~Camila~
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕"
To the world, Camila is a breath of fresh air; a woman of gentle smiles and a joyful heart. Her charm is her armor, and her intellect is her weapon.
B...
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After I threatened the doctor, he finally let us stay with her.
Various wires were connected to her fragile body, her hair fanned across the pillow, and her beautiful eyes remained hidden beneath her lids. I sat in the chair beside her, holding her hand in mine, my heart aching at the sight of her like this.
"I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, Gemma," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her palm.
"Please wake up soon and return to me, because every second without you in my arms is driving me insane." My voice broke as I spoke to her unconscious body.
I stayed at her side, not realizing when I eventually drifted off—until a soft tap on my shoulder woke me. I looked up to find her mother, Ms. Carmen, standing over me with a sad smile. I immediately stood, offering her the seat I'd occupied.
"Is anything wrong, Ms. Carmen?" I asked.
She shook her head slowly, though the tears already glistening in her eyes began to fall.
"It's nothing, son. I just wanted to see the man my daughter fell in love with... and check on her," she said gently, glancing at Camila before looking back at me.
I reached out to cup her cheek and wiped her tears with my thumb.
"Don't worry—she'll be fine," I assured her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
I left her to spend time alone with her daughter and stepped out, finding Russo leaning his head against the wall, exhaustion written all over his face. I went over and sat beside him.
"You can go home, Russo. I'll call when she wakes up," I offered quietly.
He straightened up and gave me a faint smile.
"I can't, Luciano. You know, Camila is one of a kind. She managed to soften the heart of a beast," he said with a smug look, and I smirked in return.
"I guess I'm a lucky bastard. What about you? I've seen the way she's grown on you."
He sighed, eyes shifting away from me.
"Protecting Serena, Janelle, and Ariana is already a full-time job. Then Camila came along. She's... different. A true friend. She helped me see life in a new light—not to judge the future by the pain of the past."
A soft smile formed on his lips, probably from a memory of her, and it made my jaw clench.
"Do you have feelings for my woman?" I asked, my voice tight.
He chuckled.
"Relax, Don. I might love getting under your skin, but I know my boundaries. I owe you, your brother, and Aunt Dariah too much for all you've done for my sisters and me."
He met my gaze, honest and grateful.
"I don't love Camila that way."
I gave him a short nod, accepting that, and we moved on to talk about other things.
