Entangled with the Mafia Don novel Chapter 63

Davina's POV:

I stood in the sterile hallway. My body throbbed with the ghost of Dexter's brutal assault and the deep fatigue of emotional trauma. My mind, however, was in a painful state of suspension—a fragile, cold shell. I had commanded the protection away, and now the man who owned my life was pacing just out of sight, honoring my desperate rejection.

A discreet cough broke my trance. Andrea, a pillar of cold, intelligent efficiency, approached me.

"Ms. Davina," he said, his voice a low, soothing counterpoint to my inner turmoil. "Ezra instructed me to make sure you have everything you need."

"He's supposed to protect me," I stated, the words flat and sharp, echoing my core resentment. "That's what this arrangement is, isn't it, Andrea? He protects my family, and I pay the price."

Andrea nodded gravely, his dark eyes meeting mine without flinching. "And he did, Ms. Davina. What happened this morning was a failure of intelligence, not commitment. He prevented the worst outcome, saving your life." He leaned in slightly, his professionalism momentarily overlaid with human sympathy. "You need to know, Ms. Davina, that Ezra is severely affected. He didn't leave because he didn't care; he left because you asked him to. Despite everything, your safety is his absolute priority."

His defense of Ezra was precise and logical. Andrea’s conviction made the raw, desperate terror I’d seen in Ezra's eyes feel authentic. I would burn the world down to keep you breathing, he said. The contradiction was tearing me apart.

A rush of doubt hit me, cold and sickening. Had I pushed away my only lifeline out of misplaced moral outrage? I instinctively reached for the secure phone in my pocket, the impulse to call him, to break the awful silence, nearly overwhelming. I need his strength.

"I don't know what to do, Andrea," I admitted, the control in my voice cracking. "I'm scarred. I see the world through a sheet of blood now. I want to call him, but I'm afraid of what his next step will be. I'm afraid of him."

Andrea nodded slowly, recognizing the depth of my fear. "That fear is valid, Ms. Davina. But fear is a cleaner wound than what Dexter tried to inflict. The shooting was an isolated consequence of your past catching up to you, not a part of your daily life with Ezra. Give him the chance to prove the distance you demanded was safe."

I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the speed dial for Ezra's number. Andrea was right; Ezra was the solution to the Dexter problem, not the cause. If I called him, I would have his immediate, fierce presence, which was both terrifying and exactly what I craved.

But then, my gaze drifted past Andrea, focusing on the closed door of the hospital room. Lexi. She was lying broken and empty inside. I couldn't risk dragging Ezra's escalating rage—and his protective chaos—back into her sanctuary, not while she was so fragile. I needed to ensure her peace above all else. She comes first.

I lowered the phone, the decision made. I would wait.

I forced my thoughts back to the immediate, physical world. I gave Andrea a curt, distracted nod.

"Thank you Andrea." I said in low voice.

"Do you need anything else Ms Davina?" he asked.

"Just Davina." I smiled to him. "Can you bring me some clothes?"

"Of course. I'll be right back."

"Thank you. I'm going back inside." I walked away towards Lexi's room. I nodded to the 2 guards standing at the door and I pushed the door open softly. Lexi lay exactly as I had left her—small, pale, and mercifully still asleep beneath the thin hospital blanket.

My eyes scanned the room, settling on a figure near the end of Lexi's bed. A nurse was adjusting the IV drip, her movements slow and deliberate. She wore the standard blue scrubs, her hair tightly contained, and a white mask covered her nose and mouth.

"Excuse me," I said quietly, approaching her. "Is everything alright? Lexi's vital signs are stable, right?"

The nurse didn't turn around. She finished adjusting the IV flow rate with unnatural meticulousness and slowly straightened up, placing a small, aluminum tray on the bedside table.

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