Page 35 of DeLuca: The Devil

Chapter Twenty-Six

DOMENIC

I stand shocked, staring at my wife, when she repeats herself, “Who are you?”

“I’m your husband, Bellissima.”

She giggles, then winces from the pain, “I’m not married.”

The nurse comes running in, “Hello, Mrs. De Luca. I’m Sharon. I’m your nurse for today.”

My wife looks at her in utter confusion, “There’s been a mistake. I’m not Mrs. De Luca. I’m Miss Baretti. I don’t know this man.”

I didn’t see him enter, but Dr. Jacobsen is standing on the other side of her bed, “Giada, sometimes this happens with severe trauma. You have some amnesia. However, it will likely be temporary. It’s important not to work to try to recover memories. Let it happen naturally.”

“Mr. De Luca, follow me, please.”

I glance at Giada, who looks at me one minute like I’m a complete stranger but the next minute with hatred in her eyes. I asked God to give me my wife back. This is not what I meant. He gave me a woman who doesn’t even know who I am. It’s a fucking miracle that she fell in love with me the first time. How in the hell am I supposed to do it again? I follow the doctor to his office, and we both take our seats, he crosses his legs and takes a deep breath, “The amnesia is likely short-term. It’s important you don’t try to fill in the blanks for her. It’s best for the memories to come back organically. Giving her information her brain is not ready to process could cause further trauma.”

Great, so I definitely can’t tell her how we came to be married. Suddenly, I feel sick. What if she asks for a divorce? Am I going to have to kidnap my wife all over again?

“Do I ask questions about what happened to her?”

He shakes his head, “Not right now. I’ll arrange for a therapist to see her in the hospital. Once she’s ready for release, I’ll give you a referral to one she can see on an outpatient basis. At this point, she sees you as a stranger. If she volunteers information, that’s fine, but you should not be pushing for it. Again, that could further the trauma she’s experienced.”

Leaning forward, I place my head in my hands, I’m so literally fucked here. I finally realize, I’m in love with my wife after she goes missing. Then, I spend a goddamn year searching for her, finally find her, and now she has no clue who the fuck I am. And what’s worse? When she realizes who I am, I may only get to keep her by force.

“Should I be here? Or maybe I should go home? Give her time?”

“Absolutely not. This is a difficult situation, Mr. De Luca. However, she is your wife. Staying away from her won’t help her. At any moment, she could look at you, and something will spark a memory. That being said, remember she was sexually assaulted, so you need to keep that in mind when touching her. She may not want you to. In fact, I’d expect it.”

I run my hands through my hair, “Okay. Thank you. Can I go see her then?”

He nods, “Of course. The nurse will be in shortly to try to get her to eat.”

I try to regain composure as I make my way back to Giada’s room. I’ve never felt this out of sorts in my life. How can this be happening? What if she never remembers that she loved me?

I walk back in, and Giada glares at me with her one open eye, “Oh good. You’re back.”

Sighing, I go over to the chair beside her bed and lower myself into it, “I’m your husband, Giada. I’ll always be back.”

“This is one of Enzo’s tricks, right? You work for him? You look like a piece of shit mobster.”

I groan as I rub my temples, “So that asshole you remember. I do not work for Enzo. I never have.”

“My father?”

“No, Bellissima. I don’t work for or with your father either.”

She closes her eyes and sighs, “If you insist on being here, can you get me water?”

“Yes. Anything you want is yours, baby.”

“In that case, I don’t want water. I want you to leave.”

I chuckle, “Except that. I’m not leaving you.”

I’m relieved that Giada still has her smart mouth. It has to be a good sign.

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