Chapter Twenty-Two
Elio
I open my eyes and find that I’m in Marcello’s room.
Our room, actually. Confused, I take in the ceiling with the crown molding.
Gray morning light filters in through a crack in the curtains.
Then the memory of the fight in Salvatore’s home comes rushing back.
I sit up, gasping and find Marcello beside me on the bed.
He’s fully dressed and sitting against the headboard, watching me.
“Elio, it’s okay,” he says softly, putting his hand on my arm.
“Was it all a dream?” I ask, blinking at him. My last memory is of Turi assaulting me at Salvatore’s home. Was none of that real? Am I losing my mind? How can Marcello be here? He’s supposed to be out of town.
Marcello’s eyes are dark and full of concern, and his fingers tighten on my arm. “It wasn’t a dream, but you’re safe, Elio. It’s okay.”
“The baby,” I rasp in panic, holding my stomach.
“The baby is fine. I had you checked over by a doctor. I promise, the baby is doing great.”
“Thank God.” I swallow, wincing. The inside of my throat feels like someone rubbed sandpaper over it.
“You shouldn’t talk too much.” He leans over to the nightstand and comes back with a glass of water. He holds it to my mouth and I obediently drink.
The water is cool, but it hurts going down. I pull away, wiping my chin when some water dribbles. “How are you here?” I ask.
He gives a guilty grimace as he sets the glass on the nightstand, and shifts toward me. “It’s a long story. We need to talk about everything that happened. I’m not sure if now is the time though. You’ve been through a lot.”
“I need to know what happened.” I swallow gingerly. “How… how long was I out?”
“Since yesterday afternoon. It’s morning now.”
Yesterday afternoon?
I touch my head, holding his worried gaze. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
“You’re not losing your mind. You were hit hard in the head. You had a mild concussion. Not counting a ton of bruises and scrapes, the doctor says you’re fine. Nothing is broken.”
“And you swear the baby is fine?”
“Yes.” He frowns. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”
I meet his gaze. “I thought you were on a trip?”
“No.” Guilt returns to his eyes. “I… I did lie about that.”
I narrow my eyes, bewildered. “Why?”
He sighs. “I was trying to find out what you were up to. I… I knew you were hiding things from me.”
I hesitate because he’s not wrong. “How did you find me?” I’d known the guard at the gate would call him, but the guard hadn’t known where I was going.
His glance is chiding. “There isn’t much you can hide from me, tesoro. Dante got the Uber driver’s name and where you were headed. When I saw it was Salvatore’s address, I knew something was up. I texted you a few times but you didn’t respond. So Carlo and I headed over there.”
I wince, feeling foolish. “Salvatore tricked me. He blames you for his son’s death and he used me to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“I was trying to help.”
He grimaces. “I know that too.”
I swallow hard. “He… he said he’d talk to Naldo Ferrante and then the families would stop being angry with you.”
“He used your fear for me to manipulate you. There was no need for Naldo to talk to the families. As I’ve told you before, all that grumbling will die down on its own.” He studies me. “But he knew you wouldn’t know that and that you’d do anything to help me. Because you love me.”
“Yes.” My stomach churns remembering the coldness in Salvatore’s eyes. “He pretended to be my friend, but he was lying and manipulating me the whole time. I was such a fool to trust him. You warned me not to, but I didn’t listen.”
He touches my cheek. “It’s okay, Elio. You aren’t used to this world.”
My eyes burn. “I’m sorry, Marcello. I… I was trying to help, but I fucked everything up. I… I almost got our baby killed.”
“Shhh.” He moves closer. “Elio, it’s okay. You couldn’t know. This is all new for you.”
“But, I should’ve listened to you because you did grow up in this world.” I grimace. “I… I thought you were jaded, but I was just being naive.”
“We both made mistakes in how we handled this situation.”
“Maybe, but mine almost got me and the baby killed.”
His eyes are filled with empathy, not anger. “The important thing is you’re both okay. That’s really all that matters.”
I study him, searching for some hidden resentment. “Why aren’t you mad at me?”
His laugh is sheepish. “I was mad. I was furious when I first heard you’d left the estate without Dante. I was ready to wring your neck.”
“Oh.”
“But once I calmed down, I tried to look at things through your eyes. It’s your nature to try and fix everything for everyone.
You spent most of your adult life looking after Fabio.
Trying to control things so he didn’t get hurt.
You got yourself into trouble with Salvatore by trying to fix things for me too.
” He shrugs. “Because you love me. How can I be mad at you for loving me?”
I feel so grateful he understands me. “I do love you, Marcello. I love you so much.”
“And I love you,” he says simply leaning in to give me a gentle kiss.
When the kiss ends, I hesitate. I want to ask him about what he did to Salvatore, but I’m almost afraid to hear his answer. But I need to know if the older alpha is still out there plotting. “What… what happened to Salvatore?”
“He’s alive, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That’s… surprising.” I’m not sure if I’m relieved or not. It’s hard to forgive a man who tried to kill me and my unborn child. “You decided to spare his life?”
“I did.”
“If I’m honest, I’m not sure what to feel about that,” I say softly. “Part of me is glad, and part of me hates him for what he did to me.”
“Yes. I… I understand. It wasn’t an easy decision to spare him, but there was a lot Salvatore didn’t know surrounding Cristiano’s death. My father didn’t want him to know the truth. That ignorance is why he plotted to hurt you and the baby.”
“What didn’t he know?” I frown.
“That Cristiano volunteered to take Adriano’s place in prison.”
I widen my eyes. “Cristiano volunteered for that?”
“Yes. My father didn’t force Cristiano into anything, as Salvatore thought he had. Now that he knows the truth, I don’t believe he’ll be a danger to you or our baby.”
“But, why would Cristiano have done that?”
Marcello grimaces. “To make his father proud.”
“Oh, God,” I say softly. “That’s almost worse for Salvatore.”
“Which is why my father didn’t want him to know. I’m sure Father never imagined Salvatore would seek revenge against our family. That was probably short-sighted of him. What man wouldn’t want revenge against the people who were responsible for the death of their child?”
“Especially in this violent world.”
“Yes. Trust me, it wasn’t my first instinct to spare his life.” Marcello’s jaw clenches. “I can’t forgive Salvatore for trying to murder you and our child. I only spared his life because that’s what my father would have wanted.”
“You’re sure he believed you?” I ask nervously. “Because if he didn’t, he might still try and hurt me and the baby again.”
“His eldest daughter knows the truth about what happened. I’m sure he’ll believe her. She would have no reason to lie to him now that I’ve admitted the truth. She only held her tongue because it was what my father wanted. I’m sure she had no idea what he was planning.”
“What an awful mess.” I grimace. “And all because your father was trying to be kind to his friend.”
“No good deed goes unpunished.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the bruised knuckles, one by one. He puts his hand on the baby bump, and his expression is very serious as he says, “We were lucky, Elio. It all could have gone so horribly wrong.”
“Yes,” I whisper, placing my hand over his. “I… I promise to listen to you from now on.”
He smiles. “I won’t hold my breath.”
I sigh. “I’ll try to listen more, how’s that?”
“I’ll take it.”
I scoot closer to him, resting my head on his chest. The bond between us hums, and I feel myself settling.
We had a close call, but I’m safe in the arms of my alpha again.
I really will try to listen more to Marcello.
Not because I need him to control me. It’s more about acknowledging that I don’t have to handle everything alone.
I have a partner to help me navigate life now.
That’s not something to fight. It’s not something to fear. It’s something to be grateful for. And I am so very grateful to have Marcello beside me.
****
It takes a while for things to feel normal again.
For days, Marcello barely lets me out of his sight, and I’m not exactly eager to wander far from him either.
The bruises fade, my throat heals, and eventually Salvatore stops occupying quite so much space in my thoughts.
Life moves forward, whether I’m ready for it or not.
The weeks slide by as October slowly gives way to November.
The leaves on the estate turn gold and rust before dropping from the trees, gathering in brittle drifts along the drive.
The branches become bare, the days shorter, and the wind coming off the water takes on a sharper bite.
My body changes just as quickly, sometimes so fast it feels unsettling.
By week sixteen the bump is impossible to hide, not that I’m trying. On my thin frame it looks like I’m smuggling a cantaloupe out of the market. By week twenty it’s more of a watermelon. I stop trying to wear my own clothes because nothing buttons and zippers have become my mortal enemy.
Occasionally I raid Marcello’s closet because his larger shirts are so comfortable.
The first time Marcello comes home and sees me in his shirt and a pair of sweatpants, he stops in the doorway with heat in his eyes.
Five seconds later we’re both naked and fucking like rabbits.
From that point on I know if he catches me in one of his shirts, we’re going to have sex.
I’m not complaining.