POV: LUCA
Rick informed Katherina’s parents last night about what had happened, and they immediately took off to come here.
While I was preparing myself to face them, Rickard arrived and told me that Emmalyn had been rescued.
Emmalyn was kept behind bars, and when they tried to take her out, the system failed, and the alarms blared through the entire building.
Before the cops could get them, Cruz corrupted the whole system, which opened all the doors for the criminals.
The criminals went savage to get out of the prison, and the cops couldn’t control them, making it easy to escape.
When her parents arrived and saw Katherina, they lost it. I watched as Bethany cried over her daughter’s unconscious body while Damien consoled his weeping wife before his eyes fell upon me.
He threw all kinds of profanity and punches at me, and I took all of it calmly. He’s Katherina’s father, and he has every right to behave this way.
But when he downright refused to let me see her and asked me to get out of her life, I couldn’t stay put.
I argued and fought back, but they weren’t listening to anything I said, and I found myself losing my patience.
They were right about me, but I didn’t want them to make the decision for their daughter. If Katherina tells me to go away, I will respect her decision and leave.
Rickard tried to console her parents and took me away from them. I stayed in the waiting room, waiting for Katherina to open her eyes.
I wanted to rush inside and kiss her madly, but this was her moment with her family, and I didn’t want to disturb her.
I watched her on the camera monitor, trying to get up. Her mom and dad helped her to a seated position and gave her some water.
They were providing comfort and talking to her, but she wasn’t listening to them. Her eyes were frantically searching for me in the room. She looked weak and tired while she sat in frustration.
I couldn’t hear the voices, but clearly, she didn’t like whatever her father was preaching to her.
When the argument turned heated, she became restless and started to get to her feet and tried to get out, but Leonardo at the same moment.
Her dad and Leo moved toward her, but she took the vase from the side table and aimed at Leo. Leo easily dodged it.
“Fuck!” I heard Rick curse as he moved closer to the display and watched the scene unfold.
She struggled in their hold, and they were scared they might hurt her, so even though she was weak, she was able to free herself and make for the exit.
Leonardo grabbed her hand and injected something into her arm while she wailed and cried. Her father let go of her, and she almost fell to the floor and lost consciousness in her father’s arms.
I quickly got up and made my way toward her room.
“Luca, man, listen to me.” Rick was by my side.
“I’m not interested in your shitty advice, Rick,” I snapped back.
“Luca, it’s for her good,” he reasoned.
“You saw her. She went crazy. I’m pretty sure she was searching for me.”
“I know, but―”
“Rick, I can’t live without her”
I saw Katherina’s father sitting on the bench outside the room. When he saw me, he shot up immediately.
“You again!” he shouted. “You ruined my girl’s life and manipulated and tricked her into loving you!”
“Damien, calm down” Rick tried to console him while I went past them.
“Don’t go in there, you bastard! Stay away from my daughter!” He screamed. Not once I turned around to look at him.
The door opened before I got to it, and I stopped in my tracks when Katherina’s mother stepped out. My eyes found Katherina, who had gone back to sleep before the door was shut.
Bethany looked up to me with her hand behind her, holding the doorknob in a tight fist. Her eyes were fearful, and I realized how much Katherina resembled her.
“I only want to see her,” I said as calmly as I could.
“Please leave our daughter alone.” Her voice was a mere whisper as a tear slid down her cheek.
“I just need to see her.” I clenched my hands in tight fists.
Her eyes filled with tears, and soon they started to fall.
“I have two beautiful daughters, and they both mean my life to me. We went through hell when she was with you.
“I don’t know whether you’re a criminal or not. All I ask as a mother is to leave my daughter alone,” she begged me brokenly before a sob slipped past her lips.
I remember my mother begging her husband to give back her son. I clenched my teeth and walked away from them.
I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest as I walked out of the hospital with Rickard trailing behind.
What I felt more was the weight of my heart as I kept replaying the way Bethany begged me to leave her daughter.
“Luca―”
“Give me the keys.”
“I’ll drive,” Rick said instead.
“Rick, I need to be alone,” I sighed.
“Too bad you’ve got a best friend,” he said.
“Rick, leave,” I said sternly.
“Tell me one thing, Luca. When I left Caroline and came back, did you leave my side when I said I needed to be alone?” he looked dead in my eye.
“Caroline is not Katherina.” My voice was low.
“Also, you are not me. I was strong enough to get over her, but you are not and won’t. You blamed yourself for years for my parents' death while Leo and I moved on.”
