Chapter 29
ADRIANA
I sit hunched on the edge of the couch, phone clutched in both hands, my chest so tight I can barely breathe. Bella sits beside me, one arm around my shoulders, murmuring the same reassurances she’s given me a dozen times already.
“She’s going to be okay, Adriana. Dante will find her. He’s stubborn as hell. Julianne’s safe with him—he’d die before letting anything happen to her.”
I nod, not really hearing her, my thoughts racing in frantic, useless circles. I want to believe it, but all I can see is Julianne’s number blinking “no answer” on my screen.
I press the back of my hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to scream. Bella squeezes me tighter.
Then, out of nowhere, Bella shifts, her voice suddenly different—nervous, almost shaky. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you. I was going to wait until things calmed down, but…” She takes a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”
I stare at her, so stunned I can’t speak. For a heartbeat, every other worry falls away. “Wait, what?”
She laughs, half in relief, half in terror. “Yeah. I’m serious. Found out last night. I’ve barely slept.”
For a second, I almost smile, the shock short-circuiting my panic. “Bella, are you…are you happy?”
She nods, tears sparkling in her eyes. “Terrified. But yeah, I think so.”
“Who’s the father?” I blurt out, still stunned.
Bella’s smile falters. “Actually…I’d rather not talk about that. Not yet.”
I give her a look. “Don’t do that to me, Bella. I need something to distract me from losing my mind.”
She just shakes her head, managing a tiny laugh. “You’ll know soon enough, trust me. Right now, I just needed to tell someone.”
I sigh. “That’s not fair.”
“Not fair?” she says, her voice dropping. “You told me to get you tests and then completely dropped off the face of the earth. Do we get to be pregnant together or not?”
I chew the inside of my cheek. “I was scared, still am. I haven’t taken a test.”
She opens her bag. “Well, I did get you a few since you asked. You know, when you texted me, I thought you were pranking me, thought you’d found out about me somehow. I had no idea you were sleeping with Dante.”
My cheeks color. “It happened a few times.”
She gives me a look. “Aren’t you a sneaky little thing. You won’t believe me, but I always thought something might be going on. You make such an adorable couple.”
She might be the first and the last person to think that. My husband is a Greek god, chiseled jaw, bright blue eyes. And I’m, well, me. I shake my head. “You’re one to talk. What about your sneaky link or whatever the kids are calling it these days?”
Before I can push her for more, my phone rings. I grab it, breath catching when I see Dante’s name.
I answer on the first ring. “Dante?”
His voice is steady, calm. “I’ve found her. I’m bringing her home.”
Relief crashes through me so hard I almost drop the phone. For a second, all I can do is close my eyes and let the tears fall.
The moment Julianne sees me, she tries to smile, but her knees buckle. Dante catches her before she hits the floor, scooping her up into his arms with a quiet strength I’ve only ever seen in moments like this.
My heart stutters. He holds her so carefully, protective but somehow gentle, his jaw tight with concern.
It’s ridiculous, but jealousy flares in my chest—a wild, ugly thing.
I remind myself Julianne is my sister. Dante is just helping her.
But for one unguarded second, I see how natural it looks, the way he carries her, and my mind spins out with thoughts I hate myself for.
He says nothing, just walks past me and Bella, carrying Julianne straight to the guest bedroom. I trail after them, chewing my lip, Bella’s hand pressing to my back in silent support.
He lays Julianne gently on the bed, checking her over for injuries.
There’s a scrape on her cheek, but otherwise she looks unharmed—just exhausted, skin drawn and gray.
I hover in the doorway, wanting to touch her, to comfort her, but feeling like I’m on the outside of something intimate and unspoken.
“Is she okay?” I manage, voice trembling.
Dante looks up, eyes dark and serious. “She’ll need rest. She’s in shock, but she’ll be all right.”
I nod, trying to focus on my sister’s face, not on the way Dante’s arms linger around her for a moment longer than necessary. I tell myself I’m being ridiculous. That I should only feel gratitude. But I can’t shake the storm of emotions tearing me up from the inside out.
Bella slips past me to sit beside Julianne, taking her hand, whispering reassurances. I lean in the doorway, arms wrapped tight around myself, wishing I could turn off my heart and just breathe.
I finally move into the room after Bella, forcing myself to focus.
Julianne is propped up on the pillows, still shivering a little.
