“No.”
“What about your breasts, are they tender?”
Lily’s question stunned me, but they were. “Yes.”
“Pia, I know you said it was impossible for you to be pregnant, but you just told me you and my brother were together.”
“I’m on birth control, Lily.”
“It has been known to fail.”
I counted back in my head to my last menstrual cycle and gasped.
“I’m sorry, Pia. I know this doesn’t help, but if you are pregnant, you should be under a doctor’s care.”
I nodded but couldn’t speak.
“Are you still there?”
“Sì. Lily. Promise me you won’t tell Mylos.”
“I understand why you would say that, but Pia, if you are pregnant and the baby is his, he needs to know.”
“I will tell him, but in my own time.”
“I get it and promise I won’t interfere.”
I hung up and dissolved into sobs. How could I be pregnant? I looked up at the ceiling and shook my fist. “If this is your doing, Estancia, I will give you a piece of my mind in the afterlife.”
18
Grinder
“Do you have a moment?” my sister asked when I answered her call.
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
“We’re all fine, as are Mum and Dad.”
Odd way for her to put it. “Is there someone who isn’t?”
She sighed. “I’m breaking a confidence, Miles.”
“Go on.”
“It’s Pia.”
I scrubbed my face with my hand. “I’ve been trying to reach her for weeks. Unsuccessfully. I know she’s upset about what happened in London, but if she’d only speak to me, I could explain.”
“I’m afraid she’s going to lose Valentini.”
“What do you mean?” As soon as I asked, I recalled Pia telling me she was considering selling.
“Business is bad. Things keep going wrong. I think she’s been struggling since her father died.”
“She mentioned selling. Is that still a viable option?”
“Miles!”