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Behind me, Caspian hissed. “How dare you?”

“Gastone,” Dino was the first to speak. “What you suggest, it’s…it’s Larissa. We can’t.”

“We can and we will,” Gastone turned and glowered at his brothers before turning back to face Larissa. “Come with me. You want to keep the child? Fine. Keep it. We’ll raise it. But you can’t stay with him.”

Larissa’s grip on my hand tightened. “I've never been more certain of anything in my life when I say I love Gio. My child deserves his father’s love, and I deserve to build the family I want. Please, Gastone. It’s him or… no one.”

“You’re young,” he shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know enough to say I’ll die if I can’t be with Gio. You hear me, Gastone?” Larissa now screamed as tears started pouring down her face. I turned to her, to see her heart laid out so raw for this world, and couldn’t bear to see her in pain. I reached out and gently wiped her tears away.

“No, sweetheart, no. Don’t say that,” I pleaded, as a lump formed in my throat. I caressed her cheek and she leaned into it, closing her eyes.

“Gastone,” I heard Dino. “We should leave.”

Larissa and I both looked over at Dino in surprise and noticed how Dino and Carlo were no standing on either side of Gastone.

“But—” Gastone tried speaking, but Carlo shook his head.

“We always follow you, brother. But this time, you ask too much of your sister. Dino and I both feel,” and then, Carlo looked at us and smiled, “that we have no other choice but to accept this.”

Gastone sighed deeply and a frown formed across his forehead. “I will never accept this, you all hear me? But clearly, I’m outnumbered today. But you will come to regret this choice. All of you,” he hissed at Larissa, at my brothers, at me and his.

And then he turned and walked to his car, slamming the door shut behind him. Dino and Carlo stepped forward, as though they wanted to pull their little sister into a hug, but with Gastone so furious, now obviously wasn’t the time.

“We wish you well, sister,” Dino said at last and Carlo nodded. Then, the two men were gone just as fast.

I felt a weight lift from my chest, replaced by a new one—the responsibility of a future I'd never imagined for myself. A woman I loved. A child on the way. A bridge between two warring families.

“Don’t worry,” I said, pulling Larissa close to my side. “You and I are a family now, and we’ll figure this all out.”

Chapter 26 - Larissa

Casian’s home, which also happened to be the Lebedev family estate, sprawled before me like a fortress. Despite having been a part of Gio’s family for months, I still felt intimidated by it.

I smoothed my hand over my swollen belly, six months along now, and went back in from the balcony I’d gone out to for some fresh air.

When I entered the living room, Caspian’s wife Kate walked up to me with an iced tea. Gently, she pressed it into my hands. “You feeling okay?” she asked.

I cradled by belly again and took a sip of the cool, refreshing drink. “This baby is always energetic,” I smiled. “But yes. I’m feeling fine. Just a bit tired.”

“You poor thing,” Bea said, sliding up to us and linking an around through mine. “I don’t know how you do it!”

“When you have your own,” Kate smiled at her. “You’d understand.”

We walked through the room to see what everyone else was up to. My brothers stood awkwardly near the bar, feeling out of place. Gastone’s absence hung in the air, but I forced it aside and focused on feeling grateful for the fact that Carlo and Dino showed. I knew that Gastone wanted them to cut me off. I knew how angry he still was and how he must view Carlo and Dino’s relationship with me as a betrayal. And yet, they were making an effort, all for me. I knew they still didn’t care for the Lebedevs.

I excused myself and walked up to them with a smile.

“More water, angel?” Gio appeared at my side, his whiskey-colored eyes warm as he offered me a glass. I raised my cup of iced tea, and he shook his head, knowing what I meant. Our families were spoiling me rotten.

He put aside the water and clinked his glass against mine, before turning to my brothers with a polite smile. To my surprise, they raised their own glasses and met Gio’s halfway.

Caspian watched us from across the room. His expression remained unreadable, but at least he had stopped referring to me as “the Italian problem. “ I supposedthatwas progress. Federico and Dante argued about something in hushed tones while Luca was off on his phone, doing God knows what.

Just then, Achille pulled up. “So, Carlo, Dino, if I were to buy an Italian car that the ladies would love, what would you suggest?”

I swear I saw Carlo try hard not to roll his eyes. I motioned at Gio and we made our exit from the group. I wanted to give Carlo and Dino an opportunity to get to know Gio’s family without me lingering by.