Chapter 3

I ended up barely sleeping the next two nights, for Rosa kept me up with her endless demands.

First, she insisted that her water be exactly 104 degrees Fahrenheit, then she complained that the pillow was too hard. She even complained that the room was too stuffy.

If I ignored her, she'd make an even bigger fuss.

Around three in the morning, I finally managed to fall into a decent sleep while she was out of the room. That peace didn't last as the bedroom door crashed open.

Giovanni stormed in, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked me upright.

"Rebecca! Was it you?" he screamed, eyes bloodshot. "How could you be so vicious?"

I hit the floor hard, still groggy. "What?"

"Don't play dumb!" He hauled me up by the collar and shook me. "My parents had Rosa taken away! They said that despite the lack of blood ties, they couldn't allow the scandal to continue. They want the baby gone!"

He shook me harder. "It had to be you! Who else would have told them? You promised to let her keep it, but you couldn't stand her behind my back. That child is yours, too. How can you be so jealous?"

The rough shaking made my aching head feel like it was going to split open.

"I didn't do it…"

I gritted my teeth as tears sprang to my eyes.

"You didn't?"

For a moment, something in his anger faltered as he saw me crying. It was almost as if he realized he had gone too far.

Just then, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, then immediately took the call. His voice sounded urgent. "Dad? How's Rosa? You can't…"

Whatever came through the line made his expression darken further.

He shoved the phone into his pocket and grabbed my arm. "Come with me. You're going to tell them that you agreed to let Rosa have the child as our firstborn!"

"Let go!"

I tried to pull back, but I was unsteady on my feet. He dragged me out of the room.

"You don't get a choice in this."

His strength was frightening. I stumbled repeatedly as my knees and elbows slammed into the sharp edges of the stairs, making them burn with pain.

Giovanni didn't so much as glance back. His entire world at that moment was Rosa.

The car tore through the streets, speeding past red lights. Every sudden brake and jolt slammed me against the cold window, each impact sending spikes of pain through my already throbbing head.

The car screeched to a halt in front of his parents' estate. Even before we reached the door, I heard Rosa's frantic screams from inside the house.

"No! Let me go! Gio, help me!"

Giovanni dragged me inside and threw me at his parents' feet. My knees hit the floor with a sharp crack.

"Giovanni!" his mother cried out in shock. "That's your wife!"

"Say it!" he barked, his voice trembling but relentless. "Tell them that you agreed to let Rosa keep the child and you'll accept him as the heir!"

I lay on the floor, ears ringing. My body felt as though it had splintered apart. I couldn't even see his parents' expressions clearly anymore.

I didn't bother arguing and simply nodded.

Giovanni let out a sigh of relief. The rise and fall of his chest slowed. Only then did he see, to notice how battered I looked.

A hint of guilt crossed his face, and he moved to help me up. "Rebecca, I lost my cool earlier…"

Just then, Rosa's piercing scream came from the next room.

"Rosa!"

Giovanni immediately left me and bolted inside the room.

"What happened? Did they force you to take any medicine?" he demanded.

Rosa's voice trembled. "No… I didn't… But my stomach hurts so much. I only drank the coffee Rebecca made for me last night…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the accusation was clear enough.

"Rebecca!" he roared, reappearing in the doorway before grabbing me again. "Wasn't it enough to tip off my parents? Did you have to poison her, too?"

I weakly shook my head. I was too weak even to speak. "It wasn't me."

"It wasn't you?" he repeated, pointing a finger toward the room where Rosa lay moaning in pain.

"She's in agony! Who else would want to harm her and the baby but you?"

He didn't hear a word of my denial. He even ignored the uneasy looks his parents exchanged.

"You need to learn your place!" he snarled.

He then dragged me down the hall toward the dark, cold confessional room.

"Stay in there and think about what you've done!"

The heavy door slammed shut behind me with a sharp clang, the lock sliding into place with a merciless click.

"Giovanni!" his father's stern voice rang out.

"She nearly killed Rosa and the baby!" Giovanni's angry reply faded as he stalked away. "She needs to reflect on her actions. Rosa's my sister, and this is my child!"

The cold seeped into my bones.

My throat burned with thirst, my stomach cramped in protest, and my headache felt like a hundred needles stabbing into my skull.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but when I was close to passing out, I finally heard footsteps outside the door.

Giovanni appeared in the doorway and stared at me in silence as I huddled in the corner.