"Liam is under my control now, sweetheart," Ace sneers, tightening his grip.
Amella's eyes blaze with defiance as she confronts him, "Why do you hate him?! Leave him alone!" His hold on her neck loosens slightly.
Gripping her hair tightly, Ace looks...
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Author's Pov
As Amelia sat in the waiting room of the hospital, she felt numb. The seconds ticked by like hours, and she couldn't help but wonder what was taking so long. She couldn't stop replaying the events of the past few days in her head. She is blaming herself for everything that happened, from the kidnapping to the warehouse incident. The Russi family was still hurt but they were safe.
Her best friend was fighting for his life and at the same time so was her brother, Ivan. The chances of survival for both of them were very low and it was terrifying. Amelia wasn't able to think properly.
All her sweet memories with her brother start replaying in her mind. As she sat there waiting for any news, Amelia couldn't help but think about how much Ivan and Liam meant to her. They had been inseparable since they were kids, and she couldn't imagine a world without them in it. They were always there for her, through thick and thin, and now she felt helpless.
Flashback (A few years ago)
Fourteen-year-old Amelia stares at her bed with horror in her eyes. The bloody sheet in front of her and the stains on her clothes was enough to make her eyes teary. Her family was out except her mother and brother, Ivan. Unfortunately, her mother was out with her friends leaving her with her brother.
"oh my god" Amelia yells at the horrified sight. It was her first time. She knew about periods, her mother told her everything about it so she don't panic but here she was, panicking and horrified.
Ivan bursts into the room, his hair messed up. He was sleeping when he heard his sister's shout. It was 9 AM in the morning and Amelia screaming was not normal. He looks at Amelia's scared face and then follows her gaze to look at her bloody sheets.
He sighs in relief and gets inside the room. "Amelia?" He says and Amelia looks at her brother with teary eyes. Ivan frowns and squats at her level, making her face turn towards him.
"It's okay. Breath. Okay? Vai in bagno, la tua roba è lì e cambiati. Mi occuperò di questo. Va bene?" He says in the Italian language. Amelia nods, mumbling an 'ok'
(Go to the washroom, your stuff is there, and change. I'll take care of this. Okay?)
Flashback over
Amelia smiles at the memory. That day they both ate four tubes of ice cream while watching Shin-chan.
The minutes turned into hours, and still, there was no word from the doctors. Amelia was starting to lose hope when suddenly the doors to the operating room swung open. A team of doctors emerged, their faces grim and serious.
Amelia's heart sank as she looked at them, knowing that the news couldn't be good. But as the lead surgeon approached her, he looked at her with a strange expression on his face.
"We were able to save him. Liam King is fine. It was shocking, the bullet had gone right through where our heart is but Liam's heart is on the right side," he said quietly. Amelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been so sure that Liam was gone, but somehow, miraculously, he had survived.
"Can...Can I see him?" She questions with hopeful eyes. The doctor shakes his head in denial.
"He needs time alone" With that, they all walk away.
Michael and Rose King finally stand and Rose hugs Amelia who sobs on her shoulders. Even though they both did something terrible, Amelia forgive them. Rose had a bad childhood, she gave birth to Alex when she was very young. She wasn't aware of good or bad. Michael was angry with the twins but after years, he was guilty. He searched for Lucas but he was under Ace's protection so he couldn't find him.
"Amelia" Irena yells from the end of the corridor. Amelia breaks the hug and looks at her mother who was sobbing loudly. Her father was beside her with a sad face, he was trying to hold back his tears because his wife needed her. Both her parents still had bandages and cuts, their body was looking tired and their eyes were red with dark bags underneath. Every member of Amelia's family was hurt, yet they didn't show their pain. Their main concern was Ivan who was fighting for his life there.
Amelia rushed towards them and looks at them with a questioning gaze. They both looked at each other, communicating with their eyes but they couldn't break the news. Ace's parents come from behind, their eyes were tired but their appearance was normal. Ace was injured too but not as terrible as Liam and Ivan.
"Ivan...he...he" Amelia's father was not able to complete the sentence as a sob releases from his mouth. It was as clear as day what this meant.
Amelia's Ivy, her brother who pulled so many pranks with her was no more.
