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LIA

One month and three days had passed, but really, who was counting?

I closed my eyes as the pain consumed me. That wasn’t new. It was just pain and more pain and more pain.

I could hear Theo walk up behind me, but I didn’t turn around to look at him. He set down a tray of food in front of me.

“Eat,” he demanded, his voice harsh. I glanced up at him with hopeless eyes. He let out a small sigh. “Please eat, Lia. You know he would want you to take care of yourself.”

I looked down at the food he brought—a cheeseburger with some fries and a cup of soda.

I really wished I could, but everything tasted like cardboard, and I had no appetite.

He bent down until we were at eye level. “He’s going to be so fucking pissed if he sees you wasting away like this.”

He cupped my cheek. “If you can’t eat for yourself, then you need to eat for the baby growing inside you. Mael’s baby.”

I pressed my hand against my stomach.

I was pregnant.

Mael finally got what he wanted. He got me pregnant. But he hadn’t been there when the doctor told me.

Theo picked up the cheeseburger and wrapped half of it in a napkin, holding it out to me. I grabbed it and took a bite, chewing automatically and swallowing, not really tasting anything.

Theo let out a small sigh of relief. “That’s a good girl.”

I felt a small pang of guilt from making him worry about me like this, but the pain inside was too consuming for me to give this guilt anything more than a fleeting thought.

When I was about halfway done with my meal and couldn’t eat anymore, I left it on the table. Theo eyed the remaining food but didn’t say anything.

I turned to the side of the bed and looked at Mael.

The constant beeping from the machine keeping him alive had been my companion over this last month and three days.

He was in a coma.

They tried their best to help him, but the rest was up to him.

He still hadn’t woken up.

I looked up to meet Theo’s blue eyes—identical blue eyes to Mael’s—and quickly looked away. Sometimes, it was hard to meet his gaze.

But Theo had been with me, holding vigil over his brother.

A knock at the door came, stealing my attention. I let out a small sigh of annoyance.

“I can make him leave,” Theo said.

I shook my head. “No, I asked him to come here. I’m just annoyed to see him.”

Theo looked at me curiously. “Why?”

I signaled for Agent Keller to come in. He was an astute man. He was also responsible for arresting my father in the factory last month and the man who was credited for taking down the Tacchini crime family.

His name had been in all the press, and there were even talks about him being promoted, but I knew he wasn’t happy with the result. He suspected Theo and Mael were a part of this. He wasn’t wrong, but there was nothing tying them to it. Theo had made sure of that.

Didn’t mean he hadn’t taken me in for questioning a few times within the month, much to the annoyance of Theo and the shark of the lawyer he had hired for me.

“Agent Keller. Thank you for stopping by,” I said.

Agent Keller’s eyes moved briefly to Theo before stopping on me. “Of course. Did you think of something you wanted to tell me? We can talk about this back in my office.”

Theo took a step forward. “She’s not going anywhere with you, fucker.”

I grabbed his arm, de-escalating the situation before it could get out of hand.

“It’s okay,” I said to Theo. Then to Agent Keller, “I did think of something.”

I picked up my purse from the floor and pulled out the little black book. I looked at Theo. He didn’t show any reaction.

I handed it over to Agent Keller.

“I found this,” I said.

Agent Keller took it and read through it briefly. His eyes were wide when he looked back at me. “This should be enough to make your case against my father.”

“And you’re just going to give this to me?” He sounded surprised.

I nodded.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because.” I looked back at Theo, then at Mael, who had their childhood stolen from them. I should have given this to Agent Keller from the beginning when we first met, but I hadn’t been thinking clearly at the time.

“All those women and children… the ones you were able to save, and then the ones you weren’t…” My lips trembled. “They deserve this justice. And my father is responsible. Along with Leo Briggs. This will be their legacy.”

Theo placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. I laid my hand on top of his, wishing there was more I could do to comfort him… more that I could do for Mael.

Agent Keller didn’t miss the move.

He seemed to think about it, and then he nodded as if coming to terms with a realization.

“Thank you for this,” he said.

I smiled at him.

He walked out the door without another word, and I had a feeling he would leave us alone from now on. I truly wished him the best.

I turned back to Mael and grabbed his hand. I kissed the back of it. “Come back to me, baby.”

Please. I need you. Theo needs you. Our baby needs you.