Chapter 27 Valentina
VALENTINA
Cristian's face crumples as I mention the only solution that makes sense.
The agony in his eyes mirrors the pain in my heart, made worse by knowing I’m adding to it by not being brave enough to risk our baby or his life. I've never seen a man so broken.
For a moment, I worry that he thinks I don’t love him enough and that’s why I’m pushing him away. "I've thought of everything. So have you. You yourself have said Maksim will find us, and so will my brothers. They'll never stop hunting us."
My phone buzzes with a text. When I check it, my stomach drops.
"It's Alessandro. Maksim is here about setting a new wedding date."
Cristian's jaw tightens. "Why? What's his angle now?"
I share what Alessandro told me last night.
“He says there's been too much delay already.
He doesn't trust us anymore after the forged letter.
" I press my hand to my stomach, feeling protective over the tiny life inside me.
"But maybe it's for the best. The sooner we're married, the easier it will be to claim the baby is his. "
I can’t stand that I’m saying these words.
Worse, I hate myself for the pain it causes Cristian.
For so long, I’ve felt my life is unfair, but it’s worse for him. For having a child he can’t claim, he can’t love, he can’t watch grow up.
“I’m sorry, I have to go before they get suspicious.”
“Valentina—”
“I’m sorry.” I hurry out of the storage room, feeling like I’m the worst person in the world.
He’s been nothing but good to me.
He’s stood up for me against my brothers. He’s saved my life.
He gave me what I should have never asked for, love and respect.
And now I’m tossing him aside.
I pull myself together as I enter the sitting room where my brothers and Maksim are having a drink.
“Ah, my wife to be.” Maksim rises, and when he sees me, his eyes narrow. “Are you unwell?”
I force a smile. “Just tired. There’s so much to be done before the wedding. Especially if you’re wanting to move it up.”
“Why wait?” he asks, taking my hand and guiding me to sit next to him on the sofa. “Why give the Rossis more time to cause problems?”
I can tell he doesn’t believe that story. This move is to ensure he gets what he wants.
“Why, indeed?” I say, hating myself.
He tilts his head, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You seem eager suddenly. After all your resistance."
I meet his gaze, hoping he doesn’t see the truth. “I’m not resistant to the marriage. I’ve been resistant to your advances. After all, you’re eager to have a virgin bride, am I right?”
He smirks as he glances at my brothers.
Adriano is in the corner, sipping his drink, but I feel a simmering anger in him.
I wish he were stronger, more willing to stand up to Alessandro like Luca was.
"The sooner we’re married, the sooner we can be done with all this work on the wedding. It’s exhausting."
He studies me for a long moment before nodding. "Good. A week from Saturday, then. And I'll have my people make the arrangements. You rest. I want my new bride full of energy for our wedding night."
Alessandro scowls but doesn’t say anything.
When Maksim leaves, I feel like I want to take a shower. Maksim’s taint is all over me.
“Valentina.” Alessandro calls me before I can make it upstairs.
I turn to him, not hiding my annoyance. “Now what?”
“I just want to thank you. I’m happy that you see reason. This alliance will protect our family.” Relief is evident in his tone. God, right now, I hate him for that.
"Yes," I reply flatly. "The family comes first." For a moment, I consider telling him what a coward I think he is. How our father wouldn’t have ever allowed this marriage after Maksim’s power moves during the engagement. How Luca could come and with his help, we could eliminate the Bratva threat. But it wouldn’t do any good.
Alessandro is the Don. What he says goes.
That night, I lay sleepless in bed wishing for a miracle. I’m not surprised when Cristian climbs onto my balcony, but it rips me apart because I know I have to send him away.
“What did that fucker want today?” he asks, standing with his hands on his hips.
“The wedding will be Saturday.”
"A week? That's not enough time to figure something out."
We’ve been over this.
A million times.
There’s nothing we can figure out short of killing an army of Bratva and Dante men, which is what this marriage is designed to avoid.
"It will make it easier for Maksim to believe the baby is his."
Cristian stops abruptly, turning to me with devastation in his eyes. "I can't stand the thought of him touching you. Of him claiming our child."
I cross the room to him, taking his face in my hands. "I know. But our baby will be safe. You'll be safe. That's what matters."
"And what about you? What about your safety? Your happiness?"
I have no answer for that.
There's no future where I get both my child and my freedom. One must be sacrificed for the other, and I've made my choice.
“My safety and happiness have always been a lost cause. It’s my sacrifice. Alessandro says I’m protecting the family, and I am. What he doesn’t know is that the family is you and this baby.”
“Fuck!” Cristian growls. “I’ll kill them all.”
“To what end? You know they’ll kill you and I’ll still be forced to marry Maksim.” I pull him to me. "Just hold me tonight. Let's pretend, just for tonight, that we have more than this."
He pulls away, his sorrow turning to anger. “Why did you do this to me? I told you we couldn’t and yet you pushed and pushed… and now I’m forced to forfeit you and our child? What the fuck, Valentina?”
I’d already hated myself, but in this moment, I wish a hole would open up and swallow me whole. I can’t handle his pain. I can’t handle that I’m the cause of it.
“I’m sorry.” God, the words are so inadequate.
He shakes his head, and with a withering glare, he exits onto the balcony, and I suppose out of my life.
Two days later, I'm sitting in the formal dining room with Alessandro, Adriano, and Maksim, staring at a new wedding folder spread across the table.
