Ninety-Nine Calls to Goodbye

I woke up in a private room at the family hospital. The white lights stung my eyes. My body felt like a truck had run over it.

A doctor stood at the foot of my bed. His face was tired. "Mrs. Vitale," he said, "We did everything we could, but we could not save the baby. I am very sorry."

He left before I could answer. I reached for my phone. No calls. No messages. Nothing.

That did not make sense. Enzo never allowed his Donna to be out of contact for more than an hour. The last time a rival family kept me out of contact for three hours, he shut down half the city looking for me. Now? Three days. Nothing.

I put my hand on my belly. It was empty. The baby was gone.

I remembered how happy I had been when I first found out. I had planned to surprise everyone. Now none of that would ever happen. Tears ran down my face.

Then a message popped up. Chiara Moretti had posted a photo on the family internal channel.

In the photo, Enzo and my parents stood beside Chiara's bed. One hand rested on her swollen belly. The caption read: Family.

Another message from three days ago, the exact day I was admitted. Chiara sat inside the family jet with her head on Enzo's shoulder. The caption read: "The main road was blocked. Don did not want me to take any risks, so he escorted me personally."

I gripped the phone harder.

Two years ago, I pulled Chiara out of a burning car. That was how my parents got back the daughter they'd lost for twenty years. During a family gunfight, she took a bullet for Enzo and nearly died, and I stayed outside the operating room all night.

After Enzo woke up and learned that Chiara saved him, he started repaying her. The family doctor said Chiara’s heart condition meant something could go wrong at any time, so Enzo gave her whatever she asked for.

I complained, but he always said the same thing. “I love you, Alessia, not her. I owe her my life. Without her, I would be in a grave.”

I believed him.

Then Chiara disappeared for a few weeks and came back pregnant. She refused to name the father, and like a fool, I protected her from my parents and the elders.

I never knew I was protecting the woman carrying my husband’s child.

Finally, I pushed myself up. My legs hurt, but I barely felt it. I needed to find them. I needed to tell them what had happened to my child.

At the end of the hallway, a door stood half open. I heard familiar voices and stopped.

"You weren't by Alessia's side," Chiara said. "What if something happened to her?"

"Nothing will happen to her," Enzo said, his voice flat. "Don't blame yourself. You did nothing wrong."

"But she kept calling…"

"She wants attention," my mother said. "She's been like this since she was a child. She can't stand it when the family puts resources on someone else."

My father snorted. "If something really happened to her, she would have told us. The family doctor would report it first."

"Even if something did happen to her," Enzo said, "it wouldn't be more important than you. The family doctor says you might not have much time. All you wanted was to have this baby before the end."

"Then what about Alessia…" Chiara hesitated.

"She's fine," Rosalina said. "She's healthy. What matters now is you. Rest. Take good care of yourself and the baby."

My knees went weak. They didn't deny it. Chiara was carrying Enzo's child, and they all knew, and they all kept it from me.

I wanted to push the door open. I wanted to tell them my baby was gone. I wanted to scream. But Chiara's voice stopped me.

"What should we do about Alessia?" Chiara asked quietly.

My mother answered for her. "She should be grateful. This family gave her the position of Donna. She'll understand. She's always been reasonable."

My father nodded. "She has a good heart. She'll see this is about giving a dying woman peace."

"You saved my life, Chiara," Enzo said. "You don't have much time. I want your last days to be good. That's my promise."

Chiara reached out and touched Enzo's fingers. "Thank you for giving me this before the end," she whispered.

Enzo bent down and kissed her forehead. "You're worth it, " he said softly. "I'd do anything for the person who saved my life."