Page 42 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Prince

“Mama,” Sophie babbles as I stretch my arms open to carry her. She doesn’t hesitate to jump into my arms with a giggle.

“Who is my princess?” I shower kisses on her face and she laughs and says “Me, me,” in response.

“Oh, yes you are.”

She loves it when I play with her. Sophie wriggles her body in my arms, giggling with every kiss I leave on her face.

Dorothy walks to the door to see who has just knocked.

Cyrus is standing on the other side. One arm in his brown leather jacket. “The car’s ready, miss.”

I nod in response and stare back at Dorothy. “Take her bag to the car. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Dorothy walks back to the chair in the room, grabs the black baby bag and leaves Sophie and me.

I hurriedly unzip one of Sophie’s bags to reveal the stash of money I had stolen and kept.

Giovanni had been careless with my parents’ safe code. A week ago, while he had taken some money, I watched him enter the code. He had no idea I was watching while he unlocked it, as I had him engaged in a conversation.

Sophie watches me as I stash the bundle into my pocket, unaware of what’s going to happen after our visit to Giovanni at the hospital.

Whatever it takes to get what I want, Mother’s words repeat in my head. I’m going to do just that.

Giovanni is still unconscious as I walk into his room at the hospital. His face is pale and his body is still. Sophie reaches for his arm, calling him “Vanni, Vanni,” eagerly waiting for him to respond.

My heart sinks seeing him like this. I take his fingers in mine and squeeze gently. Sophie is stretching down to touch his muscles. He doesn’t move as I hold him.

“Who did this to you?” I whisper, staring at him. I’ve never seen my brother hurt this badly. Luca wouldn’t hurt Giovanni. They were inseparable before this war started.

My words are caught in my mouth as I try to convince myself that Luca couldn’t possibly hurt my brother when I spot the mark on his arm. It’s the crest Cyrus spoke about. He wasn’t lying. I bend down further to inspect it.

It’s the same mark tattooed on the left side of Luca’s chest. I’m not mistaken, as I stare at it longer.

Fucking Christ.

Is Luca truly back? Did he do this?

My head is jumbled with questions I cannot answer. It seems unreal yet so fucking real at the same time.

Luca. Here. The mark. His revenge. I’m about to get married.

Oh God…

I have to leave. It’s not safe for me in that house if Luca is indeed back for the revenge he promised.

The marriage to Mateo is just the final straw for me to never return to that house. I take one last look at Giovanni and squeeze his fingers tighter before I let them go. I’ll be long gone before he awakens. I have no fucking idea if I’ll ever see him again.

“Stay alive, Giovanni,” I whisper in his ear before I leave his room with Sophie. The smell of antiseptic and bleach fills the air as I step out to the hallway. Cyrus isn’t in his seat.Great.

“Excuse me, miss, where is the emergency exit around here?” I stop a nurse dressed in blue scrubs.

She pauses to stare at me, confused.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you have–”

“Please, you have to help me. Someone is following me and he is going to hurt me.”

The nurse looks at Sophie, then takes a moment to contemplate what she’ll do next, before she finally responds. “Go straight down and take a left. You’ll see the back exit.”

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