"A month." He sat back on his heels, running a hand through his hair. "You're pregnant. With my child."
"I need to take a test to be sure, but—"
"We'll get a test. Right now." He stood, helped me up. "Rocco can send someone to a pharmacy."
"Cesare, we're in the middle of a crisis. Piero—"
"Is still missing whether or not you're pregnant. But if you are, that changes everything."
"How?"
His hands framed my face. "Because you're carrying my heir. That makes you even more valuable to Viktor. More leverage. More danger."
The implications crashed over me. If Viktor found out I was pregnant—
"We can't tell anyone," I said quickly. "Not yet. Not until we know for sure, and not until Piero is safe."
"Agreed."
Rocco sent one of his most trusted men to a pharmacy—three different pregnancy tests, discreet, untraceable.
I waited in the master bedroom, Cesare pacing beside me like a caged animal.
The tests arrived within twenty minutes. I took all three into the bathroom, followed the instructions with shaking hands.
Three minutes. That's how long each test took.
I set them on the counter, set a timer on my phone, and waited.
Cesare appeared in the doorway. "Can I—?"
"Yeah. Come in."
He stood beside me, both of us staring at three white sticks like they were bombs about to detonate.
The timer went off.
I picked up the first test. Two pink lines. Positive.
Second test. Pregnant. Clear as day.
Third test. Plus sign. Positive.
All three. Undeniable.
I was pregnant.
"I'm pregnant," I whispered. Saying it out loud made it real.
Cesare pulled me against him, arms tight around me. "We're having a baby."
"Are you—how do you feel about this?"
He was quiet for a moment. "Terrified. This world, this life—it's no place for a child. I know that."
My heart sank. "Oh."
"But also..." He pulled back to look at me. "Also I can't imagine anything I want more. A child.Ourchild. Proof that something good came from all of this."
