I turned to Vincent, still silent, his head bowed as if he couldn’t bear to look at me.
“Is this true, Vincent?” My voice wavered as I forced the question out. “You’re going to give up on our baby to save hers?”
“I’m sorry, Isabella,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, barely audible.
Tears welled up again. “Is her baby so important to you that you’d abandon ours?”
Vincent hesitated, the pause slicing through me like a blade.
“You don’t understand about Rosa’s family,” he murmured, his words coming slow and measured. “Rosa’s parents wouldn’t dare defy me. And since they’ve made it clear they’ll only accept this child as mine if I have no other heir to my name, I can’t claim our baby now—at least, not until Rosa’s baby was born.” He looked at me as if he were standing up for a noble cause, as if every word he said was justified.
But the logic behind it was almost laughable.
The one thing Vincent was right about was that no one dared to mess with him—not in the South, at least. He was a mafia kingpin, involved in arms dealing and drug trafficking.
Even though my family had dealt with mafias, owning a few casinos, we were small fry compared to Vincent.
That’s why, when my parents found out he was my lover, they practically shoved me down the aisle toward him.
Vincent, ever the cold, commanding figure, only showed his softer side to me. But today, I had seen him do the same for Rosa.
He reached for me again, his arms outstretched, trying to pull me close. “Don’t worry. I won’t let our baby grow up without a father. Trust me, okay? As soon as Rosa’s baby is born, I’ll clear your name.”
…
After my checkup, Vincent insisted on driving me to dinner. Rosa was eager to tag along. She claimed she was happy she wouldn’t be the only one carrying a child now, but I could see through the act.
She was trying too hard to play the part of the concerned, supportive friend.
“How about our regular place? I’ve been craving their food for quite some time,” Rosa suggested as I barely sat down.
Vincent sounded too eager. “Sounds great. Let’s go to the place on Sixth Avenue.”
I kept my expression neutral, though my stomach twisted with unease. Rosa was hiding something behind that too-bright smile of hers.
Rosa slid into the backseat, her hand instinctively reaching for Vincent’s. “I was thinking… maybe we could swing by after dinner and pick out some baby clothes. I still haven’t found the perfect ones.”
“You wouldn’t mind, would you, Isabella?” She turned to me, a challenging look in her eyes. “I’m all alone now. Vincent’s the only one I can count on.”
How absurd. My husband seem more like a couple with Rosa than with me.
“Are you mad at me, Isabella?” Rosa blinked up at me, her wide, innocent eyes glinting with something far less pure. “You can come with us if you want to.”
“No need. I’ve already prepared baby clothes back at the mansion.” I was done entertaining her.
When the car finally pulled to a stop, I stepped out and found myself in front of a Japanese restaurant, specializing in sashimi and sushi.
Had Vincent forgotten that I never ate raw seafood? Forgotten that, ever since my pregnancy, the smell of it made me sick to my stomach?