I grab a glass of water from the nightstand and press it into her hands.
She takes a sip, her grip shaky, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders.
She winces, but hugs me back tightly, burying her face in my hair.
“I was so worried about you,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I kept calling and calling. When I realized Luka might be involved with the missing girls—” I pull back, searching her face. “Julianne, is that true? Did he hurt you?”
For a moment, her eyes are blank, like she doesn’t understand the question. But then something in her face hardens and she nods. “I…I got scared of him. He changed. There was this look in his eyes, Adi. I thought he was going to do something awful.”
“You’re safe here now,” I say, brushing hair from her forehead. I want to believe it’s true. “I promise.”
She glances over my shoulder, her gaze landing on Dante. “He saved me,” she says, her voice soft but clear. “Dante found me. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he hadn’t shown up.”
Her grateful smile catches him off guard for a moment, and I see something shift in his expression—something warm and protective that makes my heart twist with emotion I don’t want to examine.
We leave Julianne to rest, Bella fluffing her pillows, whispering that she’ll be right outside if she needs anything. I hesitate at the door, watching my sister drift toward sleep, but Dante stands in the hallway, arms crossed, already impatient.
“I really think we should take her to a doctor,” I say quietly, worry knotting in my stomach.
“She’ll be fine here,” he replies, voice rough, not looking at me. “Let her rest. She doesn’t need the hospital right now.”
I nod, but the words sting, and a guilty, helpless feeling sweeps over me. I want to argue, but I know it won’t change his mind.
I close the bathroom door behind me, feeling the hush settle over everything. My hands tremble as I unwrap the test and set it on the edge of the sink, counting each second as the result develops.
Two faint pink lines.
I blink, barely believing it. Instead of fear, relief and—strangely—real happiness fills my chest. It’s not what I expected, but it’s what I want.
This could be the beginning of something new between me and Dante.
Maybe the start of trust, or even love. Maybe everything will finally change for the better.
I gather myself and tuck my phone into my pocket, making a mental note to text Alex the details—everything I’ve uncovered, the footage from Portello that finally links Luka, all the facts I’ve pieced together. For once, the story feels manageable. My sister is safe.
I am okay.
I want to tell Dante. The urge is so strong it feels like I might burst. But when I step into the hall, the apartment is quiet. I call his name softly, but there’s no answer. I wander through the rooms, trying to calm my nerves, feeling strangely light and hopeful.
The guest bedroom door is open just a little. I step closer and peek in.
Dante is there, sitting on the edge of Julianne’s bed.
He’s holding a bowl of soup, patiently feeding her one careful spoonful at a time, his voice quiet and steady as he checks the temperature and encourages her to eat.
Julianne looks tired, but she smiles at him, and her hand rests in his with a kind of trust I haven’t seen in years.
I watch them for a moment, feeling so many things at once—relief that my sister is safe, gratitude for what Dante has done, and a deep, unexpected ache low in my chest. I wish it were me he was looking at like that, me he was caring for with such gentle patience.
I want to walk in, to announce my news, to feel certain I belong beside him.
But I don’t move. I linger in the hallway, emotions swirling—hope, jealousy, pride, longing.
I wonder if this is how it always will be.
The people I love just out of reach, my happiness tangled up with doubts I can’t quite silence.
I press a hand to my stomach and remind myself there’s a new life growing inside me, a reason to hope, even if everything feels uncertain right now.
I hover in the doorway a moment longer, watching as Dante carefully sets the empty bowl aside and checks the covers around Julianne. She thanks him, her voice small, and he gives her a nod, gentle but distant. When he stands and turns, he sees me watching.
His eyes meet mine for only a second before he looks away, brushing past me in the hallway without a word or a glance. I stand there, confused, expecting him to stop, to say something, but he just walks away, his shoulders tense, face unreadable.
I follow him into the kitchen, the words “I need to tell you something” burning on my tongue, but he doesn’t give me the chance. He busies himself at the sink, rinsing the bowl, barely acknowledging I’m even in the room.
“Dante?” I try, keeping my voice steady.
He glances at me, but the warmth I’ve come to crave is gone, replaced by a coolness that makes me shrink back. “What?” he asks, too quickly.
I falter. “Nothing. I just…wanted to say thank you. For what you did for Julianne.”
He shrugs, his jaw set. “Anyone would’ve done the same.”