Adriano shrugs. “Nothing. Just that she’s your wife and could be the mother of your heir.”
My gut clenches. “Did she say something?—”
Adriano rolls his eyes. “No. I’m just saying… if you fucked her, then there’s a possibility.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Unless you used protection, which, knowing you, you probably did.”
Except I didn’t. Not once.
Adriano rises. “I’m going to deal with the warehouse and talk to my men. I’ve got some eyes on Vitale haunts. There’s a titty club Enrico likes. It doesn’t open until noon, but I know he’s partial to one of the girls and often shows up early.”
“Good.”
“Eat, Alessandro. Get some rest. Then we’ll take those motherfuckers out.”
When he's gone, I stare at my empty glass, my thoughts consumed with the question. Could Isabella be pregnant? The possibility changes everything and nothing at all.
She’d have told me, I decide. What better way to make sure I kept her here than to tell me a Dante child was growing inside her? Hell, considering her betrayal, I’m surprised she didn’t lie and tell me she was pregnant just for that reason. No. She’s not carrying my child.
The next few days are filled with intel gathering as we make a plan to eliminate the Vitale family. But Adriano continues topush me on whether or not to include Isabella. “We don’t kill women,” he argues.
“You have no direct proof.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
But what other explanation could there be? No one is allowed in my office when I’m not here.
Ultimately, I decide to call Luca to get his take.
He answers on the second ring. "Alessandro."
"I need your perspective." The words are difficult to get out. Alessandro Dante doesn't ask for help, especially from a younger brother who’d been exiled. But Luca has built his own business from scratch. If anyone can give me an outside perspective, it’s him. "It's about Isabella."
“Your wife? I’m not a marriage counselor?—”
“I don’t need marriage advice,” I snap. I explain the situation, all the way back to the attacks on the warehouses during the honeymoon, the poisoned whiskey, and now the missing key used by Enrico to destroy my product.
“You're overthinking this," Luca says. "The Vitales have been a cancer in our operation for years. Marco's been waiting for an opportunity since before Father died."
I pace my office, unable to sit still. "I’m prepared for war. What I’m not sure is what to do about Isabella?—"
"She’s a Vitale." His voice hardens. "Blood matters, Alessandro. That’s why you tossed her out, right? You know what you know.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, realizing I was hoping he would talk me out of killing her.
“Adriano brought up her being pregnant… she never said, but…” Fuck, I don’t want to tell my little brother I didn’t use a condom.
“Unless you plan to bring her back into the Dante family, it’s all the more reason to end this now. You think they won't use that child against you? Train it to hate you? To one day take everything you built?"
I rub my hand over my chest where an unsettling feeling grows. Can I really kill my wife?
“You know how I’d play it. Scorched earth. That's the only language these people understand. Eliminate the entire family. Make an example that will resonate for generations."
I don’t respond.
“Your silence tells me you’re unsure whether she is involved.”
I close my eyes, seeing her face the moment I dragged her from bed to toss her out of my home. The confusion in her eyes had seemed genuine.
"What if I'm wrong?"
