Page 210 of Falling for the Wife

She thoughtfully gazed at the horizon with the slowly creeping sunrise. Then, her cheeks tinged with pink, eyes glittering like diamonds, she fully connected with my intense emerald gaze. “I think I already did, Luca,” she whispered.

Due

Presente

“Well, hell, it’s either you tell me, or I start taking this matter with you seriously and hire the right people to straighten this situation out. My son, my precious boy, is on the line here, so you better start talking.”

“Your mother offered me to have this child aborted, but I fought not to, and my selfish actions caused irreparable consequences.”

I saw fireworks from too much anger upon hearing my infamous mother had orchestrated something that had to do with Kimberly. More importantly, it had to do with my son whom she had wanted aborted. The wretched woman had dared to have the audacity to play with my son’s fate? She had better watch out.

“How in God’s name did she find out you were pregnant?”

“I’m not sure, but I think the doctor I went to told her, or maybe she had me followed. She never really said how she found out.”

My mother and all the details could be dealt with soon enough. There was another pressing matter I wanted to know. She had stated consequences had arisen after Gian Luca, so what wasn’t she telling me?

“What exactly is on the line here, Kimberly?”

“My brother’s life.”

My pulse quickened as I tried to figure out what was in play here.

“How is your brother’s life connected to any of this?” She was speaking in riddles, and the more I tried to solve the puzzle, the more confusing it became.

“I made a deal with your mother.”

Everything stopped.

“You didwhat!” I bellowed, which echoed around the tiny space as I looked at the woman I loved more than anything, as I reeled from her new revelation.

It was like the house of cards. You took one out, and everything fell apart. In this case, everything was falling into place. All the questions that had hounded me at night, all the ghosts that had haunted me in my dreams—all of this, all due to my mother. All this bloody fucking suffering had been for selfish reasons. She was going to pay, and I wouldn’t settle for a mediocre fall out. Hell would surely break loose. I would make sure of it.

Kimberly seemed hesitant, but the more she took in my incensed state, the guiltier she looked.

“My brother’s been on the waiting list for a heart transplant back home for years. It was a risk coming here with him being sick, but my dad couldn’t afford to lose his job, so we made sure we set aside airfare funds just in case we got a call.

“Your mother came to me. She said she had the power to put my brother first on the list here in Italy, and in exchange, I had to abort the baby. Of course, I had to decline it. What she was asking of me was just too much. There was no way I could do it, even though I’d do almost anything to save my brother’s deteriorating life. Ever since he was born, he’s been riddled with sickness, but his heart was the one thing that was slowly taking his life.

“She came to me the next day with a different deal. This time, she offered me one I couldn’t refuse. I could keep the baby and save my brother’s life at the same time. All I had to do was permanently separate from you and marry someone else, someone she had already negotiated with, to pass off as the baby’s father. I had to cut off all contact from you and to never inform you about the pregnancy.”

The wretched bitch! How dare she manipulate my life as if she had every bloody right to play God with my fucking child as if he were nothing but a nuisance to her!

“I’m sorry, but I had to do what needed to be done.” Kimberly gently cupped my cheek, hot tears freely flowing from her eyes. “Each night, I prayed that you’d forget about me, but you kept reappearing and made it difficult for the both of us. It seems as if the more I wished you’d move on with someone else, the more it backfired. And every single encounter affected me a great deal. I was in unbearable pain, but I had to stick to my end of the deal. I didn’t have much choice.”

Her pain was undeniable, but before I could resolve anything, I needed to know one more thing. “Your brother, did he get his operation?”

She shook her head. “No, but last I heard, it should be coming within the next couple of weeks.”

It must have been a damning thing to deal with the likes of my mother.

“I have to go. I’ll visit tomorrow. Count on it.”

Just as I made a turn to leave, Kimberly took ahold of my arm, stopping me.

“Don’t leave. Promise me you won’t fuck this up, Luca. I can’t risk my brother’s life. Please, I beg you.” Her voice shook, purely agonized. “I know you’re angry, but please don’t confront her. She’s going to punish me for telling you, and I can’t afford that.”

“I give you my word that your brother will get operated on one way or the other. My mother is done playing God. Mark my words.” Slowly releasing her grip from my arm, I reached for her hand, simply because I wanted to feel her warmth amidst the coldness of mine and because of the future I meant to fight for with everything I had. “I love you, but understand that I can’t be here. Something must be done. I’ll be back to see you and Gian Luca tomorrow.” With a gentle kiss on her forehead, I immediately left the ward then exited the pale hospital halls, leaving me hollow inside.