The Assassins Kiss

Chapter 21

Luca's POV

It's been two hours.

Two long, silent, agonizing hours.

The sterile hallway outside the OR feels colder than it should.

Time moves in strange, stilted patterns here, some moments drag like they'll never end, others vanish in a blink.

Lily hasn't left Roman's side, her hand clutching his even while the nurses tried to gently coax her away.

I've been pacing. Sitting. Standing. Pacing again.

"How do you feel?" Killian asks, breaking the silence.

I glance over at him, surprised he has the nerve to ask. "How do you feel?" I fire back without thinking. Maybe it's unfair, but I need to deflect the question before it swallows me whole.

Killian leans back against the wall, arms crossed, and says, "Well... I mean, I get where she's coming from. Ezra. She was trying to protect her daughter. That's understandable. If I had a kid, I'd do the same thing."

I stare at him. That's not the response I was expecting.

"I'm not saying she was right," he adds with a small shrug. "But I can't blame her either."

I clench my jaw and look away.

"She lied, Killian," I say, voice low. "She chose to lie."

He's quiet for a moment. Waiting, maybe, for me to calm down. Or explode.

"She could've told me," I continue, sharper now. "We could have helped her protect Lily. We would have helped. But instead, she kept me in the dark. About everything. About who her father is. About her daughter. She had a kid all this time and she didn't tell me."

Killian exhales through his nose. "You would've gone after Rocco the second you found out. She knows that. Ezra didn't want more blood. And no matter what he's done, she still loves her father, Luca. That doesn't disappear overnight. Even if it should."

My fists tighten. "She still lied."

"For her kid," Killian reminds me, trying to keep his tone even. "That little girl means everything to her. You can't hate her for trying to protect her."

"I can't?" I cut in, staring him down. "You think I'm mad because she was scared? I'm mad because she didn't trust me. Because she made me believe I knew everything, and then pulled the floor out from under me like it was nothing. You don't lie to someone you you care about."

Killian hesitates. Then shakes his head. "Whatever you do, don't forget this: Mom will disown you if you hurt either of them. Ezra or Lily. You know she will."

I look down the hall again, toward the OR doors that still haven't opened.

I don't say anything.

But inside, I'm not just angry.

I'm confused, hurt, I want answers and it's answers I won't be getting any time soon.

The doctor finally walks out. Her scrubs are wrinkled, exhaustion lining her face, but her voice is steady.

"Okay. Iris Ricci is stable. She's resting now—no visitors until she wakes up and is cleared by her attending physician."

Everyone lets out a breath.

"Ezra Ferrari..." the doctor continues, flipping through her chart, "She's in a coma. We expect her to wake up within the week, but her condition is being closely monitored."

My heart stops for a second. Coma. Week. I swallow hard.

"And lastly, Rocco Ferrari. He's also in a coma. He coded a few times, but we managed to stabilize him. He'll likely regain consciousness on his own timeline."