37. Mia
37
MIA
T he gunshot shatters the tense silence, and for a split second, everything seems frozen. Then pain explodes in my chest, stealing my breath away. I stumble backward, my hands instinctively going to the source of the agony. They come away red, slick with blood.
My blood.
“Mia!” Luca's anguished cry pierces through the fog of pain enveloping me. “Oh, God, no! Mia!”
My knees buckle, but before I can hit the ground, Luca catches me. His strong arms pull me against him, cradling my body as if I’m something precious and fragile. His face swims in my vision, contorted with horror and guilt. “Mia, I’m so sorry. Oh, God, what have I done? Please, don’t die. Please!”
The pain is so sharp it’s almost blinding, making it hard to breathe, to think. My chest feels like it’s on fire, and I gasp, struggling to draw in air. Luca’s hands press desperately against the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood, but I can see the crimson stain spreading rapidly across his white shirt.
Sofia’s scream cuts through the air like a knife. “Mia! No!” I hear a scuffle, then Dom’s voice, strained and urgent. “Sofia, stop! You can’t help her like this!”
“Someone call 911!” Luca’s voice is a raw, desperate roar. “Please, hurry! Call an ambulance!”
Everything is blurry, spinning out of focus as I try to hold onto the sound of Luca’s voice. I want to reach up, to touch his face, to tell him it’s okay, but my body won’t cooperate. I’m so tired. The pain is unbearable, and I can feel myself slipping away, the world fading around the edges.
“Mia, stay with me,” Luca begs, his voice shaking. “Please, baby, stay with me. Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”
With a supreme effort, I manage to lift my trembling, blood-stained fingers, reaching for him. His eyes widen, and he catches my hand, holding it against his cheek. His skin is warm, and for a moment, the connection between us is the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.
“It’s alright,” I whisper, my voice so weak it’s barely audible. “If this is what it takes… to help you let go of all that anger and hate… I’m okay with that.”
Luca’s face crumples, and I see tears spill down his cheeks. “No, Mia, no. Don’t say that. You can’t die. I won’t let you die!”
The anguish in his voice rips through me, tearing at my heart. I try to smile, but it turns into a grimace of pain. “I just wish… we had more time,” I manage to say. “Because I love you, Luca. I’m in love with you.”
A sob breaks free from his chest, a raw, gut-wrenching sound. “I love you too, Mia. Please, don’t do this. Please, baby, fight for me. Fight for us.”
The world is growing darker, my vision narrowing to a small tunnel of light. I can barely see Luca’s face now, just a blur of shadows and anguish. But I can still feel him, his strong arms holding me, his hands trembling as they press against my chest, trying to keep me alive.
Dying doesn’t feel that bad, I realize. It kind of feels like falling asleep.
At least I’ll hopefully see Papa soon.
Suddenly, there’s a commotion. Sofia’s voice, filled with rage and grief, cuts through the haze. “You fucking bastard! You’ve killed her! I’ll fucking destroy you for this!”
I force my eyes open, struggling to focus. Sofia is there, attacking Luca, her fists pounding against his chest as she screams obscenities. Dom is trying to pull her away, but she’s like a woman possessed.
“Sofia… stop,” I whisper, but my voice is too weak to carry.
Luca’s arms tighten around me and he growls low in his throat. “Fuck 911. I’m taking her to the hospital myself.”
The next few minutes are a blur of motion and pain. Luca lifts me, and I cry out as the movement sends fresh agony through my chest. But he doesn’t stop. He carries me out of the house, his arms steady and sure despite the blood soaking through his shirt, despite the panic in his eyes.
Distantly, I hear another scream. It’s a familiar one, one that sounds like Mama, but I’m not sure.
We’re in a car, speeding through the city. Luca’s voice is a constant stream of apologies and pleas for me to hold on. He keeps glancing down at me, his face pale, his eyes wild with fear. “Just stay with me, baby. Stay with me. We’re almost there.”
The hospital looms before us, bright and imposing. Luca barely slows as he pulls up to the entrance, slamming on the brakes and jumping out. He carries me through the doors, shouting for help.
The world fades in and out, sounds coming in a garbled mess, distant and warped. My vision tunnels, and I can only focus on one thing—Luca’s face above me, twisted with panic and anguish.
“Stay with me, baby. Please, just stay with me.”
But it’s so hard to hold on. My limbs feel heavy, and every second is a fight to keep my eyes open, to keep breathing. I want to tell Luca I’m trying, but I can’t seem to make my mouth work. I can’t even move my lips. I’m trapped in my own body, drowning in pain and darkness, and all I can do is listen to the desperate edge in his voice, feel the hot sting of his tears as they fall onto my skin.
“I love you, Mia,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “I love you so much. Please don’t leave me.”
I want to answer him. I want to tell him I love him too, that I’m still here, but I’m slipping, the world receding faster now. Panic claws at me, and I try to hold on, but the darkness is stronger. It pulls me under, and the pain lessens, fading away until all I feel is numbness.
It’s almost… peaceful.
There’s a moment of calm, of stillness. And then I’m floating, weightless and free. The agony in my chest is gone, replaced by a strange lightness.
