The nurse argues with Joshua once again:"Please, sir, you can't get out of bed yet. We need to run more tests and you are not stable!""I am perfectly fine, miss. And I told you that the one who really needs all this help is the-""Yes, the girl you saved. Understand, sir, that we all found your participation in that rescue commendable, but it was too risky!"The man gets to his feet and buttons up his shirt scorched by flames-or what's left of it."I don't care if it was risky. Where is she? What room did you guys leave her in?"All that stewardship on the part of the nurse was not helping at all. Alexandra's brother's anxiety would only come to an end when he was in the same environment as her. No; his anxiety would only end when he could touch Emanuele's face, feel on his own that she was whole.Was the girl whole? Apart from the dirt and unconsciousness, when Joshua finally made it through the curtain of smoke and fire, she looked whole, with all her limbs in place."She's in the
When Emanuele finally manages to open her eyes, Johnny is no longer there.But Joshua is.The first thing she notices is the man's condition. He looks clean and not too pale. But his social shirt is almost completely destroyed. His skin looks smooth and without any scars, which in itself was already a miracle. Him being ALIVE was a miracle.The girl tries to open her mouth to say something, anything, but Joshua approaches her bedside and says:"Ssssh. Don't strain yourself. You are very weakened."And she was, indeed. Not just physically, but in her soul.The ebony-skinned man sat down next to her and caressed her with the back of his hand. The girl couldn't resist the touch, she just stared at him."I heard that you tried to save me."She makes a positive sign with her head.Joshua places a gentle kiss on her forehead."You could have died, Emanuele."The girl's former roommate struggles as hard as he can, but he can't hold back the tears of emotion. His voice is choked as he continu
The coroner and forensic expert never really enjoyed being face to face with the criminals she could find. Christina, in fact, had chosen to pursue a career out of the spotlight precisely for this reason, so that she could stay behind the scenes and not have to deal with the eyes full of insanity, hatred, and evil of the many bloodthirsty people out there.That afternoon, however, she made an exception. Not because she wanted to, but because the deputy, with his unquestionable authority and slightly dubious friendship, insisted that the woman witness the little interrogation that was about to take place.Of course, she would not be present inside the glass room, as the sterile little room where the accused were interrogated was called. Since it was the girl's fingerprints that were found on both the body and the murder weapon, it was obvious that her statement should be documented and recorded.The accused's sister, Emanuele, could not be present yet. Christina hadn't understood the d
Emanuele stares into Joshua's eyes. Neither of them tries to contain their crying, or even to disguise it. There was no reason to. After all, both had already proven how they really felt for each other; how deep was the love that surrounded them.The young man had made such a simple request. He just wanted a verbal confirmation that yes, this woman would accept him by her side. And not just as a fling or a hobby, but for something lasting, respectful and captivating.Emanuele trusted Joshua. But she also couldn't let go of all her worries, stress, traumas. And she didn't want to see him giving up on her, regretting that decision if things went too wrong.It was hard to admit it to herself, but the girl knew that, although sad, she could handle her recent breakup relatively well. Johnny was an understanding guy, and after some time, they would both manage to be good friends. At least that was her wish.But Emanuele couldn't tell if she could just be friends with Joshua. She could barel
Emanuele knew that the process of getting out of the hospital safely and seeing what the delegate wanted would be painstaking, not to say boring. Firstly, because the girl was not recovered enough, for obvious reasons, and the doctor in charge of her was very reluctant at first. Joshua wasn't happy about it either, and even said that if Crimson wanted, he could go to them himself to give them the all-important message.One of the agents explained, sounding much less aggressive than the last time Emanuele had seen them, that the delegate had learned about the terrible fire only that morning, but had not had time to personally check if she was all right. The hospital board informed Crimson as soon as she and Joshua arrived at the facility, since until then, she was under investigation."Believe me when I say that it is extremely important that you come with us, as well as your lawyer."Everything was orchestrated more confusingly than the cops wanted, but in the end, Joshua and Emanuel
The trial took place a little way from there, at the local courthouse. Apparently, due to all the repercussions of the case, a large part of the city was outside the huge palace building. A large police barrier was needed to reinforce security and prevent a possible invasion.Of course the group of old ladies was there. They created posters with Emanuele's face tinted by a huge red "X", and shouted at the top of their voices. Others were there merely to satisfy their curiosity, to find out what would happen.The broadcast of the whole affair would be by audio, released on a specific platform. So, besides being present, the crowd also tuned in to the indicated channel.Inside the room, waiting for the judge to appear, were Emanuele, Matthew, Joshua, all her friends, including Johnny (who still hadn't spoken to each other after the terrible incident), Alexandra, and a few other people. Crimson emerged through one of the many doors leading to the jury proper. He was a bit more presentab
