Chapter 4 - The Vanished Queen
The subterranean clinic beneath the abandoned bakery on 4th Street smelled of ozone, copper, and antiseptic.
Gabriel burst through the heavy reinforced doors, nearly tearing them off their hinges. He ignored Dr. Aris, who stood by the door with blood-stained rubber gloves, and rushed straight into the small, sterile operating room.
Mara lay on the stainless-steel table, her face as pale as fresh snow. A heart monitor ticked in a slow, fragile rhythm. An oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth, and thick white bandages wrapped tightly around her chest and shoulder.
Gabriel stopped two feet away. For the first time in his ruthless life, his knees buckled.
He collapsed onto a stool beside the operating table, reaching out with trembling hands to gently frame her face. Her skin was icy cold, but her breathing, though shallow, was steady.
"Mara," he choked out, his voice cracking.
Her long, dark eyelashes flickered. Slowly, painfully, she opened her eyes. Hazel met grey through a haze of heavy pain medication.
"Gabriel..." her voice was a faint whisper beneath the mask. "You... you shouldn't be here. Tomas..."
"Tomas is running like the rat he is," Gabriel interrupted gently, slipping his fingers through hers. He brought her cold hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles with desperate devotion. "Why didn't you tell me, Mara? Why did you keep this secret for four months?"
A small, sad smile touched her pale lips. "Look at me, Gabriel. I’m not a mafia princess. I’m the curvy girl who wears oversized sweaters and hides in the pantry when your captains come over. You married me for convenience. Why would you believe me over the man who served your father for thirty years?"
Gabriel felt a sharp, suffocating pain in his chest. The cruel comments his lieutenants had made, the way he had allowed her to isolate herself in the estate... every memory hit him like a physical blow.
"I was a fool," Gabriel whispered, pressing his forehead against her gloved hand. "I was blind, arrogant, and stupid. You took a bullet for me, Mara. You saved my life and my mother's life."
"I didn't do it because of the contract," Mara whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Gabriel looked up, his heart pounding against his ribs. "Then why?"
Mara took a fragile, shuddering breath, her fingers tightening weakly around his. "Because... I’ve been in love with you since the day you paid my brother’s medical bills and promised to keep us safe. I knew I was just a fake wife to you... but you were never fake to me."
Gabriel lost the battle against his tears. A single tear escaped his eye, dropping onto her pale cheek.
"You were never fake to me either, Mara," Gabriel swore softly, leaning down to press a tender, reverent kiss against her forehead. "You are my wife. My real wife. The only queen this family will ever have."
Dr. Aris stepped into the room, looking grave. "Don Moretti... we stabilized the internal bleeding, but we need to move her. Valenti’s scouts are combing the district."
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Gabriel stood up slowly, his tear-streaked face hardening back into impenetrable iron. He carefully slid his arms beneath Mara’s back and knees, scooping her up against his chest as if she weighed nothing.
"We go to the fortress in Old Westbury," Gabriel commanded. "My mother is already there. Tonight, we settle this war."
