“Why won’t you just be honest? Why won’t you admit the real reason you’re here?”
He stood in front of me. “As I said, there are many reasons. Your forgiveness is the most important to me.”
“Why? If you think I’m going to let you take…” I dissolved into tears and turned my back to him.
“I would never take Valentini from you, Pia. I want to help you keep it.”
Why was he being so relentless? In the back of my mind, I wondered if I was wrong and he didn’t know about the baby. But, it was the only explanation for him being here that made sense.
“Pia, I talked to Lily.”
I took a deep breath and held it.
“I know you’re struggling to keep the estate going. You admitted that to me yourself. Let me help.”
“What makes you think you can just wave your hand and fix it?”
“I don’t think that at all. I’m here for you. That’s it. Just you.”
“Just me?” I smirked.
“Yes, Pia. Just you.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Not the baby?”
I knew immediately that Lily hadn’t betrayed my confidence. Mylos gripped the back of the sofa, and his eyes darted back and forth. Finally, he looked into mine. “Baby?”
“Your baby.”
He sat down and dropped his
arms to his sides. I could see he was processing what I’d told him. Soon, his questions would start.
“I never dreamed…”
“I want you to know I was on birth control. I don’t know why it didn’t work. I would never try to trap or trick you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.”
He looked from my eyes down my body. “How do you feel?”
“Better now, but it comes and goes.”
“Are you seeing a doctor?”
I nodded.
“You thought that was the reason I was here?”
“Sì.”
“No wonder you didn’t want to talk to me. I had no idea. I swear. If I had…I would’ve come sooner. I know that sounds bloody awful, but I would’ve come for you, Pia. Not just for the baby.”
I sat down and turned my body so I was facing him. “Tell me what happened that night.”
He scrubbed his face with his hand and then rested his head on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. “I got an SOS alert. It isn’t something we take lightly, nor do we use it unnecessarily. If anyone on our team receives an SOS, it means to act immediately.”
I nodded.