Chapter 146 The Love Test

Mia collapsed to her knees beside Alessandro, her heart shattering as tears streamed down her face. Her entire body trembled with anguish, and her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of her husband. The pain in her broken hand felt insignificant compared to the fear gripping her heart. Ignoring her injury, she reached out with her uninjured hand, desperately pressing on Alessandro's wound to stem the flow of blood. "Help!" she cried, her voice initially faint. Gathering every ounce of strength, she screamed, "Help! Somebody, please help!" Her frantic eyes darted around as men rushed toward them, some still firing and providing cover in the chaos. “A...Aria,” she heard Alessandro's weak voice and instantly turned her head toward him. His eyes, half-open and filled with pain, were locked on her, his face contorted in agony. "Alessandro!" Hope surged in her heart. "Stay with me." She pressed harder on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The Mafia king took a shuddering breath, coughing as he struggled to speak. “A...Aria, Mia, o...or Adeline,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. He paused, taking another strained breath. Mia watched him through her tears, trying to grasp what he was about to say. “What...ever y...your name is, I...I love you, and on...only you, amore m...mio.” Mia's lips parted as a whimpering gasp escaped her, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling onto Alessandro's face. "I...I h....have al...ways....loved you, an...and to....day I've ful...filled my promise to...to love you un...til my last bre... breath," he rasped, gasping for air as the pain threatened to pull him under. He loved her. He truly loved her. It meant that all those times he confessed his feelings were real. It meant her heart hadn’t betrayed her. Her cold-hearted, ruthless mafia husband had loved her all along—so much that he didn’t even care for his own life, taking the bullets meant for her without a second thought. Who would do that for anyone? Only a man truly in love. "Don't you dare talk like that, Alessandro Valentino," Mia scolded, her voice shaking with sobs. "This is not the end, and you still have to love me until the end of this world, okay?!" she whispered, but Alessandro's eyes had closed again, and she wasn’t sure if he could hear her. "You're not going anywhere. Don't you dare die on me," she murmured, her teary gaze fixed on his serene face. "Alessandro Valentino," she breathed as her voice turned hopeless, the moment seeming to freeze. "I love you, and I will die if you leave me alone this time." It was the first time Mia had confessed her love to her husband, but she wasn't sure if he was conscious enough to hear her. “Mia!” She snapped back to reality when she heard Alexander's voice. He had removed his shirt and was carefully tying it around her neck as a sling to support her broken hand. “No! First, attend to Alessandro,” she protested, desperately trying to draw her brother's attention by nodding toward her unconscious husband. “Don't move, Mia!” Alexander scolded, frustration lacing his voice. He was deeply worried, seeing his baby sister with a broken hand and wounds all over her body. But all she cared about was her husband. “We're taking Alessandro to the hospital,” Alexander reassured her as Lucas and two more men quickly lifted Alessandro. Being a bulky figure, Alessandro couldn’t be lifted alone. Alexander tied his suit jacket around Alessandro's midsection to help stop the bleeding. Then he supported Mia, guiding her carefully out of the area to where the car was waiting. “I will be in the car with Alessandro,” Mia insisted stubbornly when she saw Alexander leading her toward another vehicle. “Mia, he needs to lie down comfortably. We're all going to the hospital. Calm down; you need medical attention too,” Alexander emphasized authoritatively. “No, Alessandro has to be alright. He has to be alright,” Mia mumbled, causing Alexander to sigh. He understood the situation was delicate and emotional and needed to be handled with care. With the significant amount of blood lost from the Italian don's body, saving him would be challenging. Alexander's heart sank at the sight of his sister's anguish and deep love for her husband. How could he possibly console her if things took a turn for the worse?