Page 150 of Auctioned Innocence
Because some prices are too high.
Even for justice.
34
SOFIA
The hospital waiting room blurs at the edges as exhaustion hits. It’s been two weeks of vigil, of watching Marco breathe through tubes, of praying the bullets didn’t do permanent damage. The bandaged cut on my temple from flying marble in the Council chamber has healed, but the deeper wounds—the fear of losing my brother—are still raw.
“Miss Renaldi?” A nurse touches my arm. “The doctor would like to see you.”
My heart stops. “Marco?—”
“Is stable,” she assures quickly. “This is about your blood work from the admission screening.”
Dante squeezes my hand before I follow her. We’ve barely left each other’s side since everything happened, taking turns watching over Marco. The bruises on Dante’s ribs from the Council chamber fight are fading, but like me he refuses to leave until we know Marco’s truly okay.
The doctor’s expression is kind as she closes her office door. “How have you been feeling, Sofia?”
“Tired. Nauseous sometimes, but with everything we’ve been through…” I touch the bandaged cut on my temple. “I assumed itwas stress from the fight, from watching my brother…I’ve been super sick, but I thought it was just everything catching up to me.”
“Nausea and sickness?” She raises an eyebrow. “How long has that been going on?”
I pause, thinking back. “Maybe…three weeks? It started right after the warehouse incident. I’ve been so focused on Marco that I didn’t really think about…” My brain short circuits. “Oh god.”
“When was your last period, Sofia?”
The question stops me cold. I count back weeks, my mind racing through everything that’s happened. The warehouse. The Council chamber. The auction. Before that, the estate attack. Before that…
“Eight weeks,” I whisper, the timeline crystallizing. “Maybe nine. I thought the stress was throwing off my cycle, but…”
She smiles warmly. “Congratulations. Based on your symptoms and timeline, I’d estimate you’re about six to seven weeks along.”
The world tilts sideways. Six weeks. That first night in the penthouse when everything changed between Dante and me. When we stopped fighting what we felt and gave in to something bigger than both of us.
“I can’t believe this,” I breathe, hands instinctively moving to my stomach. “With everything that’s happened—the fighting, the stress, getting thrown from that car…”
“Let’s take a look,” she says gently. “I’d like to do an ultrasound to make sure everything’s developing normally after the recent…excitement.”
My heart pounds as she prepares the machine. What if the violence of the past few weeks hurt the baby? What if all that stress and trauma caused damage I can’t fix?
The gel is cold on my stomach as she sets up the ultrasound wand. For a terrifying moment, the screen shows nothing butstatic. Then she adjusts the angle, and suddenly there it is—a tiny, bean-shaped shadow in the grainy black and white image.
“There,” she says softly, pointing to the screen. “And there’s the heartbeat.”
A rapid, fluttering rhythm fills the room. Strong and steady and absolutely perfect.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face. “That’s…that’s really…”
“Your baby,” she confirms with a smile. “Measuring right on track for about six and a half weeks. Heartbeat is excellent—about 140 beats per minute, which is exactly what we want to see.”
I stare at the screen in wonder, unable to process that this tiny miracle exists inside me. That despite everything we’ve been through—bullets and explosions and car crashes—this little life has been growing, thriving, completely protected.
“The baby wasn’t affected by…by everything?” I ask, voice shaking.
“Not at all,” the doctor assures me. “The uterus provides excellent protection in early pregnancy, and your hormone levels indicate a very healthy pregnancy. This little one is a fighter—just like mom and dad, I’d guess.”
She prints several copies of the ultrasound images, handing them to me with gentle care. “I want you to make an appointment with an OB, and I’m prescribing prenatal vitamins. But Sofia? Everything looks perfect. You’re going to have a beautiful, healthy baby.”
