Chapter 50
CHAPTER FIFTY
MASSIO
Veronica disappears into the crowd, and I pull Thea along. Knowing there’s actually no urgency behind the evacuation, I take her into the nearest room and slam the door behind me.
My phone buzzes in my pants, and I grind my teeth. The amount of shit I’m being forced to deal with all at once has me feeling like I’m losing control, but I refuse to let go of the one thing that’s most important—her.
I ignore the call despite feeling the urgency behind its constant pleas.
A sob catches in Thea’s throat, and I search over her for any sign of harm. She pulls her hands up to her chest, clutching over her heart, and it has my stomach twisting in shame and regret.
“Thea …”
My phone vibrates again, setting my teeth on edge.
“Have you slept with my mother?”
I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.
Her bottom lip wobbles, her eyes are full of torment and disappointment, and I hate it. Hate what I’ve done to us. Hate that I haven’t been open and honest with her.
“You have. Haven’t you?” Her voice is broken; my beautiful girl is hurting, and nothing I say will fix it. Tears pool in her eyes, and I drop my head forward. A choked sob leaves her before she cries out. “Oh god!” She bends over, clutching her stomach. “You slept with her.”
“It’s not what you think—”
She holds her hand up to stop me, and the other cradles her stomach, where she’s growing our baby.
I feel her slipping away, them slipping away, and desperation pumps through me.
My eyes remain locked on her stomach. She’s protecting herself, protecting our baby from the only person she shouldn’t need protection from, and that guts me to my core, searing through my soul. The thought of hurting her so deeply causes wetness to gather in my eyes.
“Thea, please,” I implore.
Jesus, I need to fix this.
No, I will fix this.
I inch toward her, but she steps back until her back hits the wall, getting as far away from me as possible. “I don’t want you anywhere near me,” she whimpers. “You’re going to leave us alone.” Us. Her and my baby.
My phone vibrates, causing me to explode. I rip it out of my pants pocket and flip it over.
Over fifty missed calls and messages from my brothers and Sal. This is important. I can feel it in my gut; this has something to do with Thea.
Furrowing my brow, I turn my back and call Zane.
“Finally!” He exhales. “You need to get Theodora away from Veronica.” I clench my teeth at the use of Theodora’s full name.
She hates it, therefore, so do I. “She’s dangerous, Massio.
” I scoff at his words. That bitch may be a little psychotic with her vicious tongue, but she’s not dangerous.
“She orchestrated Theodora’s attack.” My mind becomes hazy as his words swim around.
“Did you hear me? Her own mother organized the man to … hurt her.”
“What?” I whisper. “Are you sure?” Surely not. Surely, her mother, her own flesh and blood, would not damage her own daughter in such a way.
“One hundred percent sure, Massio. She’s kept contact with him all these years.
She’s used her daughter as a pawn to earn a profit from.
Turns out, she was fucking the original guy Theodora was meant to marry too.
The woman is a bona fide psycho whore from fucking hell, and your woman is in the middle of this shit. ”
The sound of the door closing behind me sets me on high alert, and when I spin around, my eyes widen and my stomach sinks as horror sets in.
Thea is gone.
She left me.