39. Bianca
39
BIANCA
I ’m hunched over a toilet, my stomach heaving as another wave of nausea crashes over me. It’s been like this every day for the past week, a brutal reminder of the life growing inside me and the secret I’m desperately trying to keep.
I honestly thought morning sickness meant I would only throw up in the morning, but apparently, that was a misnomer. My nausea gets super intense in the afternoons and evenings. I’m in a perpetual state of wanting to vomit.
Groaning, I rest my head against the cool marble of the toilet seat and slowly pull myself to my feet. Fuck morning sickness. I hate throwing up. But thank goodness Mama, Chiara, and Mia are out of the house today. It’s been harder and harder to hide my vomiting when they keep coming into my room, trying to get me to talk. To see them.
My legs are shaky and my forehead is beaded with sweat as I wash my mouth out and head back into my bedroom.
But then I hear it, an alarm blaring through the house like a siren.
At first, I’m sure I’m imagining it, that the stress and the hormones are playing tricks on my mind, making me hear things that aren’t really there.
But then it sounds again, louder and more insistently, and I realize with a sickening certainty that this is no dream.
Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.
My heart pounds in my chest as I open my bedroom door to see people running and orders being shouted. The house is in mayhem, a flurry of activity and panic that I’ve never seen before.
And then I hear it. The sound that makes my blood run cold, sending a jolt of fear and disbelief coursing through my veins.
The intruder alarm, ringing out through the house like a death knell.
Gasping, I rush to my window, my hands shaking as I grip the sill and stare out at the scene unfolding before me. And what I see takes my breath away. My knees go weak with a mix of terror and wild, desperate hope.
There, marching across the grounds, are Rork’s men. A sea of Irish soldiers, armed to the teeth and ready for war.
And at their head, his face a mask of barely contained fury, is Rork himself. My husband, my love. He’s come back for me.
I can hear his voice ringing across the lawn like a clarion call. It’s loud and clear with a depth of rage that sends shivers down my spine.
“Nico Marino!” he shouts, his words booming. “I’ve come for what’s mine.”
There’s a pause, a moment of tense, breathless silence. And then…
“You have two choices, Marino. You can give me back my wife, or I will kill you to get to her.”
My heart clenches at his words. He means every word. He will stop at nothing, will do whatever it takes, to bring me back to his side. Even if it means killing my father.
A rush of emotions wars inside me. Because as much as I love my family, I know that I can’t live without Rork. He’s become the center of my universe, and now that we have this child growing inside me, I can’t lose him. I can’t be without him.
But I don’t want Rork to kill my father. As much of an asshole as Papa is, he’s still my father .
Suddenly, I see someone start to walk toward Rork, and I watch in horror as my father steps out, his shoulders squared and his head held high, the perfect picture of a Mafia Don.
But I know better. He’s weak with the cancer ravaging his body and the toll of the past few weeks hanging over him. He doesn’t stand a chance. Not against Rork, with his brutal strength and his unbreakable will.
Rork will happily put a bullet between his eyes. It’s the only way this fight will end.
I can’t let that happen. I can’t stand by and watch as the two men I love most in this world tear each other apart and destroy any hope of a future that doesn’t end in tragedy and despair.
I have to do something . I have to stop this before it’s too late.
Without a second thought, I turn and run out of my room and down the stairs. My heart is pounding, and my breathing is ragged.
I burst through the front door, my eyes wild and my voice raw with desperation. And there, on the front lawn, are Rork and my father.
“Stop!” I scream, my feet flying over the grass as I race toward them. “Please, stop this madness!”
They both turn to look at me, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief. But I don’t slow down for even a moment because I know that this might be my only chance to make them see reason.
“Rork, please,” I beg, my voice breaking as I reach his side. “Don’t do this.”
He looks at me, his eyes dark and stormy with a depth of emotion that takes my breath away. “Bianca, I?—”
“Get inside the house, Bianca!” my father orders, his blue eyes like ice chips as he glares at me.
I pivot, facing him, my heart beating a staccato against my chest. “No!” I cry out, taking in the lines of pain and exhaustion etched onto his face. “No, Papa! Please, please let me go with Rork.”
“Never,” Papa hisses, his face taking on an ugly look. “He’s brainwashed you, Bianca. He’s only using you to hurt me. How can you not see that?”
Rork snarls and lifts his gun, but I shriek and stand between the two men I love most in this world, tears streaming down my face. But even through the haze of fear and desperation, I know what I have to do and say to end this madness once and for all.
“Rork,” I plead, my voice trembling with emotion, “if you truly love me, then you have to let my father live. You have to set aside your need for revenge and be the man I know you can be.”
He looks at me, his green eyes blazing with a depth of feeling that makes my heart leap. But before he can respond, I turn to my father, my vision blurred by the tears that won’t stop falling.
“Papa, please . You have to understand. I love Rork with every fiber of my being.” I take a deep breath, knowing that what I’m about to say next will change everything. “And I’m carrying his child, Papa.”
