Chapter 1 – The Man Who Couldn't Lose Her Again
Chapter 1 – The Man Who Couldn't Lose Her Again
Luca was already halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge before Anna realized she had ended the call.
She hadn't even told him which hospital.
She didn't have to.
Within seven minutes, three black SUVs rolled to a stop outside Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
Security guards instinctively stepped aside as Luca Marino crossed the lobby in a charcoal overcoat, his expression so cold that conversations died in his wake.
A nurse tried to stop him.
"Sir, visiting hours are—"
"What room?"
"I'm sorry?"
"My wife."
The word surprised even him.
The nurse hesitated until another doctor recognized his name.
"Room 417."
Luca walked faster.
For months he had imagined this reunion a thousand different ways.
He pictured Anna slamming the door in his face.
He pictured her smiling.
He pictured another man standing beside her.
He never imagined finding her attached to an IV.
When he entered the room, Anna looked impossibly small beneath the white blanket.
The woman who had once laughed barefoot across marble floors now looked exhausted just lifting her eyes.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Luca pulled the plastic chair beside her bed.
"You've lost weight."
Anna gave a tired smile.
"So have you."
He looked away.
For six months he hadn't slept longer than two hours at a time.
His empire had expanded.
His fortune had doubled.
None of it mattered.
"You should've called me sooner," he whispered.
Anna studied him.
"You would've tried to fix everything."
"I still will."
"You can't."
His jaw tightened.
"I can buy hospitals."
"You can't buy another body."
May you like
Silence settled between them.
For the first time in years, Luca had no answer.
