Rejected Three Times, I Married My Fiancé’s Godfather Uncle

Chapter 4

The second proposal happened at the hospital. After leaving the federal building, my father went into arrhythmia. When the ambulance rushed him into the ER, my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I called Luca six times. He finally picked up on the seventh. I could hear engines in the background, and a woman's voice.

Luca said, "Elena, I'm testing a boat in Middleton. The Russells are here too. I can't stop this test today."

I stared at the lights in the resuscitation room and said, "My dad's in the ER."

Luca visibly paused. "Is it serious?"

I said, "The doctor hasn't come out yet."

"It'll take me at least two hours to get back now." He lowered his voice to coax me, adding, "Don't be scared. I'll send my assistant over to keep you company. Whatever the hospital charges, just use my card."

"I don't want your assistant." It was the first time I had lost my temper with him over the phone.

I said, "I want you," and the line went quiet.

After a moment, Luca said, "Elena, this boat test today determines whether I land the entire port project. I'll head back as soon as I'm done, okay?"

I closed my eyes. Once again, something else was more important.

Before I could hang up, a row of bodyguards in black suddenly appeared at the end of the emergency hallway. Damian led the way.

He didn't ask me what had happened. He simply brought a cardiologist and two lawyers to me. He said, "Your father's doctor has been switched to Dr. Levin. On the federal side, I've had my lawyers apply for a medical extension. Your mother's blood pressure was too high just now; she's in the lounge downstairs with a nurse."

I stared at him blankly and asked, "How did you know?"

"The hospital belongs to the Vittori Foundation." He said it casually. But the next second, he looked down and saw the blood from the IV needle on the back of my hand. "Did they draw your blood too?"

I said, "The hospital lacked his blood type, and mine happened to match."

Damian's brow furrowed immediately. He reached out and gripped my wrist, his hold gentle yet firm enough that I couldn't pull free. "Sit down."

I said, "I'm fine."

"You look paler than the man lying in there." He had a bodyguard bring hot water and a piece of candy, then crouched in front of me and peeled the wrapper off with his own fingers.

I watched his fingers, a strange tightness in my chest. "You don't have to pretend to be so kind."

Damian looked up. I continued, "Haven't you always wanted to use Moretti to force me to marry you?"

"Yes," he admitted without hesitation."Wanting you and not wanting to see your father die are two different things."

For a moment, I was speechless.

Two hours later, my father was out of danger. Luca arrived at one in the morning. He was out of breath, his tie askew, and the moment he saw me, he pulled me into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry."

I smelled a faint trace of sea breeze and cologne on him. Not the mark of another woman, just the scent from the formal negotiation he'd attended today. I didn't suspect him of cheating.

But at that moment, I still felt a deep ache. He truly loved me. And he truly believed I could wait—for him to finish his meetings, to land the project, to get his own life in order first.