2. Confession Of Disaster

Leonardo stopped his steps after he heard that sentence. He turned around, looking at the man in the doctor's suit standing before him. He looked at the man carefully. Gabriel looked very handsome with soft facial lines. His eyeballs were so beautiful; his body was also quite muscular for a doctor. Leonardo felt that the man was handsome enough to be his rival.

“What did you say?” Leonardo asked for confirmation.

“Kate is my girlfriend; face me first if you want to take her away.” Gabriel said firmly.

“Gabriel, don't mess with him. Do you know who he is? Don't sacrifice yourself for a woman who doesn't want you.” Rossie warned. That woman had liked her coworker first, but Caterina's presence there had defeated her position. She had liked Gabriel for the past two years, but Caterina had stolen Gabriel's heart since the first day she started working there.

Leonardo smiled sarcastically. “So that's it, one-sided love, huh?” He said in a sarcastic and condescending tone.

“Gabriel, he's not your opponent. Stay out of this.” Caterina tried to remind him. She didn't want her best friend to be victimized.

“Kate, I love you. I won't let anyone hurt you.” Gabriel said firmly. His facial mimic looked so serious and determined. He knew how powerful La Vendetta was, which was why he would not allow Caterina to be taken away.

“What is your greatness that you dare to challenge me?” Leonardo stared with a look full of hostility.

“Let's fight one on one. If you lose, let Kate go and let her live in peace.” Gabriel made an offer.

Leonardo laughed slightly at that line. He found it very funny when someone dared to openly invite him to fight. So far no one has dared to fight him, let alone raise the flag of hostility openly. The only enemy he had was the Phoenix Crew, a mafia organization that wanted to seize his territory.

Gabriel is just a doctor with no power and no authority. For Leonardo, defeating Gabriel was as easy as snapping his fingers.

“Gabriel, you'd better stay out of trouble with him. Let them take Kate away.” Rossie kept trying to get Gabriel to stop challenging his own death.

“Gabriel, I know you care about me. But Leo is not an enemy you can defeat. Let them take me away. Your life is not worth my life. There are many people who love you; there will be many hearts hurt if you die. If I die, maybe only you will cry for me.” Caterina said with feelings that could not be described.

All this time, Caterina had never felt what it was like to be loved. She grew up in the criminal world. Her father was a member of the mafia, so he had a strict disposition and was also harsh in educating Caterina. While working at the hospital, she found a new family. Her coworkers were kind, and the families of the patients she treated were very kind to her. In this hospital, she got so much love from people. She felt very happy there. The hospital was the home and family she had wanted all along.

“I love you too, so I don't want you to get hurt because of me.” Caterina said weakly. Her eyes glazed over as she looked at Gabriel. Maybe this would be their last meeting, so she had to say beautiful words to him. 

Leonardo was shocked when he heard Caterina's confession. Caterina loves another man? How is that possible? Throughout their decades of living together, Caterina had always loved him and tried to melt his heart. It's only been six months since they separated, and Caterina has changed her heart so easily?

Leonardo couldn't accept that Caterina loved someone other than him. He just wants Caterina to be crazy about him like before. He wanted him to be the only man in her heart until death.

“You love him?” Leonardo asked harshly. He looked at Caterina sharply. “Should he die with you?”

“Don't you dare touch him, you bastard!” Caterina looked so furious.

“Or should he die in your place?” Leonardo further enraged Caterina.

“He has nothing to do with Kate! If Kate is guilty, just kill her! Don't implicate anyone else for what Kate has done wrong!” Rossie defended Gabriel with all her might. She didn't want Gabriel to get into any more trouble. She couldn't guarantee Gabriel's safety if Leonardo got even angrier.

“You just want my life, don't you? Take me away now. I have only one request: please bury my body next to my mother's grave.” Caterina said with resignation. She knew that making Leonardo angry could only be redeemed with life. Although she didn't know what she had done wrong, she could only resign herself to the punishment she would get.

'Why are you so sure that you're going to die? Can't you read in my eyes that I miss you, Kate?' Leonardo could only say silently.

“No, Kate. You're not going to die! Why is he the one who decides your life and death? He's not a God who can control someone's life.” Gabriel still didn't want to give up.

“Stop defending her, Gabriel. She has bullied the wrong person; let her make amends. Even if she likes you, she'll move on quickly if you die. You will only die in vain and be instantly forgotten if you sacrifice yourself for her.” Rossie insisted on bringing Gabriel to his senses.

“She's right, Gabriel. The feeling of love is fleeting. All you have to think about is yourself. People's feelings change easily.” Caterina confirmed.

Leonardo looked deeply at Caterina. He tried to digest the sentence Caterina had just said. 'People's feelings change easily.' He repeated the sentence silently. Did that mean that Caterina's feelings of love for him had really changed?

“Do you really love him?” Leonardo asked for confirmation. He wanted to make sure that Gabriel was a threat for him to get Caterina's heart. If Caterina really loved Gabriel, then he would finish him off. Only he can be loved by Caterina.

“I love him. I love him more deeply than I loved you. My feelings of love for him are greater than my feelings of love for you in the past.” Caterina said with emphasis. “The only regret in my life was when I loved you. I was too blind to realize that you were a demon who did not deserve to be loved.” She covered her own feelings. This was because she felt very sick when she remembered the fact that her love for Leonardo was reciprocated with half-dead hatred.

Leonardo was silent when he heard that sentence. He could not accept the fact that he was no longer loved when his feelings of hate started to turn into love.

“Fine, if that's your choice.” Leonardo said expressionlessly. He extended his arm, raised his weapon, and pointed it at Gabriel. Without any feeling, he pulled the trigger and fired several shots into Gabriel's chest.

“No! Gabriel!” Caterina was so shocked that she gasped, screamed, and struggled with all her might. She quickly ran to Gabriel, who had fallen bleeding on the floor.