
I arch a brow, my lips curving up. “Oh, really?”
“You know what I mean.” He rolls his eyes and flashes a fleeting smile before it quickly fades away. “Hurting women is not how we were raised. It’s not who I am. And this is going to sit heavy on my shoulders for a while.”
I sit up and clear my throat. “Cressida planted the seed for everything, orchestrating this entire situation. She wanted me to be as far away from Eli as possible, by any means necessary—even if that meant killing me. And she tried.” I let out a breath. “I know you. And I know you’re going to unnecessarily beat yourself up about this for a long time, and that’s why I’m going to tell you what started this whole thing.”
He furrows his brows in confusion.
