Page 83 of The Don's Eternal Vows

My heart slams against my ribs as I sprint across the warehouse. The world blurs, narrowing to a single point - Genoveva. Her knees buckle, and she crumples to the ground, her hand reaching out desperately towards me. My breath comes in ragged gasps.

"Genoveva!" I roar, my voice echoing off the metal garages surrounding us.

Time slows to a crawl as I watch her fall backwards, her hair fanning out around her head like a halo. The distance between us feels endless, my legs refusing to move fast enough. She writhes her body, each movement agonizing to watch, and then her eyes meet mine. Wide with fear, her lips parted for air, and her hand outstretched in my direction.

It’s an image that etches into my mind to see my brilliant, graceful wife be reduced to this state of helplessness. My throat clamps up, trying to hold back the tears. I need to stay strong for her.

Finally, I slide to my knees beside her, gathering her fragile body in my arms. The warehouse fades away, the sounds of the men around us muffled as if underwater.

"Stay with me," I plead, searching desperately for any sign of life. My fingers brush her cheek, willing her eyes to open. "Don't you dare leave me, Genoveva. Not now. Not like this."

Her weight in my arms is both familiar and terrifying. I've held her countless times before, but just once before this limp and cold. My throat tightens as I pull her closer, pressing my forehead to hers.

"Fight, damn it. Fight for us. Don’t do this to me again, please. Don’t do this again." I whisper fiercely.

My words hang in the air, met only by the shallow rise and fall of her chest. I let out a whimpering breath and bring my lips to hers.

Suddenly, her eyelashes flutter, and my heart leaps. "Genoveva?" I breathe, hope surging through me like wildfire.

Her lips part, but the sound is so faint I can barely hear it. I lean in closer, my ear almost touching her mouth, straining to catchher words. Her breath is warm against my skin, a reassurance she's still with me.

"Gianni," she whispers, her voice cracking. "I... I'm sorry."

"Shh, don't talk," I murmur, running my fingers through her hair. "Save your strength. I'm here; I've got you."

As I pull back to look at her face, a chill runs down my spine. The air around us grows heavy and oppressive. A voice, cold as the grave, echoes in my mind.

"Foolish mortals," Hades intones, his words dripping with disdain.

I grip Genoveva tighter as if I could shield her from the god's wrath with my body alone. "Leave her out of this," I growl, my eyes darting around the empty warehouse.

Hades' laughter reverberates through my skull. "She made her choice. She killed a mortal when it wasn’t her place. She must return to the life you bargained her out of. A price must be paid for her taking power that wasn’t hers."

My jaw clenches, fury and fear warring inside me. Furious at the conditions Hades sets forth. Fear that he can’t be bargained with twice. I look down at Genoveva, her hazel eyes now open but clouded with pain.

I can’t just donothing.

My resolve hardens, desperation clawing at my chest. I look up, addressing the unseen deity. "Hades, I offer you a deal," my voice steady despite the tears threatening to spill. "Take me instead. My life for hers."

I wait with bated breath, praying he heeds my call. I cradle Genoveva closer, her breathing shallow against my chest. "Please," I plead, my pride crumbling. "I'll do anything. Just spare her."

A cruel laugh echoes through my mind, sending shivers down my spine. "You think your life is worth the same as hers?" Hades' voice drips with contempt. "How quaint."

The dismissal cuts deep, but I refuse to back down. "I'm the Don of the Montagna family. Surely that counts for something, even to a god."

"Your mortal titles mean nothing to me," Hades sneers. "Her debt is her own."

I grit my teeth, anger flaring. "Then take my soul. I'll serve you for eternity. Just let her live."

Another laugh, this one colder than before. "Your desperation is pathetic, Gianni Montagna. Do you think I need your servitude?"

The refusal is a dagger to my heart, but I cling to Genoveva, my mind racing for another solution. "There must be something you want," I insist, my voice breaking. "Name your price."

“There’s nothing you can give me,” he laughs in my head.

I tear my gaze away from the void, focusing on what little time I have with Genoveva so that I do not waste these precious moments. My heart clenches as I see her eyelids flutter, struggling to stay open.

"Genoveva," I whisper, my voice strangled. "Stay with me, amore mio. You have to fight." I brush a strand of hair from her forehead, my touch gentle despite the trembling in my hands.

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