Chapter 2 - THE WEIGHT OF THE SECRET
The hospital staff moved with a frantic energy they hadn't possessed twenty minutes ago.
Giovanni’s men had effectively taken over the wing,
stationing themselves at every exit.
The regular security guards stood back,
knowing better than to interfere with the Moretti family.
Giovanni led me to a private waiting area,
his hand resting heavily on the small of my back.
It was a touch I remembered,
one that used to mean protection,
but now felt like a gilded cage.
“Sit,”
he commanded,
pointing to a plush chair.
I sat,
my legs feeling like lead.
“Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant during the hearing?”
he asked,
standing over me.
“We were at each other's throats,
Giovanni.”
“You were going deeper into the business.”
“People were dying.”
“I didn't want Luca to be a pawn in your wars.”
Giovanni’s jaw flexed.
“He is my blood.”
“He is the only thing that matters.”
“And you kept him in a two-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood where the sirens never stop?”
“I kept him in a home,
Giovanni.”
“A place where no one was looking for him with a gun.”
He paced the small room,
his movements fluid and dangerous.
“And now?”
he asked.
“Now he is sick,
and you had to call me.”
“Because I love him more than I hate your world,”
I snapped,
my fear turning into a flicker of defiance.
He stopped pacing and looked at me.
The silence between us was filled with the ghosts of our marriage.
The nights I waited for him to come home.
The blood I washed out of his shirts.
The day I finally realized I couldn't be a mafia wife anymore.
“He has my eyes,”
Giovanni said softly,
almost to himself.
“Dr. Sullivan said he looked like me.”
“He does,”
I admitted.
“He has your temper,
too.”
A ghost of a smile touched Giovanni’s lips,
but it didn't reach his eyes.
“I want to see him.”
“The doctor said only one person at a time in the sterile zone.”
“I am not 'one person',
Lauren.”
“I am the man who just donated five million dollars to this hospital's research fund over the phone.”
I stared at him.
“You did what?”
“I made sure they understand that Luca is their most important priority.”
The door opened,
and Dr. Sullivan entered.
“The preliminary tests are back.”
Giovanni and I both stood up instantly.
“It’s not meningitis,”
the doctor said,
relief evident in his voice.
“It’s a severe viral infection combined with an ear blockage.”
“The fever is breaking.”
I sank back into the chair,
a sob of relief escaping my throat.
Giovanni didn't move.
He stared at the doctor.
“When can he leave?”
“We want to monitor him for twenty-four hours.”
“He will stay in the VIP suite,”
Giovanni stated.
“My men will provide the security.”
“Mr. Moretti,
we have our own—”
“My men,”
Giovanni repeated,
and the conversation was over.
He looked at me,
his eyes dark and possessive.
“You are staying too,
Lauren.”
“We have a lot to discuss.”
May you like
“About the last fifteen months.”
“And about the rest of your lives.”
