39 ~ The Black Rose Is Back

Brinda

“Fool, wake up! When will you kill Francesco if you keep sleeping? Time is not on your side.”

“Mom?” My voice shook at the realization of the voice I heard. “Mom, where are you?” 

How nice would it be for me to live with her in the afterlife? I looked around for a while and saw nothing. Everywhere was shrouded in darkness as I could not see a thing. Only our voices echoed where we… Not we, it is I.  

“Stop looking for me. I have and I am always with you because I live in your heart. Do you remember the promise we made?”

Yes, I remember. I remember it so well. How she had started planning my wedding. How she was so desperate to let me marry Peter then who had now turned himself to a cruel human that wants me dead. 

“Live and make your enemies pay!”

“Francesco?” I questioned.

“Search for the answer or ask your heart. Wherever you find peace is where your heart lies.”

That was the last I heard before my body jerked forward. My arms flew in the air and my breathing came in hard gasp as I tried to take in a large amount of air.

“She’s awake?” A lady screamed from my left side. It wasn’t Bullet’s voice so I turned to look at her. 

She was dressed in a pink gown that barely covered her knees. She wore a cap on her head too. Judging from her outfit, I understood that she was a nurse. She dropped the tray in her hand and rushed to the bed stand. 

“Are you okay? Are you feeling any type of pain? Are your feet sore? Can you move your body?” She bombarded me with questions as she tried very hard to hide her tears. “What am I saying? Didn’t you just sit up in a flash?”

Oppsss. How sympathising is she? 

“Who are you?” I inquired. “And why were you crying?”

“You were shot. You were almost dead and so was I.” She sobbed while she quickly used her palm to cover her face. 

Is she mad? She is definitely going nuts. Why will she die with me? Plus, why is she crying?

She wiped her face but she kept on breathing profusely. “I.. I thought you…” She stopped suddenly. 

“Will you calm down and talk properly?” I asked.

“Ye… Yes,” she stammered. “When you were stabbed a month ago…”

“A month ago?” I cut her shot of words. I nearly gouged my eyes out as I pressed my finger nails into her white skin. “Are you telling the truth?” How could I have been for a month?

She nodded her head. She removed my hand from her skin and rubbed the part for a while. 

“Like I was saying, a month ago… You fell ill and you were almost dead. Luckily, one of our best doctors saved you but you fell into a coma and your chances of survival were very slim. I even thought you were going to die. I had to pray everyday after your husband said he would bury me with you if you end up dying. I haven’t left this mansion for a month.” She said amidst tears. 

Suddenly, she sat on the floor and started wailing like a relentless monsoon. My stomach churned with disgust because she mentioned ‘husband’. I rolled my eyes to the right and they fell on Bullet whose hands were shaking. That I saw from the tray that contained food in her hands. 

“You… You are back?” She muttered.

I ignored the crying nurse. “What do you expect? The Black Rose… is back.” I raised my voice slightly as we spoke and each word of mine dropped as though it was laced with poison. 

“I can’t believe this,” Bullet cried. “Are you really back, Brinda?”

I nodded my head then the tray slid from her hands. My heart melted seeing her cry because of me since we were not always on the same page. We had our differences and all of that. She picked up a race and came to my side. She threw her body at me and almost stopped me from breathing. “I can’t breathe.” 

She finally left me. She raised my hands and checked my feet. She opened my mouth to check if there was anything. “I am pretty fine, Bullet. Nothing to worry about.”

“I can see that. I need to call Don.” She said in a rush. She brought out her phone and called Francesco. “He is coming back immediately. He has anticipated this moment for… A long time.” She slowed her words and drew emphasis on them while she pinned her eyes on the ceiling. 

Would he be happy to see me? How sure is Bullet with what she was saying? Francesco would never have thought of that. That I am sure of.

The nurse went to the kitchen and brought in a tray of food. I opened my mouth and swallowed some spoons before I stopped. The nurse praised me for being so brave. She wondered how fast I was recovering when I was almost a mashed potato a month ago.

A few minutes later, Francesco rushed into the room. His chest rose up and down as he remained at the doorway while he glued his eyes on me. Sweat glistened on his face all the way down to his exposed forearm. His expressions were almost the same as that of a person mourning instead of him being happy to see alive.

Anyway, I take that as his way of expressing his happiness. 

He took each step carefully towards me while the beat of my heart increased. When he finally reached me, he cupped my chin in his hand. “Is this really you?”

“Yes, I am. It’s me, Brinda.” I answered. 

He sank into the bed and licked his lips. “I can’t believe this.” He pulled me in for a huge — A bone-crushing one at that. 

My mother’s words echoed in my head suddenly. I clenched my hand, digging my nails into my palms in the process. “I guess so. You can’t believe that I am alive, right?” I forcefully released myself from his hold and he looked at me —- A look full of dissatisfaction. 

“What are you saying?” He asked me. 

“The truth that you do not want to hear,” I spat.

“You will never change, no matter how nice I am to you. You caused this!” He yelled angrily before he stood up. “Watch me teach you a lesson.” He pulled out a pistol from his hand and raised it at me.