Chapter 1 - The Ring They Tried to Steal
“TAKE THAT RING OFF, YOU LYING LITTLE MAID! MY FIANCÉ'S DEAD BROTHER WOULD NEVER HAVE MARRIED SOMEONE LIKE YOU!” THE MAFIA BOSS'S FIANCÉE GRABBED HIS SEVEN-MONTHS-PREGNANT HOUSEKEEPER'S HAND DURING THEIR ENGAGEMENT DINNER AND ACCUSED HER OF STEALING A DEAD MAN'S WEDDING RING—BUT WHEN LEONARDO MORETTI SAW THE DATE ENGRAVED INSIDE, HE PUT DOWN HIS GLASS. “WHY IS MY BROTHER'S WEDDING DATE ON YOUR FINGER... AND WHO IS THE FATHER OF YOUR BABY?”
“Take it off, Emma.”
Bianca Romano stood beside the long banquet table in a fitted red satin gown, staring at the thin gold band on my swollen finger.
Sixty guests watched beneath the chandeliers.
I was seven months pregnant.
My ankles were aching.
And I'd been standing for almost four hours, serving dinner in a black maid's uniform that barely fit around my stomach.
“Mrs. Romano,” I whispered, “please. It's mine.”
Bianca laughed.
“Yours?”
She grabbed my wrist and lifted my hand for everyone to see.
“This girl has been wearing a dead man's wedding ring while working in my house.”
Several guests turned toward us.
I tried to pull away.
“Please let go.”
Bianca tightened her grip.
“Where did you get it?”
My throat closed.
I knew what would happen if I told the truth.
She'd made that very clear.
“Emma!”
Her voice cracked across the dining room.
“Answer me.”
I looked down at my stomach.
Then whispered:
“His wife gave it to him.”
Bianca stared at me.
“What?”
My fingers trembled.
“He gave it to me afterward.”
She laughed so loudly that several guests looked embarrassed.
“Oh, sweetheart. Matteo Moretti wouldn't have looked twice at a maid.”
My chest tightened.
“He loved me.”
Bianca's smile disappeared.
For one terrible moment, nobody spoke.
Then she leaned close enough for me to smell her expensive perfume.
“If you repeat that ridiculous story in front of Leonardo, I'll have you removed from this house before midnight.”
My eyes filled.
I knew she meant it.
My name is Emma Collins.
I'm twenty-seven years old.
And eight months ago, I buried the only man I'd ever truly loved.
Matteo Moretti.
Thirty-two years old.
Dark-haired.
Kind-eyed.
And the younger brother of Leonardo Moretti, one of Chicago's most feared Mafia bosses.
Matteo wasn't like his brother.
He hated expensive suits.
He cooked terrible spaghetti.
He sang along to old country songs and never remembered the words.
And every Sunday morning, he brought me coffee in bed, even when we'd argued the night before.
We met three years ago.
I was working as a waitress at a little Italian restaurant.
He came in during a snowstorm.
His coat was soaked.
His hands were freezing.
And he ordered coffee and two slices of lemon cake.
I told him the kitchen was closed.
He smiled.
“Then I'll take the coffee and whatever you're willing to give me.”
I brought him the last piece of cake.
He left a hundred-dollar tip.
The next morning, he returned.
Not for the cake.
For me.
We fell in love slowly.
Then all at once.
Eleven months ago, we got married at a small courthouse outside Chicago.
No flowers.
No photographer.
Just two witnesses and a borrowed blue dress.
Matteo slid a plain gold band onto my finger.
Then kissed my forehead.
“I know it's not much, Em.”
I shook my head.
“It's everything.”
He smiled.
“Let me tell Leo when he gets home.”
Leonardo had been overseas handling business.
Matteo wanted to tell his brother himself.
He wanted us to have a proper family dinner.
He even joked that Leonardo would probably buy me a diamond the size of a golf ball when he found out.
But that dinner never happened.
Three months after our wedding, Matteo was killed in a car accident on Lake Shore Drive.
A truck crossed the center line.
His car struck the barrier.
He died before the ambulance arrived.
I found out I was pregnant eleven days later.
For three days, I sat on our apartment floor holding the test.
I kept expecting Matteo to come home.
To drop his keys on the counter.
To complain that I'd forgotten to buy milk.
To wrap his arms around me and ask why I was crying.
But he never came.
When I finally gathered the courage to contact Leonardo, Bianca answered his private office phone.
She told me he was devastated.