Rick drove away from the hospital, and we wandered the roads aimlessly before he parked it at the side of a highway. He killed the engine and turned to me.
“Do you love her?”
“Madly,” I replied.
“Then let her go.”
I looked at him, and he looked dead serious.
“I can’t, Rick.”
“You must. She was so close to death. Your possessiveness almost killed her. She’s an angel among all our demons. She doesn’t belong here.”
I nodded.
“Do the right thing, Luca. I left Caroline because I knew she didn’t belong here. Even though I loved her, and I still do, but I had to let her go.”
“And I love Katherina so much that I can’t let her go, Rick!” I snapped back.
“She can’t live like us, and you can’t leave this world behind and live in hers,” he said.
“I know, but…she loves me too, Rick. She told me. When she thought she was going to die, she confessed her love to me!” I know I sounded like a desperate kid to be heard, but I don’t care.
He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked dead into my eyes.
“Listen, man. I’m just worried about both of you, and that’s why I tell you to let her go. The world is cruel, Luca. There is so much love to give, and yet everyone chooses hate.
“You chose hate when no one helped you and your mother. You hated the world when our family was broken. You thought hate was going to bring you peace because your father chose it.
“You never reconsidered what you were doing but remained loyal to our boss and did every dirty and illegal thing. In return, the world showed you hatred.
“They hated your existence, and everyone stood against you. Now, you decide to show love, but they will not. In fact, they will use that love to destroy you.
“Once you follow a path of destruction, there’s no turning back. You suffered between loyalty and love, and you will suffer much more if she’s with you.”
“Rick, but I’ll do anything to keep her safe. I’ll remove all my tattoos. I-I’ll change my name, I’ll take her away from everyone, far away to a small place where no one can reach me.
“I’ll work in a small town for low wages, and I’ll live with no identity of my own! I will leave every fucking thing behind and live only for the sake of my Katherina,” I argued with him.
He stared at me, stunned.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Rick cursed and sighed hard.
“Her parents are going to take her tonight. I’ll make sure you see her, and you decide together, but if it doesn’t work out, you better listen to me.”
“Thank you, man!” I hugged my best friend.
POV: KATHERINA
It’s been a week since I got shot by Karen and was admitted to the hospital. Leonardo and Kimberly are the only ones allowed in the room by my parents, apart from Grams and Arabella.
It didn’t matter since nobody came to visit me.
When I woke up in the hospital bed, I begged my parents to let me see Luca, but they strictly refused.
No amount of crying, thrashing, and struggling moved their hearts, and even though I understood their concerns, I was desperate.
I’ve been confined within the four walls of the hospital room, regaining my health.
It was painful in the beginning, but gradually the pain lessened, and Kimberly decided to keep me in case of infection.
I tried to ask her or Leonardo about Luca, but they didn’t give me any information. None of his friends came to see me.
The last thing I remember was being wheeled inside the operation room, Rickard assuring me that everything would be fine before everything went dark. Next, I woke up to see the faces of my parents.
The only information my father let me know is that Sheriff Newman is dead, and Karen escaped.
Dad’s hoping for me to recover as soon as possible so that we can go to Grams's place since Bridgehills is not our home anymore.
I know things are not yet over, but I feel relieved for now.
I know for a fact that my family is out of danger, and there’s nothing to fear, though I expected Luca to go crazy and barge in and take me again.
The mere thought of Luca leaving me brought tears to my eyes. I confessed my love to him when I thought I was dying, but he didn’t reply.
There are so many questions I have to ask him, but I’m afraid I will not be seeing him anymore.
When I finally was discharged after ten days, we headed to a hotel. Dad booked the tickets to Amalfi, but it was canceled due to the torrential rain.
The next flight is tomorrow if the rain stops. Dad hopes to leave this place as soon as possible.
I was sitting in my room, curled up by the window and watching the grey sky as it poured down when the door opened behind me.
I didn’t turn around, knowing it was either mom or dad, trying to change my mind and feelings for Luca. I felt something brush my back softly, and I looked back to see a huge teddy bear.
“Ginger wants to know why you are sad,” came Arabella’s voice from behind the teddy bear. “Did the tattoo monkey hurt you?”
Sisters are the most annoying creatures, but without them, life is dull.
I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug with the teddy bear. She slowly moved the teddy bear to reveal herself.
