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Then he seems to remember the phone in his hand.
What the hell is this, Katerina?
He’s your baby. I know you’re probably confused and none of this makes any sense. But I got pregnant before I left. I had your baby two days ago on the 25th. I haven’t named him yet. I thought you might like to do that. And I know you’ll take care of him, Alexander. Because I can’t do it. I have to go. I have to disappear from both your lives. Please, don’t come looking for me.
He looks so distraught. I watch as understanding starts to dawn in his expression.
If you do this, I will never forgive you.
I know you won’t. Take care of him, Xander. I love you.
I watch as he starts to text again but he won’t be able to reach me. I switch off the phone and as I walk away, I toss it into the bushes. I keep on walking, trying hard not to run away. Not to turn back. Every part of my heart wants nothing more than to go back to both of them.
They’re my whole entire heart. And they’ll never know. Not if I want to protect my family’s legacy. Not if I want them to be safe.
PRESENT DAY
I hear my little sister before I see her.
“Kat,” Sophia sings from the other side of the door before bursting inside.
I arch an eyebrow as I lift my head from the giant screen in front of me, surveilling Sophia and the toddler strapped to her chest. My little niece, Nova Annalise Legan is the most adorably, sweet thing on the planet. She’s almost two years old, with bright blue eyes like her mommy, and her curly dark hair like her dad. She beams when she sees me, lifting her hand to wave. Her mom puts her down and she’s waddling towards the table as fast as her little legs can carry her.
“Zia Kat, Zia Kat,” she exclaims reaching her arms out for a hug.
I smile, hurriedly switching off the computer so she doesn’t see the footage of the man being tortured on the screen. She climbs into my lap and I pull her closer, relishing in her warmth. She’s so small and fragile. So bubbly.
“I missed you so much, Nova. How are you angioletta?”
She babbles excitedly, trying her best to form words. “Doggie, Zia. Doggie,” she says looking around for Rocky. A dog I recently got a few months ago. It was an impulsive decision and one Papa absolutely hates.
But like Nova, Rocky’s adorable and I love having him around.
“I’ll have one of the men bring Rocky to you,” I tell my niece, reaching for my phone to send a text asking for the dog to be brought in. “For now, why don’t you go to the couch and play with one of your toys so I can talk to your mama?”
She nods, understanding my words fairly easily. She slides off my lap and walks past her mother to sit on the couch obediently. My sister steps forward, sitting on the chair in front of my table. Her blonde hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. She’s practically glowing. Having a daughter and her family really agrees with her.
“You know for a kid being raised by Anthony, she’s surprisingly well behaved,” I say, pointing at Nova who’s currently playing with a toy car.
Sophia laughs, “Don’t be mean to my husband.”
“I’m never mean,” I say smiling. “Anyway, what’s up? I love seeing you and Nova but I was in the middle of something.”
“You’re always in the middle of something, sorella. I just dropped by to check up on you. Tony’s on some business trip with Roman. And I had a day off from work so Nova and I thought we’d surprise you. How’s Papa?”
“He’s fine,” I reply. “He’s currently not home though. I have no idea where he is. Now that he’s not the boss anymore, he seems to have found other things to keep himself busy.”
“I’m not the only one worried about what those other things could entail, am I?”
“Nope. Knowing Papa, it’s undoubtedly dangerous. But I’m sure he’ll be fine. Plus, I’m sure Zio Frederico will keep him out of trouble.”
At the moment, Rico, our cousin walks in, holding the puppy. Rocky’s a golden retriever with fluffy, golden fur and floppy ears. His tail waggles and he lets out a loud bark. Nova lets out a giggle as Rico walks over to the couches in the office and places the dog on the floor.
“Doggie,” she yells in excitement, getting on her knees in front of the dog.
Sophia clears her throat, “Aren’t you going to greet Zio Rico, Nova?”
The toddler looks up at her uncle bashfully. “Hi, Zio Rico.”
