REINA

The afternoon sun hit my face the moment I stepped outside. It felt too bright and too normal for the storm that was raging inside me. I walked down the path toward the car on pure autopilot. Each step felt heavier than the one before it. Tessa’s words kept replaying in my mind on an endless, sickening loop.

Calestino was already watching me when I reached the car. His massive frame filled the driver’s seat. His eyes were sharp and unreadable behind those dark sunglasses. He did not ask any questions as I slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door harder than I meant to. The engine purred to life, and we pulled away from Tessa’s lodge in complete silence.

The anger inside me kept growing with every mile we drove. It burned hotter and uglier, twisting deep in my gut like a live wire that refused to die. Tessa had ruined my prom night on purpose. She had watched me shatter into pieces for months afterward and held me through every sob while knowing she was the reason for all of it.

She had smiled at me. She had hugged me. She had bought me gifts and called me her best friend while secretly hating me for not seeing how much she loved me. Was that even love?

The betrayal felt like acid pouring through my veins. I hated her with every fiber of my being. I hated myself for trusting her so completely and so blindly all these years. And worst of all, a tiny, pathetic part of me still ached to hear her side of the story. That small weakness only made me hate myself even more.

When we stopped at a red light, I finally spoke. My voice came out flat and completely lifeless.

"Stop at the pharmacy up ahead."

Calestino glanced over at me. His brow furrowed just slightly. "I can go in for you. Tell me what you need."

"No," I said quickly, my tone sharper than I intended. "I will get it myself."

He frowned but did not push the issue. He pulled smoothly into the parking lot and waited with the engine running while I walked inside on legs that still felt unsteady.

The fluorescent lights inside the pharmacy buzzed overhead like angry insects. I picked up the pregnancy test kit with hands that would not stop shaking. The small box felt impossibly heavy in my grip. The cashier gave me a soft, sympathetic look, but I ignored her completely.

I shoved the kit deep into my bag like it was dangerous evidence and hurried back out to the car as fast as I could.

Calestino looked at me the second I climbed back into the passenger seat. His eyes searched my face carefully, looking for answers I was nowhere near ready to give.

"Everything okay?" he asked. His voice was low and cautious.

"Nothing is wrong," I lied. The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

He did not believe me for even a second. I could see the doubt clear as day in his expression. But he started driving again without pressing me for more.

I was grateful for the silence because my mind refused to stop racing. What if the test came back positive? What if I was carrying Domenico’s child right now? What if I had to look Paolo in the eyes and confess that while he was away trying to fix our whatever he could to protect the family, his family, I had let his own father get me pregnant?

The guilt pressed down on my chest like a massive boulder. It made every breath feel difficult. I kept picturing that little plus sign on the test stick and felt my entire world tilt dangerously sideways. I was not ready for any of this. I was not ready for the consequences that might be growing inside me right now.

I only wanted sex, only wanted his dick not his baby. What the fuck was I supposed to do with the possibility of my father-in-law’s baby growing in my belly?

The entire ride home stretched on forever. I stared out the window at the passing streets, but all I could see were flashes of Tessa’s jealous face, Andrew’s desperate eyes in the parking lot, and the ghost of Domenico’s touch still burning on my skin.

By the time we finally pulled up in front of my apartment building, a fresh wave of dread had settled over me like a thick, suffocating blanket. The front door looked perfectly normal from the outside. But something felt terribly wrong.

The air was too still. Too quiet. Calestino noticed it at the exact same moment I did. His entire body tensed like a predator ready to strike. He reached under his jacket and pulled out his gun in one smooth, practiced motion before we even stepped out of the car.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. His voice was hard as steel and left no room for argument.

I obeyed without saying a word.

He approached the door slowly, gun raised and ready. Every muscle in his powerful frame was alert and dangerous. The handle turned easily under his hand. It was unlocked. My stomach dropped straight through the floor like a stone. Calestino pushed the door open with his shoulder, gun sweeping across the room in a precise arc.

The apartment was not empty.

Paolo stood right in the middle of the living room. He looked exactly like the man I had married, but somehow more tired and worn around the edges, like the weight of the world had finally started to crush him.

His sister, Elisa, whom I had only saw once since I had married him, stood right beside him, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her sharp eyes flicked toward us the instant the door opened.

Both of them turned at the same time.

Paolo’s gaze locked straight onto mine.

For one terrifying heartbeat, the entire world stopped spinning.

Then his eyes widened with something that looked like a mixture of shock, pain, and raw desperation. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out at first.

"Baby..." Paolo finally whispered. His voice cracked on my name like it had been torn from somewhere deep and broken inside him. The corner of his lips curved into a small smile, a faint dimple forming on his left cheek as he spread his arms wide. "I’m back, baby. Would you mind giving me a hug?"