Page 69 of Die for You

He stares off into the distance, likely replaying everything I just shared.

My brain refuses to process the revelation about Gianna. Deep down, I hope that this is all a bad dream, but I know Lenny would never lie about this.

He’s been fighting for me for so many years. He never gave up on me when he had every right to.

He retrieves a folded piece of paper from his pocket, offering it to me. “Francesco gave me this before he left.”

I accept, and when I unfold it and see that’s my birth certificate, in some macabre way, I finally am free.

Free of the shackles of my past.

Free of whether something was wrong with me, because what mother abandons their child on the steps of an orphanage?

And free of the guilt which has forever plagued me that I was to blame for any of this.

This is my mother’s fault; Gianna Ricci whose name I read before my eyes.

Sheismy mother.

And she is really fucking dead.

A thought hits me and I gasp, covering my mouth.

“What if…what if Gianna has her?”

Lenny’s jaw clenches. “She knows about her?”

I shake my head.

But this possibility makes sense. Perhaps Gianna has her to ensure I don’t betray her. She did the same thing to me, didn’t she?

“We have to find her.”

“Gianna aside, who else could have her? Who else knows about her?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, unable to process any of this. “I’ve gone over this a million times. I’ve kept Lettie out of sight for this exact reason. Nico has—”

The moment I say his name, Lenny closes his eyes and exhales slowly. “That fucker has been raising my daughter?”

“Lenny.”

“Answer the fucking question, Valentina!”

“Yes,” I reply, full of defeat.

Something in Lenny snaps, and he goes into a rage, tearing the gym apart.

I stand aside, watching in horror at the pain I’ve caused, making me hate Gianna even more than I do.

“How could you?” he pants, dropping to his knees in front of me, tears in his beautiful eyes. “You robbed me of my daughter.”

I can’t hold back my tears and sob. “I did what was right. I did everything to protect her. She doesn’t belong in either of our worlds.”

“You don’t get to decide that! I’m her father!”

“We’re fucking criminals, Lenny! We kill people like it’s nothing! I didn’t want our daughter to see both her parents as the bad guys.”

“Wearethe bad guys, Valentina, and shielding her from the truth would never change that! Instead, you took a choice away from me which you had no right to do! If I knew, I would have—”