{"id":1137,"date":"2026-10-26T04:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T04:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2026-10-26T04:12:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T04:12:28","slug":"seven-bullets-were-still-inside-my-body-when-dominic-rossi-married-me-and-i-didnt-even-know-it-was-happening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/?p=1137","title":{"rendered":"Seven bullets were still inside my body when Dominic Rossi married me, and I didn\u2019t even know it was happening."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\n

Seven bullets were still inside my body when Dominic Rossi married me, and I didn\u2019t even know it was happening.<\/h1>\n
\n

Chapter 1<\/h2>\n
\n

Seven bullets were still inside my body when Dominic Rossi married me, and I didn\u2019t even know it was happening.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While surgeons questioned whether my heart could survive another operation, New York\u2019s most feared crime boss slipped a gold ring onto my swollen finger and told my unconscious body, \u201cAnybody who comes for you comes through me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three hours earlier, I was just an exhausted twenty-six-year-old waitress working someone else\u2019s shift at the Aster Crown Hotel.<\/p>\n

My mother, Ellen, was in a Cleveland treatment center, and her care had already swallowed my savings. I desperately needed the four hundred dollars this catering job promised.<\/p>\n

The ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers while politicians, bankers, businessmen, and nightclub owners drank champagne as if money could protect them from everything.<\/p>\n

I knew nothing about those people, or why everyone seemed strangely careful around the broad-shouldered man in the midnight tuxedo who caught a champagne glass before it slid off my tray.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re new,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a crime?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrow lifted, and I immediately regretted my mouth. Before I could apologize properly, the elegant silver-haired woman beside him laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDominic, stop frightening the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was how I met Dominic Rossi and his mother, Isabella.<\/p>\n

Isabella noticed my exhaustion and touched my wrist gently. \u201cGo drink some water before you fall over. Nobody should have to faint for rich people.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was maybe ten seconds of kindness.<\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later, those ten seconds nearly killed me.<\/p>\n

I was passing the service corridor when I noticed a man in a catering jacket moving against the flow of waiters. His hand slid beneath his coat, but what terrified me was where his eyes were fixed.<\/p>\n

Isabella.<\/p>\n

Then I saw the gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cGET DOWN!\u201d<\/p>\n

My tray shattered against the marble as I threw myself into Isabella, knocking her toward the floor just as the first gunshot ripped through the ballroom.<\/p>\n

After that, my memory broke into fragments. Screaming guests. Trembling chandeliers. Spilled champagne. Isabella beneath me.<\/p>\n

Then the first bullet hit.<\/p>\n

The second stole my breath, and by the third, the screaming disappeared beneath a deafening ringing inside my skull. My body kept jerking as more bullets struck, but somehow I stayed over Isabella until another gunshot cracked through the room and everything finally stopped.<\/p>\n

Dominic appeared above me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lady\u2026\u201d I managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

I found Isabella behind him and whispered, \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then everything went black.<\/p>\n

What I didn\u2019t know was that Dominic refused to wait three minutes for an ambulance. He ordered his men to put me in a car and rushed me to St. Catherine Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Six hours later, while I fought for my life in surgery, his men learned the shooter was connected to Victor Costa.<\/p>\n

Worse, someone had leaked that I survived.<\/p>\n

Dominic understood what that meant immediately. I wasn\u2019t merely a witness anymore. I had humiliated a powerful enemy by ruining an assassination attempt, and Victor Costa couldn\u2019t allow that story to spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen protect her,\u201d Isabella demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor how long?\u201d Dominic asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to what I learned later, Dominic stared through the glass at my unconscious body while machines breathed for me. Then his eyes dropped to a file Enzo had brought him.<\/p>\n

It contained information about me that Dominic had apparently known before I was ever shot.<\/p>\n

Information he never told anyone.<\/p>\n

He closed the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet me a priest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isabella stared at him. \u201cDominic\u2026 what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

His answer changed my life before I was even conscious enough to know I still had one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m marrying her.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as Dominic walked toward my ICU room carrying a gold ring, Enzo grabbed his arm and whispered, \u201cBoss, if she survives and discovers why you already had a file on her, she\u2019ll never forgive you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic stopped outside my door.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

The first thing I felt was weight.<\/p>\n

Not pain. Weight, like a heavy blanket pressing me into the bed. Then came the beeping, slow and steady, and a smell of antiseptic and roses.<\/p>\n

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour days,\u201d a quiet voice said. \u201cYou\u2019ve been out for four days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic Rossi sat beside my bed in a wrinkled shirt, his sleeves rolled, a day of stubble on his jaw. He looked like a man who had forgotten how to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother,\u201d I rasped.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs safe. My mother is with her on the phone every morning.\u201d He poured water and held the cup to my lips. \u201cDrink.\u201d<\/p>\n

I drank. Then I noticed something cold on my left hand.<\/p>\n

A gold ring sat on my finger, simple and heavy, with a small diamond that caught the light.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA ring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDominic.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t flinch. \u201cYou were dying, Lena. You were in surgery for nine hours, and the doctors needed someone with legal authority to make decisions. I needed that person to be me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou married me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I tried to sit up. Every one of seven healing wounds screamed, and I fell back, gasping.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d he said sharply. \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou married me while I was unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not proud of the circumstances. I\u2019m not sorry for the reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat reason could possibly justify\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVictor Costa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name sat in the room like smoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who sent the shooter,\u201d Dominic said. \u201cThere\u2019s an accord between the families, signed years ago. No boss may harm the wife or mother of another. It\u2019s the one rule nobody breaks, because breaking it means war with everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m protected by a piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy a promise made by men who fear each other.\u201d He leaned forward. \u201cBefore that ring, you were a witness who humiliated Costa. After it, you\u2019re Mrs. Rossi. Touching you means declaring war on every family in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him. A nurse bustled in with a tray, glanced between us, and quietly set down a small plastic bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour belongings, honey. Everything they cut off you in the ER.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside lay my cracked phone, my keys, and a thin silver chain with a worn St. Christopher medal, the one my father had pressed into my hand when I was a little girl.<\/p>\n

