Chapter 48

ALESSANDRO

As I looked down at her resting in my arms, I could barely breathe. Her lashes were long — so long they almost brushed her bruised cheeks — and her face looked calm for the first time in days. She looked so peaceful it almost hurt to watch.

I love her when she’s fiery, when her voice cuts sharp and fierce. That spark in her eyes — it’s what drew me to her from the beginning. But like this, with her eyelids relaxed and her lips still slightly parted, there was a kind of grace I couldn’t resist.

She’s so beautiful.

“Alright… I won’t sedate her,” the doctor said reluctantly, lowering the syringe. “Just let her rest.”

“Don’t worry, doc,” Collins said, stepping in before I could speak. He put a hand on the doctor’s shoulder and guided him out of the room. “I’ll take it from here.”

I laid Ria gently back onto the bed, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead.