Page 124 of The Don’s Omega

“You didn’t…. you didn’t sell a kidney or anything, right?” His voice wobbles. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything that stupid.”

“No, I… I didn’t sell any organs.”

He slumps with relief, but it’s short-lived. The dread returns quickly. “But you did something drastic, you said as much. What did you do?”

I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “As I said, the… the alpha who Kessler set me up with needed something from me.”

“What did he need?” There’s apprehension in his voice.

“An heir.”

Fabio gives a sharp intake of breath. “What the hell?”

My face is hot as I meet his shocked gaze. “I had no choice, Fabio. Please don’t look at me like that.”

The disgust and pain on his face guts me. “No, Elio. Please. Tell me you didn’t sell yourself to that alpha for me.”

“It was a business deal. That’s all.” I don’t know why I bother saying that. He’s not an idiot and he’s not buying what I’m saying anyway.

“You… you slept with an alpha to pay for my surgery.” His face is white as he whispers, “Goddamn it, Elio, how could you think that was okay?”

“We were out of options, Fabio,” I say hoarsely. “You were going to die if you didn’t get the surgery. That’s just a fact. You think I’d let that happen? I wasn’t going to bury my little brother for any reason. Not if I had even one option left to me to prevent that.”

His jaw works and his eyes are bright. I can see him fighting tears, not because he’s weak but because he’s furious and guilty and overwhelmed. “So who is this fucker who thinks he can buy a person? Impregnate and exploit a desperate omega?” he growls.

I sigh. “His name is Marcello Foschini.”

His expression is blank. He doesn’t know the name. The Foschini name means nothing to him any more than it did to me when I first heard it.

“He’s the head of a crime family,” I say bluntly. “Here in Sorrento Bay.”

There’s silence. Complete, airless silence as Fabio stares at me in horror.

“What?” he hisses at last. “He’s what?”

I wince at the shock and anger in his voice.

He growls, “If he’s such a big shot, why would he pay someone to have his kid?”

“It’s complicated,” I mumble. “I’ll give you all the details later, but there’s more to tell you first.”

“There’s more?”

“Yes.” I hold his gaze trying not to wilt under his anger. “The terms of our agreement were that I’d marry him.”

“Oh, my god.” The veins bulge in his neck. “You married the asshole?”

“Fabio, please calm down.” I hold out my hands, scared that he’s getting too worked up.

His eyes glitter with confusion and anger. “You married an alpha for money? Why did you have to marry the guy?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

Fabio rakes a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. When he opens them, his blue eyes are drenched with guilt. “How could you do that, Elio? How could you prostitute yourself for me? You thought I’d be okay with that?”

“No,” I say quietly. “I knew you wouldn’t be okay with any of it. I knew you’d be furious and guilty and upset. Why do you think I didn’t tell you until now? I knew that you wouldn’t go through with the operation if you knew what I’d done.”

“So you lied to me,” he says bitterly. “You tricked me and whored yourself out. How do you think that makes me feel?” Tears streak down his cheeks. “How am I supposed to feel about that?”