The Return of My First Love novel Chapter 67

Alessio

It had been three days. Three days since everything went to hell, since we found Gian in that cold storage, and since Uncle…

I took a deep breath, burying my head between my hands as I sat in the hospital waiting area. I couldn't stand being in Gian's room anymore, especially not when he was the quietest I had ever seen him in my life.

I couldn't blame him, and I hadn't expected anything else from someone who had just lost a limb.

In the past, I would wish for him to turn it down a notch, but this was not what I meant. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the watch in my hand. The final thing I was able to retrieve from Uncle.

Everything that had happened felt like a cruel joke. It wasn't just Uncle's life that was taken, but in a way, Gian's too. He was a fighter, always had been. The doctors had been optimistic at first, saying that if he were to pull through, there would be no guarantee that he could ever walk again, let alone function properly.

He had several cardiac arrests, multiple surgeries, and despite all of that, he had still pulled through. The doctors said he was doing better, he was going to be okay—but then came more bad news.

The damage to his fingers was too severe; they had no choice but to amputate his left hand. Just thinking about it made my stomach turn.

My brother had lost his hand, and there was nothing I could do about it other than sit back and watch.

I clenched my jaw, squeezing the life out of the watch. Feeling helpless was one of the worst things I had ever experienced.

The first time I experienced it was when I found Gian.

The second time was when we found the rest of Uncle's body, minus the head, around a nearby dumpster at the warehouse.

The third time was when I had to tell my dad, the strongest man I knew, the news about his son and his brother. He broke down into pieces, crumbled right in front of me as I held him and watched him cry for the first time ever in my life.

With that being said, it had been a terrible week for the whole family.

When I finally accepted I had to come clean to Dad and tell him about everything, from the fake engagEmilyent with Emily to approaching Jason, he stopped me mid-sentence. His actions cut deep as he told me not to say another word so he wouldn't be able to resent me.

It felt like a punch to the gut. It was one thing to disappoint him, but the thought of him resenting me was unbearable.

Although he tried hiding it, I knew he looked at me the same way Gian and Donni looked at me. Perhaps Emily would look at me the same way when she learned the truth. She told me not to provoke him, and I did. I lied to her about everything and, as far as she's concerned, I had never met the guy.

The only thing keeping me safe for now was Dad's instructions. He insisted on no revenge until Uncle was laid to rest, and he insisted on keeping the story between us for now. I only didn't know for how long that would last because knowing the Baldinis, it would only be a matter of time before they would call up other families to boast about their newest addition serving thEmily a Fanucci head.