“Gi?” Her name comes out hoarse, broken.
Is that why she didn’t want to tell me about the baby? If she was pregnant before she went away, it would be hard to hide when the baby was born. Admitting she slept with Antonio may be the real secret.
“Tommy, no.” Giovanna is shaking her head, both hands on my arm. My focus goes to that point of contact, the one thing that makes me feel grounded without fail.
And yet…
The night of her 21st birthday when I found her with him, wearing his jacket.
The marks on his face when I saw him at Luminous after I taught him how to fuck her at the New Year’s Eve gala.
The years she spent with him—why would he stay in a relationship with her if she wasn’t fucking him?
“Antonio told me,” Una continues. She sniffles like she’s holding back tears. “We were together, Tommy, for years. I’m sorry I never told you, but I knew you didn’t like him, and I didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t trust you.”
“I can’t trust you,” I snarl.
“I know.” Tears slide down her cheeks. “That’s why I’m here. I have so much respect for you, for the work you’re doing, that I couldn’t walk away without telling you the truth.”
My head is about to explode. If Giovanna slept with someone else while we were apart, I can’t fault her for that. But if she lied to me about sleeping with Antonio, if she lied to me about anything, I just can’t—
Giovanna steps in front of me, blocking Una.
“Look at me, Tommy.” She frames my face with both hands. “I’ve never been with anyone but you. No one else. And that includes Antonio.” Something in her eyes darkens, and her voice breaks as she corrects herself. “I have nevervoluntarilybeen with anyone but you.”
That look in her eyes, the pain on her face, the way her voice trembles, it fucking crushes my heart. I know she’s not lying.
“Una.” I lift my gaze from Gi to Una behind her. “How long were you fucking Antonio?”
For a split second, Una freezes. I can see her flip through her options for response and choose one.
“Almost six years.”
I drop my gaze to Giovanna. She keeps her voice low, so only I can hear. “Eight months at most, about five years ago.”
Anger flashes through me. Has she known for that long that Antonio and Una were dating? Another secret Giovanna kept from me.
Again, I look past Gi to Una. “Why were you fucking him?”
Una swallows nervously, glancing at the back of Giovanna’s head then back at me. “Why do you date anyone? We fell in love. He told me that his relationship with Giovanna was a contractual obligation, but I left him when he finally admitted that he was sleeping with her and had been the whole time.”
I look at Gi for confirmation. She speaks quietly. “She dumped him when he told her I found about her. He said shewas cheating on him with someone else.” She narrows her eyes at me, her voice still quiet but with an edge. “Was that person you?”
Scowling, I clench my fists. “No.”
“Then that person was probably my father. She’s currently sleeping with him. If the timeline is correct, they’ve been together off and on for more than five years.”
My brain is fucking short circuiting at this point. Finding out that Una was fucking two of my biggest enemies while working for me is bad enough. Worse is hearing that Giovanna knew about it and didn’t tell me. And the pregnancy on top of it….
Una spreads her hands like she’s showing me she has nothing to hide and takes a step toward us. “I have no reason to lie to you, Tommy. Why would I risk coming here if it wasn’t true?”
Giovanna turns to face her, crossing her arms. “Because you want to break us up to impress my father. Because you want me gone. Because you want Tommy. Take your pick.”
I still can’t speak, staring at Giovanna. How many more fucking secrets is my girl keeping from me?
Laughing loudly, Una shakes her head and cuts in. “Please, I never—”
“Stop lying, Una,” Gi snaps. “You betrayed my fiancé by fucking both Antonioandmy father and again by trying to convince me he cheated on me with you even though he’s probably the only person you didn’t fuck.”