She said he couldn't handle another emotional situation.
Then she asked why I was calling.
I told her everything.
The marriage.
The pregnancy.
The baby Matteo would never get to hold.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then her voice changed.
“Emma, Leonardo's enemies would use a child against him. You have no idea what you're getting involved in.”
I started crying.
“I don't want anything. I just thought he should know.”
Bianca sighed.
“Then let me handle it.”
Two weeks later, I lost my job at the restaurant.
The owner was selling.
I was behind on rent.
And the morning sickness had become so severe I could barely finish a shift.
Bianca called.
She offered me a housekeeping position at the Moretti mansion.
Room and board.
Health insurance.
Enough money to keep going until the baby arrived.
There was only one condition.
I couldn't tell Leonardo about Matteo.
Not yet.
“Let him grieve,” she'd said. “I'll arrange a proper introduction after the wedding.”
I was frightened.
Alone.
And stupid enough to believe her.
So I moved into the servants' wing.
And for five months, I served Leonardo's meals.
Changed his sheets.
Polished his shoes.
And watched him walk past me without knowing I was carrying his brother's child.
Sometimes he'd ask if I needed help with something heavy.
Sometimes he'd tell the kitchen staff to make sure I got enough rest.
Once, when I nearly fainted on the staircase, he personally brought me a chair.
“Seven months pregnant and still working?” he'd asked.
I nodded.
“Bills don't stop, sir.”
He'd frowned.
“Tell Bianca to adjust your schedule.”
I'd thanked him.
But Bianca only became angrier afterward.
And now she was standing beside the engagement table, trying to pull my wedding ring from my finger.
“Emma.”
Her voice cut through my thoughts.
“Take it off.”
I shook my head.
“Please.”
She looked down at my stomach.
Then smiled coldly.
“Or perhaps you'd rather I tell everyone about the little story you've been spreading.”
I felt sick.
“Mrs. Romano—”
“You claim Matteo married you. You claim your baby is his.”
Several guests gasped.
My face burned.
Bianca turned toward them.
“Can you imagine? A housemaid trying to attach herself to a wealthy dead man's family?”
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“I'm not trying to take anything.”
“Then take off the ring.”
I shook my head.
She grabbed my hand again.
Her long red fingernails pressed into my skin.
“Don't make me ask twice.”
I tried to step backward.
But my heel caught against the leg of a chair.
I stumbled.
A sharp pain pulled across my lower back.
I caught myself against the table.
Several wineglasses rattled.
“Careful!” Bianca snapped. “That table cost more than your entire year's salary.”
I closed my eyes.
The baby moved.
A small, sudden kick.
I pressed one hand against my stomach.
Bianca rolled her eyes.
“Oh, don't start pretending you're having contractions.”
“I'm not.”
“Then stand up straight.”
I was shaking.
“Please... can I sit down?”
She looked toward the empty chair beside the service entrance.
Then back at me.
“No. You've embarrassed me enough.”
I swallowed.
“My back hurts.”
“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before getting pregnant.”
Something broke inside me.
I thought about Matteo.
About the way he'd knelt in front of me at the courthouse to fix the buckle on my shoe.
About how he'd whispered, “You're stuck with me now.”
And how he'd laughed when I told him that sounded more like a warning than a wedding vow.
I looked at Bianca.
Then at the ring.
And quietly said:
“I'm not taking it off.”
Her face hardened.
“What?”
“It was given to me by my husband.”
Bianca stared.
Then she reached across the table, grabbed a silver butter knife and pointed it toward my hand.
“Then I'll have someone cut it off.”
“Bianca.”
The voice came from the head of the table.
Every guest went silent.
Leonardo Moretti was standing.
Thirty-nine years old.
Black tailored three-piece suit.
Black open-collar shirt.
Dark hair swept back.
Tattoos visible along his neck and hands.
His eyes were fixed on the knife.
“Put that down.”
Bianca turned.
“Leonardo, darling, this girl has been lying about your brother.”
He didn't look at her.
“Put it down.”
She slowly placed the knife on the table.
Leonardo walked toward me.
His expression changed when he saw my face.
“Emma?”
I lowered my eyes.
“I'm sorry, sir.”
“For what?”
I couldn't answer.
He looked at my swollen fingers.
The red marks around my wrist.
Then at Bianca.
“Why are you touching her?”
Bianca laughed nervously.
“She's wearing Matteo's ring. She claims they were married.”
Leonardo went completely still.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then he looked at my hand.
