“WHAT did you say?” I heard him, and his words made sense, but my mind was so clouded that it couldn’t process any more shocking information.
Taddeo took a deep breath and placed his hand on my right shoulder, the one without injuries. “Your wife is pregnant, Gio. That’s why Dr. Diaz is here. Millie’s OBGYN needs to be present for the operation because she’s pregnant. You didn’t know?”
I had been so consumed by finding a solution to our problem that it hadn’t even crossed my mind that my wife might be pregnant. I hadn’t considered that what we had done a month ago could result in a pregnancy.
When I told her a month ago that I would get her pregnant, I wanted it. I just wasn’t sure if fate would agree with us.
I should be feeling happy and ecstatic right now, but I wasn’t. Instead, I found myself praying that she wasn’t pregnant, due to the danger posed to our baby by what had happened to her.
Why did it always seem to be this way? Just when I was about to obtain something I truly desired, the universe would mock me and remind me that it wasn’t meant to be. No, Gio, you’re done with that phase. You know what you want now, unlike before when you had no idea where you were headed.
I swallowed hard, suppressing the discomfort in my throat as I looked at my cousin. I didn’t know what expression I was wearing, but I tried to remain calm. If I let my emotions get the best of me, I might do something I’d regret again.
We were in the waiting area now, anxiously awaiting any updates from the doctors regarding the outcome of Millie’s surgery.
I silently prayed for the safety of both Millie and our baby.
Arcel arrived, catching our attention. Taddeo stood up and quickly confronted his sibling. Raffaele and Carter immediately stood up when they saw Taddeo attempting to harm his brother, while I stared at them, lost in thought.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they had found out about some of our shady dealings. No one knew about my shenanigans except for Arcel and me.
“What the hell, Arcel! Did you really think we wouldn’t find out about what you’ve been doing behind our backs? You were helping that damn Huff without us knowing, and you have the audacity to show your face here?” Taddeo took a deep breath. He was still being held back by Raffaele and Carter, while Arcel simply looked at him. “You were the mastermind behind the theft from our ship.”
“I am not. Gio was behind all that.” Arcel glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think it’s time you clear my name? Bail me out.”
I hadn’t planned on speaking up, but I was compelled to. After all, I owed Arcel for helping me out, and I despised being in debt to someone.
“It was all part of my plan. There was no consignee for the goods. They were all just empty boxes. Arcel and I fabricated reports suggesting a significant impact on our shipping lines to make Marion Huff believe it. While all of you were buzzing about it, I was working behind the scenes to ensure that nothing would affect our companies.” I explained.
Taddeo only calmed down when he heard my explanation. My cousins released him, and the three of them stared at me as if I had betrayed them. Not that their opinion mattered to me.
“Would you really go to such lengths just to-”
“To secure my wife’s safety and to make my enemy trust me, yes.” I cut Raffaele off before he could continue.
I turned to Arcel. I knew he must have had a good reason for his actions, which were why he hadn’t been on the island earlier when we confronted Huff. His appearance now meant that he had something to discuss with me.
“Let’s talk, Gio,” my cousin said.
I didn’t say anything further as we moved a little away from the group. I informed him that I couldn’t leave because I was waiting for news about Millie’s surgery.
“We’ve already acquired all the remaining assets of the Belleza. If any of them ever try to rise from the ashes again, they won’t have anything left to recover. They’ll be powerless and would rather not show their faces.”
I nodded at what Arcel said. I didn’t have much to say. When it came to these matters, I trusted Azi completely. He wasn’t Taddeo’s brother for nothing.
“Anything else?”
“As for their other properties, I’d either surrender them to the government or… Are you interested in taking them over?” His brow furrowed as he waited for my response.
“I’m not interested in anything that their dirty hands touched or owned. You can handle it. All I want is for the Belleza to lose everything, and even the Huff…” Something crossed my mind, and I glanced at Arcel again. “If possible, involve the Green family as well.”
Arcel raised an eyebrow at my words. “Who?”
“Rory Green. If they have any assets, destroy them until everything turns to ashes. I will make Rory regret attempting a stunt like this and hurting my wife-if he even survives to witness his family’s downfall because of him.” I said in gritted teeth.
Arcel simply shrugged and nodded before leaving.
I had lost track of how many hours had passed since the surgery began. I felt restless. I couldn’t even eat, no matter how much they insisted. If it weren’t for Mommy’s pleas, I wouldn’t have taken a bite.
I stood up and decided to get some fresh air. I walked to the hospital’s rooftop. It wouldn’t take long, Millie; I’ll be back soon. I just needed air; it felt suffocating inside.
I leaned against the rooftop’s ledge and looked up at the sky. I closed my eyes. I could feel the heat, but I brushed everything aside. The door opened, and I saw Dad walking towards me. He had a bag with him, and he showed it to me.
He took out a can of beer and handed it to me. I accepted it but didn’t open it; I just stared at it.
“I know it’s hard on you, Gio,” Dad began. I heard the can of beer being opened, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him take a sip.
“Of course, you know it, Dad. You’ve been in the same position as me. Waiting for good news; waiting for your loved one to wake up; wanting to hear that she’s safe.” Finally, I opened the beer can and took a sip of its contents. We stood there in silence for a moment. We never talked like this. The first time we ever had a serious conversation was when I lost Millie for the first time. “You know, Dad, when I was a kid, I was so eager to take your position-to be the boss and the head of the family. I thought that with power and influence, you’d be unbeatable, indestructible even. But I was so wrong.” I took another sip of my beer and gazed into the distance. “You had your reasons for wanting the position to protect Mom. Meanwhile, I wanted it simply for the power. I wanted to be at the top, to be feared by everyone, but I didn’t have a real purpose for wanting the position.”
I looked at Dad; he remained silent, gazing into the distance.
“But you know what, when I married Millie, things turned out differently. I’ve known for a long time that she had an effect on me, but I didn’t realize the extent of it. I realized that power wasn’t what I truly wanted. When Millie came into my life, she gave me a purpose.” I smiled, reminiscing about the good times we had. “She makes me happy; she stirred a whirlwind of emotions I didn’t think I needed. She gave me reasons. That’s when I realized I’m just like you, Dad. Back then, I wanted your position, and I craved power because I wanted to protect her. When I was a child, I knew I lacked the ability to protect Millie, no matter what I did.”
I chugged the remaining liquid inside the can and crushed it in my hand.
“When Millie was taken from me because of my own weakness, I learned a lot about myself. She’s the reason why I see life from a brighter perspective. She’s the reason why I wanted to keep living this ruthless life. I was born to love her, to protect her. I need her as much as I need oxygen.” I cleared my throat when I realized that the weight of my emotions was slowly swallowing my words. “I wanted to protect her, but I ended up being protected by her, and this is happening. She has to suffer again. Why is it always her? Why not me? She shouldn’t have taken the bullet meant for me. I should have been the one to save her life, not them, not our child.”
While no tears fell from my eyes, I was breaking down. The emotions I thought I had tamed were rebelling against me. But I wasn’t the same Gio from the past; I had learned not to turn my back on Millie. I needed to learn how to properly handle the battles within me. I wanted to be the best version of myself for Millie… and for our child.