Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Dawn painted my ceiling pink as I traced small circles against my skin, letting that new awareness settle into certainty. Everything would change tomorrow. But for now, I held my secrets close, wrapped in memories of seven men who would tear this world apart to keep us safe.
Vittorio thought he was getting back his perfect puppet. Alessandro dreamed of a broken doll to reshape.
Neither of them had any idea what was really at stake.
27
PEARL
Food tasted different in this house.
Maybe it was the heavy silverware or the precise way the breakfast plates were always arranged. Or maybe it was just the way my stomach turned each time I caught Vittorio studying me over his coffee cup, like he was cataloging every time I set my fork down without taking a bite.
I pushed the eggs around my plate, trying to breathe through another wave of nausea. Three days back, and already the careful routine we'd planned was slipping away, betrayed by my own body's rebellion.
When Nan appeared in the doorway, her face carefully blank, I knew the game was up.
"Your father has asked Dr. Romano to examine you this morning."
I recognized his footsteps in the hallway, the same measured tread that had echoed through my childhood illnesses. His medical bag would be in his left hand, his kind smile masking sharp eyes that saw too much.
"Well, now," his familiar voice carried that gentle authority I remembered. "Let's see what's troubling our Pearl."
I forced myself to stay still as he checked my pulse, trying not to flinch when his fingers pressed gently against my abdomen. The morning sickness had gotten worse over the last three days, harder to hide. Vittorio's patience with my "dramatics" had finally run out.
"How long have you been feeling unwell?" Dr. Romano's eyes held something I couldn't quite read.
"Just since returning home." The lie felt thick on my tongue. "Maybe the stress..."
He hummed noncommittally, continuing his examination with practiced efficiency. When he finally sat back, his expression was carefully neutral.
"I'll need to draw some blood to confirm, but I believe congratulations are in order."
The world tilted sideways. Even though I'd suspected—had felt the truth growing inside me for days—hearing it spoken aloud made everything terrifyingly real. And underneath the fear, a tiny flutter of something else. Something that felt like hope, like the future, like seven different smiles and gentle hands and the family I'd never thought I'd have.
"Early stages still, but clear enough." His voice seemed to come from very far away as my mind raced through memories: Giuliano's protective touch, Enzo's playful grin, Angelo's quiet strength. A baby. Our baby. The thought was terrifying and wonderful all at once. "The morning sickness should ease in time—"
My heart raced as he packed his bag. Maybe he wouldn't tell Vittorio. Maybe there was still time to figure this out on my own. But the careful way he avoided my eyes told me everything.
"I'll speak with your father now," Dr. Romano said quietly, closing his bag with a soft click. "Stay here, child."
I sat in the examination room, pulse racing as I heard him move to Vittorio's study. The murmured voices were too low to make out, then silence. A sudden crash of shattering glass made me flinch.
Vittorio's footsteps thundered down the hallway. I barely had time to stand before he burst into my room, his usual composed facade shattered by rage. In the background, Dr. Romano was hovering.
"You little fool!" Vittorio's face was contorted, unrecognizable. "Do you know what this means? What have those animals done?" For a moment, something almost like concern flickered across his face. "Did they force you?"
Before I could answer, his expression hardened again. "Or did you give yourself willingly? Was this their plan all along? To ruin you, to taint our family's blood?"
"It's not like that—" I started, but he cut me off with a savage laugh.
"Not like that? Then tell me, Pearl," his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "how did my perfect girl end up pregnant? Did you spread your legs willingly for these criminals, or am I looking at damaged goods?"
He advanced on me, making me stumble backward. "Who was it? How many of them had you? After everything I've done to protect you, to give you a perfect life!"
Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "You've given me nothing but a prison!"
The slap caught me off guard, snapping my head to the side. "A prison?" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "I gave you everything. And this is what I get in return.”
His grip on my shoulders tightened painfully when a smooth voice cut through the tension.
"Now, now, Vittorio." Alessandro stood in the doorway, his presence filling the room like smoke. "Let's not do anything hasty."
He moved into the room like oil spreading across water, all smooth confidence and predatory grace. "In fact, this simplifies everything."