Page 21 of Claimed by the Enemy (Moretti Bratva #2)

“No kidding.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“I don’t know yet. But Raff, Sophie just gave up everything to protect me. Her family, her mission, probably her safety. The least I can do is make sure it wasn’t for nothing.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning we find out who’s really behind this, and we end it before Uncle Enzo can follow through on his threats.”

“And if we can’t?”

I think about Sophie’s face when she told me she loved me. About the way she’d been willing to sacrifice everything just to keep me safe.

“Then we make sure Sophie survives whatever’s coming. Even if I don’t.”

Twenty minutes after Sophie leaves, my phone rings. Vincent’s name on the screen.

“Sir, there’s been an incident.”

My blood turns to ice. “What kind of incident?”

“Mrs. Moretti collapsed outside the building. She’s been taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.”

I’m already grabbing my jacket, my keys, everything I need to get to her as fast as possible.

“Is she conscious?”

“Yes, sir. But sir… the paramedics think she might have fainted from stress.”

Stress. Because of everything I just put her through. Because she had to confess sixteen years of lies and betrayal just to prove she loved me.

“I’m on my way.”

“Sir? The doctors are asking about next of kin, medical history…”

“Tell them I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

I run through the hospital corridors like a man possessed, ignoring the disapproving looks from staff and patients alike. Sophie is here, somewhere in this maze of white walls and antiseptic smells, and I need to see her. Need to make sure she’s okay.

“Domenico Moretti,” I tell the nurse at the emergency desk. “My wife was brought in about thirty minutes ago. Sophie Moretti.”

“Room 312. Third floor.”

I take the stairs three at a time, my heart hammering against my ribs. What if the stress of confessing everything was too much? What if I pushed her too hard, too fast?

What if I’ve lost her just when I finally got her back?

Room 312 is quiet when I push through the door. Sophie is lying in a hospital bed, looking small and pale against the white sheets. Her eyes are closed, but she’s breathing steadily.

“Sophie?”

Her eyes flutter open, focusing on me with obvious relief. “Dom.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Embarrassed. I’ve never fainted in my life.”

“The doctor said it was stress.”

“Probably.” Sophie tries to sit up, but I gently push her back down.

“Just rest for a minute.”

“I’m fine, really. Just need to get out of here.”

“Sophie.” A doctor appears in the doorway, a young woman with kind eyes and a professional demeanor. “I’m Dr. Martinez. How are you feeling?”

“Better. Ready to go home.”

“Not quite yet. We need to discuss your test results.”

Something in the doctor’s tone makes both Sophie and me go very still.

“What test results?” Sophie asks.

“We ran some standard bloodwork when you came in. Nothing invasive, just routine tests to make sure there wasn’t an underlying medical cause for your fainting spell.”

“And?”

Dr. Martinez smiles. “Congratulations, Mrs. Moretti. You’re pregnant.”

The words hit like a thunderbolt. Sophie’s face goes completely white, and I feel like someone just punched me in the gut.

“That’s… that’s not possible,” Sophie whispers.

“About six weeks, based on your hormone levels. The fainting was likely due to a combination of stress and the normal physical changes that occur during early pregnancy.”

Pregnant. Sophie is pregnant.

With my child.

“I need a moment,” Sophie says, her voice barely audible. “Could you… Could you give us a minute?”

“Of course. I’ll be back to check on you shortly.”

Dr. Martinez leaves, closing the door behind her. Sophie and I stare at each other in stunned silence.

“Six weeks,” she says finally.

“That would put conception around…”

“The wine cellar. The night you came home bleeding.”

“Sophie-”

“Dom, I can’t… this complicates everything.”

“Does it?”

“Uncle Enzo is trying to kill you. I’m supposed to be choosing between my family and my husband. And now…” She gestures helplessly at her still-flat stomach. “Now there’s a baby involved.”

“Our baby.”

“Our baby, who’s going to grow up without a father if Uncle Enzo follows through on his threats.”

I sit on the edge of the hospital bed, taking Sophie’s hands in mine. “That’s not going to happen.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that I’m not going to let anyone hurt you or our child. Not Uncle Enzo, not whoever’s been pulling his strings, not anyone.”

“Dom-”

“Sophie, look at me.” I wait until her eyes meet mine. “We’re going to figure this out. All of it. And our child is going to grow up safe and loved and free from all the poison that’s been destroying our families for sixteen years.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I have something to fight for now that’s bigger than revenge or family honor or any of the other bullshit that’s been driving this war.”

“What’s that?”

“You. Our baby. Our future.” I lean down to kiss her forehead. “And I’m not going to let anyone take that away from me.”

Sophie’s eyes fill with tears again, but this time they look like tears of relief instead of fear.

“I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you, too. Both of you.”

“Dom? Can we keep this between us for now? The pregnancy, I mean. Until we figure out what to do about Uncle Enzo?”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“I just… I can’t handle Uncle Enzo knowing about this. Not until we find a way to end this safely.”

“I understand.”

And I do understand. Because now the stakes have changed completely. It’s not just about Sophie and me anymore. It’s about protecting an innocent life that didn’t ask to be born into this war.

Which means I need to end this conflict once and for all.

Before our child pays the price for our families’ sins.