Luca

"There isn't a shot in hell you're talking to her." I hissed as Grant and I went into the hallway.

"I would think you'd be a little more interested in helping us track down the person who is after your girlfriend, Luca." Grant chuckled.

"No one is after her." I clenched my jaw. "It was an accident. I had too much to drink and shouldn't have been driving the boat. Simple as that."

"Simple as that?"

"Yeah, go ahead and give me a DUI if you need to. You can finally get my name on your arrest record like you've been so desperate for." I narrowed my eyes at him. His issue really was with me anyway. He should jump at this chance.

"Oh, I'm going to arrest you some day, Catalano. And when I do, it won't be on some bullshit made up charges. We both know this was no accident. What happened? Did you piss off the wrong person and now they're coming after Char? How does that make you feel that it's your fault she's in danger?"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his taunts. Grant wanted a reaction and he wasn't about to get one from me.

"The only way you're talking to Charlotte is if I'm in the room." I said.

"Right..." Grant said. "So you can intimidate her into lying for you? Not going to happen.

"Then you can wait for our attorney to get here. You remember him, right? Nathan Elliot? He's the one who slapped you with obstruction of justice charges the last time you tried this bullshit."

"You're not in charge here, Luca." Grant said. "You can dance around this all you want, but it's a federal investigation now. If she won't talk to me here, I'll drag her down to the station the second you touch back down in New York."

"Listen you son of a bitch, if you so much as come near her again..." I lunged toward him, but Angelo pulled me back.

"Luca, not here."

"Listen to your keeper, Luca." Grant chuckled. "I know you don't give a damn about her, Catalano. You're playing games with her and she's going to wind up dead."

"What the hell is going on out here?" Elena hissed, rushing toward us.

"Elena!" Grant said, suddenly straightening up.

"Are you two out of your minds? My daughter is lying in there in a hospital bed and you're having some kind of who-is-bigger-than-who fight out here?"

"Elena, we were just trying..."

"I don't care! You both need to get a grip or get out of here. I won't have this around her."

Grant and I both stepped back, dropping out heads. She was right. This was the last thing Charlotte needed right now. Especially in such a public display. I would deal with Grant, but not now. Not until things were settled.

"You need to leave." She pointed to Grant. "Charlotte will contact you when she's ready, and only when she's ready. She just woke up and this is the last thing she needs."

"But..."

"Grant, I swear to God..." I growled.

"And you," She turned to me. "You and I need to talk. I am going in there to see my daughter, and then I'll deal with you."

She turned abruptly, disappearing into Charlotte's room and Grant and I stood there like whipped puppies after both being thoroughly scolded by Elena. I spent the last several years being afraid to upset Antonio, when the one I really should have been afraid of was Elena. She was terrifying when she was angry, although I couldn't say I blamed her. The beef I had with Grant was pennies compared to getting Charlotte healthy.

"This isn't over, Luca." Grant glared at me.

"No, it certainly isn't, Fallon." I said. "Have a nice trip home."

I headed into the room behind Elena, and stood by the door, out of their way for a second.

Seeing Elena hovering over Charlotte's bed was like being transported in a time machine. Like watching two ghosts.

So far, Charlotte was sticking to the story. Every once in a while, she'd glance up at me with uncertainty on her face. Lying to her mother was killing her, and I wish she knew she didn't need to.

"So what did the doctor say?" Elena sat down in the chair.

"I'm fine, mom. Really." Charlotte insisted, shifting her weight in the bed. I caught her wince, but she was trying not to let on to her mother. "The doctor even said so. I had some hypothermia, and a concussion, and some minor cuts and bruises, but everything should heal up fine."

"Are you sure?" Elena asked, gently rubbing her cheek.

"Yes, mom. Really. I appreciate you coming, but you didn't need to. The doctor says they'll release me in the next day or so. It's just for observations now."

Elena glanced up at me. "Why don't you get some rest, sweetie, and we'll be back in a while."

She stood up and headed toward me. "I'll meet you in the hallway."

I nodded, making my way to Charlotte's side. "Doing okay?"

"I'm fine. Really." She huffed. "I wish people would stop asking me that. Is Grant still here?"

"No, your mother scared him off." I chuckled. "But I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him."

Charlotte was uneasy, and I hated seeing that look in her eyes. A tear trickled down her cheek.

"Babe..." I started.

"I'm really tired, Luca." She said quickly.

