"Oh my God." Sophia's hand finds mine again. "Lorenzo, I'm so sorry."
I pull the car to a stop just inside the gates and turn to look at her. The bruises on her throat have faded to yellow-green, but I can still see the ghost of Daniil's fingers there. It makes me want to kill him all over again.
"Sophia." I reach out, cup her face with my free hand. "Whatever you saw, whatever you thought when you came to my office—it wasn't what you think."
Her eyes search mine, still guarded.
"I saw you with her. Against the wall."
"I was going to kill her." The truth comes out flat, matter-of-fact. "I had my hand around her throat. If she hadn't started talking about Bruno and Riccardo, she'd be dead right now."
Sophia's eyes widen slightly, but she doesn't pull away.
"You ran before you could hear me threatening to put a bullet in her skull for what she did to my family." My thumb traces her cheekbone. "There's nothing between Luna and me except rage and the need for answers."
"But she was your first love."
"She was my first mistake." I lean closer, needing her to understand. "You're my only love. The only one that matters. The only one that's real."
Sophia's breath catches. She looks down at our joined hands, processing.
"What about the baby?" she asks quietly. "Did she... did she have it?"
The question I've been avoiding for four days.
"I don't know." The admission burns. "She mentioned being pregnant when she left. That's all. Whether she kept it, whether it survived, whether it was even mine..." I shake my head. "I don't know."
"Lorenzo—"
"It could be Riccardo's." The words come out harsh. "They were fucking behind my back. She could have been pregnant before she ever came to my bed. Or after. I don't know how long it went on."
Sophia's quiet for a moment, absorbing this.
"Do you want to know?"
It's the question I've been asking myself. Do I want to know if there's an eleven-year-old kid out there who might be mine? Do I want to know if Riccardo has a child who survived him? Do I want to open that door?
"I have to know." My voice is rough. "If there's a kid—mine or Riccardo's—they're family. They're Sartori blood. That means something."
"Even if it's Luna's child too?"
"The kid didn't choose their parents. If there's a child out there with Sartori blood, they deserve to know their family. To have our protection."
Sophia nods slowly. "When will you talk to her again?"
"Today. Liam is bringing her."
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Sophia
My fingers shake as I button Lorenzo's shirt. It's the black one he wore to our first dinner at the compound. I've been living in his clothes since the hospital. Can't stand anything tight around my throat.
The bruises have faded to ugly yellows and greens, but I still see Daniil's face every time I close my eyes. Feel his hands crushing my windpipe. Hear Marina's scream before the gunshot.
I haven't slept through a single night since I woke up in the hospital.
Lorenzo tries to hide it, but I know he doesn't sleep either. He holds me when the nightmares come, whispers Italian endearments against my hair, but his body stays coiled tight like he's ready for another attack.