I feel like I’m drifting, unmoored from my body, and when I look down, I see myself lying limp in Luca’s arms, blood pooling around us.
Is that really me? It’s surreal, like I’m watching a movie scene unfold from above. I can see Luca’s face, streaked with tears, his expression one of absolute devastation. He’s still holding me, his hands shaking as he presses against my wound, as if sheer force of will could keep the blood inside me, keep me alive.
“Mia, please,” he whispers, his voice raw. “Please, don’t leave me.”
I want to tell him I’m not gone yet, that I’m still here, watching, but he can’t hear me. No one can. I’m a ghost hovering over the scene, powerless to reach out, to touch him, to soothe him.
And then I see my sisters and their husbands, bursting through the emergency room doors, their faces white with fear and rage. Bianca’s eyes are wild as she spots Luca kneeling on the floor with me in his arms.
“What the fuck did you do?” she screams, her voice shaking. She lunges forward, but the hospital staff holds her back. Chiara is right behind her, her face a mask of fury.
“You son of a bitch!” she cries, and for a moment, I think she’s going to hit him. Her fists clench, trembling at her sides. “How could you do this to her?”
Luca doesn’t even look at them. He’s staring down at me, his expression broken, as if his entire world is crumbling. And maybe it is. I can feel his anguish, his desperation, as if it’s radiating from him in waves. It tugs at something deep inside me, something raw and aching.
Sofia’s voice cuts through the chaos like a blade. “You’ve done enough damage. Get out. Now!”
Luca looks up then, his eyes red-rimmed, filled with a pain so deep it makes my heart clench. “No, please,” he begs. “I need to be with her. I need to know she’s okay!”
“Okay?” Bianca’s voice cracks, and I can see the tears shining in her eyes. “She’s dying because of you! Leave, Luca. Before we make you leave.”
But Luca just shakes his head, his arms tightening around my limp body. “Please,” he whispers. “I love her. I can’t leave her.”
I want to scream at my sisters to let him stay. I don’t want him to go. But they can’t hear me. No one can hear me. I’m stuck here, watching, helpless, as the love of my life cradles my dying body in his arms.
The nurses and doctors are everywhere now, pulling Luca away, lifting me onto a stretcher. He fights them, his hands clutching at me, his voice hoarse and frantic. “No, don’t take her! Please! I need to be with her!”
But they’re already moving, wheeling me down a bright, sterile corridor. Luca stumbles after us, his face twisted with despair, but Chiara, Bianca, and Sofia are there, blocking his path, their faces cold and unforgiving.
“You’ve done enough,” Sofia says quietly, her voice hard as steel. “Get out, Luca. We don’t want you here.”
For a moment, I think he’s going to shove past them, but then he stops, his shoulders slumping. He looks utterly defeated, his eyes hollow. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”
And then he’s gone, swallowed up by the crowd of doctors and nurses.
I’m floating above them now, watching as they rush me into surgery. My body looks so small, so fragile, lying there on the gurney. My face is pale, almost translucent, and there’s so much blood. Too much blood.
The doctors are shouting orders, their voices urgent, but it all sounds muffled, like I’m underwater. I can see their faces, tense and focused, as they work frantically to save me, but it’s like watching from a distance. None of it feels real.
I drift closer, watching as they cut away my shirt, exposing the ugly, gaping wound in my chest. The bullet hit close to my heart, I realize. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. But I can see the grim set of the surgeon’s mouth, the worry in his eyes. He doesn’t think I’m going to make it.
“Pressure’s dropping,” someone says. “We’re losing her.”
Panic flares in my chest. No. No, I’m not ready to go. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to die. I want to live. I want to be with Luca. But I can feel myself slipping again, the darkness creeping closer.
“Come on,” a nurse whispers, her voice fierce. “Stay with us, Mia. Don’t give up.”
I want to tell her I’m trying, but I’m so tired. The darkness is pulling at me, tugging me away from the light, from the room, from my body. I can feel it swallowing me whole, dragging me down, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
The world fades, the bright lights of the operating room dimming, the voices growing faint and distorted. Everything is slipping away, dissolving into blackness. I’m losing my grip, drifting further and further away.
And then there’s nothing.
No pain. No fear. Just silence.
But somewhere, in the vast emptiness, I hear a voice. Luca’s voice.
“I love you, Mia. Please, come back to me. Please, baby, I need you.”
It’s so faint, so distant, but I cling to it, focusing all my will on that tiny thread of sound. I can feel his love, his desperation, wrapping around me like a lifeline, pulling me back, keeping me tethered to the world of the living.
“I love you too,” I whisper, though I know he can’t hear me. “I love you so much.”
The darkness is still there, pressing in on all sides, but it’s weaker now. The light is growing stronger, and I can feel the pull of it, pulling me up, back toward the surface.
Back to Luca.
“I’m coming back,” I whisper, forcing myself to hold on. “I promise, I’m coming back.”
The last thing I hear before the darkness swallows me completely is Luca’s broken sobs, echoing in the empty space around me.
And then, mercifully, unconsciousness claims me, and I know no more.