She nodded her head. “He wasn’t like this, not then. We were each other’s firsts. First love, first…”
“Then you got pregnant.”
“Yes. It was right around when things were coming to a head between the families. Dominic was going to tell his father. I told Papa.”
“That’s why he was so mad.”
She nodded sadly. “I was pregnant with the enemy’s child. Never mind that I was barely an adult and unmarried.”
“He disowned you because it was Dominic’s?”
“Yes. He couldn’t accept it. It shamed him. Infuriated him. Looking at me pissed him off. I think I was the ultimate reminder of his disgrace.”
“How long did he know before you left?”
“A month. He gave me an ultimatum. Abort the baby or lose everything.”
“Abortion? Papa?” He was a devout Catholic. As old school as they came.
She nodded, her eyes glistening again. “I couldn’t do that.” She glanced up the stairs. “I’m so glad I didn’t.”
“Does Franco Benedetti know?”
“No. Dominic never told him. In fact, we stopped seeing each other as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Well, it trickled to a stop. But things were different then. He sent money, though, after I left.”
“Well, isn’t he a prince?”
“We were both kids, Lucia, and I’ve forgiven him. You don’t have to, but this is between him and me.”
“Does Effie know?”
She shook her head. “No one does.”
“Well, I think Salvatore may.” She opened her mouth, but I continued. “He and Roman suspected it was Luke, and Roman had DNA tests done.”
“Fuck.”
“When it came back that Luke couldn’t be the father, Roman, who apparently had his suspicions, used his own DNA to test against it. Traces matched, and he’s running Dominic’s now.”
“My fucking uncle is always sticking his big fucking nose where it doesn’t belong.” Dominic leaned against the entrance tothe kitchen eating a sandwich, not bothering to hide the fact he was eavesdropping. “Not that it fucking matters. Not anymore.”
Isabella stood, suddenly fuming, and went to him. “Was it you? Did you order the hit on Luke?”
He walked around her, biting off another piece, chewing like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I didn’t realize youlovedhim,” he sneered.
She grabbed his arm, making him turn to face her. “We had an agreement! Goddamn you, we had a fucking agreement!”
“You’re the one who wanted him involved.”
“I couldn’t meet with them, you know that!”
“Meet with who?” I asked.
They both looked at me as if they were surprised I still stood there.
“The Pagani family. Paul Jr., the old man’s son and wannabe successor,” Dominic filled in, stuffing the last of his sandwich into his mouth. “Fucking asshole.”
“Old school. They won’t deal with a woman,” Isabella said.
