Chapter 1: The Man Who Never Came Too Late
Chapter 1: The Man Who Never Came Too Late
"What happened?"
Luca's voice cut through the silence with frightening calm.
Anna swallowed hard.
"I'm at Brooklyn Methodist."
There was a pause.
"What room?"
"Luca..."
"What room, Anna?"
"...417."
The line went silent.
"Are you still there?"
"I'll be there in twelve minutes."
The call ended.
Anna stared at the screen.
Brooklyn traffic at seven in the evening could take forty minutes.
She knew exactly what twelve minutes meant.
Luca wasn't asking the city for permission.
Eleven minutes later, every television in the nurses' station briefly lost signal as two black SUVs rolled into the ambulance entrance.
Security guards instinctively stepped aside.
Doctors exchanged nervous glances.
The elevator doors opened, and Luca Marino stepped out wearing a charcoal suit without a tie. His hair was damp from the rain, and for the first time in years, the most powerful man in Lower Manhattan looked... afraid.
He entered Room 417.
Anna barely recognized him.
He looked thinner.
His eyes carried months of sleepless nights.
Neither of them spoke.
Luca slowly walked toward the bed before kneeling beside her without caring that his expensive suit touched the hospital floor.
"I searched everywhere."
Anna blinked.
"What?"
"I looked for you."
She frowned.
"I hired investigators. I bought security footage from subway stations. I had people watching airports."
"You promised you'd let me go."
"I lied."
The honesty stunned her.
"I couldn't stop looking."
Anna felt tears burning behind her eyes.
"You should have."
"I couldn't."
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally, Luca reached for her hand.
This time...
She didn't pull away.
An hour later, the attending physician entered with fresh scan results.
"You must be Mr. Marino."
Luca nodded.
"I'm whatever she needs me to be."
The doctor explained everything carefully.
The mass appeared operable.
They still needed a biopsy.
There were encouraging signs.
There were also serious risks.
Anna listened quietly.
Luca asked every question she had been too frightened to ask.
How long?
Success rate?
Recovery?
Best surgeon?
When the doctor finished, Luca stood.
"I want the best surgical team in New York."
"We already have an excellent—"
"The best."
"Mr. Marino—"
"I don't care what it costs."
The doctor looked toward Anna.
She sighed.
"He's impossible."
"I know."
The doctor smiled for the first time.
"So I've heard."
That night, Luca refused to leave.
The nurses brought him a folding chair.
May you like
He never sat in it.
He stayed beside Anna's bed until sunrise.
