I go back to my office and light a cigar, but I still rant. The stronzo is dead, but that is not enough for me. The Gabino son follows me. He runs a hand through his hair and whistles to himself: "Cazzo. I screwed up, and I forgot that Lucia was under your protection." I abruptly grab his head and pull it back. "Open your mouth," I order him coldly. He contemplates me with rage but sticks out his tongue while continuing to stare at me. I take malicious pleasure in putting my cigar on his tongue while his face twists in pain. Then I release him and put my cigar in my ashtray. I walk over to my minibar and pour him some ice cubes into a crystal glass. "Lucia is not only under my protection," I inform him, handing him the glass. The Gabino son slides two ice cubes into his mouth, then frowns as he looks at me. "Lucia is my fiancée, Gabino." I can see his hands shake as he finally realizes the enormity of what has happened. Then I move closer to him to come and put a hand on his

Our journey lasted less than two minutes, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek when I see men standing guard outside my apartment. "Signora Lucia, Don Elio," they say when they recognize us. "I hope he is paying you good money for night shifts to guard an empty apartment," I tell them wryly. The two guards start laughing softly and move aside as I unlock my door. "Are you hungry?" I ask them before closing behind me. "No, Signora Lucia. It's nice of you to always think of us," one of the guards replies. "It's good to have you back with us," he adds, and I can't help but smile at him.I take off my coat while Elio just watches me without saying anything. He stands with his hands against the island in my kitchen that separates my living room. The way he looks at me adoringly when it's just the two of us still intimidates me despite the years. "What?" I ask him as I hang my coat on the metallic rack on the hallway wall. "You make me happy, Luce dei miei occhi," he simply rep

"You can't have children normally anymore, Lulu." I gently lay the cereal box on its side. I can feel my hands shaking and a lump rising in my throat. "What exactly does that mean: normally?" Matteo walks over to me and lays his hands flat against the cold marble of the island. Then he takes a deep breath. "Three years ago... the day of the accident. Elio had to make a decision in order to save you." Matteo is cautious of me, but I do not show him any emotion. I just want to know what these men have been hiding from me all along. "Do you remember the day you saw Elio in his hospital room, Lulu?" I nod as I feel a teardrop in the corner of my eyes. How could I forget that day? "That day, several doctors were in the room next to Elio," he comments. "Yes, there were. Doctors for organ donation," I say mechanically. Matteo nods, then purses his lips for a moment. I can see the doubt, remorse, and guilt in him. "There were two other doctors. Fertility experts, Lulu..." I raise

I nod slowly. I am torn, once again, between several conflicting emotions. I don't know what to think about all this, but one thing is sure now: I am carrying Elio's child inside me. My mind is now clear on this, and I will never allow my child to grow up without his father. It only took us an hour to change and go home. Just as I head to our conjugal room, Elio grabs my hand and pulls me to another hallway in the Villa. "Where are you taking me?" I ask him, intrigued. "To my room," he answers. "Your room? I don't understand, sole mio. Our room is here..." He glances over his shoulder at me and continues to lead me toward an area of the property that I thought was part of the employee quarters. The air around Elio seems to change, becoming icier with each additional step he takes. It's not my husband standing before me, but Don Ganovese. "Amore mio. From the day you left, I never used this room again, and I made sure that it remained perfectly as you left it. But, I can swe

I swear I could kill that woman with my own hands a second time. However, my anger subsides as soon as I meet Leo's eyes. I make a promise to myself, and I will personally make sure that this woman never has a grave. But she won't have to worry up there. I will take the best care of her children. They are mine now. I keep my face perfectly inexpressive as I lightly shake Leo's hand. "Don't worry. Just keep going. I can see it makes you feel good to talk about it." He slowly nods his head. I can see in his eyes a host of feelings running through him. What could his mother have done to him, shown him, or said to him to make such a young boy feel so guilty? My anger disappears as soon as I see the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mama slapped me that day. She insisted that we call Don Elio, Dad. She said he would let us do it, but I didn't agree. If Don Elio had wanted to, he would have asked us. So I was really happy to see you that day, Signora Lucia. I thought that y