"Okay. I love you." I kissed her forehead gently. "I"ll be outside if you need anything.

She didn't respond, just turned her back to me and curled up on her side.

It broke my heart to leave her. There was so much we needed to talk about, but she wasn't in the headspace for that. I hoped she would be once she got some rest.

I shut the door to her room behind me, and joined Elena in the hallway.

"Let's take a walk." She said.

I followed her and we walked until we got outside of the hospital into a beautiful courtyard. It was a comfortable silence, but I was anxious about the impending discussion we were going to have.

There was a waterfall trickling down into a pond filled with lily pads. It was beautiful and the sun actually felt good. I hadn't been out of that hospital in the last few days. When Elena found a spot on a nearby bench, I sat down next to her.

"What happened?" She asked.

"It was Silvano." I left out a heavy breath. There was no point in lying to her. "I had Charlotte out on the boat. It was stupid, but... She was so damn excited and I couldn't resist. They came out of nowhere and slammed into us. Charlotte fell into the water, and I... I jumped in after her."

Elena was quiet for a minute. "Thank you for saving her."

"Elena, I swear, I never meant to let anything like this happen. I'm doing everything I can to keep her safe and.."

"I know, Luca. You don't need to explain that to me." She said. "Unfortunately, you and I are now having to deal with a mess Antonio made."

"He came to see me a few weeks ago." I said.

"He did?" She was surprised.

I nodded. "And I told him I wasn't working for him anymore."

"You did what?" Her eyes widened.

"It's been a long time coming." I said. "I guess this was just the little nudge I needed. He wanted me to stop seeing Charlotte, like you did."

"You know, Luca, my reasons have nothing to do with you as a person. It's the Mafia I don't want her involved in. And I'm sure you can see why."

"Elena..." I started. I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to end that sentence. "I tried. I really did. I just... I love her. I love everything about her. You know the world I grew up in; I never knew what love was. My parents' marriage, you and Antonio. Every example I had was a shit show... And then she came into my life and now I look forward to seeing her and I miss her when she's not around. I think about her constantly and I spend most of the day figuring out how to make her happy. She drives me fuckin' insane half the time, but even when she is, I'd rather spend time with her than anyone else in the world. I... trust me, I know what a disaster this is."

Elena smiled softly, looking out at the water contemplatively. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her response. "Are you planning to marry her?"

Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. "I... don't know."

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"She deserves better than me, Elena. I know that."

"Luca, you are not your father. And you are not Antonio. You have always had a heart ten times the size of those two men. You're right." She nodded. "She does deserve better. She deserves better than what you are giving her right now, but not what you could give her. Charlotte's not some delicate flower that you need to shield from everything. She's a strong woman, and she appreciates honesty. If you want a future with her at all, then you need to tell her the truth. She needs to be your equal, Luca. You can't keep her in the dark."

I bit my lip, letting her words sink in. She was right. Hiding this from her was only making things worse. She deserved to know why Silvano was after her, and who she really was.

"You're selling both of yourselves short, Luca. Charlotte's tough, you need to trust her. And you, you are a natural leader, but your men respect you. They don't fear you the way they feared your father and Antonio. You're a better leader than either of them could ever imagine of being. And you deserve someone by your side who is going to treat you that way, and compliment your personality. And if you don't feel like that person is Charlotte, then tell her now."

"Elena, if I was capable of fully committing to any person on this planet, it would be your daughter." I sighed. "I just don't know if I can give her what she wants."

"Then tell her. She at least deserves the truth from you. Believe me, she'll appreciate your honestly much more than finding out you've been lying this whole time. Let her make that decision for herself."

The only problem was that I had been lying this whole time. I knew who she was and why Silvano was after her for months. She'd never forgive me once she knew that.

"Be careful with her Luca. Because when you leave her shattered and broken because you made promises you couldn't keep, I'm the one who will have to pick up the pieces."

I felt my chest tightening. I was going to have to do something about this. If I really loved her, I needed to talk to her. I needed to be honest with her and not let her think this could ever be something it's not. I couldn't change who I am, but I needed to give her the chance to choose.

And for the first time, I realized I really hoped she'd stay.

Elena and I chatted for a little bit longer and then made out way back to Charlotte's room. It had been about an hour, and I hoped she was able to sleep a bit.

I let Elena go in first, but my heart stopped when I heard her voice.

"Antonio?" She said. "What the hell are you doing here?"