“I don’t know.” I pulled at the drying fabric, anxious to get it off.
Ashgrabbed my arm, tugging me to an abrupt stop. “What happened, Sasha? You couldn’t get here fast enough, and now you’re running away like your ass is on fire. What happened in the twenty minutes you’ve been in there?”
Looking anywhere but in her eyes, I stayed silent. Her tiny fingers dug into my already bruising arm, and I winced, jerking out of her hold.
“What the hell?” All five feet,four inches of Ashley, were tensed and ready for battle. “What. Happened?” Her dark eyes were flashing dangerously.
“Can we just get to the car? I need to get out of this dress.”I tugged at the fabric, blinking back tears.
Ashfrowned, her mouth parting, then snapping shut. With a tight nod, she started walking again.
It wasn’t until her tiny Prius had pulled out of the parking garage that Ashley spoke. Her voice came out rough, like she was holding back tears. “Did Luca die?”
“No. He hasn’t. He’s in surgery.”
Blowing out a breath, Ashley shook out her hand. “Okay, that’s good.So,what had you so shaken?”
“Mr. Moretti.”
I watched the lights of the city go by, wondering what I was supposed to do.
“Okay?”
“He’s scary, Ash. Like violent, threatening scary.”We stopped at a red light, and Ashley turned toward me, her eyes demanding I continue.“He told me to leave, to not come back, to not talk to Luca. Then he grabbed me and shook me. All while we were in some empty hallway alone. I was legit scared he was going to hit me.” I turned away from Ash and faced the road. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”
“You tell Luca!” The light turned green, and I motioned for her to drive. “Sorry.” She gestured to the car behind her. “I don’t think he would appreciate his dadmanhandling you. And you know what? Fuck that guy.”
The farther we got from the hospital, my chest got tighter. I didn’t have a billionaire trying to murder me with his eyes, but I should be there with Luca.
Ashley’s hand squeezed mine. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies. I . . . I . . .”I shook my head as tears started to roll down my cheeks.
“You love him.”
Hiccuppinga laugh, I shook my head. “If I do, I’m not going to tell you before I tell him.”
“Good girl.”
* * *
Around four in the morning, I got a text from Adriana saying Luca was out of surgery and stable.
Jumping out of bed, I got dressed, pulled my hair into a bun,and ran out the door.
The waiting room was as packed as it had been when I left. One pair offierce, dark eyes bore into me like I was a plague coming to take down the entire family.
Lucky for me, a certain eight-year-old had my back. “Sasha! Uncle Luca is going to be okay!” Dante danced around,holding a glazed donut in his hand.
“That’s awesome, bud. Is he awake yet?”
A shake of his head, and he ran off, leaving me with his grandparents.
“He’s all hopped up on sugar. Today’s going to be a rough one.” Rosa laughed into a yawn. “Come sit. They expect him to wake up any minute now.”
“Okay.”
I gave Mr. Moretti a wide berth and sat on Rosa’s right. Immediately, she grabbed my hand and patted it with the other. “You know, you’re good for my Luca. You’re strong, smart, and don’t let him give you any shit. Why can’t you two just make it work?”