The drive to the airport passes in silence.
We pull up to a sleek private jet.
Adriano leads me up the steps and Luca meets me inside.
He surprises me by pulling me into a hug. “You’ll be safe with us. I promise.”
How long have I wanted to hear that from him? From any of my brothers? And I’m grateful, but it doesn’t erase the devastating sorrow I feel at losing Cristian. I’ll never get over it. I now understand Adriano’s grief when he lost Eva. How his heart hardened.
“Is everything settled?” Adriano asks Luca.
He shrugs. “A few more Bratva have been lost, and I imagine when Ivan gets word, he’ll come looking for revenge, but without Maksim, Dimitriev, Stovic, and Sokolov, it will take time to regroup.”
I laugh derisively. “Oh, good. Your power and money grow.”
Adriano closes his eyes as if he’s asking for strength.
Another car pulls up outside and Alessandro exits, heading up the stairs. I rise, ready to confront him.
As he enters the cabin, I lunge for him. “How could you!”
“Whoa, little sis.” Luca puts an arm around my waist and holds me back.
Alessandro takes in a breath. “Will it make you feel better to hit me?”
“I want to scratch your eyes out.” I try to claw at him, but I can’t reach.
"I'm sorry for all the pain that's been caused,” he says, as if that will fix everything.
The rage that erupts within me is volcanic. "Pain that's been caused? As if it happened by itself? You pulled the trigger. You killed him. The only man who ever stood up for me. Who loved me."
Alessandro reaches for me, but I recoil. "Don't touch me."
"Did you love him? I mean like truly? Like forever after?" he asks, his voice softer now. “And if so, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why keep all this secret?"
I scoff. "Would it have mattered? Would you have called off the wedding if I told you I was in love with Cristian? That I'm carrying his child?"
The shock on all three of my brothers' faces would be comical if everything weren't so tragic.
"You're pregnant?" Luca steps forward, eyes wide. "With Cristian's baby?"
I lift my chin, defiance replacing despair. "Yes. And before you suggest getting rid of it, know that I would die first. He didn’t take advantage of me. In fact, it was the other way around. And he loved me. And this baby. But you wouldn’t know about love, would you Alessandro?"
Alessandro pales. "I would never suggest you get rid of a child.” He runs a hand through his hair. "Christ, Valentina. If I had known…"
"What? What would you have done differently?" I step closer. "The only way Cristian, I, and our baby could be safe was if I married Maksim. We both knew that. Why do you think I agreed to go through with it after everything?"
Adriano shakes his head. "You were going to raise Cristian's child as Maksim's?"
"I was going to do whatever it took to protect my family," I snap. "Isn’t that what you always say? Except, of course, I’m not included in that. You weren’t willing to do shit for me."
Alessandro flinches like I've slapped him.
"I loved him," I continue, tears spilling down my cheeks. "I loved him enough to let him go. And he loved me enough to come back and try to save me, even though it cost him everything."
Luca puts his arm around my shoulders. "We need to go."
I turn my back on Alessandro, his guilt and regret no longer my concern. All that matters now is the tiny life inside me, the last piece of Cristian I have left.