4

Hours passed in a blur of bright lights, sterile instruments, and steady hands. Adriana worked with her typical precision, her movements swift and calculated as she fought to repair the damage to Lucas body. As the surgery stretched on, she couldn’t help but think about the implications of what she was doing. Lucas Romano was dangerous. He lived a life that was worlds apart from her own, and yet here she was, saving him again... And again.. And again...

The line between them had always been thin, and now, it seemed even more blurred.

When the surgery was finally over, Adriana peeled off her gloves and stepped back from the operating table, her heart still racing from the adrenaline. Lucas would live. She had made sure of that.

But as she stood there, staring down at his unconscious form, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end. If anything, it was just the beginning.. Beginning of something which she's eager to know..

--------

Two days later, Lucas awoke.

Adriana found herself standing at his bedside, her arms crossed as she observed him through the steady beep of the heart monitor. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, before settling on her.

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Lucas voice was hoarse, but his smirk was still there, tugging at the corner of his mouth, like he isn't the one who woke up after two days of surgery.

Adriana sighed, shaking her head. “If you’re asking whether I’m tired of saving your life, the answer is yes.”

Lucas chuckled weakly, wincing at the pain in his side. “Good to know you’re still as charming as ever.”

Silence fell between them for a moment, broken only by the soft hum of the machines. Adriana didn’t know why she had come to his room. Maybe it was to check on his condition. Maybe it was because she needed to convince herself that this would be the last time she saw him.

“I don’t get it,” she finally said, her voice quieter now. “Why do you keep coming here? To me?”

Lucas smirk faded, his eyes growing more serious. He pushed himself up slightly in the bed, despite the pain it caused him. “Because you’re different, Doc. You don’t treat me like the rest of them do. I’m not just another bullet wound to you.”

Adriana’s brow furrowed. “You think that gives you some special claim on me? You’re still a criminal, Lucas. You live in a world I want nothing to do with.”

Lucas held her gaze, his expression unreadable. “Maybe. But that doesn’t mean our worlds won’t keep colliding.”

Adriana felt her heart skip a beat at the intensity of his words. She had always prided herself on being in control, on keeping her emotions separate from her work. But with Lucas, it was different. There was something about him that made her question everything—the rules, the boundaries, even her own desires.. maybe for him?..

Before she could respond, the door to Lucas room creaked open, and a man in a sharp suit stepped in. He was tall, his presence imposing, and Adriana recognized him immediately as one of Lucas men.

“Boss,” the man said, his tone respectful but urgent. “We need to go. It’s not safe here.”

Lucas eyes flicked to Adriana, something unspoken passing between them. He gave a small nod before addressing his man. “Give me a minute.”

The man hesitated but stepped back out into the hallway, leaving them alone again.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Lucas said, his voice softer now.

Adriana swallowed hard, fighting against the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. She had spent years building walls around herself, walls that Lucas seemed determined to tear down just with his presence and some regular meetings with injuries.

“Don’t come back here,” she whispered, her voice strained. “Please.”

Lucas stared at her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. Then, with a sigh, he nodded. “If that’s what you want, Doc.”

He slowly got out of bed, wincing as he moved, and grabbed his jacket from the chair beside him. He walked toward the door, but just before he left, he paused, turning back to face her one last time.

“Take care of yourself, Adriana,” he said quietly.

And then, he was gone. Maybe for real  or not she didn't knew.. But for now he was...

-------

As Adriana stood alone in the hospital room, the weight of everything that had happened crashed down on her. She had crossed a line with Luca Romano, a line she had never intended to cross. And now, there was no going back to the past she used to be.

But even as she told herself that this was the end, that Lucas was out of her life for good, she couldn’t shake the feeling that their story was far from over.

Somehow, some way, their paths would cross again. And when they did, Adriana wasn’t sure if she would be able to resist the pull.

For better or worse, Lucas Romano had become a part of her world. And deep down, she knew that part of her didn’t want to let him go.

----------------

Adriana sat in her office long after her shift had ended, the sterile white walls of the hospital closing in around her. Outside, the city hummed with the muffled sound of traffic and distant sirens, but her mind was far from the chaos of the streets.

She couldn’t stop replaying Luca’s last words, his face as he had looked at her before disappearing from her life—at least, that’s what she told herself.

If that’s what you want, Doc.

The truth was, she wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Dr. Reeves, following up on one of the patients they had worked on earlier. Adriana picked it up, but even as she answered his questions, her mind kept drifting back to Lucas.

Her carefully constructed world, with all its logic and order, felt as though it were unraveling. She had spent years building a reputation as a no-nonsense surgeon, dedicated to her work, untouchable by the messiness of personal entanglements. But Lucas… he wasn’t just some entanglement. He was a force, pulling her toward him like gravity, no matter how much she tried to resist, how much she ignores him or wants to hide herself in her own circle.

After the call ended, Adriana leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment. She had promised herself that Lucas was gone, from her life, for real, that he wouldn’t darken her door again. Yet every part of her knew that was a lie.

The hospital was safe for now—quiet. It was the one place where she could keep control. But in the shadowy hours of the night, her thoughts of Lucas had become an ever-present echo, tugging at her resolve.

And then, as if on cue, there was a knock at her door.

“Come in,” she said, her voice more tired than she had intended.

The door opened slowly, and to her shock, it wasn’t a nurse or another doctor. It was the last person she expected to see.

Lucas’ right-hand man—the one who had come to retrieve him the night he left stood there, his tall, imposing frame filling the doorway. His dark eyes were unreadable as they fixed on her.

“What are you doing here?” Adriana asked, her tone sharp, immediately standing up. The hospital was no place for someone like him, let alone whatever message he was bringing with him.

“We need to talk,” he said calmly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

“I told Lucas—”

“This isn’t about what you told Lucas,” the man interrupted, his voice low but firm. “This is about what comes next.”

Adriana felt her chest tighten. “What do you mean?”

The man walked closer, stopping just before her desk, his presence suffocating. “Lucas in trouble, Doc. More than you know.”

Adriana’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression neutral. “He’s always in trouble,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “That’s nothing new.”

“This time it’s different.” The man’s gaze was unflinching. “There’s a price on his head. Someone wants him dead, and they’re not going to stop until it’s done.”

Adriana swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. She should have been relieved—this wasn’t her problem. Lucas was part of a world she had no business being in, and she had warned him as much. But she couldn’t shake the sudden fear that gripped her.

“And what does that have to do with me?” she asked quietly, though deep down, she already knew the answer.

The man’s expression softened, just slightly. “Lucas been injured again. He’s refusing to go to any hospital—he won’t trust anyone but you.”

Adriana’s stomach twisted. It was happening again. Lucas had found a way back into her life, and this time, it felt like there was no escaping it.

She shook her head. “I can’t keep doing this,” she whispered, more to herself than to the man in front of her.

“You don’t have a choice,” he replied, his voice matter-of-fact. “Lucas saved you once. Now it’s your turn.”

Adriana blinked, startled. “Saved me? What are you talking about?”

The man’s eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite place—pity, maybe. “You think the accident that brought Lucas to your hospital the first time was a coincidence?” he asked quietly. “You were being followed, Doc. Someone wanted you out of the way. Lucas made sure that didn’t happen.”

Adriana’s breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling. Someone wanted her dead? It didn’t make sense. Why would anyone target her?

But even as the questions swirled in her head, she knew there was only one person who could give her the answers she needed.

“I’ll come with you,” she said, her voice steadying as she made the decision. “But after this, I’m done.”

The man gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. “Let’s go.”

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