Sophia's thoughts were consumed by Giovanni's offer. He had promised to save her with his kidney, his sacrifice, and his love. But the question weighed heavily on her. Was she willing to accept it?
She had always been the strong one, the leader, the heir to her father's empire, the one who had to make decisions that affected everyone. But now, lying in a hospital bed, her body failing her, the weight of her family's legacy felt suffocating. The future of the Vincente family no longer seemed so clear, and with every passing day, the fight for her life grew more desperate.
Sophia had always been able to compartmentalize, to make decisions for the greater good, but this was different. Giovanni wasn't just offering a kidney, he was offering everything. His future. His place in his family. His reputation. Everything he had ever known was now on the line because of her.
Was it worth it? Could she live with the consequences?
A knock on the door broke her thoughts. She turned, her eyes already filled with the weight of her uncertainty. It was Marco. His face was unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders told her everything she needed to know.
"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice quiet but firm.
Sophia nodded, sitting up in bed, trying to gather her thoughts. "Come in."
Marco stepped into the room, his footsteps heavy with the burden of their shared history. He closed the door behind him and stood there, staring at her as if searching for something. His face softened for just a moment before the hardness returned.
"You don't have to do this," he said, his voice low and filled with concern. "You don't have to accept Giovanni's offer."
Sophia's chest tightened. She could feel the pressure building inside her, her emotions a tangled mess. "Why? Because he's a DeLuca?" she asked, her voice sharp. "Because of the family rivalry? Because of the empire?"
Marco stepped closer, his gaze intense. "No, Sophia. I'm not saying that. I'm saying you don't have to let him ruin his life for you. He's made a sacrifice, but it's not one he'll be able to take back. You're asking him to destroy his future, and for what?"
Sophia's breath hitched. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't considered the consequences? But it's not just about him. It's about me. I'm the one who's dying. I'm the one who's losing everything."
Marco's expression softened, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and pain. "You don't have to lose everything, Sophia. There's another way. We've found another donor. We don't need Giovanni's sacrifice."
Sophia's heart raced. "Another donor?" She had been told there was no hope, no match, no solution. "Where? Who?"
Marco hesitated, his eyes avoiding hers for a moment. "We don't know yet. But I'm telling you, you can still live, Sophia. You can still have a future, and it doesn't have to be tied to Giovanni. You don't owe him anything."
"I owe him everything," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "He's the one person who's been there for me. The one person who's never asked for anything in return."
Marco's expression darkened. "And you're going to let him destroy himself for you? He's a DeLuca, Sophia. The minute he steps into that world, he's lost. There's no going back."
Sophia's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "And what about me? What about my life? Am I supposed to just lie here and let it slip away because it's easier for you?"
The room fell silent, the air thick with the tension between them. Marco's face softened, but the walls were already up. "I don't want to see you suffer, Sophia. I don't want to see you throw your life away."
"I'm not throwing my life away," she snapped, her voice rising. "I'm trying to save it. Giovanni is offering me a chance, his chance and I don't know what to do with it. I don't know if I can live with the consequences of accepting it. But I can't keep pretending I'm okay when I'm not."
Her voice broke, and for a brief moment, her vulnerability slipped through. She hated feeling weak, but the pain inside her was too much to bear. Marco stepped forward, his hand gently touching her arm. His expression softened, but his words were harsh.
"You're not weak, Sophia. But you're not thinking clearly. You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment."
Sophia pulled away from him, the distance between them suddenly feeling unbearable. "You don't get it. You don't understand what it's like to feel like your body is betraying you. To know that every day could be your last. I can't live with this uncertainty. And I can't live with the idea that Giovanni will throw everything away for me. I don't want to be the reason he ruins his life."
Marco's expression hardened again, and he backed away slowly. "Then you make the decision, Sophia. But I'm telling you, once you accept, there's no going back. You'll never be able to escape the consequences."
The door slammed shut behind him as he left, and Sophia was left alone with her thoughts once again. The room felt colder now, emptier. Her mind raced as she tried to process everything that had happened. She wanted to scream, to fight back against the helplessness she felt. But there was no escaping it. The choices she had to make were bigger than anything she had ever faced.
Giovanni's face appeared in her mind, the way he had looked at her when he offered to save her. The intensity in his eyes, the raw emotion behind his actions, it had been real. But could she live with the consequences of accepting his help? Could she allow him to sacrifice everything for her, knowing that it might destroy him in the end?
Her phone buzzed on the bedside table, and she glanced at it. A message from Giovanni.
"I'm still here. I'll wait as long as it takes. Whatever you choose, I'll be with you."
Sophia's heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes, the weight of her decision pressing down on her like a stone.
But she still didn't know what to do, and every second that passed made the choice even harder.