Apathy

20| Meetings

T H I R D P E R S O N

It's been five hours since Astraea entered the operation room.

Five hours and no updates. No one came to update them on her state.

They were all worried.

Vince has been blaming himself for not being able to protect his daughter once again. But he had to be strong for his wife. For the first time he has seen her break, she was always so strong and he always had been the one who needed her comfort but now it's time for him to comfort her. He can't be selfish again and drown in his own pain. He needs to be strong for his wife, his sons, and his daughter.

Helena was a mess, she couldn't bare losing her only daughter again. She couldn't handle losing any mor children. She let herself break. She let go of all the emotions that she has been keeping bottled up inside of her. She let herself be vulnerable in her husband's arm. She sobbed while he held her and comforted her.

Antonio was feeling guilty. He had been receiving threats lately that's why he assigned Romeo to drive them from home to school and from school to home. He didn't want to take any risks. He also upgraded the security and added more guards. But all of that was for nothing, his Farfalla still got hurt. He can't help but ask himself what if I had done a better job at protecting them? What if I did more?

Hermes was furious. He was angry at the doctors for not letting him join the surgery. He wanted to be here for his little sister and they didn't let him. He knew the protocol, he knew that he cannot operate on someone close or related to him because he will let emotions cloud his judgment but at the moment he didn't care. He didn't want a bunch of doctors that he didn't know or trust operating on his baby sister.

Romeo was feeling yet again like a disappointment, like a failure. He was her big brother, he was supposed to protect her, to shield her away from danger. But he couldn't, he failed. She got shot and now she is fighting for her life. He was also angry. Angry at the motherfuckers that dared to harm his family, his Astry. He swore that once he finds who was behind that attack, he will bring hell upon them. And that's a promise he won't break.

Val was feeling weak. He knew that the life he was born in wasn't for him. He didn't want to be involved in the mafia. Sure he knew how to hack, defend himself, use guns and knives— he was trained— but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He didn't crave blood and violence like the others— but he grew up in that environment.

He preferred to work at his father's legal business— like the museum his family owned all around the word and paint in his free time. He didn't want to be involved in the illegal business, only if his presence was needed and necessary, he sure would make an exception. He didn't know how to tell his father that— he knows Vincenzo never forced his children to be a part of this dangerous life but Valerio was still afraid that he would be judged or seen as weak.

Atlas and Ares were the calmest. They have been in situations like this more times than they would like to admit— here sitting in a hospital, waiting for updates on one of their siblings' state. But they couldn't help the worry and fear that etched into them. They couldn't lose their sister, their other half. They wouldn't survive this. Sure, they went through a lot, and here they are still standing, still strong— but this, losing her— they cannot handle it. She is their rock, she makes them strong.

Remembering how blood was running down her nose and how she was coughing up blood. They were horrified, nothing like that has ever happened before. They knew that it was a symptom of poisoning. But how was she poisoned? When was she poisoned? Most importantly who poisoned her?