3: A call for help

I sat on the bed in that room, staring into space, trying to figure out what to do. Despair was pushing me to the edge of madness. Then, as I looked to the side, I saw it: a phone on the nightstand.

I froze.

I looked around, holding my breath. Then I slowly crawled toward the device, my heart in my throat and a trembling hope rising inside me. I prayed it was connected.

I picked it up with shaking hands and brought it to my ear.

A dial tone.

I almost cried with relief.

I didn’t hesitate. I dialed Ethan’s number. I just wanted to know if he was okay, if he was still alive, if they hadn’t hurt him.

And then, he answered.

“My love? Are you okay?” I asked, my voice breaking.

There was a moment of silence, and then I heard him sob. He threw a barrage of questions at me: where I was, what had happened, who had me.

“I’m in Italy… in Naples. Please, call the police,” I begged him. He asked for more details, so I told him everything: that the sperm donor had kidnapped me, that I didn’t really know him, but—

The door burst open.

Valentino came in.

I froze.

He approached calmly, as if everything was under control, as if he already knew exactly what was happening. Without saying a word, he gently took the phone from my hand and brought it to his ear.

“Hello?” he said, a crooked smile on his lips.

I don’t know what Ethan told him, but whatever it was, Valentino smiled even more. Then he hung up.

“You're very naughty,” he said in that calm voice that sent chills down my spine.

I stood up immediately, full of rage.

“You have no right to keep me here. This is illegal! This is insane!”

“Alright,” he replied calmly. “I’ll let you go.”

I froze. For a second, I thought he had finally come to his senses. I felt a slight relief, I even smiled.

“After the baby is born… and you hand him over to me,” he added.

My mouth fell open. I shook my head, stepping back.

“He’s my child too!” I shouted.

“Then you’ll never leave my side,” he whispered, stepping closer.

He grabbed my face firmly, holding my jaw, and in one swift move, he pulled me to him and kissed me. It was rough, invasive, but damn it… something in me responded. His mouth burned like fire, and his tongue invaded mine without mercy. I shivered—not out of disgust… but something darker, more primal. His scent, his heat, his strength… for an instant, they made me feel alive. And I hated him for it. I hated him with every cell of my body.

And I hated myself even more for feeling it.

Ethan’s face appeared in my mind, hurt, betrayed.

What was I doing?

Remorse filled me like poison.

I pushed him with all my strength and slapped him hard enough to echo in the room.

Valentino looked at me… and smiled.

“You disgust me!” I yelled, shaking with fury… and guilt.

“I don’t care if I disgust you. Just don’t call anyone again—unless you want them to end up in a plastic bag.”

I swallowed hard. I knew he was just saying it to make me fear him.

“I’m going to report you to the police and take full custody of the baby,” I told him.

He grabbed my arm and started dragging me as I struggled to stop him.

He pulled me out of the room and out of the house, forced me into the car, and then got in and started the engine.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“I thought you wanted to report me,” he replied.

I stared at him, wondering if he was joking.

So I said nothing, I just let him drive. A few minutes later, he stopped in front of a police station. He got out and then pulled me out, leading me inside the station.

We approached an officer.

“She wants to report me for kidnapping,” he said.

The officer looked at me and then laughed.

“Do you want me to lock her up, Mr. Salvatore?” he asked.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They were all corrupt.

“Are we staying here, or are we leaving?” he asked me.

I looked at him, pushed him with all the strength I had, and ran out of the station.

I looked around the street, feeling so lost, so disoriented.

I collapsed on the sidewalk and cried. I couldn’t take it anymore. The only way out of this hell was to give him my baby.

I touched my flat belly and my heart filled with emotion. From the moment I saw the positive pregnancy test, I loved this little one. And it wasn’t fair that, because of a mistake that wasn’t mine, they wanted to take him from me.

“Come on, we have a flight to catch,” Valentino said.

I looked up at him. His eyes were even more golden in the sunlight.

“I won’t give you my child, and I swear I’ll rip your eyes out if you try to take him from me,” I threatened.

Valentino crouched down to my level. His eyes pierced straight into my soul, my heart beating so hard it was alarming.

“Rabid pups like you need to be trained,” he said.

I stood up abruptly and stared him down.

“I’ll show you I can’t be tamed, and I swear you’ll regret every second you spend with me,” I said.

He stood up, looked at me, and smiled.

“My grandfather taught me that in this world, having a heart makes you weak,” he said.

“Are you going to rip my heart out?” I asked, incredulous.

He tapped my chest with his index finger, right over my heart.

“I will—and I’ll make you watch as the life slowly fades from its eyes,” he said.

I swallowed hard, realizing what he meant. Nervously, I touched my ring, spinning it a few times.

“Get in the car. I want to surprise my parents with the news that they’ll have a grandchild,” he said.

---

Valentino looked at her one last time before getting in the car. He could still feel the heat of her cheek after the slap. But instead of angering him, it turned him on. What the hell was that woman doing to him? He didn’t want her to love her. He wanted her to destroy her… and at the same time, to keep her all to himself.