The trial was one of the most tense things Emanuele had ever witnessed in her life. She had always seen in books how the young girl stood out by shining with authenticity, respect and obvious charisma, but this was real life. In real life, bad things happened to good people, and there was not even a standard to examine. Chaos reigned.The judge must have been sixty years old, but he was extremely well-preserved. His eyes were serious, but not threatening, and his white hair was straight and slicked back. As soon as he stepped up to the rostrum, it all began.It was all very complex for Emanuele, who didn't really understand the technical terms or how the steps proceeded. It was Matthew who, most of the time, explained to her what was happening.When it came time for the witnesses against the girl to speak, the first to stand up was the short-haired middle-aged woman; the same one who had spoken to Emanuele on the day of the protest and seemed to be the one most intent on ending her li
Crimson takes a deep breath and begins to play with his own hands. He had left that for last, of course, but he wasn't sure why. One way or another, Emanuele would be exonerated. So why expose the real culprit?Not even the deputy himself understood. His friend, the coroner, did not attend the jury, but just as everything was heading into the courtroom, the blonde did not spare him a comment that he particularly wanted to disagree with: "you really like attention."Crimson did want a certain amount of prominence in that case; that he couldn't even deny. After all, he was already at the end of his career. It might be the last time that the old man would actively participate in a trial. All he wanted was to retire his badge and enjoy his retirement in peace.That girl, Emanuele, had always been assertive and ready to stand up for what she believed in. She might have had all the reasons in the world to freak out and turn into the monster everyone said she was, but she stood her ground th
. . . . . . . . FIVE MONTHS LATER . . . . . .Emanuele looked at herself in the huge full-length mirror. The girl hardly knew where to look, which detail to care about first.She didn't know whether to look at the beautiful hairstyle in her now dark brown hair; her natural color.She didn't know whether to look at the impeccable makeup on her face, which made her even more beautiful and radiant than she was feeling.And I also didn't know whether to look at the beautiful white dress, simply cut, adorned with small mother-of-pearl beads. Despite the simplicity of the outfit, it was undeniable to say that the bride looked divine that day.Smiling, she turned around in front of her own reflection. Her heart was pounding with happiness, and she felt the stars in the night sky outside wishing her good luck. The curtain behind the door opened. A short, pudgy girl smiled sympathetically as she entered the room, openly admiring her."Miss Parker, you look beautiful!"Emanuele smiled."Thank
The old man falls to his knees at the same instant. Emanuele runs to him and hugs him tight, but Joseph does not respond. Instead, he seems to be doing his best not to scream as loud as he can."Dad!" The girl says."Adriele died? I had two daughters, and one of them died? Is that it?! Is that what you are telling me?!'Emanuele tries to hold back her sobs, but she can't. Instead, she says:"Yes, Dad. I'm really, really sorry. It all happened so fast! I lost my mother, my sister, and now... Now you are all I have left. You are literally all I have as family!"Joseph can't say anything for a while, only cry. The two of them are shaking very hard. Sarah, when alive, said that Morgan couldn't get the proper reaction, that he was too broken inside. But now he seemed quite emotional. I wonder what had happened.The smell of her father, enveloping Emanuele's nostrils, is soothing and familiar. In a snap, she remembers that the same scent enveloped her when she was in the arms of death, tra
Convincing Crimson to enter the police database to find her father's address was not that difficult.In fact, Emanuele was quite surprised when she had to use only one of the six rehearsed arguments. The old man shrugged and said that at that point it was no longer worth trying to pretend not to act unofficially from time to time.What really took a lot of lip from the redhead was convincing Joshua not to go with her. The girl knew that he only wanted to protect her, but Emanuele was very assertive in her arguments. She needed to do this alone, face that part of her past, and see if there was any possibility of fixing it in her future.Sarah had said that he was in a depressive spiral, and that when he saw her he could not react properly, and that it hurt her.Emanuele then prepared herself emotionally. She would not be disappointed or resentful if, by some chance, the man who at one time taught her a beautiful lullaby did not remember her... or was not touched by the moment.The youn
