Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well.

I am sorry for my late updates but life has been so busy these past days.

Anyway, here is a new chapter.

Enjoy!

************

"Hi," Anna said gently as she entered Hunter's mother's room.

The woman's green eyes snapped open and she eyed her visitor suspiciously.

"Who are you?" she asked hoarsely.

Anna felt uncomfortable under the woman's gaze. Geez, the members of this family are really strange. She just woke up from a five years coma, but she can make anyone sweat. Anna cleared her throat and tried to compose herself.

"Hi Mrs. Salviatti, I am Anna, Hunter's friend."

"Hi dear, come on, have a seat." The blonde woman said with a gentle smile gracing her features. Anna shook her head at the contrast from earlier but felt more relaxed with this version of Hunter's mother.

"How are you doing Mrs. Salviatti?"

"since you are Hunter's friendة you can call me Caroline. After five years of endless sleep, I can say I am ready to start living again, I can't wait to walk out of here." Caroline said with a chagrined smile on her face.

Anna felt awkward and didn't find any words to say. It wasn't every day you speak to someone who just awoke from a five years coma.

Why do you have to put yourself in those situations? You will look like a crazy girl if you just sit there and say nothing.

"so, tell me more about yourself, how did you meet my son?" Caroline brought Anna back from her internal debate. Anna looked up and cleared her throat.

"He is my schoolmate; we met at the beginning of the year." Caroline arched her brow unbelievingly which made Anna clarify her answer, "I mean we met at the beginning of the school year since I was a new student at his school."

Caroline laughed loudly with her eyes crinkling in joy. The sound of her laugher made Anna's shoulders sage in relief even if it was at her expense.

"you want me to believe that my son came here with a random girl he met at school. I might have been out for five years, but that doesn't mean I forgot my sons' personalities. You must be so special for him, dear." The woman said in a matter of fact voice.

"No, believe me, I am not that special. I am just a friend," Anna said in an attempt to convince Caroline, but she knew it won't work. Even she can't believe her words. She knew how special she was to Hunter, but she didn't want to be the one to tell his mother about their relationship. It just doesn't feel right.

Her words resulted in another hearty laugh from Caroline, the blonde found the situation hilarious. She never expected her son to find himself a girl like this. The Hunter she knew and was sure didn't change was wild and difficult, how did he catch Anna's attention was beyond her. Before she could retort in another sarcastic comment, the door burst open and Damian walked in the room. He didn't give her any chance to compose herself and engulfed her in a tight hug.

Caroline couldn't help herself and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. Damian's scent surrounded her; it was a nice change from hospital and medicine's scents. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, it was the first time since what felt like forever she felt that calm and safe.

Damien squeezed his wife to his chest. For him, seeing her eyes were like an impossible miracle, but it happened. He pushed her gently and looked at her glossy green eyes. They were the same, nothing changed. He kissed her forehead affectionately and pulled away.

Anna watched with teary eyes as Ethan took tentative steps towards Caroline's bed. His eyes were full of joy and inexplicable happiness. It was like someone walking towards his most wanted dream. Once he was in her arms reach, Caroline snatched his wrist and pulled him to her. The strength this woman possessed was amazing to no end.

Anna wiped her eyes and smiled, she was happy for them. They were reunited after so much agony and pain. She looked to Damien who nodded and smiled at her. She nodded back and moved to open the door, the moment was private and she felt out of place.

*********

Out in the corridor, Anna found Hunter standing in front of the room's glass and watching the scene folding inside. She took careful steps and stood beside him.

"maybe you should go in, I am sure the picture will be perfect with you in there," Anna spoke gently.

"The picture is already perfect Anna. I don't have a place there. They will be good without me." Hunter said seriously.

Anna knew he was hurting inside. He acted stoic and strong, but his eyes shined with so much anguish. Anna shook her head at his stubbornness; she was sure from her small chat with Caroline that the woman wasn't the kind of mother who would blame her son for an accident.