It was the only thing I had left of him.<\/p>\n

I clutched it, and across the bed I saw Dominic\u2019s eyes drop to the medal, then rise to my face too quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you look at that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a dented piece of tin.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said nothing.<\/p>\n

When the nurse left, Isabella entered with a bouquet of white roses and tears she didn\u2019t bother to hide. She kissed my forehead and held my face in both hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brave girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

She handed me her phone. \u201cYour mother\u2019s on the line. Be gentle with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother\u2019s voice came through thin and trembling. \u201cLena? Baby, they told me you were hurt. I\u2019ve been praying every hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay, Mama. I\u2019m going to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat nice man, the one who called last week, said you were safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich man?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation. They moved me to the new wing months ago, baby. They said everything was covered, and I thought you arranged it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Months ago.<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t arranged anything. I could barely afford the parking.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama, which foundation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, sweetheart. Something with a Saint\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

I slowly lowered the phone.<\/p>\n

Dominic was watching me. In his face I saw no surprise at all, only a quiet, careful stillness, like a man waiting for a bomb he had built himself to go off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you have a file on me before I was ever shot?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cLena, I\u2019ll explain everything. But not today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door swung open.<\/p>\n

Enzo stood there, out of breath, his tie crooked. \u201cBoss. Victor Costa is in the hospital lobby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s holding flowers,\u201d Enzo said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s asking to visit the new Mrs. Rossi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d Dominic said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s already in the elevator,\u201d Enzo said. \u201cHe came with six men and a cardiologist\u2019s pass. If we refuse him, we break the accord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic stared at me. I stared back. My heart monitor started to beep faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him come,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m Mrs. Rossi, I\u2019m not hiding in a bed. I want to see his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isabella squeezed my hand. \u201cThat\u2019s my girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five minutes later the door opened, and a heavyset man in a camel coat strolled in carrying a bouquet of lilies bigger than my torso. Victor Costa had a warm voice, kind brown eyes, and a smile like a locked door.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Rossi,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

My skin crawled. \u201cMr. Costa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to pay my respects. What you did for Isabella was extraordinary. Nobody in this city has seen such courage.\u201d He set the flowers on the table and patted my hand. His palm was dry and cool. \u201cI hope you recover quickly. I\u2019d hate for anything to happen to such a brave young woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s already happened,\u201d I said. \u201cSeven times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTerrible. These days, so much violence.\u201d He sighed theatrically. \u201cDominic, a word.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stepped into the hallway. I could see them through the glass. Costa spoke, smiling. Dominic stood with his arms folded, his face carved from stone. When Costa finally walked away with his men, Dominic\u2019s fist closed so hard I saw his knuckles go white.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe threatened you,\u201d I said when he came back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me he hopes your recovery is long and uneventful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds like a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Costa\u2019s idea of a love letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night, Isabella insisted on staying with me. She curled up in the armchair with a blanket and a thermos of tea, and for a long time we just talked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalvatore, my husband, would have loved you,\u201d she said softly. \u201cYou have his stubbornness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou threw yourself in front of six bullets for a woman you\u2019d known for ten seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isabella laughed, then wiped her eyes. \u201cThe first time I met him, he was sixty pounds underweight and had stolen a loaf of bread. I let him keep it. Fifty years later he still told that story at every dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDominic has his eyes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. And his guilt.\u201d She hesitated. \u201cMy son carries things he never says out loud. Be patient with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wanted to ask what things, but exhaustion pulled me under, and the last thing I heard was Isabella humming.<\/p>\n

I woke at 3:12 a.m. to a soft click.<\/p>\n

The room was dark. The monitor glowed green. Isabella slept in the chair.<\/p>\n

A figure stood at the foot of my bed, in blue scrubs and a surgical mask, holding a syringe up to the light.<\/p>\n

My throat locked.<\/p>\n

He took one step toward my IV line.<\/p>\n

I hit the call button with my thumb and screamed.<\/p>\n

The door crashed open. Enzo hit the man at full speed, and the syringe skittered across the tile. Two guards tackled him as Isabella jerked awake, shouting in Italian.<\/p>\n

\u201cDominic!\u201d she cried. \u201cDominic!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ran in, saw me, saw the struggling man, and made a sound I\u2019ll never forget, a raw, animal sound of fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d Enzo panted. \u201cHe didn\u2019t reach the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic dropped beside my bed and gripped my hand. His fingers were shaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d I whispered. \u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

They pinned the man against the wall and stripped off his mask. He was young, with a snake tattoo coiled up his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cCosta,\u201d Dominic said quietly. \u201cCosta sent you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man spat blood and smiled.<\/p>\n

Enzo searched his pockets and came up with a worn leather wallet. Inside, behind a driver\u2019s license, was a folded photograph.<\/p>\n

He unfolded it and went pale.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a picture of my mother, walking through the doors of her Cleveland treatment center. Someone had circled her face in red pen.<\/p>\n

Beneath it was an address, and a time.<\/p>\n

*Tomorrow. 6:00 a.m.*<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven bullets were still inside my body when Dominic Rossi married me, and I didn\u2019t even know it was happening. Chapter 1 Seven bullets were still inside my body when… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1138,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}