Page 122 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Don

I’m not ready to face the outcome.

These past weeks with Marco have reawakened feelings I thought had died last year.

Despite his walls, his refusal to commit, I've glimpsed moments of tenderness that make me wonder what could be.

In my most secret thoughts, I imagine telling Marco about the baby and watching his face transform not with horror, but with wonder. I picture his strong hands cradling our child, his stern features softening as tiny fingers grip his finger. I dream of Christmas mornings filled with laughter and joy.

It's a fantasy. Marco has made his position clear. He doesn't want children. He doesn't want me beyond this moment.

As Elena gathers her things to leave, I wonder if maybe Elena is right and that men think they know what they want until faced with something different.

Could Marco embrace a future he determined he wanted to avoid when faced with reality?

Later that evening, I decide I’m putting off the inevitable by not taking the test.

Who knows, maybe it will come back negative and I’ve been worried sick all day for nothing.

Or maybe it will come back pregnant, in which case I need to make plans.

Marco is out working tonight with Roman, so I can take the test and not worry about being caught.

I go into the ensuite bathroom with the pregnancy test.

Following the instructions carefully, I take the test, then set it on the counter.

Five minutes.

Five minutes that will determine the rest of my life.

I can't bear to watch the little digital window, counting each second as it passes.

Instead, I turn on the shower, letting steam fill the bathroom.

The hot, pelting water might help clear my head, help ease my tension as I prepare for whatever answer awaits.

Under the shower's spray, I close my eyes and let the water cascade over my face.

I think of my father, of how he might react to a grandchild born out of wedlock, Marco Calabresi's child, no less.

I think of Marco, his face contorted with panic at the mere possibility.

It’s clear that I need to hide the child’s paternity if I am indeed pregnant.

"What the fuck is this?" Marco’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

I flinch and turn, opening my eyes to find him standing there holding the pregnancy test.

He steps closer, eyes blazing, jaw clenched, not caring that his clothes are getting wet. "You lied to me. You told me you were on birth control when you weren't?"

I turn off the shower, water dripping down my body as I reach for a towel. "I didn't?—"

He holds up the test, the digital window facing him. "Was this your plan all along? Trap me with a baby I never wanted?"

I wrap the towel around myself, anger replacing my initial shock. "I didn't plan anything! I haven't even looked at the result yet, so I don't know?—"

"It's positive," he cuts in, his voice like ice. "Congratulations, Gabriella. You got what you wanted."

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