“Damn, that’s kinda hot,” she muses.
“I know I’m hot. No need to tell me,” I say, and she just rolls her eyes at me. I move around a bit, switching our positions so that she’s now lying with her head on my chest. “Hey, I wanted us to talk about some things.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“What happened when your father found out about the baby?”
“Do we have to talk about it?” she asks, her body suddenly filling with tension.
“Yes. I just want to know what happened because I know I failed to be there for you,” I tell her in all honesty.
“It’s not your fault you weren’t there in time. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.” She sighs.
“When did you find out?”
“I found out when I was about fourteen weeks along. And I can’t remember the dates exactly… but you went to the houseafter I found out. It was when my father went out of town,” she lets me know. Which means I fucked her while she was pregnant, and she didn’t say anything.
“Why didn’t you tell me? If you had, we could have avoided all this separation,” I point out.
“Honestly? I was still processing the fact that I was pregnant with your baby. Trust me, it was a lot to take in. Plus, at the time, we were just sleeping with each other. We didn’t make any kind of commitment. I really thought you didn’t care and you were going to let me marry Salvatore,” she says, giving me a glimpse into her thoughts.
“Never. Although I do see where you’re coming from,” I tell her and I do.
“Also, I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared that you would reject the baby and me. I didn’t know if you would just laugh in my face and tell me to get rid of it or not,” she explains, expressing all her fears at the time.
“I wouldn’t have told you to get rid of it, just so you know,” I murmur, my voice filled with utmost certainty.
“Well, I know that now, but at the time it was a lot to deal with, especially when things were so up in the air,” she states.
“What happened when your father found out?”
“It actually happened by accident. He came into my room unexpectedly after I had just finished showering. It was the morning my belly popped. I mean, the night before it was still flat, and the next morning there’s a noticeable bump. I was so dazed and in awe that I just walked out of the bathroom, not knowing Father was in my room and—” she cuts herself off. I already have a feeling I’m not going to like what she says next.
“What? Tell me, please,” I beg, needing to know what the hell happened to her. From the way she’s acting and the way she's been trying to avoid the question, I can already tell it’s bad.
“He uh… he beat me really badly. He kicked and punched me over and over again. I barely managed to curl myself into a ball so he wouldn’t kick me in the stomach. I was so scared I was going to lose her,” she tells me with tears in her eyes. “My whole face and parts of my body were a mess for days after, until it eventually healed.”
“Motherfucker! I’m going to fucking kill that asshole for going after what’s mine. Nobody gets to hurt you and get away with it,” I growl, super fucking pissed off. “Was that the first time he hit you, baby?”
“N-no.”
“Figlio di puttana! How often? How often did that asshole put his hands on you?” I question, anger at the man coating my voice.
“He’s always been super cold and distant with me, hitting me on and off for years. He’d do it when Luca was away, but he made sure not to hit where anyone could see. After Luca disappeared, he didn’t care to hide it anymore,” she whispers, pain at the memories in her every word.
“I’m going to torture that motherfucker for hurting you. I’m so sorry you had to deal with all of that. I promise you’re safe from now on, baby,” I tell her, hugging her closer to me, almost squeezing her a bit. I hate that she suffered at the hands of her father, and I didn’t even know. “Did you tell Luca?”
“No,” she says, letting out a breath.
“Why?”
“He threatened that if I said anything to Luca, he’d kill me and make it look like someone from a rival family—yours specifically—did it. I knew that would make my brother go into a fit of rage. He’d prepare for war, no questions asked, which could potentially kill him because that’s unpredictable. I couldn’t take the chance. I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t want Luca todie because of me. It’s ironic, though, because my brother is still gone.”
“Fuck! That piece of shit! He used your love for your brother against you. But just so you know, Luca wouldn’t have flown off the handle or come after me. He knew that I never would have attacked you for any reason,” I tell her.
“How do you know that?” she questions, brow furrowed in confusion.
“Because he and I do— well, used to do business together,” I tell her, giving away one of my secrets.