Chapter Five: Four Days
1026 Words
Four days.
The number followed me everywhere.
It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing I thought about before I managed to fall asleep. Even in my dreams, it haunted me.
I got dressed in silence and glanced at the calendar hanging beside my bedroom door.
Every day that passed felt like another step toward the edge of a cliff.
When I walked downstairs, Bella was packing her school bag.
She looked up and smiled.
"Morning."
"Morning."
"You look awful."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks."
"I meant... tired."
"Nice save."
She laughed nervously before zipping up her backpack.
Mom placed a plate of toast in front of me.
"You have to eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
"Sofia."
"I said I'm not—"
My father cleared his throat.
"Please."
I looked at him.
There was no anger in his face.
Only guilt.
I sighed, picked up a piece of toast, and forced myself to take a bite.
It tasted like cardboard.
After breakfast, Bella hugged me before leaving for school.
"I'll see you later."
"Be careful."
She frowned.
"I'm only going to school."
"I know."
I hugged her a little tighter than usual.
She laughed.
"You worry too much."
If only she knew.
The hospital was already overflowing with patients by the time I arrived.
Normally, being busy helped keep my mind occupied.
Today, it didn't.
I accidentally reached for the wrong patient file.
Then I nearly walked into a supply cart because I wasn't paying attention.
"Sofia."
I looked up.
Dr. Marco was standing in the doorway of the nurses' station with his arms folded.
"My office. Five minutes."
"I didn't do anything."
"You almost gave Mrs. Russo Mr. Bennett's discharge papers."
"...Oh."
"Exactly."
A few minutes later, I sat across from him in his office.
He slid a cup of coffee toward me.
"You need this."
"I think I need about ten."
"I was going to say twelve."
Despite myself, I smiled.
He leaned back in his chair.
"Talk to me."
"It's nothing."
"I don't believe that."
"I've just got a lot on my mind."
"Family?"
I hesitated before nodding.
He didn't ask any more questions.
Instead, he simply said, "Whatever it is, don't carry it alone."
His kindness almost broke me.
For one reckless second, I wanted to tell him everything.
That my family owed one million pounds to the mafia.
That strangers were watching our house.
That I had no idea how to save the people I loved.
But I couldn't.
The less anyone knew, the safer they were.
"I'll be okay," I whispered.
Marco smiled sadly.
"I hope so."
My shift finally ended just after six.
The evening air was cool as I stepped outside the hospital.
I had barely taken a few steps when a strange feeling crept over me.
I wasn't alone.
Across the street, a black luxury sedan sat parked beneath a row of trees.
Its engine was running.
The windows were dark.
I couldn't see inside.
I told myself not to be ridiculous.
Lots of people drove black cars.
Lots of people parked outside hospitals.
Still...
I couldn't shake the feeling that whoever was inside was watching the entrance.
Watching me.
As soon as I looked directly at the car, it pulled away from the curb and disappeared into traffic without a sound.
A chill ran down my spine.
Maybe it was coincidence.
Maybe it wasn't.
Instead of going straight home, I stopped at the neighborhood bakery.
Bella had texted me earlier asking if we could buy her favorite pastries.
For a little while, I wanted us to feel like sisters again instead of victims counting down the days.
When I reached home, Bella rushed to the door.
"You remembered!"
"I always remember."
She opened the paper bag and gasped dramatically.
"My favorites!"
"I expect payment."
She looked confused.
"In hugs."
She rolled her eyes before wrapping her arms around me anyway.
"You drive a hard bargain."
For a few precious minutes, we laughed together in the kitchen.
Mom even smiled.
Dad watched us quietly, and although sadness still lingered in his eyes, I could tell he was grateful to hear laughter in the house again.
I wished the moment could last forever.
It didn't.
That evening, Bella asked if I'd walk with her to the corner shop to buy a notebook for school.
The streets were quiet as we made our way down the sidewalk.
She chatted about a history test and a friend who had forgotten her homework.
I listened, smiling whenever I could.
Then I heard it.
The slow hum of an engine.
A black SUV rolled to a stop beside us.
Bella's hand immediately found mine.
The rear window lowered.
A man in a perfectly tailored black suit looked at me with calm, unreadable eyes.
"Miss Romano."
My heart pounded.
"Who are you?"
He ignored the question.
"Mr. De Luca wishes to remind your family that four days remain."
My breath caught.
It was the first time I had heard that name spoken aloud.
Mr. De Luca.
The mysterious patient.
The man everyone at the hospital had feared.
The suited man reached into his jacket and produced a small black card.
He held it out to me.
With trembling fingers, I took it.
Across the front, in silver lettering, were only two words.
FOUR DAYS.
Nothing else.
"No threats?" I managed to ask.
His expression never changed.
"We don't need threats, Miss Romano."
He glanced briefly at Bella before looking back at me.
"We simply expect your family to keep its promise."
The window slid shut.
The SUV pulled away as quietly as it had arrived.
Bella stared after it, her face pale.
"Sofia..."
I slipped the card into my pocket before she could read it.
"It's okay."
She looked at me with frightened eyes.
"No," she whispered.
"It isn't."
For the first time, I realized something that terrified me even more than the debt itself.
They hadn't come to our house.
They had found us.
Which meant they knew where I worked.
They knew where Bella walked.
And they were never very far away.
- Writer
