AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Her son,” Romeo said easily, like that wasn’t a completely insane thing to say.
“What…what are you talking about?” I asked, my heart thudding too hard against my chest plate. “Allegra doesn’t have a son.”
“You’ve been gone a long time,” Romeo said.
There was only one thought in my mind, and it was one that didn’t even bear thinking about. There was no way. It wasn’t possible. “How old is he?” I asked quietly.
Romeo gave me a discerning look. “He’s about to turn ten,” he said, and that was when the world tilted on its axis and I braced myself against the staircase railing. Romeo came toward me, his brow furrowed with concern. “Are you all right?” he asked, and I swallowed hard. Then I started up the stairs, taking them two at the time. I had to know. I had to see him.
When I got further down the hall, I could hear a child crying. “You were gone so long, Mama,” the voice was saying, and I walked closer, feeling like I was walking to my death. This couldn’t be happening. There were other explanations, and even if they made my blood boil with jealousy, they were possible instead of what I was thinking. Then I walked to the half-open doorway to see Allegra holding a tall child. She was hugging him tightly but then he pulled away, sniffling, and glanced toward the doorway. His sea-green eyes met mine and I froze, unable to think, unable to speak.Ten years old.
Allegra gasped and then recovered easily, glancing at me and then looking back at the boy. “Mama has to do some business,” she explained. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed to the doorway and shut the door even as the child complained.
“Allegra,” I said, my voice low and warning.
“Rocco, we can’t talk about this right now,” she said in a frustrated voice.
“Then when do we talk about it?” I asked. “Because you have asonthat you never told me about.”
Allegra’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape from the truth. I could see the guilt etched on her face. “Rocco, please,” she pleaded, her voice laced with frustration and vulnerability. “Not now. There are things we need to address, but not now.”
I couldn’t contain the flood of emotions coursing through me. Betrayal, confusion, and a sense of loss mingled within, threatening to consume any semblance of composure I had left. The image of a ten-year-old boy, with sea-green eyes mirroring my own, replayed in my mind. It was a revelation that shattered the carefully constructed reality I had carried for years. It was so out of place that I didn’t know how to conduct myself. My heart wrestled with conflicting emotions, torn between the need to confront Allegra and protect the fragile innocence that remained in the boy.
“Allegra,” I said, my voice still tinged with disbelief, “how could you have kept this from me? How could you keep our son hidden all these years?”
She sighed heavily, her gaze fixated on the closed door behind her. “I never wanted him to be dragged into this life, into the dangers that come with it.”
The ache in my chest intensified, a mixture of anger and a yearning to understand. “But I had a right to know, Allegra. We should have faced this together.”
Her voice wavered with emotion. “I was scared, Rocco. Scared of what it would mean for him, for us. I thought by keeping him away, he could have a chance at a normal life.”
I took a step closer, my voice filled with equal parts pain and determination. “A normal life? How can he have a normal life when his own father doesn't even know he exists?”
Allegra’s eyes brimmed with tears, her defenses crumbling. “I thought I was protecting him.” Silence enveloped us, the weight of our shared history and the revelation of our son filling the space between us.
“You kept him from me,” I said, unable to stop the anger and emotion from making my voice shake.
“I…” Allegra paused and looked at me, her brown eyes flashing with an array of emotions. “Youleftme, Rocco. You left me high and dry and pregnant and I didn’t know what to do! I had to take care of things. I looked for you, you know. For years, I looked for you.”
I felt myself soften as I looked down at her. “Stellina, if I had known—”
She cut me off. “It didn’t matter. You didn’t want me, so you didn’t want him.”
“Don’t tell me what I want,” I warned her, but Allegra was beyond hearing me. Her chin was tilted up, anger etched all over her face, her demeanor.
“I’m done with this conversation, Rocco. I need to go and talk to my father, and I’m sure there are things you need to do.” Romeo was coming up the stairs, frowning, probably hearing us yelling, and I groaned low in my chest. Allegra rushed toward her father, leading him into his office, and I stood outside Matteo’s door for the longest time, putting my palm on the wood.
This big part of me wanted to go to him, tell him who I was, tell him what was going on; but it was nearing midnight, and the boy had probably been woken up when we came in. Besides, what would I even say? How could I tell him that I was his father? My head spun with this new information, making me feel dizzy and lightheaded. I swallowed hard and took in a breath, trying to calm myself. Then I headed back downstairs, going out on the terrace. For the first time in years, I wished I had a cigarette.
I called Alessandro first. He picked up immediately. “What’s up, Rush?” he asked, using the moniker I’d picked up in prison.
“Need to call in that favor,” I said gruffly.
Alessandro paused, silent on the other end of the line for a long moment. “Will we be square after this?” What I’d done for Alessandro was a big favor, a secret even from Enzo, but I was willing to cash it all in right now. I needed his help since I was injured, and I needed it as soon as possible. I’d been racking up debts during this whole time protecting Allegra, but what I didn’t know was that there was someone even more precious to protect—my son.Matteo, Romeo had said. It was a good name, a strong one, and I had to push thoughts of my son out of my head before continuing to talk to Alessandro.
“We’ll be square,” I agreed.
Alessandro sighed with relief. “All right, then, what’s the job?”
