It took a moment for my eyes to adjust in the darkened room, but when they did, and I caught sight of Rory lying in a hospital bed, looking more fragile than I’d ever seen her, something cracked open inside my chest.
There were cuts on her face, down the side of one arm, and there was no telling what kind of damage the hospital gown covering most of her body hid from view. Eyes closed, she lay so still that if it weren’t for the monitors at her bedside, I would have had a hard time believing she was breathing.
This was all my fault. If I’d just listened to Matteo all those years ago and let her go— started over with someone else—Rory would have been kept safe from those seeking to destroy me. But no, my ego had demanded revenge for being denied an heir. I’dgotten a sick satisfaction out of deceiving her, impregnating her without her consent, and dragging her back to Chicago, where I planned to hold her captive for the rest of her days.
It wasn’t any wonder that she hated my guts.
Stepping closer to the bed, I dropped onto the lone chair beside it, taking her limp hand in mine. I brought it to my lips, breathing against her skin, “I’m so fucking sorry.”
At the sound of a soft moan, my head snapped up. With her eyes still closed, Rory’s brow was furrowed as she shifted restlessly.
I was halfway out of my seat, ready to call for a doctor, when her lashes lifted and twin blue gems filled with confusion locked on my face. “Gio?”
“I’m here, baby.” I squeezed her hand.
“Where’s here?” she croaked before wincing, like it was painful to speak.
Deciding not to overwhelm her with the details, I explained, “The hospital.”
There was a sharp gasp, and she sat bolt upright.
The sudden movement about damn near gave me a heart attack. “What? What is it?”
“Ow,” she whimpered, pressing a palm to the side of her head before it fell to her belly, and sheer terror filled her eyes, lower lip trembling. “The baby?”
“I haven’t spoken to a doctor yet, but Summer said he’s okay.”
Twin tears crested her lashes to spill down her cheeks, her chest heaving with sobs as she clutched her stomach. “Th-there was blood. I-I thought . . .”
My eyes slammed shut, the pain of almost losing her making it hard to breathe. “Me too.”
“Ah, you’re awake,” a voice called from near the door.
As soon as I saw a doctor had joined us, I began to demand answers. “What’s her condition? When can I take her home?”
The middle-aged man chuckled. “I take it you’re the father?”
“Husband,” I corrected. For reasons I couldn’t explain, that title felt more important.
Turning his attention to my wife, he asked, “How are you feeling, Rory?”
Trying to sit upright, she sucked in a hissing breath. “Sore.”
“That’s to be expected. From the eyewitness account, you were knocked off your feet by the force of the blast. While you’ve got a significant amount of bruising, along with lacerations on your right side, a burst eardrum, and a concussion, you are very fortunate your injuries weren’t more severe.”
“And my baby?” Her voice trembled.
“We did an ultrasound when you first arrived and have been monitoring his vitals ever since. His heart rate is strong, and there are no signs of a placental abruption, which was our chief concern after sustaining blunt force trauma to the abdomen.”
“Blunt force trauma,” I repeated his words in a daze.
The doctor grimaced. “Try not to panic when you lift your hospital gown. The bruising looks scary, but it’s more pronounced because your body’s blood supply increases by fifty percent during pregnancy, and hormonal changes make blood vessels more prone to rupture.”
Almost like she couldn’t resist, Rory reached down to tug on the hem of the garment covering her stomach. When her bare belly came into view—one side colored purple, a shade so dark it was almost black—my wife burst into tears.
My fists clenched. The people responsible for this were going to die a slow and painful death.
Clearing my throat, I spoke to the doctor. “How soon can she be discharged?” We were too exposed here. I needed to get her home, tucked safely behind the heavily guarded walls of my estate.
