Sold to the Capo-Chapter 130: NEWS

ADRIANA’S POV

The first thing I noticed was the sterile scent of antiseptic. It clung to my senses, sharp and artificial, a stark contrast to the warmth of the bed beneath me. My head throbbed, a dull, insistent pain that pulsed at the base of my skull. My body felt sluggish, as if I had been sedated. I struggled to open my eyes, blinking against the harsh glow of fluorescent lights.

Where was I?

The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor filled my ears, followed by the distant murmur of voices outside the room. The white walls, the IV in my arm—it all clicked into place. I was in a hospital.

A groggy exhale left my lips as I shifted slightly, my muscles aching with the effort. A shadow moved beside me and I flinched slightly, not expecting the sudden movement.

"You’re awake."

The voice was familiar, rough around the edges, yet laced with something softer—concern.

I turned my head slowly, my gaze landing on Michael. He was sitting in a chair beside my bed, his elbows resting on his knees. His usual cold, impassive expression was gone, replaced with something I was getting used to seeing from him. Worry.

"What... happened?" My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Michael exhaled through his nose, running a hand through his hair before answering. "You collapsed at the casino. You were burning up. I brought you here."

I swallowed, my throat dry and raw. The last thing I remembered was the overwhelming dizziness, the sensation of my body giving out. Then darkness.

"Where is this?" I asked, shifting slightly against the pillows as I struggled to sit up but I ended up groaning into the pillow, feeling a throbbing pain in my head.

"LaRosa’s private hospital." He replied smoothly.

My heart stilled.

LaRosa’s private hospital. The same place where Vincenzo was being treated.

My stomach twisted into knots.

I forced myself upright, ignoring the way my head spun. "Is he...?" My voice faltered, unable to finish the question.

Michael’s eyes darkened. "He’s still the same."

I pressed my lips together, my hands gripping the blanket tightly and I turned to him, my eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Vincenzo.

Even thinking his name sent a sharp ache through my chest. I had been trying to stay away, to protect myself from the unbearable sight of him lying unconscious. But now that I was here, knowing that he was just a few walls away...

I needed to see him. I needed to know that he was okay and that he was fine.

Before I could say anything else, a soft knock sounded at the door, and a nurse stepped in, carrying a syringe.

"Mrs. Adriana," she said gently, "we’re still waiting on your test results, but the doctor wants to administer something for your dizziness."

I barely heard her. My mind was already racing toward only one thought—Vincenzo.

The nurse gave me a reassuring smile before injecting the medication into my IV. The cool sensation traveled up my arm, dulling the ache in my body but doing nothing for the turmoil in my chest.

"You need to rest," the nurse said as she checked my vitals.

But rest was the last thing on my mind.

"What did the doctor say is wrong with me?" I asked my voice hoarse.

The moment she left, I threw the blanket off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The tile floor was cold against my bare feet, but I barely noticed.

Michael sighed heavily. "Adriana, don’t."

"I have to see him," I said, my voice steady as I tried to take a step forward but I ended up almost tripping, my knees wobbling as I struggled to stand.

Micheal was quick to hold unto me, his hand tightly wrapped around me as he tried to steady me. "Easy"

I finally stood up straight and nodded to him, prompting him to let go of me. "I’m fine now, I can walk" I muttered to him.

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "You’re still weak. At least wait—"

"I’ve waited long enough."

I pushed myself forward, my legs shaking under my weight, but I didn’t stop. I took slow steps toward the door, feeling Michael’s gaze burning into my back. He didn’t stop me, though.

I needed to do this. I needed to at least see him to satisfy my curiosity.

When I stepped into the hallway, I realized how eerily quiet the hospital was. Unlike public hospitals, there were no bustling nurses or crying patients. Everything here was private, controlled.

Exactly as I guessed. I had never been here... I didn’t even expect him to have brought me here, I was thinking we would go to a normal hospital but it seemed that he had thought this through and wanted me to be here also so I couldn’t have any excuse as to why I wouldn’t want to see him.

A lone nurse walked past, and I took a shaky breath before speaking. "Vincenzo LaRosa’s room. Where is it?"

She hesitated, then her gaze softened with recognition. "You’re his wife."

My throat tightened at the word. Wife. The title felt foreign now, hollow, like something from a time that wasn’t near. It felt different because my husband wasn’t here. Wasn’t even conscious.

"Yes," I whispered.

The nurse gestured down the hall. "I can take you there, but you can’t enter."

I didn’t argue. Just seeing him—even through glass—was enough.

As we walked, every step felt heavier, as if I was moving toward something I wasn’t ready to face. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly until, finally, the nurse stopped in front of a room.

Through the glass window, I saw him.

My breath hitched.

Vincenzo lay motionless in the hospital bed, his powerful frame looking smaller, weaker. Wires and tubes connected him to machines, the steady beeping of his heart monitor the only proof that he was still alive.

I pressed a hand against the glass, my fingers trembling.

He looked so... lifeless. So weak. So vulnerable.

A sob built in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

"You can’t go in," the nurse reminded me softly.

I barely heard her.

"Why are you here?"

The deep voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I turned to see Master LaRosa standing a few feet away, his sharp gaze fixed on me.

"I—" My voice wavered. "I needed to see him."

LaRosa studied me for a long moment before sighing. "Go in."

I blinked. "What?"

He gestured to the door. "I said go in."

I didn’t question it. I expected him to turn me out. To tell me I had no place here but he had this resigned look on his face and I knew that his son’s condition was affecting him more than he wanted to let on.

With trembling hands, I pushed open the door.

The beeping of the monitors grew louder, the sterile scent of the room wrapping around me like an adhesive, pulling me in. Slowly, I approached the bed, my heart pounding.

Up close, Vincenzo looked even more fragile. His usually strong hands lay still on the sheets, his face pale.

I reached out, hesitating for a fraction of a second before finally taking his hand in mine.

Warm.

He was warm.

Tears burned in my eyes as I gripped his hand tightly.

"Vincenzo," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please... wake up."

Silence. He wouldn’t wake up. He couldn’t stand up, cup my face and call me Tesoro. He couldn’t assure me that he was fine. He couldn’t...he couldn’t even open his eyes.

My vision blurred as I leaned closer, pressing my forehead against our intertwined hands.

"I love you," I whispered brokenly. "Please, Vincenzo... come back to me."

The door creaked behind me, but I didn’t move.

"You need to go back to your room, the nurse said that your test results are ready and I think we both want to know what’s wrong with you." LaRosa said quietly.

I wiped my tears quickly, forcing myself to nod. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

As I turned, he added, "Only a few people are allowed here. Michael, Valentina, you, and me. No one else can see him like this. Whatever you see in this room is highly confidential, if you know what I mean"

I understood what he was saying.

Vincenzo wasn’t just any man. He was the Capo. His condition was dangerous information.

I took one last glance at him before whispering, "I’ll come back after I get my results."

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I was met with Michael and the doctor.

The doctor frowned. "We went to your room, but the nurse said you were here."

Michael’s expression softened. "Adriana, you should be resting. You’ve seen him."

Before I could respond, I noticed the doctor’s hesitance.

Something was wrong.

LaRosa’s gaze sharpened. "What’s wrong with her?"

The doctor exhaled. "She’s a few weeks pregnant."

The air left my lungs.

Pregnant?

Vincenzo’s child.

My hands instinctively moved to my stomach, my heart pounding violently.

I was carrying his child.

And he didn’t even know.