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She dragged air in and nodded, but then a frown flickered across her features. ‘Dante, we didn’t use anything...’
He closed his eyes, just for a brief second, and tried his best to reassure her. ‘Alicia...’ He was breathing as if he had been for a morning run. ‘I swear I have never done it without one, ever...’
She shook her head. She didn’t believe him; she’d nursed the proof of his failings in the contraception department after all.
‘You’re on the pill?’ he checked.
‘Of course I’m not!’
He swallowed, saw the anger and panic in her eyes. ‘It will be fine.’ He wasn’t being dismissive, he was trying to be practical, but clearly all the anger he’d been holding in his arms hadn’t quite dispersed.
‘Don’t give me your “it will be fine”. You’re a liar, Dante. Don’t tell me that was a one-off...that you’re always careful.’
‘Alicia.’ Still he remained calm, but curt, sharp. ‘I am telling you that is the one thing we don’t have to worry about. Christ, you were there when we did it the first time. I was the one who stopped.’
‘Well, clearly your methods aren’t failsafe. Given that nine months later...’
Oh, her anger had definitely not been dispersed—and now nor had his.
‘What?’
His voice was like a whip cracking beside her and she actually jumped, felt the wobble of her exposed breast.
‘What did you just say?’
Her voice quavered. ‘That it isn’t the first time you’ve gone without.’
‘I meant the “nine months later” part.’
‘What do you think I mean, Dante? You have a son!’ she shouted. ‘You have a son named Roberto.’
‘You choose to tell me now?’ He was white with fury. ‘Why not five minutes ago? Or do you want him to have a sibling?’
‘Not me...’ Oh, she was really angry now. ‘Whoever else you were with while you were back in the village had your baby. Clearly I wasn’t that special.’ She repeated Sister Angelique’s spiteful words. ‘And clearly,’ she added, ‘you don’t always use protection.’
‘God, you outdo yourself, Alicia,’ Dante said. ‘Your lies know no bounds.’
‘I’m not lying, Dante.’
But Alicia was already hating the way she had told him—or rather the way she must now tell him—that he really did have a son. ‘I never meant to tell you...at least not this way.’
His eyes were wide.
‘There was a baby left at the convent in the same way I was—your son.’
He scoffed.
‘Dante, even Sister Angelique knew it was your baby. “Pure Schininà”, she said...’ Her face was pale and so were her lips, but he’d stopped being sure when Alicia was telling the truth, or even if she believed her own lies. ‘She saw I had an earring missing when I came back that day...’
He knew he was hearing the truth now. ‘Tell me.’ It was Dante who was pale now. ‘Stop the games and tell me exactly...’
‘That’s it,’ Alicia said. ‘Sister Angelique knew I’d been away too long. I said I’d taken shelter and she took great delight in pointing out I’d lost one of my earrings.’ She gave a tight shrug. ‘Nine months later there was a baby left in the door. She assumed it was mine but of course it wasn’t.’
‘So I’m responsible for all the babies who were born nine months after I visited?’
‘Please don’t.’ She could not bear to hear his lies. ‘He was yours.’
‘Where is he now?’
