Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 31

ECHO'S POV

I run from Luca's office with tears clouding my vision. All of this bullshit I've let him feed me, none of it was true. I'm so fucking stupid to think that he could do better. I huge part of me knew he couldn't, though. I just felt like I had to give him another chance because there was no use in being upset with him. I thought, why spend the rest of my life in hate of the one I wake up to every morning? I thought there's was no getting away, so why hold on to that feeling? I'd only be hurting myself.

I reach my room, change into a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a jacket before grabbing a couple of things and packing a bag with a few essentials. As I rummage through my nightstand, looking for anything I might need, I come across Luca's pocket knife. I slide it into my back pocket. I might need it.

I grab my bag and head to the front door. To my surprise, the door is unlocked. No code is needed. When I open the door a guard is waiting for me next to a car. I almost want to walk right past him, but I wouldn't know how to get back home on my own.

"The Capo has asked me to take you wherever you please."

"Take me to Grandview General Hospital." I know that's where my mom will be. She always talked about how they had the best doctors and how they were the only ones she trusts.

I get inside the car and I can't stop thinking about Luca for the entire ride. He told me I was special to him, and just like that, I'm nothing. He said he loved me and I was so close to believing him. I'm glad I never fully let myself fall into his lies. I thought things would be different because Luca was different from anyone else I'd been with before.

I laugh at the thought. I can't even say we were together. What even were we? I should have listened to myself, I just knew things wouldn't go well with him. From the moment he was holding me in that art room, telling me how special I was to him. I should have fucking known.

Enough about Luca. I need to get to my mom. I can't believe she's been hiding this from me. There were some days were she looked so exhausted. Sick never crossed my mind, I never questioned it. Every time I looked at her I thought she deserved to feel tired. I thought she deserved it for the way she treated me. I was tired. I was hurting, so I never really opened my eyes to see her pain.

She's been going through this by herself for I don't know how long, but I just don't understand. Why would she hide this from me? I hope that it's not as bad as Dario made it sound. Terminal, stage 4 breast cancer. It can't be that bad. Maybe it's Dario being...Dario.

About an hour later, I arrive at the hospital. I rush through the doors and head to the front desk. I wept for the whole car ride, so I try wiping away my tears.

"Hi, do you by any chance have someone in care, named Sharlette Whitlock."

A woman with blue highlights in her dark hair gives me a bright smile before typing on her computer.

"Could you spell that first name for me, hun?"

I spell my mother's name for her. She types some more.

"Who are you in relation to the patient?"

"I'm her daughter, my name is Echo Whitlock."

"Ahh, yes. She's in room 203, you can go up there to see her now."

The woman gives me a sticker with my name on it, and the label visitor at the top.

Once I leave my heart pounds harder and harder as I get closer to room 203. I don't know what state she'll be in.

When I reached the room, the door is open. My mom lies in a hospital bed, she watches tv. She has dark circles under her eyes, and her lips look shriveled and dry. She wears a head scarf. It's only been about three months since I've seen her. She looks like a completely different person.

"Mom?"

She slowly turns her head to look at me. I walk closer to her. "Mom, you have cancer? Why...why didn't you tell me? Does Dad know?"

"No, he doesn't know. And I was gonna tell you, but you disappeared on me again." Her voice sounds dry and weak. Guilt rushes through me. Last night I almost gave myself up to someone who doesn't deserve me while she sat in this hospital suffering. I shouldn't have left with Luca that night. I shouldn't have called him, but I didn't know what to do at the time. I was scared, and he was the one person I felt safe with.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It's just so complicated."

"I read the note you left. You said you were never coming back. I thought I'd never see you again. I just didn't understand why. I thought things were going well. You seemed so angry in your note. I thought maybe your dad ran you off. Did he do something?"

This note. What the hell did Luca say?

"No, he didn't do anything that he hasn't done already, but enough about him. What are they doing to make you better, Mom?"

"Oh, Echo. It's stage 4, and at this point I'm terminal."

"No, Mom. Don't say that. There has to be something they can do." I take her hand into mine. I guess Dario wasn't exaggerating.

"No, they gave me chemotherapy for a while, but it was only getting worse with no signs of getting better. They wanted to do surgery, but I just didn't have the funds."

I think about the money Luca claimed to have given me. If he really did, I could get her that money. Even if he didn't, I will get on my knees and beg him to. I need to save my mom. I need her here, I'll have no one if I don't have her.

"Mom, I'm going to get that money for you."

"Echo, what are you talking about? That surgery cost thousands of dollars, and besides, it's too late. I have less than a month left. What part of terminal, do you not understand? I'm going to die. You need to understand that, you need to prepare yourself, Echo."

"N-no...I'm not accepting that. If only you'd told me sooner, mom. I could have gotten you that money, you don't understand." If Luca had taken me from that club and I knew my mom had cancer, when I saw his wealth, my first mission would have been to save my mother.

"There's nothing you could have done. What were you going to do, rob a bank?" she giggles.

She just doesn't know.

She cups my cheek. "Look, there's nothing else that you, me, or the doctors can do. Let's just enjoy the rest of the time we have left, okay?" She holds a sweet smile.

I nod my head, even though I want nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs. I want to break down and cry, but that won't help anything. I've missed my time to grieve. Right now, I need to enjoy the time I have left with her before I miss that too.