“May I see it?”
I nodded.
He gently held my fingers.
And examined the plain gold band.
His expression changed.
He knew that ring.
He'd helped Matteo choose it.
Months before the accident, his brother had asked him to recommend a jeweler.
He'd told Leonardo he was buying something special.
But he'd refused to say for whom.
Leonardo's thumb moved across the band.
Then he looked at me.
“There's an engraving inside.”
I nodded.
His voice was quiet.
“What does it say?”
I swallowed.
“October fourteenth.”
His eyes widened.
That was the date Matteo had asked him to keep free.
The date he'd promised to explain something when they had dinner.
Leonardo slowly released my hand.
“Emma.”
My knees felt weak.
“Yes, sir?”
“Were you my brother's wife?”
I began crying.
“Yes.”
Bianca stepped forward.
“Leonardo, you cannot seriously believe—”
He raised one hand.
She stopped.
Leonardo looked directly at me.
“Do you have proof?”
I nodded.
“Marriage certificate. Photographs. The courthouse record.”
His jaw tightened.
“Where?”
“In my room.”
He glanced toward one of the guards.
“Ask someone to bring Emma's bag. With her permission.”
I nodded.
“It's in the top drawer, sir.”
Then Leonardo looked at my stomach.
For a long moment, he didn't speak.
Finally, he whispered:
“How far along are you?”
“Seven months.”
His eyes filled.
He took one slow breath.
“Is the baby Matteo's?”
I nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Leonardo covered his mouth.
He turned away.
And for several seconds, the most feared man in Chicago couldn't speak.
Then he looked back at me.
“My brother was going to be a father?”
I began sobbing.
“He never knew.”
Leonardo closed his eyes.
“Oh, Matteo...”
When he opened them, they were wet.
He gently pulled out a chair.
“Sit down, Emma.”
I hesitated.
“Sir, I'm working—”
“Please.”
His voice broke.
“Sit down.”
I lowered myself carefully into the chair.
He knelt beside me.
And looked at my stomach.
“Can I ask you something?”
I nodded.
“Does the baby move much?”
A small laugh escaped through my tears.
“All the time.”
Leonardo smiled sadly.
“Just like his father. Never knew how to sit still.”
Then the baby kicked.
I gasped softly.
Leonardo looked up.
“Was that—?”
I nodded.
“Would you like to feel?”
His eyes filled again.
He hesitated.
Then placed his tattooed hand gently against my stomach.
The baby kicked once more.
Leonardo stopped breathing.
For a moment, he looked utterly stunned.
Then he began crying.
Not loudly.
He simply bowed his head.
And whispered:
“Hello, little one.”
I covered my mouth.
Around us, several guests wiped their eyes.
Leonardo stayed there for almost a minute.
Then he looked up.
“Emma, why didn't you tell me?”
My heart dropped.
I looked toward Bianca.
She'd gone pale.
I swallowed.
“I tried, sir.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“I called your office after Matteo died. Bianca answered.”
Leonardo slowly turned.
His expression changed.
“Bianca?”
She shook her head.
“Leonardo, I can explain.”
He stood.
“Did Emma tell you she was married to my brother?”
Bianca looked away.
“Darling, she had no proof at the time.”
Leonardo stared at her.
“Did she tell you she was pregnant?”
Silence.
“Bianca.”
Finally, she whispered:
“Yes.”
The room went completely still.
Leonardo took one step closer.
“You knew?”
She began crying.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From someone making claims against Matteo's estate.”
Leonardo looked at me.
Then back at Bianca.
“You brought my brother's pregnant widow into this house.”
Bianca swallowed.
“Yes.”
“You let her work here for five months.”
She said nothing.
“And you never told me who she was?”
Tears streamed down her face.
“I thought you needed time.”
Leonardo's voice hardened.
“Eight months?”
Nobody spoke.
Then Bianca whispered:
“Leonardo, Matteo left everything to you.”
He went still.
“What?”
She wiped her cheeks.
“His accounts. His investments. His share of the family businesses. Everything.”
Leonardo frowned.
“And?”
Bianca's voice shook.
“If Emma was legally married to him, and if the baby is his, that changes things.”
Leonardo stared.
For the first time, I saw something truly frightening in his expression.
Not rage.
Understanding.
He slowly turned toward his attorney, who had been sitting near the head of the table.
“Anthony.”
The silver-haired attorney stood.
“Yes, Leonardo?”
“Did Matteo leave a will?”
