I fixed my suit. “My wife’s test results.”
“Ah, Signora Fausti. Estella Fausti. Her family has quite the history. I discussed this with her mamma, Magnolia.”
I took a step toward his desk. His eyes grew wide before they narrowed on my hands. The veins there were swollen, and so was the major one in my neck. I could feel them all pulsating.
“Not her mamma. My wife. Her test results.”
“They do not come back overnight, Signore Fausti. I am sure your wife has told you this?”
“It has been three months. I want the results. Now.”
“You should speak with her.”
The caring nature in his eyes couldn’t save him from the destructive one in mine. I went after him, but suddenly, the only force on this earth that could stop me from killing him was standing before me, waving her hands.
“Matteo! Matteo! Teo? Listen to me. Stop! Please. Stop!”
My eyes were on my wife, but I had no idea how she fucking got there. I did when Saverio appeared and my old man cleared his throat. Mamma. She must have known and sent the cavalry in to save this man. Maybe she didn’t want to embarrass Uncle Tito. He had recommended Ennio Canavero, the doctor who could have saved more lives if he would have just saved one more.
Mine.
I went to move, but that force stopped me again.
Stella was standing between the doctor and me, her body pressing against mine. I could have easily moved her out of the way, but she ruled me.
She set her head on my chest. “We need to talk, Teo.” She looked at all the men in the office. “Can you give us a minute?”
Saverio and papà walked the doctor out, the door shutting quietly behind them.
I grabbed Stella’s arms, not to hurt her, but to let her know I wanted answers. She looked up at me with stormy eyes that seemed to reflect whatever was going on inside of her.
“I’m sorry.” She took a step back from me and shook her head. She looked to the left, where Canavero had a library of leather-bound medical journals. “I should have told you sooner, but I just wanted more time to…be together. To figure out the next steps in my own head.”
Her words were like fists that a storm could have created, pushing me back, not hard enough to land me on my ass on the floor, but hard enough to land me in one of the doctor’s chairs in front of his desk.
“Stella,” I whispered.
Her eyes flew to mine. “I’m okay, right now. Better than okay. But Dr. Canavero recommends that I have a hysterectomy. It would be in my best interest to, for the future.”
“Now.”
“The sooner the better.”
“Today,” I said. “We go to the hospital today.” That was what I meant when I said now.
She shook her head. “Not now.”
I stood. “Now.”
“No!” she snapped at me, then closed her eyes and sighed. “No. I’m not going today or tomorrow, or even next week.”
“Tell me,” I snapped.
“I’m pregnant, Matteo.” Her eyes opened and looked directly into mine, almost defiantly, and her chin stuck up. “We discussed having a baby, and with Graziana and the boys, well, I couldn’t wait to start trying. So I stopped taking my pills. This was before I knew that what mama has can be hereditary. I found out about the baby when the doctors ran the tests. I wanted to tell you, a million times, I did, but it seems like with our good news comes bad too. Or vice versa. I didn’t want you to worry.”
Five words.
That was all I could find.