The words hang in the air, a bombshell dropped in the midst of an already explosive situation. For a moment, there’s a stunned silence, a hush so profound that I can hear the pounding of my own heart.
And then, like a shockwave rippling through the crowd, Rork takes a step back. His eyes are wide, his mouth opening in a look of utter disbelief as he stares at me, his gaze flickering down to my still-flat stomach.
“You’re–you’re pregnant?” he whispers, his voice raw with a mix of wonder and fear as he runs a hand through his thick blond hair. “Since… since when?”
I feel a fresh wave of tears spilling down my cheeks, a sob rising in my throat as I nod. “I found out a few days ago. I wanted to tell you so badly, Rork…”
I trail off, my words lost in the overwhelming tide of emotions that threatens to sweep me away. But before I can say another word, my father steps forward. His face is a mask of shock and disbelief, his eyes flickering between me and Rork with a look of dawning comprehension.
“You’re–you’re carrying his child ?” he asks, his voice low and rough with emotion. “Bianca, do you have any idea what this means? How could you? Do you understand that this will tie you to him for the rest of your life?”
I feel a flare of anger rising in my chest, a fierce, protective instinct that makes me want to lash out, to defend the man I love.
“Because he’s changed, Papa. He’s not the man you think he is, not anymore.” I take a step toward him, my hand outstretched in a silent plea. “I know you have your grievances and your history. But if you love me, if you want me to be happy… you have to let it go. You have to give us your blessing and let us be together.”
But Papa shakes his head. “You’d give up your family for him ?”
I want to scream and stamp my foot at my father’s stubbornness, but I hold firm.
“I’m not giving up anything, Papa. I’m choosing love and happiness.” I take a deep breath, my hand finding Rork’s and holding on tightly. Papa’s eyes track our every move. “And if you can’t accept that, if you can’t find it in your heart to give us your blessing, then I’ll walk away. I’ll leave this house, this family, and never look back.”
For a moment, there’s silence, a tense, breathless pause that seems to stretch on for an eternity.
But then, Rork squeezes my hand and steps forward.
“Nico,” he says, his voice low and steady, his gaze locked on my father’s with a depth of sincerity that I’ve never seen before. “I know we’ve had our differences and our share of issues. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from loving your daughter, it’s that the past—it doesn’t have to define us.”
His eyes never leave my father’s. “I should have stepped aside all those years ago and let you and Anna be happy together. I should have taken her at face value when she said she wanted to be with you. I loved Anna like a sister. I just wanted her to be happy, but I was young and foolish. I thought I knew what was best for Anna. Instead, I was too caught up in my own pride to see the truth.”
I feel a wave of emotion rising in my chest, a swell of love and gratitude so intense it steals the breath from my lungs. Because this is the Rork I know and love.
The man who is willing to set aside his own desires and needs for the sake of the woman he loves.
For the sake of the child we’ve created together.
“I’m sorry, Nico. I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused, all the hurt and the heartbreak.”
He looks at my father, his expression one of raw, unbridled honesty. “All I ask is that you give us a chance and let us be together. Let us build a life and a family of our own. And in return… I swear to you that I will love and cherish your daughter until my dying day. I will protect her and our child with every breath in my body. I will protect your other daughters too from any predator who comes their way. The entire O’Malley clan will be united behind you.”
For a long, endless moment, there’s silence, a hush so deep and so profound that I can hear the pounding of my own pulse, the ragged rasp of my own breathing.
As Rork’s words hang in the air, I can see the change come over my father’s face. The hardness in his eyes, the stubborn set of his jaw… it all seems to melt away, replaced by a look of stunned disbelief.
For a moment, he simply stares at us, his gaze flickering between Rork and me as if trying to reconcile the impossible truth of what he’s seeing. And then, slowly, hesitantly…
He nods. A single, solemn gesture that feels like the world shifting beneath my feet.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “Never thought I’d live to see a Marino and an O’Malley standing side by side, united by love instead of torn apart by hate.”
He takes a deep breath, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “But if this is what you want, Bianca?—”
“More than anything,” I blurt out, interrupting him.
But Papa lifts up a hand. “If this is what you want… if Rork is the man you’ve chosen, then I won’t stand in your way. I won’t let the past destroy the hope of the future.”
A sob rises in my throat, a wave of happiness so intense it nearly brings me to my knees. Because this… this is everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I’ve dreamed of.
My father’s blessing. Rork’s love. The promise of a life together, a family of our own.
I rush toward my father, and his arms wrap around me in a strong hug. “My little girl,” he murmurs, running his fingers through my hair affectionately. “My beautiful, brave little girl. I never meant to hurt you, my darling. I never meant to drive you away. I only wanted to protect you and keep you safe.”
Leaning back, I press a kiss to his weathered cheek. “Thank you, Papa,” I whisper, my voice thick with tears. “ Thank you .”
I turn to Rork, my eyes shining with tears of joy and relief. “Take me home,” I whisper, my voice trembling with emotion.
He nods, his own eyes suspiciously bright as he pulls me into his arms and holds me close. “Anything for you, my love. Anything at all.”