I feel the blood drain from my face, and I shrink into the chair.
“Are you finally realizing the seriousness of the situation?” he asks like he’s amazed at how clueless I am.
“Yes, Paolo. I’m fully fucking aware of the seriousness of the situation.” I swallow and brace myself for his reaction to my next words. “For the record, what I do with this baby is in no way your concern and you get no say in anything… But you’re not going to be shunned or whatever because I’mchoosingnot having an abortion. Believe it or not, I have my own values and beliefs because I’m a person.”
He lets out a relieved sigh and his chest deflates.
“As for everything else with us… I don’t know. Do you think we still have to get married? Your dad will know it isn’t yours, and like you said,everyoneis distracted right now. Plus, didn’t he lose all his power? It seems like a moot point for Nikita to give me to you if your dad is, no offense, not important to the familia anymore.”
Paolo stands and gives me that look like he thinks I’m clueless again. He grits his teeth and turns his back to me, walking to the fireplace. He slams his fist on the mantle, then spins to face me. “God, you’re so fucking naive.”
I stand and walk a few feet his way. “How am I naive? How could I know anything if I’m nottoldanything?”
“I’m as much of a pawn as you are. Don’t you get that? My father doesn’t give a shit about our marriage. He never has. And you’re not somepeace offering. Do things seem peaceful around here to you?”
I open my mouth to speak, but close it. He shakes his head and pushes off the mantle. “Nikita is the one who wants this. It was fucking blackmail. He made my father take you so if he ever betrayed him, he could set it up so Settimo killed everyone involved without him lifting a finger. Me. You. My father. None of us are benefitting from you being here.”
Paolo laughs dryly and ruffles his hair. “I honestly thought Settimo had already become suspicious when he wanted you at that poker game. That’s the only reason I let him talk me into betting you. I thought it would look less shady.”
“He talked you into it?” I ask, my stomach dropping. “I thought—”
“It doesn’t matter, Alex. Nikita wanted everything to look suspicious so that if things didn’t work out with my father, he could give Settimo a reason to kill him. Trust me, Settimo would love a reason.Now? I have no idea what Nikita wants from my father. Settimo obviously knows about you, and I doubt he’d use you as an excuse to murder my father. He’d have to kill you too if he admitted to everyone you were a traitor.”
Paolo looks through me while he gets lost in his thoughts. “Nikita still wants us to get married, and I can’t figure out why.”
“Is it possible,” I clear my throat when it croaks. “Is it possible that Nikita is expecting your father to be in charge somehow?”
“How?”
I squint at him, and I finally understand his annoyance from thinking I’m clueless. “If Settimo dies, who takes over?”
“Lorenzo.”
“And ifhedies?”
Paolo’s eyes widen, and I can see when it all clicks in his head. “My father is a prick, but he would never be involved in killing a don. He’s loyal to the familia. He always has been.”
“But power is exactly what he set out to get, isn’t it? That’s why he’s communicating with Nikita in the first place?”
Paolo’s face pales. “Yes… As far as I’m aware, he believed he could work things out with the Russiansforthe familia. He betrayed the don by doing so, and has lost all my respect, but he would never—”
“He wouldn’t have to. What better time for powerful men to die than in a war? Leo Romano taking over as don wouldn’t even be suspicious, and you know he’d be the one chosen after Anthony, power stripped or not… How convenient would it be if your dad, the new don, was on good terms with Nikita? After all, our families are linked. There’s your peace offering. Your dad and Nikita could end all this shit, and your dad would come out looking like a powerful man who managed to reverse his predecessor’s mistakes. Maybe Nikita will even surrender and let your dad have the credit. That would certainly help his— ”
“All right, I get it.” Paolo holds up a hand and looks like he’s about to puke.
“We need to warn Settimo.”
“Wedon’t need to do anything. I’ll find out what I can, and I’ll take care of it.” He backpedals toward the entryway and holds his hands up like he wants me to stay put, but I have a feeling he’ll be gone a while. Maybe forever if he seriously plans on standing in Nikita’s way. “We’ll keep the pregnancy a secret, and we’ll see where we’re at when you start showing, okay? Just don’t tell anyone until then.”
He spins and takes off from the room. The front door slams a minute later.
I sigh and walk to the bathroom. My heart squeezes as I pick up the test and stare at the plus sign. This isn’t a good thing, and yet, I’m not sad. I’m going to have a bastard child, the result of an affair nonetheless, and I will undoubtedly be disowned because of this. I’ll be kicked out of Las Vegas just like Sophie Petrov was, and because of the same man.
But I won’t regret my child. I’ll never disown them. No matter the consequences to me, I won’t let myself feel, even for a second, that they’re a burden. I know what that feels like.
Settimo was right. I probably should’ve left Vegas. I’ll have to now, anyway.
I tuck the pregnancy test into my pocket and find my purse. I throw it over my shoulder and head for the door.