Anna even saw her eyes searching the room when she mentioned Hunter's name. Caroline is missing her son so much, what can she do to convince him that his mother needed him at the moment? She sighed in frustration knowing that Hunter would never do something he is forced to do.

"It is time we go, you need to rest," Hunter said and started walking down the corridor after another look towards his mom's room.

"What? Are you kidding? I am not tired Hunter, we should stay the night with your mom." Anna argued as she followed him.

"our stay isn't necessary, Dad and Ethan are enough. We need to sleep tonight because tomorrow we are leaving."

Anna rolled her eyes at his words. As if I would let you continue this foolery. Anna decided to let it go for now and walked beside Hunter, who led her down a long staircase. They left the medical ward behind them as they entered what would be described as a living room through a double door at the end of the hallway. Once again they climbed the stairs to another corridor that was lined up with wooden doors on both sides. Anna felt amazed like always, surely the Salviatti family had a great taste in architecture and building mansions. It was like a big maze, and Anna could picture herself easily lost.

Hunter stopped in front of a cheery wood door. He opened the door and stepped aside.

"Welcome to my room." He said with a smile for Anna's benefit.

Anna entered the room and looked around. She had a hard time believing what was in front of her. This room was a replica of Hunter's room back home.

"shocked?" Hunter asked as he leaned against his bed.

"well, I didn't take you for the boring type?"

"boring!", Hunter scoffed, "I am not boring, baby, I just don't like changes. Keeping the same design will give me a familiar environment when I visit. Thus, I won't be bothered with adjusting when I come in here which is a lot by the way."

"I would never understand your reasoning. But it is okay if you are comfortable with it."

Anna noticed several shopping bags scattered on the bed.

"what are these?" Anna asked curiously.

"I ordered one of the maids to buy you some clothes so you have something to wear while we stay here."

Anna smiled gratefully at his kind gesture. They left rushed and she didn't pack anything for her stay here. She grabbed one of the bags and went to the bathroom to change her clothes. She wore white pajama pants with a pink tank top. She put her hair in a loose bun and washed her face. Today was tiring and stressful, but she felt satisfied and happy with the progress in her relationship with Hunter.

When she emerged back to the room, she found Hunter lying on the bed with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. Anna cleared her throat to grab his attention.

"don't just stand there and stare, come here and lay beside me," Hunter said without opening his eyes.

Anna felt her cheeks burning as she made her way to the bed. She lied quietly beside him and held her breath. She felt his arm pulling her towards him until she was so close to his chest. She inhaled deeply and tried to stay as still as possible. It felt so right to be here between his arms, and Anna was determined to bask at the moment and remember it forever.

"don't worry, I will just stay here until you are asleep; then I will leave."

"who said I want you to leave?"

"I won't be sleeping tonight Anna. It is a lost cause for me. I don't want to disturb you, you need the rest."

"you will be here when I wake up tomorrow?" Anna asked as she started drifting to sleep.

"I will be the first thing you see, ma belle. Come on sleep."

A faint "I love you" was the last thing Hunter heard before Anna closed her eyes completely. He played with her dark locks as he thought about everything happening in his life. Certainly and without any doubt, Anna was the best thing that entered his life. When he decided to be a part of this game, he never dreamed of falling in love.

Before, everything was a challenge he has to win, but now he wanted to live and be happy, he wanted to create something special.

"Je t'aime Anna," Hunter whispered and kissed Anna's forehead lovingly before leaving the room.

**************

When night falls and everything is quiet, the real chaos began. The mind starts working and you have nothing to block the thoughts from invading you.

Hunter stood outside his mother's room door. She was sleeping peacefully with his father taking the coach and also sleeping. He was sure the man won't leave her side forever. But could you really blame him? He waited for this for five years.

Hunter missed her too. He missed her so much but can't bring himself to face her. While she was sick, he made sure to visit her every month at least once. Always dreaming about seeing her awake and talking to her. But now that his dream is a reality, he was having doubts and fears.

"You are lucky you still have a family Hunter, I never met mine. It is a privilege to have a mother. I wish I can even remember my mom. I don't have anything from her. Nothing at all, believe me, it is hard."

