STELLINA

5.

Chiara Rossi.

To my great surprise Matteo and Lorenzo had left the place without a noise, without a word and it was better that way. Once the door was closed, I decided to sit down again on the chair on which I had been resting earlier.

"What happened Chi'?" Luca's soft voice interrupted the beginnings of my thoughts and I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders before dropping my arms along my body.

"I don't know, it all happened really fast Luca. I'm tired, my shift starts in a little while so please don't push it anymore." Before he even replied again, I cut him off while nodding negatively.

"I'm not going home, I have patients counting on me, lives to save so you can go home alone." Luca stood in front of me, staring at me for a couple of minutes, not speaking as if he was trying to analyze me and get inside my head to understand what had just happened.  But there was nothing to understand, only a madman who had a murderous impulse. I had probably been in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least, that was the only way to reassure myself.

My brother finally sighed and held out his hand for me to leave the room together. Taking his hand, I stood up again and followed him out of the room.

"Take care of yourself Chiara, I don't want anything bad to happen to you, again. I'll be around if you need anything." Luca opened his arms and I gladly answered his call, taking him in my arms in turn. I hugged him tightly for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity. We detached from each other and I stood still in front of the room, watching his silhouette blend into the emerging crowd and then disappear completely.

I resigned myself to go to the hospital bathroom to wash my face and try to look like something. My steps were heavy but after a short time I arrived in the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirrors.

The silence of the room was stifling and I felt as if someone could interrupt me at any moment. It was the first time I found the bathroom so oppressive and creepy after working here for over three years. I shook my head and refreshed my face before practicing my best smile for patients and colleagues.

The day had gone in a very strange way. The time seemed long and my thoughts were completely turned to the incident of the morning, to my aggressor but especially to Lorenzo. In spite of his very repulsive behavior there was something that attracted me, that intrigued me but I couldn't say what it was.

Then I thought of my brothers. I didn't even have the time to ask them how they could know Lorenzo and especially since when. I would probably do it the next time I had the chance. In any case, it surprised me that they seemed to know each other more than just by name.

Luckily, I had no surgeries scheduled and none of my other patients had been victims of assault. This made the day more bearable. At least, that was until the new intern arrived: Ethan,... Ellian... Evan. That's right, his name is Evan. He had immediately introduced himself to me as soon as I came out of the bathroom this morning and from then on, I had to support him. His behavior, his gestures, his vocabulary, everything about him was rude and inappropriate.

I remember how he introduced himself to me and the way he looked at me. Contrary to what one might think, I am not someone who feels superior to others in terms of my job and position.  I am for equal treatment. So the way Evan reacted particularly irritated me.

After that very special meeting with Evan, he followed me like my shadow. What I particularly hated. He was smothering me and spying on my every move. I knew it was my job to supervise him and let him work through my work because he was new, but I could not take it anymore.

When the end of my shift approached, I decided to go see Leone Castellano. He was still in a deep coma but the analyses of the day were more than positive.So I was very optimist for him.  I was surprised to see security in the room but at the same time reassured that I could go home without worrying too much about him.

The security guards let me in and I checked the facilities and the few procedures I knew by heart before leaving the room again and heading for the elevator. Of course, Evan had to finish at the same time as me. I kept my calm and greeted him politely before closing my eyes for the remaining few seconds.

Our paths separated at the parking level and each of us got into our own car. I took a deep breath and pulled my car around with the only intention of getting home quickly. The drive from the hospital to my penthouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan was not very long, and no sooner had I thought about it than I was already parking in the private area of the building I lived in.

I passed by the receptionist who called me and to my great surprise handed me a bouquet of flowers that had arrived anonymously. I thanked her and asked her who could have been the source of this bouquet. But she was not here when the bouquet was brought. The flowers were not particularly beautiful and the mixture with nettles made the whole very ... hideous. As I walked down the hallway of my penthouse, once I got out of the elevator, a strange sensation ran through my body. I had the impression of not being alone. And the further I went, the more my intuition was confirmed. Broken glass was spread on the floor and when I looked up, my heart skipped a beat.

The door to my penthouse was wide open and everything had been turned upside down.I stood still for a few seconds, my hand in front of my mouth as if to prevent me from screaming, from crying. Finally, I slowly approached to go home and find a solution.

The universe had conspired against me, because after the day I had just lived, a break-in was the last thing I deserved. The only thing I deserved was a long and deep sleep and above all peace. I could feel my eyes filling up with tears and my throat closing up as I felt so bad. I hated my life at the moment, I hated everyone and everything.

"What the hell happened here ??" A deep voice cut me off in what seemed to be the worst nightmare of my life.