continued straight into the lounge room and waited for the police to pull into the driveway. Placing my hand against the tiny bump on my belly, I advanced toward the sight of this violent, peculiar weather.
Freedom was so close I could almost taste it…
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
The Present
I finished talking, and Alessandro remained silent for a few moments. Then, he leaned back into his chair and sighed. “Is that all there is to it, Olivia?”
He seemed eerily calm and undisturbed by everything I had told him. The past had taught me his calmness was a thing to be feared the most because—more often than not—it served him as a prelude to a storm of epic proportions. Was I wrong to trust him enough to open up and tell him the truth? “What do you mean?” I probed with caution.
Alessandro shrugged and smiled with a sour expression. “I mean, was that all it took for you to cave in and decide you had no other option than to plan my murder in order to protect the baby?”
I gulped as the feeling of nervousness crept deeper into my system. “Alessandro, please. You said—”
“Olivia, I know what I said,” he interrupted in a soothing tone. “I didn't mean it like that. I don't blame you for anything. It's just...looking back, I wish I handled that conversation differently. You caught me off guard that day. You just came into my office out of nowhere and started asking questions. I didn't know it was a trial type of thing where you wanted to assess the risks and my feelings on the matter. I wasn't ready to be a father. I’ve never entertained that thought before you brought it up.”
I expelled a sigh of relief. “So, what has changed in the meantime?”
“That conversation we had made me very restless and confused,” he admitted. “I was also very suspicious, so I gave your doctor a call.”
I swallowed and froze in surprise. “What did she tell you?”
His eyes bored into mine. “She confirmed you were pregnant and told me you seemed uneasy when she broke the news. She also explained it happened because of birth control failure. Suddenly, that strange conversation we had made a lot more sense.”
“And how did you feel about it?” I wondered in bafflement.
“I'm not going to lie. At first, I was furious, but then the idea grew on me.” His gaze went distant. “I’d been unhappy for such a long time and I was done being stubborn. I began imagining us as a family and I realized the baby was a blessing. I thought it would help me mend things. I saw it as a new beginning...a chance to fix the mess I’ve made out of our marriage.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “But you never said anything.”
“I took the doctor's words seriously,” he muttered. “I wanted to show you that things were going to change first. I wanted you to feel at ease before I told you I knew, but I never got a chance to do that because of the accident.”
I gasped, remembering that fateful Friday morning when he brought breakfast into my room and made love to me. At the time, I thought his intention was to taunt and humiliate me, but now I saw the possibility his affection might have been genuine. Even then, he wanted the baby. Even then, he wanted to fix things. I wasn't sure if it were the pregnancy hormones or the feeling of guilt that tore me apart, but my eyes filled with tears at the sudden realization of how wrong things had gone between us. “Alessandro, I’m sorry,” I agonized through a lump in my throat.
Leaning over in his chair, he closed the space between us and wiped away my tears. “No, cara. Please don't.”
“I didn't mean for it to happen,” I choked out. “I was just really frightened.”
“Shh,” he breathed against my skin. “I know, piccola. I know. Don't cry. I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have treated you better...much, much better. I should have shown you how much you meant to me and earn your love instead of playing games.”
“Do you really mean it?” I inquired, hesitant to relax. “You’re not mad about the accident?”
“Oh, I’m mad, Olivia,” he retorted. “I’m mad at myself. If I hadn't been such a jerk, none of this would have happened.”
“So there will be no punishment?” I demanded in a small, uncertain voice.
Alessandro's eyes widened and he leaned his forehead on mine. “Per Dio!