Chapter 11

Lisa's POV

Alessandro remained silent for a moment before finally uttering, "I will accompany you to visit your sister." Just as I was about to interject, Gabriele entered the room. "Apologies for the interruption, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with my brother," he stated, intentionally avoiding eye contact with me. I nodded and left the office. I encounter Sophia as I make my way upstairs. "How are you feeling, Lisa?" Sophia asks, her voice filled with concern. "I'm fine; I just got a headache from lack of sleep, probably," I softly reply. I look at Sophia and see that she is about to go out when I notice her bag. "I will let you be; I see you're going out," I say. "Oh, No, I just got back from the store but forgot something in the car," Sophia says with a blush. "Why are you blushing like that?" I started to tease. Sophia smiles and drags me to my room. "Okay, what I am about to tell you is not to leave this room, pinky promise"? I smile at my sister-in-law's childish behavior but hold my pinky out and say, "Pinky promise."

Sophia happily explains, "You know; it's kind of like this: I haven't had my period for nearly two months. I completely forgot about it until about a week ago, when I began experiencing morning sickness. At first, I thought it was merely a stomach bug, but the symptoms persisted. That's why I decided to go to the store and purchase a pregnancy test." Oh, My word, what are you waiting for? Go and get the sticks so that you can find out!" I excitedly told her. Sophia quickly went down to the car to get the bag. With a soft knock on my door, Sophia enters. "Can you be with me when I do it, please?" She asks me and I can tell that she is nervous. "Of course, come here is the bathroom." The two of us went inside and locked the door. Sophia takes the pregnancy test and puts it on the counter. "Okay, we have to wait five minutes," Sophia says. We were waiting for the results when I asked, "How long have you and Gabriele been together?" With a smile, Sophia answers, "We've known each other since we were children; back then, he was the mischievous boy who would always take my candy and make me cry. Our parents were the closest of friends. It wasn't until high school that our true emotions for one another became clear. I didn't do anything at first, but I became jealous when other girls started to flirt with him, and he flirted back while looking my way. He made sure I was the first to express my feelings. One day, the popular girl in school boldly approached him and passionately kissed him. That's when I couldn't contain my emotions and instinctively pulled her away from him. And then, in a surprising twist, I did something that caught us all off guard - I kissed him right in front of everyone. Since that unforgettable moment, we have been inseparable. Now, we are happily married, celebrating two blissful years together," Sophia says, her smile radiating with joy. Sophia asked me to take a look at the test because she was too scared; I took the test off the counter and said, "There are two lines; congratulations, Sophia!" Sophia begins to cry out of happiness. "I can't wait to tell Gabriele. I have to do something special," Sophia says excitedly.

Sophia thanked me for my support and went to organize a dinner for them. I started to get ready to go to the hospital, and when I went down, Alessandro was already waiting for me. We walk to the car, where Piero waits for us. The car ride is very quiet. No one says a word. Until Alessandro says, "Detective Guido wants to know if you are willing to go to the station and look at possible suspects?" My heart beats fast when I answer with fear in my voice, "Yes, when must I go?"

"As soon as we are done at the hospital," Alessandro tells me. We arrived at the hospital and made our way to Lilani's room. I kissed her gently on the head. "Hey, sis, I hope you are doing well; I can't wait to talk to you again," I tell her. I took Alessandro and led him to my sister's side. "Hello, Principi. I am glad to see you fought during the operation, and hopefully, you will recover very soon. Your sister and I are going to get your room ready for when you come home, and as soon as you get out, there's going to be a cake for you like I promised you the other day. Get well soon, Pincipi," Alessandro said, surprising me with his kindness towards my sister. I can't believe this is the same man I had to deal with the past few days. "Wow, who are you, and what have you done with Alessandro?" I thought. We spent some more time with Lilani until Alessandro said it was time to go to the station. I quickly kissed her softly, and we walked out.

On the way to the police station, I silently began to panic. How am I going to get through this alone? I'm afraid he will hurt me again when he sees me. While considering all the potential outcomes, Alessandro reaches out and gently places his hand on my trembling one, assuring me, "I'll be right by your side, Lisa. If he's there, stay calm because he can't harm you. I promise." I squeeze his hand and I answer worriedly, "I am just scared; what if he's not there and still out there somewhere?"

"Let's wait until we find out if he's there; for now, that's all that matters," Alessandro says calmly. We stop in front of the station; Alessandro gets out and holds his hand to me; I take his waiting hand and lead us inside.

Detective Guido walks up to us and asks us to follow him. My heartbeat increased, and sweat began to form on my forehead. Alessandro squeezed my hand, trying to calm me. Once inside a dark room, Guido says, "I am going to show you five men; you can take your time; if you see him, just nod and say which number. Don't worry; he won't be able to see you. Are you ready?" I managed to reply with a small "Yes." Then there's a light on the other side of the window, where five men are lined up. I walk forward and look at the men. I suddenly became pale; as I looked at my attacker, I pointed to the tall, dirty blonde hair with a scar across his left eye. "That's him," I said in a small voice. Alessandro walks up to me and holds me in his arms. "You did great, Lisa," Alessandro assures me. Detective Guido tells his men to take him away. "Thank you, Lisa; you just helped us put a serial rapist behind bars." The detective happily says. I nod and ask if I can go. All of this walking is making my ribs hurt. I asked Alessandro if we could go home. I wanted to rest for a while, seeing that I was in pain. "You should have never gotten out of bed this morning, Lisa; your ribs must heal first, and today's events aren't helping either." Alessandro scolds.

"I was fine this morning; I just had a little pain when I moved, but otherwise I was fine," I tried to argue. "When we get home, you're going straight to your room and rest; I will send Maria with some painkillers," Alessandro says sternly. I sigh and keep quiet knowing that I won't win this argument.

As soon as we arrive home, Alessandro asks Maria to get painkillers for me. "Go and take a rest. I have some work to do." Alessandro informs me. "Thank you." It was all I could say before he left. I returned to my room and was under the covers when Grandma entered. "How are you feeling, dear? Maria tells me Alessandro asked to give you some painkillers." Grandma says as she hands me the painkillers. "I'm alright, thank you. Just a little pain, nothing serious." I give her a small smile. "Alright, my dear. Take some rest. We will talk later." Grandma says as she leaves. It didn't take me long before I fell fast asleep.

Alessandro's POV

I was busy making important calls when I realized I had not heard from my brother. "Please call my brother for me," I ask Leonardo. Leonardo dials Gabriel and gives the phone to me. "Hey, big brother." I hear Gabriel's voice on the other side. "I just want to let you know the man responsible for the attack on Lisa has been caught," I inform him. "That's great news; I'm just glad all our hard work from last night paid off. Now that bastard can rot in jail," Gabriel announced. "Yeah, me too. See you tonight at dinner". I say. "We won't be joining you for dinner; Sophia booked us a table," Gabriel informs. "Enjoy your evening." With that; we hung up.