“I thought you were going to take care of everything,” I say, unable to hide my irritation that I’m once again making wedding plans. As far as I’m concerned, they should bring a priest in now and get this whole thing over with.
Maksim’s eyes darken, and I know that if my brothers weren’t there, he’d probably slap me for my tone. “I have. I’m just letting you and your brothers know. We've moved the ceremony.” He outlines the changes and why.
I nod mechanically. "Perfect."
Maksim reaches across the table, his cold fingers brushing mine as he points to the reception details.
I fight the urge to pull away, forcing myself to smile instead.
My child depends on this performance.
"And you'll have your final dress fitting tomorrow," he continues, his eyes lingering on my body in a way that makes my skin crawl. "I want you looking perfect when you become mine."
Alessandro clears his throat. "The security arrangements are finalized. We'll have men stationed at every entrance."
"As will I," Maksim adds, a hint of tension in his voice.
“Does Luca know of the new date?” I ask Alessandro. I want Maksim to know the one brother he fears will be there. Of course, once Luca returns home, it won’t matter.
“I’ll call him later.”
Maksim’s lips purse into distaste, but he doesn’t say anything.
I rise. “Well, I guess that’s it for the wedding. I’m sure you have other business to discuss. I’ll see you Saturday, Maksim.”
He stands and kisses the back of my hand. “I’m looking forward to making you my wife in every way possible.”
I want to throw up, and I’m sure it’s not because of the pregnancy.
I excuse myself, needing air, needing space from these men deciding my fate.
As I slip into the hallway, a strong hand catches my wrist, pulling me into the library.
Cristian's face is tight with fury, his eyes wild. "I can't sit by and listen to this anymore.”
I hated how we left things last night, but by morning, I knew it was for the best. I’d rather him be angry than hurt.
"Not now," I plead, glancing nervously toward the dining room. "They'll notice."
"Not now? Then when, Valentina? After you're his wife? After he fucks you?"
"You think I want this?" I hiss, trying to keep my voice low. The last thing we need is anyone learning about our relationship. "You think I want to marry him? To let him raise our child?"
"Then don't!" His hands grip my shoulders. "We can still run. I have money saved. We could disappear tonight."
I shake my head, tears threatening. "We’ve been over this. They would find us. You know they would."
"So you're just giving up?" The accusation in his voice stings. “Giving up on us… on our child?”
"I'm protecting what matters most.” I place my hand over my belly. "Our baby. You. There's no other way. You know that, Cristian."
His expression crumples, anger giving way to heartbreak. "There has to be."
I gently remove his hands from my shoulders, my eyes darting toward the hallway. "Someone could see you touching me like this. We can't risk it."
His jaw tightens, eyes flashing with hurt. "Fuck ‘em. I can’t do this. I can’t stand by and watch the woman I love marry another man, watch him claim my child as his own."
"Love?" The word catches me off guard, making my heart stutter painfully.
"Yes, love." Cristian's voice drops lower, more intense. "I love you, Valentina. What do you have to say to that? I can give you everything you want. All you have to do is choose me."
The confession I've longed to hear now only intensifies my pain. I force myself to look away from the emotion in his eyes, knowing what I have to say next will break us both.
"I can’t. And we can't continue whatever this is between us… It has to end."
“Whatever this is?” His expression is incredulous. “What this is is real.”
“It can’t be.”
"You don't mean that." His voice turns desperate. "I know you don't."
"I do." I’m the worst person in the world. "The wedding is in five days. I'm carrying a child that Maksim will believe is his. There's no future for us, Cristian."
His face pales. "So, that's it? Everything we've shared means nothing?"
"It means everything," I admit, unable to continue the lie. "But it’s impossible."
He looks at me like I’ve driven a knife into his heart. I suppose I have, metaphorically speaking.
"I won't give up on us," he vows. "I can't."
I hear footsteps approaching from the dining room and step further away from him.
"You must," I plead quietly. "For the baby. For yourself. I've made my choice, Cristian. Please respect it enough to let me go."
The sorrow in my heart is so profound, I can barely breathe. I force myself to turn away from Cristian's devastated expression, knowing that walking away from him is the bravest and most painful thing I've ever done.
He moves closer to me.
"This is dangerous," I warn, keeping my distance.
"More dangerous than marrying a man who would kill you if he knew the truth?"
"I'm doing what's necessary to protect our child. Why can’t you see that?"
"By sacrificing yourself?" He moves closer again. "By condemning our baby to be raised by a monster?"
"What choice do I have?" I move back several steps. "Run away and have us all hunted down like animals? All of us killed, our baby too?"
"Fight!" He slams his hand against the wall, making me jump. "You're a Dante, for God's sake. When did you become someone who just accepts her fate?"
"When I realized I was carrying a life that depends on my decisions!" I shout back, tears burning my eyes. "You think I want this? To let another man touch me? To pretend our baby isn't yours?"
His face contorts with anguish. "I can't stand it, Valentina. Knowing he'll be there every night, that he'll watch our child grow—"
"Stop!" I press my hands to my ears.
"Then don't do it," he pleads, crossing the space between us to take my face in his hands. "Please."
The touch of his skin against mine breaks something inside me.
All the fear, all the desperation comes pouring out as his lips crash into mine.
I kiss him back with everything I have, all my love, all my sorrow, all my rage at the unfairness of our situation.
I think I hear someone, but I don’t stop. Instead, I focus one last time on the taste of him, the warmth of his hands, and the heartbreaking knowledge that this is our final goodbye.