The Heiress' Revenge

Chapter 178: I can’t lose her

Dante’s POV

I paced back and forth in the waiting room; everything hurt from my eyes, my head, and my heart.

I couldn’t sit still.

I couldn’t stand still.

I couldn’t do anything but pace.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

My footsteps echoed on the tile floor.

Ares was pacing too on the other side of the room; he looked as scared as I felt.

His face was pale.

The ambulance had come fast, and the paramedics had worked on Ariana in the back of the truck.

I followed behind in my car.

I drove so fast I almost crashed.

I didn’t care.

Nothing mattered except her.

Nothing mattered except Ariana.

They wheeled her into the emergency room and pushed me away, saying I had to wait. They said I had to stay here.

They said they would update me when they knew something.

That was hours ago, hours of nothing.

"What if she doesn’t wake up?" Ares asked, and his voice was quiet. Shaky. "What if something happens to her? What if we lose her?"

I stopped pacing and looked at him.

"She’s going to wake up," I said. My voice was firm. Even though I didn’t believe it. "She has to. She’s strong cause she’s a fighter. She’s survived everything else, and she’ll survive this too."

Ares nodded, but his eyes were doubtful.

He didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame him.

I didn’t believe myself either.

The door opened, and the doctor walked out. He was wearing blue scrubs. My heart stopped. My legs went weak.

The doctor looked around the room. His eyes landed on me. "Mr. Russo? We need to talk. In my office, please ."

I followed him with heavy legs. Ares followed behind me, putting his hand on my back, steadying me to the ground.

I sat down in the chair across from his desk, and Ares sat beside me while the doctor sat across from us.

His face was serious, and his eyes were tired.

"I’m going to be honest with you," the doctor said, his voice was calm and professional. "Because you deserve the truth. Because you need to understand what we’re dealing with."

My heart was pounding, and my hands were clenched into fists. "Just tell me. Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?"

The doctor took a deep breath and folded his hands on his desk. "Mrs Watson has a heart condition. We didn’t know about it before; she may not have known either, but it’s been there for a while, probably a year."

I felt sick, and I felt like the room was spinning. "What does that mean? What are you saying? Is she dying?"

"Please, calm down, Mr. Russo. The situation right now is not as immediately life-threatening as it looks," the doctor said softly.

"Her sudden collapse and current coma weren’t caused by a sudden heart failure. She was under too much emotional stress and exhaustion. She was simply too panicked, and her body shut down to protect itself. We are currently managing her condition with an IV drip to control her symptoms, which will help her body stabilize and safely wake up on its own."

Hearing those words, the tight knot in my chest loosened just a fraction. Ares gripped my arm tightly. "So... she’s not in immediate danger? Then can you do the surgery and cure her?"

The doctor shook his head seriously. "It’s not that simple. To fix the underlying issue permanently, she does need surgery. But we cannot do it right now. Her heart is weak from the stress, and her body is too exhausted. Rushing into the operating room immediately would be incredibly risky—there’s a chance she might not survive the strain of the operation if we force it."

The world stopped.

The room disappeared.

The doctor disappeared.

She might not survive.

She might not survive.

She might not survive.

I stood up from my chair, scraped against the floor, and the sound was loud. "No. No, that’s not possible, don’t you dare say that, doctor."

The doctor stood up too with his hands raised like he was calming a wild animal. "Mr. Russo, I understand this is difficult. I understand this is painful, but I won’t lie to you about your wife’s condition."

" I want you to do everything you can. Save her! Do you hear me?" I shouted.

The doctor nodded. "We will, we’ll do everything we can, but I just thought to let you know of the complications before proceeding to anything."

I grabbed his arm and held on tight. "Please, please save her, she’s everything to me, and I can’t lose her. I can’t do this without her."

The doctor put his hand on mine. "I’ll do my best, Mr Russo," the doctor said seriously. " We’re aiming to take her into surgery within a week."

He walked out the door closed behind him.

Ares put his hand on my shoulder. "Dante, come on, let’s go wait..."

I shook my head. "I can’t. I can’t just sit there. I can’t just do nothing. I need to be with her. I need to hold her hand. I need to tell her I love her."

Ares pulled me toward the door. "You can’t be in there, at least not right now."

We walked back to the waiting room.

Please.

Just be okay, Ariana... I can’t lose you.

The doctor walked out of his office, making me snap out of my train of thought.

"Can I see her?" I asked. "Please. I need to see her."

The doctor nodded. "She’s still asleep and needs as much rest as she can get, but you can sit with her, and please try to avoid any triggers"

I didn’t wait.

I ran to her room.

I pushed open the door.

She was lying in bed.

Pale.

Small.

Fragile.

I sat beside her and took her hand. Her fingers were cold.

I just got her back, and I can’t afford to lose her again... God, please

"I’m here," I said with a voice that was shaking. "I’m here, Ariana. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay right here until you wake up, and then I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure nothing like this ever happens again. please just be okay for me, and for the kids."

I kissed her hand and held it to my cheek, closing my eyes.

I love you so much, Ariana Melendez, that I’m willing to sacrifice so much to be with you.