Chapter 6 - The Unbreakable Vow
Morning came with pale, silvery sunlight filtering through the heavy drapes.
Dr. Bennett returned at eight o'clock, checking my vitals with an approving nod. The fever had broken, and my lungs were clear of fluid. ""She needs another two weeks of strict bed rest, high-protein nutrition, and zero stress,"" the doctor declared, casting a pointed glance at Luca, who hadn't left the bedside chair all night. ""And Mr. Ferraro... no gunfights in the foyer.""
""Understood,"" Luca replied quietly.
Once Bennett left, Luca stood up and walked toward the connecting door between our suites—the heavy oak door that had remained locked since the day we moved in. He pulled a small silver key from his pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it.
With a soft click, the lock gave way. He pushed the door open, revealing his master bedroom on the other side.
""That door stays open from now on,"" Luca stated, looking back at me with unyielding determination. ""There are no separate lives in this house anymore. If you want me to leave, you’ll have to look me in the eyes and tell me you feel nothing for me.""
I looked down at the sapphire ring on my finger, then met his gaze. ""I've loved you since the night you had the fever, Luca. I just thought loving you was a death sentence.""
A flicker of raw emotion passed over his features. He walked over to the bed, carefully sitting beside my hip, being mindful of my surgical dressings. ""Loving me is dangerous, Nora. But losing you would be fatal. I swear to you on my mother’s grave, you will never walk in the rain alone again.""
Before I could answer, a knock sounded at the door. Marco stepped into the room, holding a sealed black leather portfolio. He looked visibly uncomfortable, his eyes flickering between Luca and me.
""Boss,"" Marco said quietly. ""We have a problem at St. Bridget’s.""
Luca’s expression instantly turned predatory. ""What kind of problem?""
""The child... Leo,"" Marco explained, looking at me with genuine sympathy. ""The transplant procedure is scheduled for noon today. But the hospital's private board of trustees just held an emergency vote. The clinic's primary benefactor—Senator Thomas Sterling—has pulled his funding. He’s diverting the surgical team and the sterile theater to his own grandson, who was admitted this morning with acute kidney failure.""
""What?"" I gasped, trying to sit up, the searing pain in my pelvis instantly flaring. ""No! Leo’s marrow has already been irradiated! If he doesn't receive my cells today, his immune system will collapse! He will die within forty-eight hours!""
Luca placed a firm, steady hand on my shoulder, gently pushing me back against the pillows. His eyes were no longer those of a desperate, grieving husband.
The Don of New York had returned.
""Call the convoy,"" Luca told Marco, his voice dangerously calm. ""Get the legal team, get forty of our best men, and tell the chief of pediatric surgery at Columbia University to scramble his transplant unit.""
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""Luca, what are you going to do?"" I asked, trembling with anxiety.
Luca leaned down, pressing a lingering, reverent kiss against my forehead. ""I'm going to make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain, little bird. Rest. When you wake up, that little boy will have his future.""
