Riccardo cradled Adriana in his arms. She was unconscious, her face pale and her breathing shallow. Her body is covered in bruises, her clothes are torn and stained with blood. His heart was pounding, and his hands trembled as he held her close to him. Rage and fear coursed through his veins.
"I told you not to do anything!" He began in a dangerous voice. "Tell me what you've done!" He growled as he glared at each of his brothers until his gaze landed on Theodore whose eyes were cold and unreadable.
"I told you to watch over the clan, but what did you do?!"
"She killed our Mother!" Theodore flared up. "Have you forgotten?" He demanded.
Riccardo stared at the twins whose eyes were on their Mother in his arms, nothing matters to them except from Adriana at that moment.
"And I told you I'll take care of it!" He gritted his teeth hotly.
"Pray she makes it alive or I'm going to rip off your heart. Forget the fact that I'm your brother, I don't joke with my woman!" His voice was so fierce that silence descended in the room immediately.
The voice sounded dangerous and possessive, no one dared utter a word. Riccardo looked down at Adriana's still face and lifeless body. His heart sank and he felt a wave of panic rising within him. He needed to save her before time ran out.
He took a step towards the door, and then another. The room was silent, except for the sounds of his footsteps on the floor. As he reached the door, he paused for a moment, his hand on the doorknob. He turned and his gaze went to the twins who were right behind him, seeing the tears in their eyes saddens his heart. If he knew this was going to happen, he wouldn't have brought them over today.
He opened the door and stepped out of the room, walking through the dark cave which was still and silent. His steps were filled with urgency and the twins knew best but to stay silent at that moment. Questions may come later, but their Mother's life first!
•••••••
"I knew he wasn't over her," Antonio murmured, recollecting the anger and possessiveness in Riccardo's eyes when he held Adriana in his arms.
Ambra who was still reeling from the shock she had just received, stood in the shadows. Her eyes were almost bulging out of its socket as she dwelled on Riccardo's words. "The mother of my children", "I don't joke with my woman!".
Recalling the murderous glint in his eyes, she shivered. For him to have threatened his brothers over a mere woman's life, then who's she? He'd kill her without a second thought.
"I warned you to control your emotions," Antonio spoke out. Ambra used that moment as an opportunity to slip them by. Slowly, she strolled to the door and made sure her steps were silent enough.
"This won't do. We need to sit down and have a talk," Vincenzo uttered. Antonio nodded slightly.
Theodore glanced at the door to find Ambra almost sneaking out on them. Her back was against them and her knees were slightly bent, making her look like a little mouse, scurrying away from predators.
"What are you doing?" Hearing the voice, Ambra froze on her steps. Her eyes widened and her breath seized. Was she caught?
Theodore's eyes went to the knife on the floor before him, he bent and picked it up. He stared at it before looking at Ambra whose back was still against them.
"What do you intend to do with this?" He asked. Ambra turned and swallowed hard when she saw the knife in his hands.
That was when Vincenzo glanced in their direction. He moved closer and collected the knife from Theodore before staring straight at Ambra.
"Your intention was to kill her?" Ambra shook her head but it was futile. This man before her wouldn't even want to hear her excuse because his eyes said it all. Fuck it, she's dead!
••••••
Bruno had informed Bullet, Poison and Haunter about Riccardo's arrival. They were all waiting for him, hoping to see and hear good news.
To their relief, they saw a shadow appearing and shortly after, Riccardo appeared with Adriana in his arms. "Don!" They attempted to rush to him but suddenly froze when they saw two little beings behind Riccardo. They exchanged glances except Bruno who had already seen them before.
"I want Alvaro in my room right now!" Riccardo's voice was neither harsh nor soft. But Bruno knew better. He scurried away immediately.
"Finally! I was so worried!" Haunter cried out when Riccardo finally got to them. Seeing Adriana's state, tears filled her eyes. She looked pathetic, she was unrecognizable.
She raised her hand and tried touching Adriana's face, but Emelio beat her to it.
"Don't touch my Mommy! Only Rick has the right to!" He glared at Haunter who recoiled in surprise. She took a step backward as her eyes flashed with fear for a brief second.
"Mommy?" She blinked her eyes in shock.
Riccardo had no time to waste. He simply walked away with Emiliano walking behind him. Emelio faced Haunter.
"If I see your hands on my Mommy again, I'll bite it off. Take it as a warning!" He eyed her and then ran after Riccardo.
"Did… did he just say all that to me?" Haunter asked no one in particular. She turned to Bullet and Poison who were also shocked just as she is.
"Did he just address her as his Mommy?" Bullet wondered too as curiosity filled his whole being.
"Rick? Who the hell are those kids?" Poison pondered too. Everyone had a question or two running in their mind but no answers could quench their curiosity. Instead, they parted ways.
