Whether his goal was to chase me away or just force Gio into obedience, I don’t know.
But I know now that the blow wasn’t ordered.
It was a mistake.
And they didn’t burn my ID to hide me from the police—they did it to hide me from Gio.
My chest aches with the truth I’ve been dancing around since I recovered my memories.
I don’t need a paternity test.
I know.
I’ve always known, deep down.
Jackson is Gio’s son.
I could see it just from looking at him—Jackson’s stubborn chin, his dark, unruly hair, the way he tilts his head when he’s thinking.
Every piece of him is a reflection of the man who held me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
And Gio…
God, I never should have punished him for his father’s sins.
I’ve been blaming him for a crime committed against both of us.
Because no man should ever be held responsible for trusting his father. Gio was as much a victim of Don Augusta as I was.
I can’t hold what happened against him. If anything, I should be proud of the man he becamedespitehis horrible father.
Heart hammering, the dream still clinging to my skin like cold water, I feel the fog in my head finally lift—leaving only clarity in its wake.
I made a mistake.
Sending Gio away didn’t protect Jackson.
It robbed him of the one man who would die before letting anyone hurt him.
And Gio deserves to know.
He deserves to be that man for his son.
I sit up in bed, determination burning hot in my chest. I need to find him.
I need to tell him everything before it’s too late.
But it’s the middle of the night.
He’s probably asleep, and I shouldn’t wake him. I bite my lip as I glance at my phone, crumbling to the temptation.
Maybe I should just text him. If he is asleep, it probably won’t wake him up. And we can talk about it in the morning.
I’m reaching for my phone when my hands stills, a sound catching my ear from the hallway.
The sound is so soft at first, I almost didn’t notice it. A faint creak on the floorboards near the doorway.
My head turns, a cold shiver of terror racing down my spine as the door to my bedroom slowly groans open to reveal a shadow.
