Prisioner In Your Arms

Gío returned to the hospital later and found Leandro anxiously standing outside the room.

“Has something happened? Is Rina okay?” he asked.

“She’s fine, but as soon as you left, my father came,” Leandro replied.

“That means he’s keeping us under surveillance.”

“Now I’m certain that he’s the one who caused all this. He entered the room and asked me to bring a pillow to end my mother’s life. Thankfully, a nurse came in at that moment, or else he would have realized that I disagreed. He’s determined to kill her just to preserve his fortune. We need to have surveillance in place.”

“I’ll talk to the hospital director right away to get authorization. Wait here for a moment, and don’t leave her alone.”

“I’ll wait here,” Leandro said.

Leandro entered the room and stood next to Rina. He observed her for a moment, unable to hold back his tears.

“Mother, you have to wake up. I need you; I’ve needed you all my life. We have to make up for lost time. Please forgive me; I know it wasn’t your fault. It was my father who deprived us of the joy of being together. He hates you because you stopped loving him. But I won’t let him harm you. Mother, open your eyes, please,” he said, holding her hand and kissing it. At that moment, he felt her squeezing his hand. Surprised, he turned to look at her.

“Mother, are you listening to me?” he asked, amazed.

Rina squeezed his hand again. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but she showed signs of listening. Leandro rushed out to call a doctor and returned to her side immediately.

“The doctor is on the way. God, I’m so happy to see you waking up,” he said.

He turned to look at her face, and at that moment, she opened her eyes and stared at him. Leandro hugged her tightly, unable to hold back his tears. He cried like a child, crying for all the years they had lost.

Gío was returning at that moment and saw several doctors entering the room. Upon entering and seeing Leandro in that state, he feared the worst.

“She has awakened, Gío, my mother has awakened,” Leandro said.

Relief flooded Gío, and the doctors asked them to step outside so they could examine the patient. Before leaving, Gío turned to look at Rina and found her beautiful blue eyes gazing back at him.

Outside the room, the two men couldn’t help but cry. The emotion was overwhelming. Nicole and Bruno arrived at that moment.

“How is Mom? Please tell me what happened,” Nicole thought something bad had happened when she saw them like that.

“Mom has awakened,” Leandro replied, and Nicole felt overjoyed.

“How did you address her?” Nicole was surprised to hear it.

“Mom, it’s time to make up for lost time and forget everything that happened,” Leandro said. Nicole hugged him, and Bruno looked on uncomfortably. Leandro felt warmth; he had missed those hugs so much.

“I knew that one day you would understand that none of it was her fault,” Nicole said.

“I know, I’ve always known, it’s just been difficult for me to accept,” Leandro admitted.

The doctors came out at that moment.

“We have examined her, and the patient is in perfect condition, but she needs rest and tranquility. You can go in and see her for a moment, but afterward, only one person should stay with her.”

“Understood, thank you, doctor,” Gío replied. “Two bodyguards will arrive shortly, and they will monitor the room at all times.”

“What happened?” Nicole asked, concerned.

“I’ll tell you when we leave. She shouldn’t find out,” Leandro told them.

They entered the room, and Rina greeted them with a smile.

“My love,” Gío said, approaching to kiss her.

“Mom, thank God you’re okay,” Nicole said.

“Daughter, I’m glad you’re by my side, and your son, I heard everything you told me. I was in a dark place, but I felt when you took my hand. I started hearing your voice, and I followed it until I could wake up. I felt happy because you finally called me ‘mother’,” Rina said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Leandro approached, and she hugged him, and they cried together. The others present couldn’t help but feel emotional, and they cried too.

“Let’s stop the tears; this is a day to celebrate. You’ve awakened, and you’re here, reunited with your children,” Gío said, happy about what had happened.

“You’re right. It’s the happiest day of my life.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Minutes later, everyone said their goodbyes before leaving, and only Gío stayed with her.

“If you have time, we could go to the cafeteria. I want to talk to you,” he said.

“Of course, let’s go,” Bruno replied.

Once in the cafeteria, they sat at a table. Leandro had a very serious expression on his face.

“What happened?” Nicole asked, concerned.

“My father was at the hospital. He entered our mother’s room and waited for Gío to step out for a moment. He asked me to take a pillow and place it over her face. That made it clear to me that he’s responsible for what happened. It wasn’t an accident; he’s trying to kill her.”

“What?! That can’t be true. Your father is deranged,” Nicole became agitated upon hearing what was happening.

