Lissy Romano

73| Your hand.

Lissy Romano

Vincenzo kissed my forehead and walked out of the room after making sure that both Santino and I had eaten our dinner.

"Just you and me again," Santino said with a soft smile as he looked at me.

"You forgot about Jax," I teased, pointing to my little dog who was curled up on my lap.

"Yeah, sorry, dude," Santino chuckled, glancing at the playful puppy.

I snuggled under the blanket and settled in. Jax made a few adorable puppy noises before drifting into a peaceful sleep on top of me.

"Will you hold my hand?" I asked, my voice soft as I turned my gaze toward Santino.

"Of course I will, sweetheart," he replied, gently taking my hand in his.

The warmth of his hand in mine brought a comforting sense of security. Just having him here, so close, felt like the world had righted itself again. My mind wandered back to the time when I thought I had lost him forever, and a lump formed in my throat.

He noticed my change in expression and gave me a concerned, but gentle smile. He squeezed my hand a couple of times, as if to reassure me that he was here, and that he was alive.

"Do you want to talk about something?" he asked, his tone full of understanding, as if he already knew exactly what was on my mind.

He always knew.

"You know... when I saw that they shot you, I thought you were dead. It shattered me," I confessed, wiping away the tears that had begun to form.

"But I'm alive, darling. I would never leave you. It's the most foolish thing I could ever do, and I'm not foolish," Santino reassured me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I tried to fight them. I really did, but they were too strong," I admitted, my voice breaking as I closed my eyes to try and block out the memories of that day. I didn't want to remember.

"I know, baby. But you tried, and I'm so proud of you," Santino said, his voice filled with admiration.

"When I saw that Xander was with them... I was shocked. I used to think he was my friend..." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"He was a sick fuck. You couldn't have known he would try to hurt you," Santino said, his eyes full of compassion as he looked at me.

"His dad, Viktor... He wanted me to tell him what you were planning. He said that if I did, he might leave me alone," I said, my voice trembling slightly as I bit my lip.

"But you didn't know what to say, right?" Santino asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I didn't, but even if I had, I wouldn't have told him anything," I replied, my voice cracking with emotion.

"Baby, you can do anything you have to do to protect yourself. Your life comes first. Never forget that," he said, squeezing my hand again.

"Please look at me," he urged, his voice gentle but firm.

I turned my head to face him, my eyes searching his for reassurance.