Page 84 of Flawed

"Thank you."

"And the father? Do you have his information?" she questions.

My gut drops. I take a deep breath, lift my chin, then lock eyes with her. "There is no father."

Pity fills her expression. I want to slap it off her. She asks, "Are you sure you don't want to list one? If you want any child support—"

"I said there is no father," I repeat in a sterner voice.

She studies me then nods. "Okay. No father it is." She spins and leaves the room.

The rest of the evening is spent mostly alone with Zara, minus the few nurses that come in to check on us. I change her diaper twice, and she feeds another time. A new nurse arrives for night duty. She suggests I put her in the crib next to my bed.

Exhaustion sets in, so I don't argue. Zara cries for a bit then finally settles. When she's asleep, I continue stroking her guardian angel birthmark.

As tired as I am, I don't sleep very well. When I do, I dream of Luca, Zara, and me. I always wake up when Luca's doing something with Zara. He's changing her diaper, bathing her, showing her how to ride a bike, and taking her to a dance.

Every time I wake up, I cry.

Those things will never happen.

I stare at Zara, knowing she deserves so much more than I can give her alone.

I contemplate if I made a mistake. Then I see Zara sleeping peacefully and convince myself that I didn't.

I may not be the full package, but I vow to give her everything she needs. That includes protecting her at all costs.

So there is no question about what's right. I need to keep her as far away from Luca as possible. Even if it hurts.

15

Luca

Ten Years Later

"I'm turninginto an old man, Angelo," I claim, scrubbing my face in frustration. I've been undercover for over two decades. Anytime I have a chance to kill Jacopo, something screws it up. Not that I often get an opportunity.

But tonight will be different.

Angelo steps in front of me. In a serious tone, he questions, "Are you ready for me to pull you out of this?"

I've lost track of the times he's asked me this. I normally don't hesitate. Lately, I think more and more when he asks me.

I've not hidden my intentions with him. He knows that the moment I kill Jacopo, I'm getting out. But the longer this goes on, the more discouraged I get. I'm tired of wishing my life was something different. Yet I'm too far in. The only way to get out without killing Jacopo is if my cover gets blown. I don't have the ability to let go of my vengeance.

Not until they're all dead.

Angelo waits for me to answer, studying me closely.

I shake my head. "No, I'm not leaving until I finish the job. You know this."

He peers at me closer. "You're allowed to change your mind at any time, Luca. Our family will always be indebted to you for all you've done."

"It's not over yet," I state.

"You've been in a long time, Luca. I'm worried about you," he confesses.

I brush his concern off. "You don't need to worry about me." I deeply inhale another hit of my joint, holding the smoke in my lungs before exhaling it.

---