Bruno glared at Leandro. He didn’t want Nicole to find out about what was going on.

“I’m sorry, Bruno, but it’s time for Nicole to find out what’s happening. She needs to be prepared so she can take care of herself.”

“What have you been hiding from me?” Nicole turned to Bruno, angry. She had suspected for some time that something was going on.

“My father has been monitoring you; he’s trying to eliminate you both to preserve his fortune.”

“That bastard! So it was him I saw in front of the house,” she recalled what had happened at the lake house.

“Yes, it was him. I’m sorry, Nicole. I didn’t want you to worry,” Bruno said, knowing she might be upset with him.

“That’s why you’ve been acting so strange.”

“Yes, the men I was seen talking to are bodyguards.”

“Now I understand. When Sergio saw them coming, he got into his truck and left immediately.”

“He felt exposed and decided to retreat. That’s why I suggested we go to the lake.”

“Oh, my God. My son, my mother, and I have been in danger all this time, and I had no idea.”

“I didn’t want you to find out, especially not in your condition.”

“Is something wrong?” Leandro asked, concerned.

“Nicole is pregnant again,” Bruno replied with a smile.

Leandro couldn’t hide what he felt; his face gave it away, showing immense sadness.

“Congratulations. I’m happy for you. I’ll leave now; I don’t want my father to become suspicious,” he said, genuinely happy for them but unable to hide the pain in his soul.

He quickly walked away, and Nicole could see him holding back tears. It was still difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that they were siblings.

“I’m sorry for hiding everything that’s been happening from you,” Bruno’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“I know you did it because you thought it was best for me,” she said, understanding that he only wanted to protect her.

“Since you came back, Rina and Gío have increased your security. Several bodyguards have been following you from a distance. They knew that sooner or later, Sergio would decide to act. If you decide to claim that fortune, he’ll be left with nothing. It all belongs to you; it’s the inheritance your grandparents left you.”

“I’m not interested in any of that. I just want to live in peace.”

“He doesn’t understand that, and he also needs to pay for everything he’s done to your mother.”

“I agree with that. He ruined our lives, turned my mother’s life into a complete hell.”

“I have to go to the office. I’ll drop you off at home. You need to rest.”

“I’ll come with you. Now that Santi is back in school, I’ll be terribly bored.”

“No way, Nicole. I won’t allow you to work. I’ll take care of you and our child.”

“Bruno Leone, I’m pregnant, not disabled. I can do anything that doesn’t require too much effort. So let’s go to the office; I won’t change my mind. There’s a lot of overdue work, and I can handle it perfectly.”

Reluctantly, Bruno agreed, and they headed towards the office. Upon arrival, Alizza ran towards Bruno and greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Bruno, it’s so good to have you back,” Alizza said as she hugged him. The girl didn’t think twice; she did it instinctively.

Bruno stiffened in that moment, and when he regained his composure, he pushed her away.

“I’m sorry, sir. My behavior was inappropriate,” she said, suddenly feeling the gaze of others upon her.

Bruno remained silent and continued on his way to greet Bertha, while Nicole greeted Alizza.

“Hello, how’s everything going here?” Nicole asked.

“Good day, Mrs. Nicole. Everything has been very calm,” she replied coldly.

Nicole headed to her office after greeting Bertha. She was surprised to find a bag and some other items on her desk, so she immediately called Bertha.

“Bertha, who has been using my office?”

Alizza entered behind her and hurried to gather the things.

“I’m sorry, Nicole. No matter how many times I asked her not to come in, she insisted on doing so.”

“I apologize, ma’am. Since the office was empty, I thought I could use it.”

“I have important documents for the company here. How did you even open it?”

“I found the door unlocked.”

“I don’t believe it. I’m always careful to lock the door. I kindly ask you not to do it again.” Nicole was very annoyed.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. It won’t happen again,” she apologized, pretending to be embarrassed.

“Ma’am, allow me to congratulate you. Mr. Dante informed me. Congratulations on your pregnancy,” Bertha said at that moment, with clear intention, hoping that the girl would finally understand.

“Thank you, Bertha,” Nicole assumed that Bruno had told Dante.

Alizza was in shock; she thought that since they had divorced, they would no longer be together.

“Damn it, we’ll see how long your happiness lasts. I’ll get rid of you and that bastard,” she muttered to herself.

“Did you say something, Alizza?” Nicole asked.

“No, nothing. By the way, congratulations, ma’am,” Alizza hypocritically congratulated her, secretly wishing that the baby wouldn’t be born.