Of course, he did not know Evan lived. I contemplated telling him, but decided that, once again, he and Matteo really needed to talk.
“You don’t like to share,” Alessandro said tightly.
“Nor you.”
He let out a sad laugh. “You got me there.”
Of course I did. I knew him because I knew Matteo, and Matteo would never share a woman he loved.
Alessandro poured me another glass and pushed it at me as I finished mine.
“Drink until it makes sense,” he said.
“And if it doesn’t?” I stared at him.
“Then we’re both fucked, I’d say.”
We drank in silence for a long time before my phone buzzed. I stared at the message from Levin for a moment. I’d reached out to him earlier in the day, asking if he’d meet with me to talk.
Levin: Go fuck yourself. You know, since you already fucked Rosalie and she’s now missing because of you.
“Matteo?” Alessandro asked.
“No. My son.” I sighed.
“Levin.”
I nodded. “He’s unhappy with me. We’re trying to work it out.”
“He found out about Rosalie, huh?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “My other son is alive, but I’m sure you knew that.”
Alessandro froze. “H-How did you know? Did Levin tell you?”
“Rosalie,” I answered. “I want to see him. I tried to save him, you know? When he was dating the Vasiliev girl. I tried. I thought I had, but he was always smart.” I sighed. Only Matteo and Alessio knew I’d met with Ivanov to pay him off to keep his daughter away from Stef. Of course, that hadn’t worked. “I fucked up with my boys. I need to repair those relationships before I attempt anything else. I am not a good partner for anyone at this time. I was going to tell Rosalie the night she was taken.”
“You were breaking it off with her?”
I nodded, knowing I was going to, but I’d also let her decide my—our—fate. “It was the right move. She made me realize I needed to get my shit together. That I was given a second chance and needed to take it, but I told her I wanted to keep her. It wasn’t a lie.”
“And then what? Once you figure out the family things?”
“I don’t know. I guess I had hoped the universe would bless me with her. She told me once that if it’s meant to be, it will. We were discussing a book she wanted, but wouldn’t let me buy for her. She said if it were meant to be hers, it would be.” I chuckled softly at the memory. “I’m applying it to my life.”
I got to my feet and clapped him on the shoulder. He didn’t seem to want to kill me too badly, which I saw as a positive. “You’d be good for her, Alessandro. Let this shit go and take her away from here. She’s a good girl and deserves the world. Give it to her. And if you can’t, I have a suspicion Matteo will.”
“What does that mean?” He frowned at my words.
“It means you truly do not know your father the way you think you do.”
I didn’t elaborate. This was Matteo’s game, not mine, and I’d be damned if I was going to cheat.
I steppedinto Bianca’s room to find her sitting on the couch, watching a documentary on the Hoover Dam.
She looked over at me and scowled.
“I am only here to make sure you are OK,” I said, trying not to be offended by her evil eye. Then again, I deserved it.