Anna's words were the only thing comprehensible in Hunter's chaotic mind.

He took a deep breath and opened the door. He will just check on her and leave. There won't be any harm in doing this.

Hunter made sure to walk lightly so he doesn't disturb his sleeping parents. He grabbed the chair beside the coffee table and placed it next to his mother's bed.

"Salut Maman, tu m'as tellement manqué ces cinq dernières années." Hunter whispered quietly in French, his mother's native language. She made sure her kids are fluent in the language and loved it when they used it.

"C'était une vie difficile sans toi, je suis désolé parce que je n'ai pas tenu ma promesse. Je suis heureux que tu ailles bien. Maintenant que tu es réveillé et en bonne santé, je te promets que je partirai et que tu ne me reverras plus. Et cette fois-ci je tiendrai ma promesse." Hunter cursed under his breath as he felt his eyes filling with tears. It was harder than he thought. He leaned over and kissed his mother's forehead. Then he stood up from his chair to leave the room, but a voice he didn't hear in five years froze him.

"tu penses vraiment que je vais te laisser partir? Je vous ai donné le temps d'arrêter vos conneries et maintenant c'est

Fini, vous devez arrêter de faire ça." Caroline said in her non-sense voice.

Her melodic voice was like music to Hunter's ears. The smile on his face was genuine. He turned around and looked at the green eyes he missed so much.

"How could you say that mom? Because of me, she died. I promised to keep her safe, but I failed." Hunter said hoarsely trying very hard to keep the tears from falling.

"you were a kid Hunter. You also needed protection. It wasn't your fault Lena died. It was the bastards' who attacked us fault. Just stop blaming yourself, I don't blame you." Caroline said gently.

"How could you talk so casually about this? Why aren't you shouting at me? Why aren't you kicking me out? You are okay with this?" Hunter asked, desperately wanting a reaction from his mother.

Caroline smiled gently and mentioned for her son to join her on the bed. She sat up and waited until Hunter joined her to take his hands in her small ones.

"you never paid attention to your science class, my boy," Caroline said fondly.

"huh?" Hunter asked confused.

"people in a coma can hear others, Hunter. I heard you every time you came to visit me, which was countless by the way. I wished to open my eyes so I can see you and comfort you. I heard every apology you said, your pleadings for forgiveness. It tore my heart every single time to hear the anguish in your voice. I wanted to cuddle you and say everything is well. Stop punishing yourself Hunter, if you want my forgiveness, I am giving it to you without a second thought. I was out for five years my boy, now I want to live with my family and love them. I want to see you every single day so stop talking about leaving. I won't allow it." Caroline said with tears streaming down her face.

"I am so sorry mom, please stop crying," Hunter said with panic, he doesn't want to see his mother crying.

"are you going to leave?"

"no Mom, I am not leaving. Please don't cry."

"I want you to promise," Caroline said, knowing very well that once her son promised something, he would never break it.

Hunter closed his eyes and willed himself to make this promise.

"I promise." He uttered weakly.

"Good, now let's talk about your girl." Caroline smiled broadly changing the mood around the room from sadness to playful.

"what about her?"

"she is a very beautiful girl, and I am sure she has a good heart," Caroline said with a wink.

Hunter groaned and rolled his eyes. Welcome back Caroline Salviatti, the woman who can get anything she wants. They spent the night together chatting about different things. It was hard to catch up on everything happened in those five years, but Hunter tried to give his mother a rundown on how things were in her absence.

***********

Tomorrow morning came too soon for a tired Anna. She tried to rub her eyes but to no avail, it was like her eyes were full of sand. She sat up in her bed and looked around the room and was disappointed when she didn't see Hunter. He promised to be here.

Stop being childish Anna. Hunter is busy with other things other than you.

With a final yawn, Anna climbed out from her bed and went to the bathroom to do her morning ritual. She grabbed dark jeans and a red long sleeve-top and completed her look with a white cardigan. She took her time brushing her hair and adding some lip gloss and eyeliner to conceal her Zombie appearance.

