Page 178 of Morally Corrupt

At the end of the week, my bloodwork comes back clean—no substances found in my system, no drugs or poison. Jimenez had been bluffing.

I almost laugh at the results.

Of course, he had been bluffing.

I don't even get to enjoy the good news because Adrian has still not awoken.

Every day, I sit by his side. Sometimes I read to him, sometimes I tell him stories of our life together. Sometimes I just beg him to come back to me.

It's all in vain.

And I can't help but feel that it's all my fault.

* * *

Two weeks go by like this. Neither Marcel nor Vlad have tried to come to the hospital again, even though I've been staying connected with Vlad, and he's been updating me about everything that's been happening.

The cops have taken over Jimenez's compound and have confiscated the illegal weapons. Adrian's been hailed a hero for his capture of Jimenez, even though he'd been killed by Valentino. The entire episode has been covered up to look like a mob squabble between the Lastra family and Jimenez, and no one else has been mentioned in the official report.

On the other hand, the Gallaghers have placed a bid for power for the remnants of Jimenez's empire, with Ortega and some other smaller cartels trying to assert their own independence. The entire situation is messy, in Vlad's words. It doesn't help that the Marchesi have made camp in New York as well, trying to build up their power as part of one of the five families again.

Enzo eventually makes it out alive and is released from the ICU. With his health still precarious, he hasn't yet involved himself in the political games afoot.

I'm lost in my thoughts when the monitor beeps suddenly. I jerk my head towards Adrian, panicking at the idea that this might be the end. After so many days with no response, the doctors have told me that the chances of him ever waking up are dwindling.

"Doctor?" I yell, opening the door to the salon. I see some nurses hurrying towards me, followed by a doctor. They all push me in the back, telling me to give them space to work on the patient.

Adrian… My lower lip tremble, my eyes mist. Is this the end?

I can't even see what they're doing, as they all surround his bed.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Evans, your attending physician. Can you tell me your name?" The doctor ask a question.

"I… Theodore… Hastings." I hear Adrian's voice answering. He's… awake? I can't even control myself as I step towards him.

"Do you remember what happened?" the doctor asks.

"No."

"You were shot in the head. You've been in a coma for the last two weeks. What's the last thing you remember?"

Even though the doctor and the nurses are still around him, I manage to find the right angle to see his face.

"I was at a meeting with the mayor… we were discussing…" He stops and frowns. "I don't remember."

"That's perfectly normal. Don't worry. You've suffered major trauma to your brain. It's completely normal to feel confused and for some memories to feel fuzzy," the doctor assures Adrian, before finally spotting me.

"Mrs. Hastings. As you can see, he's still confused. But him waking up is good news. Far better than we would have expected. We will continue to run some tests to make sure everything is in order," the doctor explains to me, and I see Adrian look even more confused at the mention of my name.

"Theo," I take a step towards him and say, using his official name since there are still people around.

He regards me for a second, tilting his head to the side.

"Who are you?" he finally asks. My eyes widen at his question.

"Doctor?" I ask, panicked. He doesn't remember me?

Dr. Evans is about to leave the room when he hears the exchange. He comes back to Adrian's side and asks him again.

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