Chapter 8 - The Price of Silence
For two agonizing days, the east wing of the Costello estate was converted into an intensive care unit.
Dr. Mercer and three top toxicologists worked around the clock to clear the nerve toxin from Sadi's system. Victor never left her side. He didn't change his clothes. He didn't take business calls. He sat in a high-backed armchair beside her bed, holding her hand, watching the heart monitor with dark, bloodshot eyes.
Dominic came into the room quietly on the second evening, holding a file folder.
"The Valenti family has broken apart, Boss," Dominic reported softly. "After Marco's death, his lieutenants surrendered all territory in Westchester and the docks to us. The syndicate war is over before it even started."
Victor didn't look away from Sadi’s pale, peaceful face. "Good. Tell the captains I don't want to hear the name Valenti in this city ever again."
"Understood, Boss," Dominic murmured, bowing his head slightly before slipping out of the room.
Around midnight, the heavy silence of the bedroom was broken by a quiet, faint rasp.
"V-Victor...?"
Victor snapped upright in his chair.
Sadi’s long lashes fluttered open. Her hazel eyes were groggy, unfocused, but slowly warming as she saw his face hovering over her.
"Sadi!" Victor breathed, a genuine, overwhelming rush of emotion surging through his chest. He grabbed her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing them repeatedly. "Sadi, you're awake... thank God."
Sadi weak fingers closed around his. She looked at his disheveled hair, the dark shadows under his eyes, and his rumpled shirt—so completely unlike the pristine mafia Don she knew.
"You look terrible," she whispered softly, a tiny, faint smile touching her lips.
Victor let out a low, breathless laugh that sounded suspiciously close to a sob. He leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against hers.
"I was terrified," Victor confessed, his deep voice shaking with raw, uninhibited vulnerability. "For two days, I thought I was going to lose you."
"I fought it," Sadi murmured, her eyes shining with tears. "I remembered what you said... about being strong. I hit Marco with my purse."
Victor let out another soft laugh, brushing a lock of dark hair away from her forehead. "I saw the hitman's eye, sweetheart. You practically blind him. You're more dangerous than my security team."
Sadi reached up with her free hand, resting her soft palm against his cheek, feeling the dark stubble on his jawline.
"I was terrified too," she whispered, looking deep into his dark eyes. "Not because of the poison. But because I thought I'd never get to tell you."
"Tell me what?" Victor asked softly.
"That I love you, Victor," Sadi breathed, her heart beating steady and strong against her ribs. "Not because of your money, or your house, or your power. But because you saw me when I was invisible. You protected my brother. And you gave me a reason to live when I had nothing left."
Victor’s breath hitched in his throat. His chest heaved as he looked down at the miraculous woman lying in his bed.
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"I loved you the moment I saw you bleeding on my floor, Sadi," Victor whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You brought light into a house that was built on shadows. You're not just my guest, Sadi. You're my heart."
He leaned down and kissed her—a long, deep, sacred kiss that sealed their souls together forever.