••••••
MOMENTS LATER
In the room, Adriana lay unconscious on the soft and plush bed. She's dressed in a flowing nightgown, her hair sprawled across the pillow. Nearby, Riccardo sat by her side, watching over her with worry in his eyes. He reaches out and gently brushes her hair from her face, his hand trembling slightly.
The blood had been washed off from her body but the bruises still remained visible. It was glaring now more than ever. Her lips look pale, her face so thin since she hadn't eaten anything for days.
As he kept watching over her, the silence of the room was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. Riccardo looked up to see Alvaro entering the room.
"How is she?" Alvaro asked, his voice calm and professional. He's a mobster, but also the head of the Doctor in the clan.
Riccardo looked back down at Adriana, then back up at Alvaro. "I'm not sure," he says. "She's been like this for hours." He added as he stared at her again.
"Let's see if we can find out what's going on," Alvaro pulled out a stethoscope and examined Adriana.
As Alvaro listens to Adriana's heart and lungs, Riccardo's anxiety grows. He watched Alvaro's face carefully, hoping for some sign of good news. But Alvaro's expression remains serious and focused, giving nothing away.
Finally, he turned and faced Riccardo who looked tense. Alvaro had never seen Riccardo this way before so it was surprising to him. His eyes held fear, fear of losing the unconscious woman on the bed.
"She was badly hurt," Alvaro began. He heard Riccardo cursed under his breath but he resumed talking.
"It'll take time for the scars to heal, most especially the ones on her stomach. I'm afraid it'd take forever," he said.
"Is that all?" Riccardo asked in a low voice. Alvaro shook his head and the moment Riccardo saw the twitch in his eyes, he knew all wasn't well.
"She's in a coma," he dropped.
Riccardo's stomach dropped. He felt like the floor had been pulled under him and for a moment, he couldn't speak.
"Coma?" He managed to ask, his voice weak.
"Yes. A coma is a state of unconsciousness, where the person is unresponsive and doesn't react to their environment. It's often caused by a brain injury, or an illness," Alvaro explained.
Riccardo's mind reeled as he tried to process Alvaro's words. "Is she… is she going to wake up?" He asked, his voice slightly shaking.
"That's hard to say. Coma can be a short-term, lasting for a few days or weeks, or they can be a long-term, lasting for months or even years," Alvaro saw hurt flashed in Riccardo's eyes as he said those words.
Riccardo looked down at Adriana, studying her face. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale. He traced the outline of her cheek with his free hand, feeling the softness of her skin. "You'll be fine," he whispers, his voice barely audible. Alvaro used that moment to excuse himself.
Once he was gone, Emelio and Emiliano entered the room. Riccardo had instructed them to leave with Bruno earlier when the maids were washing the blood off Adriana's body.
"She's fine, right?" Emiliano asked in a broken voice as he stood beside Riccardo. Riccardo glanced at him, he pulled him to his shoulder and rubbed it gently.
"She is. Mommy is a strong woman," he whispered. Deep down, those words were for him. He needed an assurance that Adriana would scale through this alive.
••••••••
Riccardo entered the room and met his brothers all seated together, waiting for him. His face twisted in anger as he charged towards no one but Vincenzo.
Forgetting that he's the older brother, Riccardo gripped him by the collar, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"This was your doing, right? You've always wanted her dead!" He growled.
"Because she deserves to be dead! She killed our Mother. What the hell are you sputtering out of your mouth?" Vincenzo fired.
"She's the Mother of my children!" Riccardo yelled, making sure the words rang back in Vincenzo's ears.
"Do you know what that means? That pain she went through without me by her side? You know how bad I've always wanted to have my woman by my side when she's pregnant with my baby, but she went through that stage alone! For seven years… for seven good years, she managed it all alone. Tell me, does she deserve this?!" Riccardo yelled.
Vincenzo's eyes softened. He shut his eyes for a brief moment before opening it back.
"How's she?" He asked softly.
"You don't deserve to know but get this straight! Once anything goes wrong, get ready to lose your heads because I won't go easy!" He released Vincenzo and walked straight to the door.
"I'm sorry…," Theodore suddenly said. Riccardo halted on his steps and stood still for a second, without turning back, he left the room.
"This is fucked up," Antonio groaned and ruffled his hair. No one said a word, everyone dwelling in his own thoughts. No one could believe two beings had joined the Moretti family for seven years without their awareness. It's hella shocking.
•••••••••
Ambra exhaled weakly. She was tied against a pole and her whole body felt numb. Her eyes were drowsy as she struggled to keep them open. They hadn't even done anything to her yet, but she already looked pitiful.
"Help me," she whispered, feeling the need to drink water. Her prayers were answered.
The door opened and the least person she wasn't expecting showed up. His gaze was murderous, sending her to the grave immediately.
She saw him walk closer and closer and before she knew it, she felt something oozing down her legs. In horror, she stared down at her legs to discover she had just peed on herself!