Mafia's African Rose

Tangled

        
I sat by the window, staring out but my mind wasn't here. It's been two weeks since I was discharge, I was  tangled in everything Adriana had told me.  How could it be? I asked myself over and over. Alexio's father is such a lunatic, Sasha and Alexio—twins? It was all too much.  I had spent so much time hating the man who had done this to me, dreaming of the ways I would make him suffer. But now, knowing he was Alexio's twin... knowing he was Adriana's son... it changed everything. Making me question what I really what.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my breathing unsteady. What am I supposed to do with this? I wanted revenge—I needed it. Not just for myself, but for my child. The one I never got to hold. The one ripped away from me before I even knew they existed.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what Adriana was feeling right now.

I exhaled slowly, pressing my hand against the bandage on my stomach. The wound was healing, but the slight pain was still there—not just physically but in my heart, in my soul. I should be focusing on recovery. That's what Alexio wanted. That's what everyone wanted.

But how could I heal when the man who did this to me was still alive?

The door creaked open, and I didn't need to look to know who it was. His presence filled the room before he even spoke. The scent of his cologne, the sound of his controlled breathing.

He carried a tray of food and placed it beside me without a word.

He fed me in silence, his gaze never leaving mine. Then, without a word, he handed me a red rose.

"I noticed you like these a lot," he said.

A small smile tugged at my lips. His rough, calloused fingers looked oddly out of place holding something so delicate. He reached out and tucked the rose behind my ear, his expression softening.

Smiling like an idiot, he stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're just too beautiful," he murmured, making warmth rise to my cheeks.

When I finished eating, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"My mom is here to see you," he said casually.

My eyes widened.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You just called Adrianna 'Mom,'" I pointed out.

"Forget I said that," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

I watched him for a moment, amused. He looked... cute.

"Come on, let me bathe your ass," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "I can do that myself."

Just like that, whatever emotions had been weighing on me earlier disappeared. Somehow, Alexio always had a way of pulling me out of my moods.

"Uhmm, Alexio... what about Sasha?" I asked hesitantly.

His expression darkened instantly.

"barely alive," he said flatly, stripping me of my clothes.

"And your father?" I asked, bracing myself.