His Greatest Regret

The rain fell like heaven was mourning. Dr. Isabella Hart stood beneath the dim lights of St. Mary's Hospital, her white coat stained with blood that wasn't hers. Twelve hours in surgery had left her exhausted, yet sleep had become a stranger years ago. She pulled her hair into a loose knot and stepped outside, letting the cold rain kiss her skin. Another life saved. Another night alone. The city never slept. Sirens echoed in the distance while expensive cars rushed through the wet streets, carrying people whose lives were nothing like hers. Her phone buzzed. Unknown Number. "Dr. Hart. We need you immediately." She frowned. "What happened?" "Gunshot victim. Multiple wounds. VIP patient." "I'm off duty." "This one is different." Before she could ask another question, the line went dead. Ten minutes later, a convoy of black SUVs stormed into the emergency entrance. Men dressed in black suits jumped out first, scanning every corner with cold, practiced eyes. Then the back door opened. A man stepped out, carrying an unconscious patient over his shoulder. Blood dripped onto the hospital floor. "Where's the doctor?" he shouted. Nurses froze. Security backed away. Everyone recognized the crest embroidered on their jackets. The DeLuca Syndicate. The most feared mafia family in the country. Isabella's heartbeat slowed. Not from fear. From a feeling she couldn't explain. The patient was laid on the operating table. She pulled on fresh gloves. "Vitals." "BP dropping." "Pulse weak." "Bullet entered through the left chest." She cut away the blood-soaked shirt. Then she froze. A tattoo. A black raven spread across his chest. Her hands trembled. No... It couldn't be. She looked at his face. Five years had changed him. Sharper jaw. Faint scar above his eyebrow. Dark stubble. Older. Harder. But she would recognize those eyes anywhere. Even closed. Luca Moretti. The man who had once promised to spend forever with her. The man who disappeared without a goodbye. The man she had spent five years trying to forget. The room blurred. "Doctor?" a nurse whispered. She forced herself to breathe. "I'm fine." She wasn't. Not even close. Memories crashed into her like waves. Rain-soaked kisses. Late-night dreams. Empty pockets. Shared noodles. Promises whispered beneath broken apartment ceilings. "When I become someone... I'll marry you." She had believed him. With everything she had. Until one morning... He was simply gone. No letter. No explanation. Only silence. The monitors screamed. "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" "He's crashing!" The surgeon inside her took over. "Scalpel." "Clamp." "Suction." The operating room erupted into motion. Outside, nearly twenty armed men waited in absolute silence. Each of them willing to kill for the man fighting for his life. Inside, the only person capable of saving him was the woman whose heart he had shattered. Minutes felt like hours. Sweat rolled down Isabella's forehead. The bullet had narrowly missed his heart. One wrong move... ...and he would die. She removed the bullet with steady hands. "Pressure stabilizing." "Oxygen improving." A collective sigh escaped the room. He was alive. As the nurses cleaned the wound, Luca's fingers suddenly wrapped around her wrist. Weak. Barely conscious. Yet impossibly firm. His lips moved. Almost too softly to hear. "...Bella..." Time stopped. No one had called her that in five years. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she wiped it away. She stared at the man she had loved more than her own future. The man she had buried in her heart long before today. But fate had other plans. Because Luca Moretti wasn't just back. He was now the heir to the most dangerous mafia empire in the country. And saving his life might be the biggest mistake Isabella would ever make. End of Chapter 1