INSEPARABLE | 18+

T W E N T Y - F O U R

Two days later.
Rome, Italy.

-

Valentina wrapped her arms around her legs and placed her chin on her knees, staring at the wall. She had been sitting, curled up on the sofa, for hours now. Her back had started to ache but she was too numb to feel it.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound heard in the room, other than the beep of the monitor. Her eyes went towards Valerius who lay on the bed with multiple wires attached to his chest and arms.

Valentina hissed as stood up from the sofa. She slowly came near Valerius and placed her hand forward on his forehead. She checked his temperature and then leaned down to press a kiss on his temple.

"Good night, mi amore." She whispered, hoping he heard her. Valentina kept staring at him, running her hand over his brow and then cheek, gently touching the small scar on his face.

He looked beautiful even in this state.

But her Valerius had always been handsome. Terrifyingly handsome. He possessed a charisma like no other. With his soft smile and calm grey eyes, he had won her over.

A sudden knock on the door startled her.

Valentina passed Valerius one last glance and then made her way out of the room. She wasn't surprised to see Dimitri standing outside - he had been by her side without fail.

"I brought us dinner." He held up two paper bags with a grin. Valentina tilted her head towards the kitchen and slowly closed the door behind her.

They walked towards the island and Dimitri took out the food from the bag, "Sit, please." He pointed towards a stool.

Valentina sat down and grabbed dinner from him. Both of them started eating in silence, but Valentina couldn't swallow her food. Every time she ate, a bile rose in her throat.

"Please eat something," Dimitri pleaded, "When he wakes up and realizes that you are unwell, it is my throat he will go after."

Valentina chuckled, shaking her head at him. She took a few bites, just to satisfy him. "Every time I try to do something, just to busy myself, my mind goes to him. Then I am back to square one."

"It has just been two days —"

"Three after an hour." She whispered.

"It is hard," Dimitri admitted, "But, we cannot lose hope. He is a fighter, he always has been. I know he will wake up, and when he does, it will all be fine."

Valentina choked back a sob, "I just wish I had pulled the trigger a little earlier."

Dimitri hated seeing her like this. She was not to be blamed, "It was not your fault," He scolded her gently, "You have never been in such a situation before, and yet, you did so well. The guards told me how you fought outside. You killed every single one of them who tried to hurt you."

Valentina shrugged, "I learned from the best," She fiddled with her fingers. Dimitri remained quiet, sensing that she might want to talk.

"I have never been this scared. H-his breathing slowed, Dimitri. Right in my arms." She stammered, "All because of Antonio and Vladimir." Her hands went to her face as she wiped her eyes.

Dimitri circled the island and came to stand beside Valentina. He hesitated but then engulfed her in a side hug, "He slipped into a coma because of blood loss," He closed his eyes and then inhaled, opening them after a second, "But the doctors are hopeful. He will wake up. Any day. Any hour. Any minute."

"I hope he does," Valentina placed her hand on Dimitri's arm. He pulled a stool closer and then sat beside her, "Just take care of yourself, alright?"

Valentina nodded. It was then she noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked tired. Worn out. All the burden was on his shoulders. He had no support. No Valerius...no Antonio.

But she was here.

"I know there is stuff to be looked at," She began, "I will help you from now."

Dimitri's lips thinned in a straight line, "You don't have to, but if you want to, I will not stop you."

Valentina passed him a grateful smile.

But it still did not reach her eyes.

_

"The figures need to be changed here," Dimitri pointed towards a section on the page. Valentina squinted her eyes and observed them, "You are right," She nodded, "They are offering much less."

Dimitri leaned back in his seat, "You need to read every document carefully before signing." He instructed, "Most of the people try to sabotage it, and after you sign, there is no going back."

Valentina huffed, blowing the hair out of her face, "How many more files and phone calls?"

"Plenty." He chuckled at her.

How Valerius managed to deal with this every day was beyond her knowledge.

Valentina listened to Dimitri talk carefully as she moved towards her tenth file of the night. Dimitri was the Consigliere, yet she was looking after these matters. Her mind recalled what he had said to her earlier,

"Your signature holds the same power as his."

Valerius and Valentina were not officially married, but he had already chosen her as the Donna. His equal. His people knew about it. Valentina's heart clenched painfully when she remembered what state Valerius was in at the moment.

"Where are Antonio and Vladimir?" She asked Dimitri. Valentina had not seen them after that night. Neither did she want to.

Dimitri raised his head from his phone, "In the basement of the warehouse."

"What are we supposed to do with them?"

"Whatever you wish," He said, "Your word is the law."

Valentina tapped her pen against the desk and then looked at him, "Take me to the warehouse tomorrow."

"I will," Dimitri nodded just as the phone rang. He pointed his finger towards it, "I can take that if you do not want to."

The news of Valerius being in a coma was not disclosed. It was only revealed to a few important soldiers. The disappearance of Vladimir aligned with their story - he was doing business with Valerius in Italy. This bought them enough time to come up with another one. But they wished that they would not have to.

"I don't mind," Valentina said and picked up the phone. She pressed it against her ear, expecting another drug lord to inquire about a matter, like the previous calls, but it was someone completely different.

Someone she did not wish to deal with in the absence of Valerius.

Someone who they had to tell the truth.

Dimitri eyed Valentina with a frown. She looked as if she had seen the ghost. Her replies were firm, but her knee bounced against the desk. It was when she placed the phone down that he asked, "Who was it?"

"Salvatore Bernardi."

He stiffened at the mention of the former Don.

"What did he say?" He impatiently questioned.

"That he will be here in the morning."

-

Hello everyone. Comments?