“Tattoo monkey did not hurt me,” I replied, knowing she was referring to Luca and kissing her cheek. “Did Ginger come to see me or Ara?”
“Both,” replied my sister. “Who gave you that?” she asked, pointing at the thin chain of gold with a diamond stud around my neck.
“Tattoo monkey,” I said, and she narrowed her eyes at me.
“Daddy hates him, and mommy always cries when he talks about him.”
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I pulled her to me and stayed in my room for a while till our mother called us for dinner.
Even though it was the first family dinner in a long time, none of us spoke much, but the roaring thunder and rain filled the silence.
After dinner, Mom decided to share a bed with Arabella since she might hurt me in her sleep, and I was given a bed for myself in the adjoining room.
Sleep was the last thing on my mind, and I stared at my naked body in the washroom mirror. The tears wouldn’t stop.
I knew this was my last night in Rome, and I might never see Luca again. Physically I was here, but mentally I was with Luca.
I touched the bandage on my chest, remembering how I felt when the bullet hit me—the way I felt the bullet as it pierced my flesh with such a massive force and knocked me off my feet.
I feel like I’m standing on a tightrope. I’ve fallen for Luca so madly and deeply that I didn’t think twice before taking a bullet for him.
It doesn’t feel wrong but being away from him does. Even though there’s a huge wound in my chest, the pain of not having him here with me hurts more.
I dressed, closed the door behind me, and went to my bed, but I heard the scraping of glass and then a knock on the window.
I stood rooted to the spot, feeling my heart race in panic, and there was a knock again. Slowly, making my way toward the window, I pushed the curtains swiftly aside.
Luca stood on his toes, hanging onto the window as he stared at me. My hand was trembling when I opened the window, and he swiftly jumped inside, drenched from head to toe.
Our eyes met for a brief second, and before I could say anything, he closed the gap between us and slammed his cold lips onto mine.
I was taken aback by his sudden action but quickly composed myself and kissed him back.
He slipped his warm tongue inside my mouth and gave me everything he had. When we ended up breathless, our eyes locked into each other.
“Luca.” My voice was soft.
“Damn, I missed your voice. I missed everything about you.” He kissed me all over my face and held me close to his body.
“Why didn’t you come to see me?” I asked.
“Your parents didn’t want me to,” he replied.
“Baby, I was dying without being able to see you and hold you in person. I didn’t know what to do, and now that you’re leaving me, I’m so fucking restless and just came over to see you.”
“My parents are right, Luca, but I don’t want to leave you.”
“Then don’t,” he said immediately.
“We both know it’s for the best,” I lied.
“No, no, don’t leave me.” His voice trembled.
“I’m sorry for everything I did. I swear to God, I will do everything in my power to give you the happiness you deserve and treat you the way you need to be treated. Please, give me a chance.”
I pushed him away gently and went toward my closet. I took out a towel, removed his drenched coat, and made him sit on the bed.
He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist. His eyes were trained on me as I dried his wet hair.
“Why should I believe you?” I asked softly.
“I don’t know what’s good and what’s not. All I know is I truly love you, Katherina. I’ve hurt you so much. I was a monster to you, and I won’t deny it.
“As I told you before, you are my light, and as much as I tried to push you away, I fell harder for you than I ever thought I could.
“I know I don’t deserve you, and you deserve much better than me, but I want you to know that I’m ready to give you everything I can.”
He pushed a strand of hair behind my hair and wiped away a tear that fell down.
“I’m a fucked up man, but who isn’t? Give me one last chance, and this time, I will not fuck it up. I’ll show you a totally different Luca and make you fall in love with him.”
“I already love you,” I said.
“You love the fucked-up version of me,” he said.
“I love everything about you,” I said and kissed him.
He kissed me back softly.
“And I love all of you,” he replied. “You don’t have to submit yourself, you don’t have to change for me, and you definitely don’t have to fear me anymore, baby.
“I love you so fucking much for just the way you are,” he said and kissed me again passionately.
I was smiling and crying with happiness as he showered me with his love.
“Will you give me a chance?” he asked
“Yes,” I said without any hesitation.
“I will not let you down,” he said.
“You better not.” I glared at him and pulled his wet shirt up.
“So, what’s your plan now?” I asked.
He kicked his shoes off and lay down on the bed.
“What do you mean?” he asked as I climbed on him.
“I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“You won’t,” he said firmly.
“Kidnapping me? Again?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No. It’s time you introduce your boyfriend to your family.” He chuckled and pulled me to his body.