Mansueto sighed, his eyes tightening with regret.
My pulse sped up. “Who? Who have you told?”
“Your father.”
How could he have told my father? He might as well have announced it on the news!
I turned around and hurried out of the hospital room, almost colliding with Mia on my way out. She steadied me with a firm grip on my shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I forced a smile. “I forgot about an appointment. I’m sorry. I need to leave.”
“Okay.” Hesitation and worry reflected on her face.
Elia, who’d waited in the corridor for me, fell into step beside me, but I motioned for him to give me some privacy as I called Dad.
He picked up after the second ring, his voice cheerful. Of course, he was ecstatic. “Giulia, how’s my grandson?”
“Don’t tell anyone, Dad. Don’t. Swear it.”
Silence on the other end. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Daniele and Simona. Don’t tell anyone what Mansueto told you.”
“Giulia,” Dad began as if he was still talking to my naïve seven-year-old self.
“Dad, I mean it. I don’t want the news to get out. You are the only one who could spread it.” My steps became faster, but the additional weight of my belly made me slow, and I had to wait for the elevator because taking the staircase was out of the question.
“You can’t expect me to sit on information that can lead to my grandson, my own flesh and blood, to becoming Underboss. You should want that too. Do you want your son to be only a Captain and serve under the result of incestuous adultery?”
I gritted my teeth against the insult. Elia watched me worriedly as we took the elevator down to the underground garage. “I’m coming to Baltimore. Don’t talk to anyone. I’ll be there in two hours. Swear it.”
Dad sighed. “I swear it. I’m going to tell your mother to have the cooks prepare a nice dinner for us.”
I hung up. “We need to drive to Baltimore.”
Elia frowned. “To your parents’ home?”
“Yes. We have to leave right away.”
Elia led me toward the car and opened the door for me.
“You need to tell Cassio first.”
I sank down on the passenger seat as Elia slipped behind the steering wheel. I dialed Cassio’s number but got the busy signal. Luca was in town to talk to Cassio and Mansueto. Everyone knew that Mansueto didn’t have long. Maybe Cassio was in a conference call with other Underbosses and his Capo. “We can’t wait until I can reach him. It’s urgent.”
Elia gave a terse nod and pulled out of the parking garage. Traffic was horrendous, and my worry increased with every passing second. Eventually, Cassio called me back.
“Are you all right?” The worry in his voice warmed my insides.
“I’m fine. The baby’s fine too. Don’t worry. I’m on my way to my parents.”
“What’s the matter?”
I hated lying to Cassio, but I didn’t know what else to do. “My mother broke down today. I just want to make sure she’s fine, and they’ve been asking me to visit for a while.”
“Isn’t it too strenuous in your state?”
I huffed. “I’m pregnant, not sick.”
“Be careful. Elia is with you, I assume?”
“Of course. And my parents have their own bodyguards, not to mention Christian will be there as well.”
“That’s good. Unlike your father, he’s a capable man.”
Usually I defended my father, but today I couldn’t find the words. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I’ll have dinner with them and spend the night.”
“Okay,” Cassio said. In the background, I could hear male voices. “I love you,” he said quietly so no one but me could hear.
“And I love you.”
I hung up, more resolved than before. Elia regarded me closely. “Is there anything I should know?”
“No.” I softened the word with a smile. It was bad enough that Mansueto had told my father. Knowing him, he’d probably already passed the news on to Mom and Christian. It was only a matter of time before it spread like wildfire. I didn’t even want to imagine what it would do to Daniele and Simona.
I fell asleep after a while. Elia woke me when we pulled up in front of my old home. Elia got out and held the door open for me.
Mom and Dad waited on the porch, both of them beaming like a kid on Christmas morning. I wished it wasn’t because of something that could destroy the people I loved most in the world.
I headed toward them and hugged them briefly. Christian waited behind them for his turn. “You’re growing bigger every day.”
“That’s not something you should tell a woman,” I told Christian. “Are you alone?”
“The flu has taken hold of our house. I’m the last man standing.”
I smiled but it fell when I met Dad’s gaze.
“You must be hungry,” Mom said eagerly, motioning for me to follow her into the dining room. I gave Elia a small nod so he knew it was okay to leave. He went into our guard room.
We all settled at the table. Once the maid had served dinner and disappeared, I bridged the subject. “I assume Dad told you already?”
Christian nodded grimly. His tight expression made it clear he disapproved of it.
Mom pursed her lips. “You should be ecstatic, Giulia. This is your chance.”
My eyebrows shot up. How was that my chance? I wasn’t going to become Underboss. “I don’t want the news to get out.”
“You should want what’s best for your child,” Dad said in a reprimanding voice.
I exploded. “Is that so? Was it for my best when you married me off to a man you described as the cruelest Underboss in the Famiglia, a man almost twice my age? Was that for my best or yours, Dad?”
Dad’s face became stone. He glared down at his plate. I almost felt guilty because despite all his faults, I loved him. He’d been a better father than many other men in our world.
“How can you speak in that tone to your father? Show some respect,” Mom hissed.
I took a bite of the beef tenderloin, trying to stay calm. Keeping a level head had become more difficult since pregnancy hormones were in play. “I respect you, but your ambition is going to ruin everything. I don’t care if this baby becomes Underboss. I want only the best for him, but becoming a leader in our world isn’t part of it.”
“You were always a dreamer, Giulia. It’s what I love about you,” Dad said, breaking through my rising anger until his next words. “But as a man, I can’t afford irrational daydreams. I know the realities of our life. And the truth is that all that matters is a position of power. I won’t have the son of a cheating whore as an Underboss. Our grandson will rule over Philadelphia and no one else.”
“Dad,” Christian began with a frown.
“No, I won’t discuss the matter further. Once you’re Underboss next year, you can make the decisions, but now it’s still my word ruling in this home and city. I don’t care if I have to tell the truth to every member of the Famiglia myself as long as it means our blood will rule in Philadelphia.”
I dropped my fork and stood. “If that’s the case, today is the last time you’ll see me.”
Christian touched my arm. “Stay. You shouldn’t drive back again so soon in your state.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I won’t stay in this house for another second.”
Dad rose from his chair. “I’m doing this for our family. You’ll realize it once your son is born, and then you’ll thank me.”
I smiled sadly, tears stinging in my eyes. “You’re wrong, but I know you and Mom will never understand. You can’t.”
“You should be grateful,” Mom whispered as if I’d personally broken her heart. I was sick of this game.
“I’m grateful I didn’t inherit your ambition. I won’t ever turn my children into pawns in this horrendous game for power. Not Daniele, not Simona, not Gabriel.” I touched my belly. “Because they all are my children, and I’ll fight everyone like a warrior to protect them of the horrors of this world, even if they come in the shape of my own parents.”
“How dare you after everything we’ve done?” Mom whispered harshly.
“After everything you’ve done?” I shouted. My stomach constricted with a sharp pain, but I ignored it. “You married me off to Cassio so he’d guarantee Dad’s position. You married your own niece off to the monsters from Las Vegas for the same reason, and you want my gratefulness?”
I turned, clutching my belly, my heart pounding in my chest. Elia waited in the lobby, his hand on his gun, his eyes narrowed.
“You better take your hand off your gun or you won’t live to see tomorrow,” Christian growled.
Elia ignored him and stepped up to me, cupping my elbow. “Are you all right, Giulia?”
I gave a terse nod. “Take me home. I’m done here.”
Elia led me outside, grabbing my coat on the way. Christian followed. I sagged down on the passenger seat. Before I closed the door, my brother leaned in. “Text me when you’re home so I know you’re okay.”