I barely make it to the bathroom, falling to my knees in front of the toilet as everything comes up. Wave after wave of nausea grips me until there's nothing left but dry heaves that leave me trembling.
I rest my forehead against the cool porcelain. The stress of my life has finally caught up to me.
A soft knock on the door. "Mrs. Ginetti? Are you all right?" Mrs. Rossi's concerned voice makes me want to laugh hysterically.
All right? I'm trapped in a marriage to a man who might decide to kill me. Sure. I’m all right.
"I'm fine," I call back weakly, pushing myself up to rinse my mouth at the sink.
When I open the door, Mrs. Rossi stands there with a glass of water and a damp cloth. Her eyes, usually stoic and professional, hold genuine concern.
"Thank you," I whisper, taking both from her.
"You should rest today," she says, studying my face. "This stress isn't good for you… or the baby, if there is one."
I nearly choke on the water. "Baby? That's… That's not possible."
Mrs. Rossi gives me a knowing look. "No? You and Mr. Ginetti have been married for weeks now. Unless you’ve been using something…"
"But we've only been…" I stop myself, heat rushing to my cheeks.
God. We haven’t been using anything. We’ve never even discussed it. "It's much, too soon to know something like that."
"If you say so," she replies with a small smile. "My sister knew within days. Said her body felt different right away.”
“I don’t feel different… Well… Right now, I don’t feel well, but that’s probably stress.”
“Just in case, I picked this up a few weeks back when it was clear… well…”
I stare at her. “Clear what?”
“I wash your sheets, Mrs. Ginetti.”
I gape at her and my cheeks heat to molten lava that my sheets give away my sexual exploits.
I realize then she’s holding a box out for me. I take it and send her away, too embarrassed to look at her.
I shut the door to the bathroom wondering if I’m dreaming. A nightmare.
A baby? Roman's baby?
How did my life become this complicated?
One minute, I'm trying to avenge my mother, the next, I'm taking a pregnancy test while my Mafia enforcer husband is likely being ordered to kill me.
Mrs. Rossi knocks softly on the door frame.
“I’m okay, Mrs. Rossi.”
“Good to know. I just wanted to remind you that I'll be off for the next twenty-four hours."
Oh, right. I forgot. "Of course. Enjoy your time off.”
She hesitates, then adds, "Mr. Ginetti always hoped for more children, you know. After Angelica was born, he and Emilia talked about having a big family. Life had other plans, of course."
The information is probably supposed to help, but it doesn’t.
Roman wanted more children with a woman he loved.