Divine Obsession (GodHood #2)

Chapter 48

Present

Three weeks had passed since Maria showed up on Natalia’s doorstep.

Three weeks filled with Zach trying to get Maria to forgive him, be it apologizing or grand gestures. Though, the last two weeks, he’d changed tactics, and was finally giving the girl some space to breathe. He was still keeping track of her for ‘her safety’ and working on ending Ruiz, but he’d pressed pause on the groveling.

I wasn’t one to comment. I’d given Natalia a diamond necklace she wore for five years with a location chip she had no idea about until recently.

Three weeks of barely seeing my girlfriend…

Since Natalia hadn’t told anyone about us, I couldn’t even text her in case Maria was on her phone or something.

I liked Maria, and I understood why she needed her sister now more than ever…

But I needed Natalia too.

And I wasn’t used to not seeing her every day, let alone not sleeping with her in my arms.

I wanted to just tell everyone already that we were seeing each other, but she didn’t think it was appropriate with Maria and Zach’s whole situation .

And I’d promised Natalia to do this on her own timing.

Maria was still at Natalia’s place. Meanwhile, for the past week, Natalia was sleeping over at my condo in SoHo. Either sneaking out, or lying about going to her parents. Maria was too busy to pick up on the lies, but I was glad.

Because that meant I could keep Natalia right where she was. Next to me. Sleeping peacefully in my arms.

The city outside was silent except for the occasional hum of a passing car. We’d fallen asleep earlier, after a long, slow evening of missed you sex – naked and tangled in the sheets. A window was open, letting in the warm breeze of late summer night.

My hand was in her hair, wrapped in those soft, caramel strands. Her pillowy lips parted slightly, the smallest frown between her brows. I raised my hand and softly relaxed her expression, my hands cupping the side of her face.

Closing my eyes, I raised my chin, Natalia’s face pressed into the crook of my neck. Her perfume clouded my mind, and it wasn’t long before sleep took over me again.

The sharp ring of a phone cut through the dark. I groaned, half-asleep, as she rolled over to grab her cell from the nightstand.

“It’s Maria,” She mumbled, before answering. “Hey, is everything–”

Undecipherable cries came through the line.

Natalia straightened. “Shot? Where are you?”

I immediately sat up.

“On my way.” Natalia ended the call and jumped out of bed, already putting her clothes on. “Zach’s in surgery. He’s the one that got hit. Maria’s alone, waiting for him.”

“Where?” I asked, doing the same.

“Lenox Hill.”

A minute later, I was locking the condo’s door behind us.

The car ride to the hospital felt endless, even though it was barely twenty minutes; the roads clear at past one in the morning.

Natalia was silent beside me.

It wasn’t the first time we were in these circumstances. We’d been in a hauntingly similar situation four years ago with my sister.

We found Maria in the waiting salon, her face buried in her hands. She looked up as we approached, her eyes red and makeup running down.

Natalia rushed to her, pulling her in an impossibly tight, yet assuring hug. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Maria pulled back slightly, shaking her head as more tears fell down. “He saved my life.”

“What?”

“They meant to shoot me. Not him. But he pushed me out of the way.” She broke off, her voice hitching. “There’s so much blood, Nat.”

“Did you see who did this?”

Maria’s eyes darkened, meeting mine over Natalia’s shoulder and I knew, without a doubt, Ruiz was dead. But at what cost?

Natalia tightened her grip on Maria’s shoulders. “He’s going to be okay. What did you call him, remember?”

Maria’s smile was wobbly. “Persistent.”

“He’s not going anywhere.”

She nodded, but the fear in her eyes didn’t waver.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady the tension in the room. “Did the doctors say anything?”

“That he’s stable,” Maria whispered. “But the surgery’s complicated. Internal bleeding.”

“He’s in good hands. Lenox Hill’s the best,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. But even as I said it, I couldn’t shake the unease settling in my chest.

A loud bang came from the other side of the doors, down the hallway. My hand hovered over the gun in my waistband before relaxing.

Matteo rushed in. “Where the fuck is he?”

“Surgery. He’s fine–”

His eyes darkened when he looked past me, at the girls. “If my brother dies because of you–”

“ Hey .” Natalia’s tone was final, wrapping a protective arm around Maria. “Everyone’s scared. If you’re angry, take it outside. Come back when you’ve calmed down.”

Matteo’s jaw clicked with tension, his eyes still glaring at Maria who was wiping away her tears, not looking at him.

“Come on, man.” I squeezed Matteo’s shoulder, redirecting him so we could get some fresh air.

I couldn’t blame him. That was his little brother – the only family he had left – close to dying on the operation table.

Matteo shook me off, instead walking to one of the doctors that had just walked out of the hallway leading to Zach’s surgery room.

“I’m sorry, Em.” I heard Natalia speak softly. “He’s just worried.”

Maria shook her head, wiping away more tears. “No. He’s right. That’s his family. Of course, he’s angry. It is my fault.”

“Em,” Natalia began, rubbing Maria’s hand.

Her face cracked. “What if I never get to tell him that I love him too?”

I caught Natalia breathe in a sharp breath. “He’s going to be fine .”

At five in the morning, the doors at the far end of the hallway swung open, and the doctor emerged, still in scrubs, her face unreadable. Everyone froze, the room going utterly still as he walked toward us.