Anthony hesitated.
“We located a signed estate planning document after his death.”
Leonardo nodded.
“Did it mention a wife?”
The attorney looked uncomfortable.
“Yes.”
My heart stopped.
Leonardo stared at him.
“What?”
Anthony swallowed.
“The document referred to his spouse, Emma Moretti.”
I covered my mouth.
Matteo had written my name.
He'd made sure I was protected.
Leonardo looked toward Bianca.
“You knew he was married.”
She shook her head.
“I didn't see the will until afterward.”
Anthony cleared his throat.
“Leonardo, the document was delivered to your private office nine days after the accident.”
Leonardo went still.
“Delivered to whom?”
Anthony hesitated.
Then looked at Bianca.
“Miss Romano signed for it.”
A murmur swept across the room.
Leonardo slowly turned toward his fiancée.
“You received my brother's will?”
Bianca began shaking.
“Leonardo—”
“And you hid it?”
She looked toward her father, seated near the fireplace.
Richard Romano.
A wealthy investment banker who had spent the entire dinner smiling at Leonardo's business associates.
Now he wasn't smiling.
Leonardo noticed.
“Richard.”
The older man straightened his jacket.
“Yes?”
“Did you know about my brother's will?”
Richard hesitated.
“Leonardo, this isn't the appropriate place—”
“Did you?”
A long silence.
Then Richard nodded.
“Yes.”
Leonardo stared at him.
“Why?”
Richard took a breath.
“Because the will complicated a transaction that was already underway.”
Leonardo's eyes narrowed.
“What transaction?”
Anthony looked down at the documents on his phone.
Then suddenly frowned.
“Leonardo.”
He looked up.
“What?”
“I think you need to see something.”
Bianca grabbed her father's arm.
“Dad, please.”
Richard whispered:
“Don't.”
But Anthony was already scrolling through the estate file.
“After Matteo died, an amended beneficiary statement was submitted.”
Leonardo stared.
“By whom?”
Anthony hesitated.
“According to the records, it was submitted through your office.”
Leonardo shook his head.
“I authorized no changes.”
Anthony looked at Bianca.
Then back at Leonardo.
“The amendment removed Emma as the named spouse and replaced her with an unidentified beneficiary designation.”
My stomach turned.
Leonardo stepped closer.
“Who was named?”
Anthony swallowed.
“A private family trust.”
Richard's face went white.
Leonardo stared at him.
“Whose trust?”
Anthony hesitated.
Then answered:
“The Romano Family Trust.”
The room went silent.
I felt as if the floor had disappeared beneath me.
Bianca began crying harder.
Richard slowly lowered himself into his chair.
Leonardo didn't move.
Then he whispered:
“You took my dead brother's inheritance.”
Bianca shook her head.
“No, Leonardo. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.”
He stared at her.
“What was supposed to happen?”
She covered her face.
“My father said the trust would protect the money until everything was settled.”
Leonardo looked toward Richard.
“Protect it from whom?”
Richard said nothing.
Leonardo's jaw tightened.
“From Emma?”
Silence.
“From my brother's unborn child?”
Bianca whispered:
“We didn't know what she was going to do.”
Leonardo looked at me.
I was sitting beside the banquet table.
One hand resting on my stomach.
Tears running down my face.
I had spent months folding their clothes.
Cleaning their rooms.
Serving their dinners.
While the people who knew my husband's name pretended I was nobody.
Leonardo slowly walked back toward me.
He knelt.
“Emma.”
I looked at him.
“Yes, sir?”
His voice broke.
“I'm sorry.”
I shook my head.
“You didn't know.”
“I should have.”
He swallowed.
“I should have asked why my brother wanted me to keep October fourteenth free.”
My eyes filled.
“He was so excited to tell you.”
Leonardo closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
“I wish he had.”
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I reached into my apron pocket.
There was something I'd carried every day since the funeral.
A small photograph.
Matteo standing behind me at the courthouse.
His arms wrapped around my waist.
Both of us laughing.
I handed it to Leonardo.
He stared at his brother's face.
And slowly smiled through his tears.
“He looks happy.”
I nodded.
“He was.”
Leonardo touched the photograph.
Then whispered:
“Thank you for loving him.”
That was when I finally broke down.
He held my hand until I could breathe normally again.
Then he stood.
And turned toward Bianca.
“The engagement is over.”
She stared.
“No.”
“You'll leave this house tonight.”
“Leonardo, please—”
“You knew I was grieving my brother.”
