Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 56

LUCA'S POV

Today, I'll say goodbye. Today, I'll give my love the peace she deserves. This isn't exactly how I envisioned her at peace with life, but unfortunately, I was too late. Unfortunately, this is all that I can give her.

Dario and I are sitting in the lobby of the hospital waiting for Vic to arrive. She still doesn't quite know what condition Echo is in. I'd rather tell her in person.

I'm ready for all she'll unleash on me; I deserve it all. Every ounce of anger and hatred brewing in her heart, I deserve to feel it. "How far away is she?" I turn to ask Dario.

"She's about fifteen minutes out," he says.

My heart is banging against my rib cage. There's so much that I'll have to unpack. I have to tell her about Echo's kidnapping, the torture she endured, and worst of all, I have to tell her I killed her best friend. While trying to save her, I killed her. She's dead because of me.

"Do you want anything? I haven't seen you eat in days. You have to eat something, stop punishing yourself."

"I'm not." I am. Dar knows me well. I haven't slept or eaten in days. Nearly four to be exact. I feel the need to suffer, just as she did.

"Luca, I know you feel guilty, but punishing yourself will accomplish nothing. Eat, and when we get home, you'll sleep, okay?"

He expects me to sleep right after pulling the plug on my love. That's not possible. Usually, I'd blow up in his face for saying such a thing, but I don't have the energy, nor do I want to. He's right I shouldn't punish myself but I have to.

Dario stands. "Come on."

I lazily stand from my chair, my head spinning in the process. I've only been four days without food or sleep. Echo was going through this for months on top of daily physical and sexual abuse.

While I sit at a table Dario goes to find some food. He comes back with a sandwich and water. "You're not going to eat?"

He shakes his head. "I already did."

"Pot for breakfast?"

"Just a little with a dry waffle," a small smile tugs at his lips, and mine too. It quickly falters when I think about what has to be done today.

I take the sandwich into my mouth and food has never been so nauseating. I manage a couple of bites before calling it quits.

"Vic's here," Dario says.

My heart feels like it's plummeting from a cliff. Dario and I make our way to the waiting room. And there she is, standing at the front desk in sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, her blonde hair pulled into a bun on her head. "Victoria," I say.

She turns to see me. Her face is puffy and red and her eyes are filling with tears. She rushes over to me. "Where is Echo? What's wrong? Please tell me she's okay."

I feel my face burning hot and I've never been an emotional man, but tears can help but wail. I can't tell her Echo's okay because she's not.

She's dead.

I part my lips to speak but not a single word comes out. How do I say it? How do I cushion the fall after telling her I've taken her best friend away from her?

"Luca...what happened to her?" Her voice is rising and anger is seeping through.

"Can we talk outside?" Before she can answer, my feet guide me towards the door. She follows behind me.

We get outside and she pushes for answers again.

"A couple of weeks after you two ran off in the mall. She was kidnapped. I'd been looking for her for the past two months. When I finally found her, she jumped from behind a door to stab me. She thought I was her captor, she didn't know I was coming. And I didn't know she was behind that door. I...I didn't mean for the gun to go off."