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"I didn't!" I choke out. "Dario, please!"
The car swerves around a sharp bend and I'm thrown against the door. Dario doesn't loosen his grip on the wheel. I'm so scared, I can barely breathe.
He's going to kill me.
No. I can't die. Not now. Not when I'm carrying our child.
Our child. The words echo in my mind and a wave of nausea washes over me. What have I done? I betrayed Dario and now I'm having his baby.
I glance up at his stony profile, his jaw clenched. "Dario," I gasp. "Please, listen to me."
He jerks the steering wheel and the car careens down an abandoned dirt road. My heart leaps. We're alone. No one will find me out here.
"Dario!" I cry. I have to make him understand. I have to make him see the truth. "Please," I whisper again, tears streaming down my face. "I love you, Dario."
His eyes are dark and full of anger, yet I see a glimmer of pain behind them. He doesn't answer, but his grip on the wheel wavers ever so slightly.
“I never meant for any of this to happen,” I whisper.
As he hesitates, my thoughts race. My hand instinctively moves to my abdomen, protecting the life that's just beginning to form. I can't let Dario find out about my pregnancy, not now. Not when he's filled with such rage.
My remorse for everything that has transpired is genuine, but I know I must tread carefully. I want desperately to make things right, not only for myself but for this child growing inside me.
"Look at me, Dario," I say softly, trying to reach the man I fell in love with behind that wall of fury. "Whatever happens, I need you to know how truly sorry I am for everything."
He finally speaks, his voice low and dangerous. "Your apologies mean nothing if they're built on lies, Jasmine."
I can feel the weight of my secret threatening to suffocate me, but I can't let him see my anguish. Not yet. For my unborn child's sake, I have to keep up this façade.
"I'm not lying, Dario," I insist, my voice cracking. "Please believe me."
"Give me a reason to believe you, Jasmine," he says coldly.
“Or what?” I ask, mild undercurrents of anger now steaming through me. “You’d kill me like you promised your father?”
He opens his mouth, sucking in air so loud that it sounds like sizzling rubber on a hot road. “I was never going to kill you, Jasmine.”
“Oh,” I breathe a sigh of relief, again caressing my abdomen. “I…thank god.”
“I don’t trust you, Jasmine. And I’m angry, furious. But your death is not what I desire.”
“What do you desire then?” I ask, immediately regretting the question.
“The truth, god damn it!” he yells, slamming his hand on the wheel. “All I want is the truth. My mother kept secrets. My father kept secrets. Now you?”
My heart aches at the distrust in his tone, but I know that I have to make him understand. For the sake of our love, for the sake of this innocent life growing inside me, I have to make him see the truth.
Dario's grip on the steering wheel is white-knuckled as he accelerates, the engine roaring in response. The car surges forward, cutting through the night like a bullet. I can feel the vibrations beneath me, and I know that one wrong move could send us careening off the road.
"Please, Dario," I beg, tears streaming down my face. "Don't close yourself off to me completely. I promise you, I'll tell you everything."
His jaw clenches, and I can see the fury coursing through him. "You think telling me now will change anything?" he spits out, his voice laced with venom.
"I didn't want to drag you into it," I cry, my heart pounding in my chest. "I thought I could protect you from the truth, but I know now that I was wrong. You deserve to know everything, but how could I when the person I'm building a case against is your father? Initially, I had to know if you were involved too, but I know you aren't and I swear I'll help you bring your father to justice because once you find out what I'm speaking of, you'd demand to do it yourself."
For a moment, there's a flicker of something in his eyes – doubt, perhaps, or hope – but it disappears just as quickly as it came. He keeps his gaze locked on the road ahead, the muscles in his neck tense with the effort of controlling his emotions.
He pulls the car over to the side of the road and parks.
