Page 114 of His Tesoro

Noodle’s tail wagged, thumping against the mattress, but he didn’t move from his spot. Anxiety seized me when I realized he probably needed food and to go outside. Had anyone fed him while I was imprisoned?

I pushed myself to a seated position. “Has Noodle been fed?” I asked, an edge of panic in my voice.

“Oh,” Dr. Amato said, brow furrowed. “I’m not sure. I could ask someone?”

I chewed my lip, my fear of seeing anyone warring with my need to ensure Noodle was taken care of. “Angelo,” I finally said. “Can you bring him in here?”

A few minutes later, my bodyguard entered the room. The expression on his face was one of agony. He fell to his knees by my bed.

“I won’t ask for your forgiveness, because I don’t deserve it. I should have killed Domenico, should have done whatever was necessary to stop him from putting you in there.”

I swallowed hard against the lump of emotion in my throat.

“All I can say is that going forward, my loyalty is to you and only you. I am yours to command.”

I knew what happened wasn’t Angelo’s fault. The blame rested on the Don. But all I’d been able to think about while trapped in that cell was how I had given my trust away too easily to everyone around me.

“Has Noodle been fed?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

At the sound of his name, Noodle perked up. He turned to Angelo and licked his face.

“Yes, I’ve been feeding him and taking him out,” Angelo said.

“Okay,” I said. My lower lip started trembling, and I curled back on the bed, wrapping my arms around my dog. “You can go now.”

Angelo breathed in sharply, like he wanted to say more, but then he stood. “I’ll bring him dinner in about an hour.”

Dr. Amato returned to the side of the bed. “Sofiya, I have your lab results back.”

I stared blankly at the wall. I didn’t care about my lab results. What could she tell me that I didn’t already know? That my body was broken. I was broken.

“The results were mostly within normal range, but they also revealed—” She trailed off before clearing her throat. “Sofiya, you’re pregnant.”

Her words jerked me out of my fog. “What did you say?”

Aria eyed me carefully. “You’re pregnant.”

A flood of emotions cracked the numbness I’d surrounded myself with, nearly taking my breath away. I sat up, my hand going to my stomach under the blanket pile.

Noodle moved to my lap, pressing his nose against my belly as if he already knew that a life was growing there.

I shut my eyes tight, but tears still streaked down my cheeks. This had been my dream, all I’d ever wanted, but now it felt like I was trapped in a nightmare.

“I know this is a lot to take in, especially since you’re still in shock,” Dr. Amato said, her voice gentle.

A horrible thought gripped me and I reached out to grab the doctor’s hand, squeezing it tight. “Did you tell the Don?”

“No, I wanted to tell you?—”

“You can’t tell him,” I said, tightening my hold on her hand. “He can’t know.” My thoughts were muddled and I was tripping over my words, but my body was screaming not safe, not safe.

Her eyes shifted to the door and then back to me. “He’s going to find out eventually.”

I dug my nails into her hand, her arm, pulling her body close to mine. “You have to promise me not to tell him. Promise me.” I knew what I was asking, what it could cost her to betray the Don. But I needed her to understand, needed her to protect me and my baby.

She took a slow breath, staring deep into my eyes. “Okay, Sofiya,” she said slowly. “I’ll keep quiet. For now.”

For now.

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