For a few seconds, all Emanuele can do is stare at Joshua. The two of them are still naked, and the distance between their bodies is as minimal as possible. "What?" she asks, softly. I wonder if she had heard right. Had her emotions stunned her enough for her to hear such a request?He gives a quiet laugh, then opens a confident, sentimental smile."Will you marry me?"The girl immediately sits up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. She covers her own nakedness with the blanket, still looking at the man, who also sits down."I..."Several things go through her head.The first was that no, she could not get married. Not in that life and not ever. All the misfortunes that had happened to her, all the horrible and unfortunately scarring traumas that were etched into her skin; all that made marriage itself a terrible idea.According to the books that the young woman read, especially during her teenage years, marriage was the union of two people. Total commitment to each other, com
As soon as he closes the door, Joshua gives warm, soft kisses on the sensitive skin of Emanuele's neck. The man sighs, almost intoxicated with passion, and murmurs:"I love the way you smell."With all the delicacy and romance in the world, Joshua props the redhead's torso on the bed, leaving her legs and feet touching the floor. He caresses her over her clothes. Emanuele moans."The last time we were together like this, I gave only a demonstration of what might come next. Remember?"He stimulates her further with the tip of his thumb, in subtle, gentle circular motions. "Those were the words of a man overcome with desire, and even lust, if I am willing to admit it. Today I may again have those feelings in my body, but... there is a difference. Now I am sure that I love you."Still with his thumb on Emanuele's clit, Joshua kisses her eagerly; the movement of his tongue is smooth and warm. Murmurs come out of her throat, as if the teacher is delighting in that moment.Emanuele's hands
The winter dawn is cold.A month has passed since Emanuele saw her sister die. One month, and even then, the memory was still latent and terrible.The girl had already been to therapy, but the nightmares continued to torment her. Joshua didn't know what to do anymore, since every night at two o'clock in the morning the girl's terrified screams woke him up.The teacher got out of his own bed in the dim light. The clock on his cell phone said it was one hour and fifty minutes, that is, ten minutes before the nightmares began.Standing up, taking care not to make any excessive noise, Joshua opened the door to his room, going towards Emanuele's door.But the door was open.Frowning, the man approaches the room. Her bed is empty.Still not making hasty decisions, Joshua goes to the living room, equally empty. His heart only slows down when he sees the girl sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. She watches him without saying anything, then goes back to sipping the liquid.Slowly
Joshua immediately embraces Emanuele as soon as she, still very tearful and emotional, leaves the room where Sarah is being held. She clings to the man's clothes, sobbing terribly. Her eyes are swollen and red. "I am here," he murmurs. "I'm right here, my love." The girl can barely respond or say anything. A man wearing religious robes appears. He is middle-aged and wears thick-rimmed glasses. In his hand is a Bible. The man's voice is patient and docile, and he uses all his politeness as he approaches Emanuele. "May God's infinite mercy soothe your heart, child. I am so sorry for your loss." Apparently, the priest was already very well informed of the situation. The girl does not respond, only sinks even deeper into the chest of Joshua, who makes no mention of letting go. The policeman in charge of Sarah's surveillance accompanies the religious man. That was the protocol. Before being formally executed, Sarah would have the right to console herself and at least try to ensure a se
The next day dawned gray, cold and absolutely silent.Of course, cars were still passing by, people were leaving their homes to go to work, and children were going to school. But the noise present, that typical sound that Emanuele's ears were used to, could not penetrate the enormous bubble of silence that surrounded her.The call from the delegate the day before was an answer she had been begging to receive, but now that she knew that her sister's last wish was to see her, an unbearable weight had taken over her heart. Sarah was going to die. And all they had together were brief, monitored, timed conversations.Emanuele looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black overcoat and pants of the same color, as well as dark boots. Her dyed red hair was tied up in a tight bun, and no matter how hard she tried to disguise her swollen face, red from crying with makeup, it was still obvious to anyone paying a little more attention. Joshua appeared in the doorway, wearing dark soci
Emanuele could neither sleep nor eat properly in the days that followed.All the girl could do, and at the massive insistence of Joshua who took care of her whenever he could, was to take a few naps and, very begrudgingly, put food in her stomach. He always tried to be as close as possible, even though he needed to work.With the insurance money, Joshua was able to recover almost nothing from the old apartment, so he opted to buy new furniture and decorate Alexandra's apartment, or rather his apartment. Doing this, however, seemed pointless and even disrespectful, since the present moment was one of mourning, not of celebration.When the man apologized for his attitude, Emanuele just shrugged and continued to stare at some fixed point on the wall.They did not sleep together. Each stayed in his own room most of the time. Joshua tried to get close to her physically, but he was content to give her a respectful cuddle and caress to comfort her. It was not the time for them to get close l