Chapter 45

Mia

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. “It’s… complicated. My husband is involved in some things that have made this situation more difficult. He assigned the bodyguards.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly curious but not asking for details. " Must be quite the guy... Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know. It’s good to see a familiar face in such a stressful situation.”

He gave me a reassuring smile before turning his attention to the medical equipment, clearly preparing himself for his next tasks. “I’ll check in on your mother’s progress. Just let me know if you need anything.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Ethan. I appreciate it.”

Ethan smiled back. "Of course, Mia. I’m happy to help. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

I tried to sound casual, though the weight of recent events still pressed heavily on me. “Busy, as always."

"I remember how busy you were... Made it damn hard..."

I scoffed. "With good reason. I remember you were quite the playboy back in college. I didn’t really have time to get involved with that, and even if I did have the time, I had no interest in getting involved.”

Ethan had reminded me too much of Lorenzo to ever really be attracted to him, but he had been handsome. I hoped he'd grown out of that.

Ethan chuckled at that. “Guilty as charged. I was pretty focused on having fun and, honestly, didn’t really think much about settling down at the time.”

My gaze dropped to his left hand, where I noticed a wedding ring glinting in the light. “Looks like you’ve changed your mind about settling down,” I remarked with a hint of curiosity and hope.

Ethan smiled a little. “Yeah, I did. It just made the most sense."

"Congratulations. What is she like?"

He hummed. "Nice. Sweet. A little naive."

"Sounds like your type."

He laughed at that. "I guess so."

I guess he hadn't changed that much. I remembered the kind of girls he went after in college. It was almost refreshing to see that he hadn't changed much. I felt a pang of nostalgia for the simpler times.

“How’s she handling the long hours and all? Does she work?"

“Pretty well,” Ethan said. “She’s incredibly understanding and supportive. It’s not easy being married to someone in this field, but she’s made it work. And, yeah, she works for her parents. What are you up to these days?”

We fell into an easy rhythm of catching up, discussing our lives since college. It was a welcome distraction from everything that's happened. By the time he was done checking up on my mom, I felt a bit more relaxed.

Even if he was in Lorenzo's back pocket, pretending that my life wasn't upside down for a little while was a nice reprieve.

“I’m glad to hear things are going well for you,” I said genuinely. “It’s nice to know that some things from the past have turned out positively.”

Ethan nodded, his expression reflecting a mix of nostalgia and warmth. “Yeah, it’s been quite a journey. I’m really happy with where things have landed. Hoping things keep looking up.”

Our conversation drifted into lighter topics, and for a brief moment, I felt a sense of normalcy that had been missing. I don't remember having conversations like this with Katie. But Katie knew of way too much about my life for us to ever have a conversation like this-- simple and uncomplicated. It was comforting to reminisce about simpler times and to see someone who had once been a part of my life.

As Ethan prepared to leave, he gave me an encouraging smile. “I’ll check in on your mother later. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” I replied. “I appreciate it.”

After he left, I turned my attention back to my mother, hoping that she would wake up soon and that the storm of recent events would settle.

"Actually..." Ethan came back in the room with a wry smile. "If you're not opposed... I mean it's rare that I get to talk to anyone about anything but charts. Do you think you'd be okay with catching up a bit more? You'll be here for a while, huh?" He grinned. "How about dinner in the cafeteria later? It’s not the most glamorous spot, but it’d be good to talk like a normal person for a little while.”

I smiled, nodding. That did sound nice.

“Sounds great. I’ll see you then. My number hasn't changed if you still have it.”

He nodded. "Got it. Later, Mia."

After Ethan left, I opened my laptop and started to get through the paperwork for the hospital. It was kind of crazy to think that we would be colleagues soon, but nice. that I wouldn't have to start my new job as a complete stranger.

My phone chimed with a message from Albert.

How is everything? Has she woken up yet? Have you eaten?

I smiled and replied.

Albert

I checked the message from Mia.

Going fine. I'm about to eat, and Mom's still asleep. I ran into an old classmate. Apparently, he works at the hospital.

I set my jaw. He? Was he just a classmate? Could he be something more? I hated that. That's where my mind went. But I couldn't know. But. Maybe she was already considering dating the guy. Dating a doctor was definitely a step above dating a pahkan.

I sighed and sat back, setting my phone aside and looking back at the reports on my desk.

"Ivan."

He came in with a smile and a bunch of papers. "How'd you know?"

"Sixth sense, I guess. How's it going?"

“I’ve received the latest updates." He held up the folder and gave it to me. I opened it and started to read. "Lorenzo is in the hospital for those hands. I let Sasha handle that, too."

"Somehow I'm not surprised."

"The rest of their men that were implicated are also in the hospital. We're shifting through the rest of his men now. But once that's done, everything with the Napoli and the Oscuri will have been dealt with until you have an idea of what reparations you want."

I had been receiving updates about the others who had been interrogated all morning, but this was the report I was waiting for. Sasha had gotten rid of Elio's body sometime early this morning, promising that he'd likely be found unidentifiable within a few days. Knowing Sasha, it was more likely to be a few weeks if not months from now that they recovered the body. The rest of the reports were coming in fast, detailing the changes in Elio’s territory and the status of his operations.

"What can you tell me about the Oscuri?"

" Honestly, I'm not sure what Lorenzo was supposed to be getting out of it, other than maybe he's getting his territory back. It's telling that while the Oscuri were better off than the Napoli, they weren't that much better off... Carmelo had already started to cut the legs from underneath Elio long before we got here." He laughed. "I want to ask if Lorenzo knew that Elio had been playing him, or if he even cared."

I smirked. " I'll be sure to ask him the next time I see him. If he knew that his dear old friend was the reason why he was losing ground so quickly."

I tried to read it and understand it, but my mind drifted back to Mia and the uncertainty of our future.

If she was going to be put into more situations like she had been, wouldn't it be better to let her go now, whether she wanted to go or not? The guilt of having dragged her into all of this sat heavy in my chest.

"You look terrible. Second thoughts?"

"Maybe."

"It wouldn't take much to kill him."

I shook my head. " It's not about Lorenzo. It's about Mia."

He sighed. "Well, she's not running in the opposite direction yet. So, you've got some time to figure it out. I'd suggest--"

Then, a knock sounded on the door.

"Yeah?"

The door opened and Ivan's right hand leaned in, looking grim. "It's your father, boss."

"Is he coming up?"

"His car just pulled up outside..."

Great. What did he want? I shuffled the pages and opened another folder full of things that wouldn't tip him off about what I could be up to.

"It's fine. Let them barge in like usual."

The timing was suspect, hopefully, Dimitri and his infinite arrogance would slip up for something I can use. I grabbed the recorder from the desk and clicked record. Ivan stepped to one side of my desk.

Soon after, Dimitri strode into the room looking a little smug.

"I hear you've been stirring up things in this city," he said. "What's this I hear about you taking over the East River area?"

That wasn't Elio's territory, which meant that whoever he was getting his information from was actually on my side.

I smirked. "I plan to take the city."

"A man has to have ambition, but he also needs a wife."