His voice hardened.
“You knew his wife was pregnant.”
Bianca began sobbing.
“And you let her stand in my dining room while you accused her of stealing his wedding ring.”
He looked toward Richard.
“Neither of you comes near Emma until this is investigated.”
Richard stood.
“Leonardo, be reasonable. There are legal complications here.”
Leonardo nodded slowly.
“Then my attorney will handle them.”
Anthony stepped forward.
“I'll preserve the estate records and arrange an independent review.”
Leonardo turned back toward me.
“Emma, you'll have access to proper medical care, and you won't have to work another shift here.”
I started crying again.
“Sir, I don't want charity.”
He shook his head.
“This isn't charity.”
His voice softened.
“Matteo was my little brother.”
He looked at my stomach.
“And that baby is family.”
For the first time in eight months, I felt something I hadn't felt since the funeral.
Safe.
But Anthony was still looking at his phone.
His expression had changed.
“Leonardo.”
Leonardo turned.
“What?”
“The estate documents aren't the only things Bianca withheld.”
Bianca froze.
Anthony hesitated.
“Matteo left a sealed letter with our office. It was supposed to be delivered if anything happened to him before he could meet with you.”
Leonardo frowned.
“A letter?”
Anthony nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't I get it?”
Anthony glanced at Bianca.
“The office was instructed to send it to your home. I have a delivery acknowledgment.”
Leonardo stared at his fiancée.
“You intercepted that too?”
Bianca shook her head.
“Leonardo, you don't understand what was in it.”
His expression hardened.
“Then tell me.”
She looked toward Richard.
Her father suddenly stood.
“Bianca, don't say another word.”
Leonardo turned toward him.
“Why?”
Richard stepped backward.
“Because Matteo was asking questions he had no business asking.”
The entire room went silent.
Leonardo stared.
“What questions?”
Richard looked at Bianca.
She was trembling.
Then he said:
“Your brother discovered something about our family's financial arrangements.”
Leonardo frowned.
“What?”
Richard swallowed.
“Something that could have destroyed the merger between our companies.”
Leonardo's eyes narrowed.
“Matteo wasn't involved in that merger.”
Richard looked away.
“He became involved when he found out where some of the money had gone.”
Anthony's expression changed.
“What money?”
Richard didn't answer.
Then I remembered something.
The night before Matteo died.
We'd been sitting on the couch in our little apartment.
He'd been unusually quiet.
I asked what was wrong.
He'd smiled.
Kissed my forehead.
And told me not to worry.
But before we went to bed, he'd handed me a small brown envelope.
“Keep this somewhere safe, Em.”
I'd laughed.
“What is it?”
“Something for Leo.”
“Then give it to him.”
“I will.”
He hesitated.
“But if anything happens to me, promise you'll make sure he gets it.”
I'd told him to stop being dramatic.
He'd kissed me.
And whispered:
“Promise?”
I'd promised.
Then I'd forgotten about the envelope.
Until now.
My hands began shaking.
“Mr. Moretti?”
Leonardo turned.
“Yes, Emma?”
I swallowed.
“Matteo gave me something the night before the accident.”
His expression changed.
“What?”
“A brown envelope.”
Bianca suddenly went completely still.
Richard slowly looked toward me.
I continued.
“He said it was for you.”
Leonardo stepped closer.
“Do you still have it?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
I placed my hand over my stomach.
“Inside the lining of my old suitcase. I was afraid to leave it anywhere else.”
Bianca's face drained of color.
Richard grabbed the back of his chair.
Leonardo noticed.
“What is in that envelope?”
I shook my head.
“I don't know. Matteo made me promise I wouldn't open it.”
Leonardo looked toward Anthony.
“Have Emma's suitcase brought here, if she's comfortable with that.”
I nodded.
“Please.”
Twenty minutes later, I sat beside Leonardo at the banquet table.
A glass of water in front of me.
A cushion behind my aching back.
The remaining guests had been asked to leave.
Bianca and Richard waited across the room while Anthony arranged for the records to be secured.
I carefully removed the stitching from my suitcase lining.
And pulled out the brown envelope.
Matteo's handwriting covered the front.
Leo — if I can't tell you myself.
Leonardo stared at it.
His hands were shaking.
Then he carefully opened it.
Inside were three things.
A photograph.
A folded bank statement.
And a handwritten letter.
Leonardo unfolded the letter first.
He read silently.
His expression changed.
Then he whispered:
“Matteo...”
