Page 95 of Dark Mafia Vows

I nod, my eyelids fluttering shut as I feel him and Rosa leave the room. Sleep takes over—a deep, dreamless rest that I so desperately need. When I wake up again, the room is quiet, the only sound coming from the machines next to me. I blink groggily, and when I turn my head, I see Dario sitting in the chair next to my bed, his green eyes vivid and watching me closely.

He smiles when he sees me stir, and without a word, he reaches for my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. There’s a strange look in his eyes—something heavy, something unresolved.

“Hey,” I murmur, still groggy from sleep. “How long have I been out?”

“Just a few hours,” he says softly. “Everyone left so you could rest. The doctor came to see you, but you were out cold.”

“Oh,” I murmur, sitting up.

“She told me to inform her when you wake up.” He stands to his full height and kisses the back of my hand.

Despite being sick, a flutter rises up my stomach. Apparently, I’m not immune to Dario’s touch, no matter what the situation is.

“I’ll be right back.”

He leaves the room, and a moment later, he comes back in with the doctor.

Doctor Williams is a dark-skinned black woman with kind eyes and the most perfect set of teeth, like the ones you see in toothpaste ads.

“Miss Bianchi. How are you doing?” she greets with a warm smile.

“I’m good. You?”

“Oh, well, other than the fact that your fiancé here never stays in his ward so his progress could be monitored, nor does he even take his medications, I’m wonderful. Thanks for asking.”

I laugh at her sarcastic tone. Dario does nothing but smile in satisfaction.

“I’ll be out of your hair when we get discharged, Doc,” he says, his eyes full of mischief.

She sighs but doesn’t argue, turning her attention to me instead. “Ginny, you’re recovering well. I’m happy to say that both you and the baby are doing just fine.”

My hand instinctively goes to my stomach, and I feel Dario’s fingers intertwine with mine. The relief is overwhelming, and I can’t stop the tears that well up in my eyes.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

She checks a few more things before she eventually leaves after some minutes.

For a moment, the room is filled with the quiet rhythm of the machines. Dario is back on my bed, his hands mindlessly drawing circles on my back. But his eyes are distant, like he’s lost in his own thoughts. I can sense there’s something he wants to say, and just before I ask him, he clears his throat.

“Ginny,” he begins, “I know you’ve been wondering...about what happened between me and Lorenzo.”

The shift in his tone makes my heart clench. I look up at him, searching his face. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready.”

He shakes his head. “No. I want you to know.”

He takes a deep breath, and I can almost feel the weight of his words before he even begins. “It was years ago on a trip. Your family was going on a yearly vacation at a resort in Miami. Lorenzo asked me to tag along, and as the excited child I was, of course I said yes.” He chuckles humorlessly. My heart pounds in my chest as I wonder the direction the story is headed.

“My father worked as a henchman for your dad, so he was also there as part of their staff. Late one night, I was harshly woken up and called down to this underground room...and when I got there... “

He pauses, and I see his jaw tighten as he struggles to continue. “I found my father. They’d beaten him up so badly, he could barely stand. They accused him of stealing a watch, but he didn’t do it. He couldn’t have.”

I reach for his hand, holding it tightly, but his gaze is distant. “Your mother...” he chokes, and I see a hint of red in his eyes. “Your mother said if my father didn’t take it, that meant I was the thief. Lorenzo was there. My best friend. I thought he’d defend me. I thought...he’d help.”

A bitter laugh escapes his throat. “Instead, he claimed to be a witness. He lied. Said he saw me steal it.”

My chest tightens with a mix of anger and sorrow. “Dario...”

“They let us go after beating us some more,” he continues, his voice low and raw. “But obviously Antonio fired my dad. After that, he had to take odd jobs just to keep my mother’s chemotherapy going. We wre already behind as we couldn’t make payment. But it wasn’t enough. She died. And then, not long after, my father was mugged and killed.”

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