Back in Italy

The Next day

Martina walked into her house after Caterina opened the door. She had left the police station to clean up before she returned. Adelina was busy trying to look for ways to get her son out of the custody of the police. Caterina had a huge frown on her face, and she wasn’t ready to talk to Martina. Not after what she had done. Martina looked around her living room and let out a loud sigh. “I missed this place so much,” She muttered, dropping the bag she carried on the couch. “Of course you did. That is why you stayed with him, like forever,” Caterina responded and sat on the couch.

“C’mon, Caterina. Don’t give me that attitude. I’m back now, okay?” Martina approached her and sat next to her on the couch. “You are back because Alberto didn’t wait for your stupid plan! I see no reason why he wanted you out of Roberto’s custody at all cost after you showed him you didn’t want your freedom.” Caterina folded her hand and threw her head to the other side.

“It isn’t what you think, okay? Roberto stopped hurting me. He ended up falling in love with me. I wanted to bring him to the cops myself,” Martina said to Caterina, and she rolled her eyes. “And why didn’t you do it? When you knew he was in love with you, why didn’t you grab that opportunity as soon as possible?” She looked at Martina.

“I was scared I was going to get caught by him, and I would break his trust. He doesn’t trust anyone except me. I couldn’t see myself hurting him.” Martina lowered her head. “Really? Then if you felt this way, how did you expect to bring him to the cops? Martina, please don’t tell me you are in love with him too,” Caterina said, and Martina gulped.

“I… I’m not… I don’t know, Caterina! At first, I pretended to like him so that I could use it against him. But after seeing how much he cared for me, I…” She stopped talking after Caterina shook her head. “I knew it! I told Alberto but he didn’t listen. I told him you were in love with this bad guy! I told him but he didn’t believe me. Damn, Martina. You are something else.” She let out a little laugh and Martina furrowed her brows.

“You are not mad about it?” She asked, and Caterina shook her head. “I’m not mad that you developed feelings for him, I’m mad that you made me feel like I wasn’t important anymore. I was worried, Martina. I couldn’t sleep some nights because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. The way he maltreated you, it kept my fears high above my head.”

Martina reached for her hand as she spoke, and she held it. “I know, Caterina, and I’m sorry. I never knew I truly loved him until yesterday, when I was kidnapped.” “You were kidnapped?!” Caterina asked in shock. “Yes, Caterina. I was kidnapped by one of his friends. Roberto killed the father of his friend because he owed him money.” Caterina breathed out loudly and shook her head. “Who can he not kill?” Martina chuckled and answered. “Me.”

“Whatever. Tell me what happened,” Caterina responded nervously. “He found me and rescued me. Before he found me, I was scared for two things… One, my life. Two, for Roberto. I didn’t want to leave him. I feared he would be so hurt that it would hurt me even in the grave. When I heard his voice on the ship we were hiding, I felt a kind of joy I have never felt in my entire life. I heard him tell his friend that had captured me that if it was under other circumstances they met, he could have spared his life, but he couldn’t because he laid hands on his woman.”

“The way he claimed me, the courage I felt at that spot was overwhelming. Before I was kidnapped, I taught of calling Alberto to tell him where we were, but I changed my mind. I told myself Roberto trusted me and that is why he gave me the phone, so I wasn’t going to use it against him. After hearing him say those words to his friend, I was happy I didn’t call Alberto. I confirmed I was actually in love with him too.”

“When he stepped out of the ship, I ran to hug and hugged him tightly. Caterina, Roberto wept on my shoulder and said he loved me so much. I couldn’t control the emotions that filled my body and soul. He was so sweet and fragile. At that point, I didn’t want even a fly to perch on him. He was beautiful.”

Martina cleaned her teary eyes with her hand and let out a smile. Caterina’s eyes heated up with tears and her throat fastened painfully. “Hearing you say this is… emotional,” Caterina lowered her head and chuckled. “That is what I feel, Caterina. I hated when the cops stopped us. I wanted us to have a fresh start, with his mother, in happiness if that is possible. His mother and I told him not to fight the cops back, and he listened to us. He surrendered himself to the cops.” Martina stopped talking when they heard a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Caterina sniffed and cleaned her eyes. She hurried to the door and opened it. She saw Alberto standing at the door, he had two shopping bags in his hand. “Alberto, come in.” Caterina opened the door for him to enter. Martina cleaned the tears in her eyes and quickly wore a smile.

“Hey,” He said, walking to the couch she sat. “Hi,” She responded and looked at the bag in his hand. “I got this for you. Welcome home.” He placed the bags in front of Martina and looked at her excitedly. “You didn’t have to, Alberto.” He shook his head and responded. “I wanted to. There’s an ice pack inside the bag, I got it for your swollen chin.” Martina opened the bag and saw the ice pack he talked about. “Thank you so much,” She took the ice pack and gently placed it on her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” He muttered, and his smile slowly faded off. Martina shook her head and looked at him. “I understand you, Alberto. You care about me and wanted me to be safe. I can’t hate you for that.” She smiled. “I should have trusted your instincts, but I was too scared to stay relaxed. I felt I needed to do something fast,” He added.

“It’s fine, Alberto. Trust me. How is he?” She asked, and he nodded. “He is fine. Still ongoing series of questions.” Martina heaved a sad sigh after Alberto finished talking. She looked down and kept caressing her cheek with the ice. “You are in love with him, right?” He asked, and Martina looked at him in surprise. “You are surprised that I know, right? It’s very obvious. You care about him so much. You didn’t even want to leave him at the station. You are willing to do anything to get him out of there,” Alberto stated, and she nodded slowly.

“I haven’t felt this way about any man before, Alberto. Though I know it’s not possible to get him out. He has been wanted for years. The cops won’t let him out,” Martina muttered, and Alberto smiled faintly. “Maybe there is a way to get him out,” He said, and Martina raised her head instantly. “Are you serious? How? What do I have to do? Are you willing to help me? Why do you want to help me?” Martina asked so many questions in a second.

“You are unhappy because he isn’t free. You are my friend and I hate seeing you sad. These people he had attacked and killed did one evil thing or the other to him, and none of them were into legal business. Don’t worry, Martina. I’ll take care of this. I want you to be happy,” He said, and Martina became emotional. “But, you could lose your job. You could…” “I won’t lose my job, Martina. I’m a detective, and I’ve done my part by bringing him in. Don’t worry, I’ll…” He stopped talking when Martina abruptly stood up from her couch and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you so much,” She mumbled against his arm.