"you look beautiful today." Anna nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Hunter's voice as she exited the bathroom.

"wow! You scared me." Anna said breathlessly.

"I promised to be here in the morning, and here I am. Come on we have to eat breakfast so we can start our day."

"first good morning." Anna walked to him and kissed his cheek which made Hunter smile really big.

The two sat the table in the balcony to enjoy a well-cooked breakfast.

"the chef here is absolutely talented. The food is so delicious." Anna said between bites of pancakes.

Hunter raised his eyebrow and looked offended.

"really! I thought you would at least give me a little bit of credit. You tasted my food before. You should have recognized it easily."

"This food is so different from the meal you prepared in the camp," Anna said honestly.

"maybe there is a difference, this time I prepared the food with love and happiness. Two things I was lacking before."

Hunter said with his eyes twinkling with joy

Anna reached across the table and grabbed his hand. It was the first time she saw Hunter's deep blue eyes so bright and shining. He was definitely another person.

"You visited your mother, didn't you?" Anna stated.

"How did you know?" Hunter answered with another question.

Anna cut another bit of pancake and took her time to savour the flavours. She gave Hunter a look that clearly says, "really do you think I am that stupid?"

"Okay sorry, you know me more than I thought, which is dangerous by the way," Hunter said as he wiped his mouth and stood up. "Are you done?" he asked Anna.

"yes, where are we going?"

"it is a surprise." He said keeping their destination a secret from her.

Like usual, the protocol of the Salviatti family was complicated. They left the manor with Hunter driving his black Audi and another four armoured cars after them for protection.

Twenty minutes later, Hunter pulled outside what's looked like a country ranch. They climbed out of the car and knocked on the double metal door. They were greeted by an old man in his early sixties. What shocked Anna the most was how Hunter was comfortable with the man. He even hugged him and gave him a genuine smile, not the fake one he reserved for meeting people.

"il mio ragazzo, how are you doing?" the man asked with his voice thick with an Italian accent.

"I am fine Stefano, how are you keeping up with work vecchio uomo," Hunter asked teasingly.

"you are getting too old for your britches, little boy." The man gave Hunter a stern look then turned his attention to Anna, who was just standing there looking at the scene folding in front of her, "And who is this young lady you brought with you?"

"Stefano, meet my girlfriend, Anna. Anna, this is Stefano, a family friend."

"hi, nice to meet you, sir," Anna said politely and extended her hand for a handshake. Stefano shook his head then took the offered hand and planted a kiss on it.

"This is how we do things here, cara."

Anna held her breath anticipating Hunter's reaction at the old man gesture. But was more shocked when Hunter just laughed and draped his arm over her shoulder.

"oaky, we will take a tour, then we will meet for lunch. It will be my treat."

"don't be ridiculous, little boy. I am the one preparing lunch and to make you more excited, I am cooking Lasagne and pizza."

Hunter looked like a little boy in a candy store. Anna was sure if he was a puppy his tail would be wagging in happiness.

"who is he?" Anna asked as she walked beside Hunter, who was leading her towards a horses' stable.

"he is the only man who can call me a little boy and live to tell the tale."

Anna rolled her eyes at his response. His arrogance was getting bigger than his head, but before she could retort with a smart comment, her words were caught in her throat as she saw the line of beautiful horses.

"wow! That's really amazing." Anna said in wonder at the sight in front of her.

"come, I will take you to meet my horse, Max. He is my best friend."

They stopped in front of a jet black stallion. He was so beautiful and majestic. Hunter extended his palm and brushed the creature's silky black hair. Anna watched with fascination as the horse rubbed his head against Hunter's palm. Anna could swear his black eyes were full of joy at the sight of his owner.

"here, touch his head," Hunter said to Anna.

"won't he freak out or something? I mean like in the movies where the horse freak out when someone other than his owner touches him."

"don't be afraid, Max is a trained horse, he won't hurt you," Hunter said with an amused smile.