I watched his eyes move across the page.
Suddenly, he looked toward Richard.
Then Bianca.
His face had gone white.
“What did you do?”
Bianca began crying.
“Leonardo, please.”
He stood.
“What did you do to my brother?”
Richard lifted both hands.
“Nothing happened the way Matteo thought.”
Leonardo stared at him.
“What happened?”
Richard said nothing.
Then Leonardo looked down at the photograph.
It showed Matteo standing outside a parking garage.
Beside him was Richard Romano.
And another man.
A man I recognized immediately.
I felt my stomach drop.
“No.”
Leonardo turned.
“Emma?”
I pointed toward the photograph.
My hand was trembling.
“That man.”
Leonardo looked down.
“What about him?”
Tears filled my eyes.
“He came to see me after the funeral.”
The room went completely silent.
Leonardo's expression hardened.
“What did he want?”
I swallowed.
“He told me Matteo had owed him money.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Bianca stepped backward.
I continued.
“He said if I told anyone about the marriage, I'd be responsible for paying my husband's debts.”
Leonardo stared at me.
“What debts?”
“I didn't know.”
My voice broke.
“He said it was safer if nobody knew about the baby.”
Leonardo slowly turned toward Richard.
“Who is he?”
Richard didn't answer.
Leonardo lifted the photograph.
“Richard.”
His voice was dangerously quiet.
“Who is the man standing beside you and my brother?”
Richard swallowed.
Then whispered:
“Someone who was supposed to help Matteo.”
Leonardo frowned.
“Help him with what?”
Richard looked toward Bianca.
And finally answered:
“Getting out of the situation he'd discovered.”
Leonardo stared.
“What situation?”
Richard shook his head.
“Your brother had uncovered records that could have sent several people to prison.”
Leonardo looked down at the letter.
Then read the final paragraph.
His eyes widened.
He read it again.
And when he spoke, his voice was barely audible.
“Matteo wrote that someone had been following Emma.”
I stopped breathing.
Leonardo looked toward me.
Then at my stomach.
He continued reading.
His hands began trembling.
“He said someone knew about the baby before he did.”
Bianca covered her mouth.
Richard looked toward the door.
Leonardo slowly lifted his eyes.
“How could someone know Emma was pregnant before Matteo even knew she was pregnant?”
Nobody answered.
Then Anthony picked up the bank statement.
His expression changed.
“Leonardo... this isn't a bank statement.”
Leonardo turned.
“What?”
Anthony looked up.
“It's a payment authorization.”
Richard froze.
Anthony continued.
“There are monthly payments here. All from a Romano-controlled account.”
Leonardo stared at him.
“To whom?”
Anthony swallowed.
Then looked toward me.
“To a private medical practice in Chicago.”
My stomach tightened.
I knew that name.
I knew that clinic.
It was where Bianca had insisted I receive every prenatal examination since moving into the mansion.
Leonardo looked at me.
“Emma?”
I could barely speak.
“That's my doctor's office.”
Bianca began shaking.
Leonardo slowly turned toward her.
“Why has your father's company been paying my brother's widow's medical bills through a private account?”
She said nothing.
He stepped closer.
“And why did Matteo know about these payments before he died?”
Richard suddenly spoke.
“Leonardo, you need to understand something about that clinic.”
Leonardo stared at him.
“What?”
Richard looked at my stomach.
Then at the letter in Leonardo's hand.
And whispered:
“Matteo wasn't investigating the clinic because of Emma.”
Leonardo went completely still.
“Then why?”
Richard's face was gray.
“Because he discovered there were other women.”
A long silence followed.
I pressed one hand against my stomach.
My baby kicked.
Leonardo stared at Richard.
“What other women?”
But before Richard could answer, Bianca whispered something that made every person in the room turn toward her.
“Dad... tell him what happened to the first baby.”
Leonardo stopped breathing.
“The first baby?”
Bianca covered her face.
Richard looked as if he'd aged ten years.
Then Anthony turned to the last page of Matteo's letter.
There was one final sentence written in hurried handwriting.
He read it aloud.
“Leo, if Emma tells you she's carrying my child, protect them both. And whatever you do, don't let Bianca choose the hospital.”
Leonardo slowly looked toward his former fiancée.
Then at me.
My hands were shaking against my stomach.
May you like
And for the first time, I realized Matteo hadn't left that envelope because he was afraid of dying.
He'd left it because he was afraid of what might happen to our baby after he was gone.