Matteo stepped in front of the doctor. “How is he?”

The doctor pulled down her mask, exhaling. “The surgery went as well as we could have hoped. He’s stable.”

Maria let out a shaky breath, her arms clutching around her knees like a lifeline.

“But?” Matteo snapped, his voice tight.

The doctor’s gaze softened. “Zachary hasn’t woken up yet. We’ll continue to monitor him, but… There’s nothing more we can do for now. It’s up to him.”

It felt like the floor dropped out from under us. I saw Matteo’s shoulders tighten, his fists clenching at his sides. Maria’s hand trembled as she clutched her cross necklace, her eyes still closed. Natalia slipped an arm around her, pulling her close.

“Can we see him?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“One at a time,” The doctor replied. “He needs rest.”

When he walked away, Matteo turned, running a hand through his hair and muttering a string of curses. He looked ready to break something.

Maria opened her eyes, red-rimmed but steady. “I want to sit with him,” She said softly, her voice almost breaking.

“Absolutely not,” Matteo snapped, his anger latching onto her like a target. “He’s here because of you–”

I stepped between them. “That’s enough.” Matteo’s eyes burned into mine, but I didn’t flinch. “Fighting won’t help Zach.” He didn’t say anything, his jaw tightening as he glared past me at Maria. “Let her,” I said firmly. “She just wants to be there for him.”

Matteo tensed, but finally, he nodded. A stiff, reluctant nod, but it was enough.

Maria whispered a quiet thank you and disappeared into Zach’s hospital suite. Matteo watched her go, his hands flexing into fists and then releasing.

I stayed where I was, watching Matteo pace furiously by the window. He kicked the row of chairs attached to the wall, pulling the metal out of its screws and sending it flying across the large, private waiting room.

“He’s gonna wake up,” I said, my voice low. “He’s tougher than any of us.”

Matteo didn’t look at me, but I caught the way his shoulders sagged just a little.

I stayed silent. There was nothing else to say.

The sun was barely rising, the faint glow of early morning light filtering through the hospital hallway windows. My legs were stiff from hours in the waiting room, but the fatigue evaporated the moment Maria called for the doctor.

Now I stood outside the hospital suite, staring through the small window in the door, unable to bring myself to go inside. It felt too intimate.

Inside, Maria was curled into Zach like she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Even from here, I could see the way her body shook softly, she was still crying.

Zach’s hand rested gently on her back – still cut and somewhat bloody – brushing soothing circles. His eyes were half-lidded, exhaustion clear on his face, but his focus entirely on Maria. He shifted slightly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

The tenderness in the gesture made my chest tighten. When Maria didn’t pull away, he nuzzled closer, his face disappearing into the curve of her neck. I couldn’t hear what he whispered, but it made her clutch to him even tighter.

Back at Trevor’s condo, the silence was suffocating. The low hum of the city outside barely reached us, consumed by the weight of everything that had happened. Everything that could have happened.

Trevor sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees, his head bowed – exhaustion written all over his face. Neither had said much since we left the hospital, but the stillness spoke volumes.

I took a seat on the couch, close enough for him to feel my presence but not so close that it might overwhelm him. For a moment, I just sat there, matching his silence. The air between us felt heavy with unspoken fear and relief.

Trevor’s hands unclasped, and he rubbed one down his face. I reached out, resting a hand on his arm, and he leaned into the touch, intertwining our fingers.

He didn’t need to say it. I could feel his stress – the lingering what if . The image of Zach – who was like his brother – unconscious must have been seared into his mind, just like Maria’s pain was in mine.

Trevor let out another breath, heavier this time, and when he finally turned his head toward me, his eyes were exhausted.

I didn’t say anything. Words felt too small compared to what we were both feeling. So instead, I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his broad frame.

He’d been there for me when I needed him most. He’d taken care of me when I needed it.

His head dipped to my shoulder, his breath warm against my neck, his hands gripping me like I was the only thing anchoring him.

We stayed like that for a long time, the quiet pressing in around us. His heartbeat, steady and strong, thudded against my own, and in that stillness, I felt his walls come down.

I held him tighter, letting him know without words that it was okay to feel everything he was feeling. That he didn’t have to carry it alone.

He turned his face to me, his dark eyes looking deep into my own. “I love you, Natalia.”

His voice was so raw . So honest , it made my eyes burn.

“I love you, too,” I whispered.

His arms rounded my thighs, picking me up and carrying me back to our bedroom. The sunrise was beginning to peek through the horizon, casting the city skyline in a pink glow.

“ Watashi no ai ,” He murmured in my ear as he pushed me down on the bed, his weight following on top of me.

My hands found the side of his face as I looked deep into his midnight eyes. “What does it mean?”

A somber smile. “ Amore mio .”

My heart tripped on itself when he spoke Italian, my language. One of the five he was fluent in.

“ Watashi …?” I began, attempting to remember his earlier words in Japanese.

“ Watashi no ai ,” He repeated, his voice warm and smooth.

“ Watashi no ai. ”

“You got it.” He smirked leaning in to kiss me.

I moaned against his lips, my chest fluttering with bliss as he pushed me into the mattress and parted my legs.