Page 84 of The Don's Eternal Vows

Her lips part, a weak smile forming. "Gianni," she breathes, her voice barely audible.

I lean closer, desperation clawing at my chest. "That's it, tesoro. Keep talking. Keep fighting." My eyes burn with unshed tears. "We have so much left to do, so many promises to keep."

Genoveva's hand moves, her fingers brushing against my cheek. The touch is feather-light, but it sends a jolt through my body. Her hazel eyes, once so full of life, now hold a quiet acceptance that terrifies me.

"My love," she whispers, her words punctuated by shallow breaths. "You must... find happiness." Her thumb traces the scar on my jaw, a familiar gesture that now feels like a goodbye. "Promise me."

I shake my head vehemently. "No, Genoveva. The only happiness I need is you." My voice cracks, raw with anguish. "Don't you dare give up. We're in this together, remember?"

“Find a woman. Have lots and lots of children,” she chokes out. “Live for yourself. I’ll be watching over you. Don’t you dare grow sad and weary on me now, you hear me?”

Tears blur my vision as I press my forehead against hers, our shared breaths mingling in the still air. "Genoveva," I manage through the lump in my throat, "I can't... I can't do this without you."

She offers a faint smile, her gaze fixed on mine with unwavering strength. "You must," she whispers, her voice barely a whisper. "For both of us."

But even as she speaks, I can feel her slipping away, her touch growing weaker.

The dam finally breaks. Tears spill from my eyes, hot and unrelenting, falling onto Genoveva's cheeks. They mingle with her own, creating a constellation of shared grief on her pale skin. I can't stop them and I don't want to.

"Look at me," I plead, my voice a hoarse whisper. "Just keep looking at me, tesoro."

Her gaze meets mine, those hazel eyes I've known since childhood now clouded with pain. But there's something else there, too – a flicker of the fierce, independent spirit that first drew me to her. Even now, she's fighting.

"I love you," she mouths, her lips barely moving.

"I love you too," I choke out, the words inadequate for the storm raging in my chest. "More than anything in this godforsaken world."

I watch, helpless, as her eyes flutter. "No, no, no," I mutter, cradling her face in my hands. "Stay with me, Genoveva. Please."

But I can feel it happening, can sense the life ebbing from her body. Her eyes close for the last time, and something inside me shatters.

"Genoveva?" My voice breaks on her name. "Open your eyes, amore mio. Look at me!"

She doesn't respond. She's gone, and I feel a part of myself die with her. The weight of my grief is suffocating, crushing me under its immensity. Yet I cling to her lifeless form, unwilling – unable – to let go.

"Come back," I whisper against her hair, rocking us both. "Come back to me."

But there's only silence, broken by my ragged breathing and the distant sounds of a world that no longer matters.

A world I can’t exist in. I tried it once without her. I couldn’t do it then, and I can’t do it now. Life doesn’t matter when I know there’s life after, and we could be together somewhere in Hades’s underworld.

My eyes fall to her delicate hand, still clutched around the knife that ended Paolo Greco. The blade gleams dully in the warehouse's harsh light, its edge stained crimson by the enemy who brought us here. A sudden clarity pierces through my anguish.

"We made a pact, remember?" I whisper, gently prying the weapon from her fingers. "Where you go, I follow."

The knife feels heavy in my hand, a grim portal to the beyond. I trace the curve of Genoveva's jaw, committing every line to memory.

"Wait for me, amore," I murmur, pressing a final kiss to her cooling lips. "I'm coming."

With a steadiness that belies the tremor in my soul, I raise the blade to my throat. The sharp edge kisses my skin, a lover's caress promising eternal reunion. In the background, I hear my men scream at me to stop.

"Hades, damn you," I growl.

With those last words, I draw the knife across in one swift, decisive motion. There's a moment of searing pain, but it's nothing compared to the agony tearing at my heart. Warm wetness cascades down my chest as my vision blurs.

"Genoveva," I gasp, collapsing onto her still form. Our blood mingles a final, macabre embrace.

Then, right before the darkness envelops me, a furious scream from Hades rips through the air, his rage palpable even in death. The god's fury shakes the very fabric of the void around us.

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