Garden of Roses ✔️

Chapter 24

Zara

I can't open my eyes. Why can't I open my eyes? Am I dead? No, I can't be. Shouldn't there be a light somewhere or something? Maybe this is hell. There's no light in hell. I think.

"Hi. I know I'm probably talking to myself, but still. I'll talk. If you don't mind, that is." I hear Bianca's voice. "No? I thought so."

"So as you know, you're in a coma."

I'm what? When did this happen? I knew I shouldn't have trusted that guy with a mask. He looked suspicious.

"Can I hold your hand? Okay, you know what, I'm going to. If you don't like it, you're gonna have to wake up and tell me."

If I only knew how.

"It's been just a few hours since you got out of surgery and we already feel kind of lost, you know. We don't know what to do if you're not here. The mission is over, I guess. So what now? Do we start packing and wait for you to wake up so we can go home? Not that we came here with any luggage. I mean, you just picked us up at the bunker, and we were just gone."

She's right. It's time to go home. I can't keep sleeping here while they're waiting for me. I need to wake up.

Wake up, damn it!

Oh, it's useless.

"I didn't call Luca yet. I don't know what good would it be to tell him what's going on when he can't do anything about it. He would just go insane worrying and... It just wouldn't be good. We'll tell him when you're a little better, okay?"

Oh God, Luca. He has no idea what's going on. He would kill me personally if he knew that I got myself shot and thrown into a coma. The last I heard from him was a week ago. Thankfully, the situation at the bunker was under control. I knew he could handle it. He just needed an opportunity to prove it to himself.

"Dante and Camilla haven't talked to us much, but from what I overheard, they caught Isabella, and she's locked up now so you don't have to worry."

Good, I hope Camilla has a great time carving her with a hot knife.

"Also, Dante sat in the hallway waiting for an update about you and hasn't left for even a second. What's up with that? Is there a reason why he was so extra concerned? I thought he was just tolerating our existence because we were helping him."

I wish I knew what was up with that too. I have no idea what to think about Dante. Or what is happening between us. Not that anything is really happening.

I would be lying if I said that I haven't felt something during our few brief moments together. Every single one of those moments was incredibly intense and made me feel impossibly connected to him. But that's all it was, moments.

"Oh, and, Alex is fine by the way. He's all bandaged up, but he'll survive. Gabi is keeping him company, wink wink."

"I know, it's not funny. I just can't help myself. The two of them would make the weirdest couple. Okay, I've gotten off the topic here. You need to wake up, woman. We have no idea what to do with ourselves and we need you. So, if you could hurry up, that would be great."

I'm trying here. I really am. Maybe if she slapped me I would wake up. Bianca yanks my hand abruptly, reacting to the sound of the door opening.

"Do you mind if I stay here with her for a while?" I hear Dante's deep voice somewhere in the room, and I feel Bianca's hand tense as she's still holding mine.