Antonio - Ashlee Price Page 0,64

my wife. Just like I vowed when I proposed to her, I'm going to protect her no matter what.

Chapter Seventeen

Triss

"What did Ned say?" I ask Antonio as soon as he comes back into the room.

All this time, I've felt like the handcuffed defendant in some courtroom TV show, waiting anxiously for the verdict.

Antonio closes the door behind him. "Maggie didn't tell him."

My eyebrows arch. She didn't?

"He came here because Maggie left right after she got home and he thought I did something to make her so upset," Antonio continues as he walks towards me.

"And?" I ask. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Antonio sits beside me on the edge of the bed and looks at Lara, who's just fallen asleep in my arms. "I told him what you told me about Lara."

So he knows it now.

I go back to my original question. "And what did he say?"

"He was furious. He wanted to arrest you, but I managed to calm him down and convince him that you're innocent."

"He believed it?"

"At the very least, he knows there's no evidence that you kidnapped Lara. But he can't just leave things as they are. I told him what we talked about - that we're going to go to the city as soon as Lara is well and hand her over to the police so they can contact Child Services and find Lara's parents. He gave me the name of his friend there and said he'd call him so he'll be expecting us."

I nod. So we'll proceed as planned. I should feel relieved, but somehow my anxiety hasn't decreased one bit.

"Also, he said he wasn't going to tell anyone else," Antonio adds. "Not even Bernie. He'll leave it to us to explain everything after the whole issue has been resolved."

"Okay."

At least I won't be crucified for my actions, even though Ned must want to see me punished after making his sister suffer. When this is all over, I'll be sure to thank him and apologize to Maggie.

Antonio pats my shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything will work out fine."

He touches Lara's arm.

"The authorities will do everything possible to get Lara back to her family, and if they can't, we'll adopt her and we'll be a real family."

A real family. I haven't had that in a while. It sounds good, but I can't allow myself to hope. It would be wrong to hope that Lara doesn't get returned to her real mother and father.

If they're alive and well, I'm sure they've been worried sick about her. I realize now that I must have put them through a painful ordeal and I resent myself for it. That's why I've made up my mind to give Lara back. That's why I must hope they get her back.

It's the right thing to do. It's the best for Lara. I know all that already. But why does my heart feel so heavy? Why do I feel like I want to cry each time I look at Lara?

"Triss." Antonio rubs my shoulder. "Everything will be okay. For now, just keep taking care of Lara so that she gets back in the pink of health, and then we'll go to the city and make things right."

Make things right? Why then does it feel so wrong?

Antonio plants a kiss on the side of my head. "I'll be right next door working. Let me know if you need anything."

He walks out of the room.

Anything? What do I need? I should have everything I need now. A husband. A home. So why do I feel so uneasy?

I stare at Lara's face and let out a deep breath.

"Why can't I be as carefree as you?"

Just then, the door opens again. For a moment, I think it's Antonio coming back because he forgot something. Lately, I keep expecting to see him everywhere. As I look up, I realize it's Sally, her clipboard in hand. She looks at it as she stops a few feet away from me.

"How's Lara? Did she throw up? Does she still have diarrhea?"

I give her a puzzled look. What? No hello? She must be busy.

"She didn't throw up," I answer. "And she hasn't pooped since last night. She slept better, too."

Sally makes some notes on her chart.

"How many times did she wet her diaper?"

I pause to recall them. "Three."

"And how many bottles of milk did she drink?"

"She finally managed to finish a whole bottle early this morning," I tell Sally proudly. "That's good, right?"

She doesn't answer. She just scribbles on her chart. Then she checks