.
“And the baby?” Livia pulled back but continued to hold my arms.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to the doctors yet.
They are still treating Val.”
Livia pulled up with her nose. “God, I can’t stand the idea of our sweet Val losing her baby.”
“She won’t,” I said firmly.
John pulled Livia away from me and pulled her close to his side. “It will be all right, Livia.”
The door to the operating room opened and one of the doctors came out followed by the second. They exchanged a glance, then one of them hurried out, letting his colleague take care of us. His expression made it clear how reluctant he was.
“Is the baby okay?” blurted Livia before he could say anything. John squeezed her shoulder in warning, but she only had eyes for the doctor.
The doctor turned back to me. “Are you her husband?”
“Yes, give me the full picture. Don’t sugarcoat it .”
He shuddered at my tone. “Your wife had a premature rupture of the membranes. She and the baby are fine, but for it to stay that way she needs to rest as much as possible.”
John smiled at his wife, their relief obvious.
After the doctor gave me clear instructions on how to proceed, he left.
“Go ahead,” Giovanni said. “I’m sure you and Val want some time to yourselves.”
I entered the room. Val looked pale, but smiled sweetly at me. I promised myself to protect her and the baby no matter what, to work hard to give Val what she deserved.
As expected, Val could not make it to term. Six weeks before her due date, I took her to the hospital for a cesarean section. I had made sure that only the best doctors and nurses were present. I was not going to let anything go wrong. It was almost eight weeks too early, and even though the doctors had assured me that Anna was healthy under the circumstances, I was worried.
I squeezed Val’s hand during the operation and she looked into my eyes.
And then the first cry resounded. Val’s eyes opened wide and I squeezed her hand and kissed her knuckles.
A nurse approached with a little girl covered in blood and dirt. So small and helpless. My daughter. Our daughter. It was hard to comprehend and yet a feeling I had not thought possible passed through me: a feeling of arrival. As if in that moment I had finally freed myself from the shackles of the past and could truly live in the present with my wife and daughter.
Val freed me. “Go to our daughter. Go.”
Val was weak and needed my support as much as our daughter. I had to be there for both of them from that day until my last breath. It was going to be the biggest challenge of my life.
After pressing a kiss to Val’s forehead, I stood up and headed toward the nurse. I took a brief look at Val’s open belly and the amount of blood around it. The doctor lowered his eyes and continued his work.
I followed the nurse and watched her as she measured Anna. She was crying pitifully, her little arms flailing.
“She is healthy. 16. 7 inches and 3. 83 pounds. Do you want to hold her?”
I nodded and then finally held my daughter for the first time ever. She was much smaller than any baby I had ever held and this ignited my protective instincts. I stroked her cheek, marveling at my feelings toward this tiny human.
How could love be born so quickly?
I cast a glance at Val, who looked at me with tear-filled eyes. My love for her had not been born in the blink of an eye, but it did not burn any less intensely, I realized now. I approached Val and showed her our daughter.
“Anna,” Val said. “Your father will always love and protect you.”
The words lingered on my tongue, words I should have said before, but again they got stuck in my throat. I kissed Anna, then Val. “You and Anna, both of you.”
Val turned a complicit smile on me. Maybe she had really realized that I loved her. Someday I would tell her. I just needed to shake off that little thread that still held me to my guilt, to my oath to Carla.
I didn’t leave Valentina until the next day, when she had recovered a little from the operation and her parents came to see me.
Anna was in intensive care to make sure she was getting enough oxygen and was under 24/7 surveillance. Val was determined to visit her that day, but her C-section injury would make it difficult.
John surprised me with a hug when he entered the room. “I’m so happy for you both.”
I nodded. Livia headed straight for Val who was lying in bed but seemed eager to get out.
“I’ll have to call my father.”
John walked over to Val and hugged her. Seeing that Val was taking care of her, I went out and called my father back . I had sent him and Peter a quick message yesterday to tell him about Anna, and while Peter had immediately congratulated Val and me, my father had not responded.
“Father, what is it?” I said in as neutral a tone as possible, so much so that I was able to know what he would say.
“It’s a shame,” he reflected. “But maybe next time you will finally be given an heir. You shouldn’t wait too long to try to have a second child.”
I gritted my teeth against the simmering anger. Val had just suffered a C-section and Anna would need weeks to recover, but he already wanted another child.
“I am happy about the baby Valentina gave me yesterday.
Your granddaughter is beautiful and doing well, considering the circumstances.”
“Good. Your mother sends her greetings.”
I made a noncommittal noise. “Are you coming to visit?”
“You know how your mother can become when she is in the hospital . We’ll wait until the baby is home.”
I hung up shortly thereafter and took a deep breath as I loosened my grip on the phone. I was not going to let my parents diminish the joy I felt at having Anna.
The phone rang again. As usual, Ines had the perfect timing.
“I am so happy for you! Congratulations from Peter and me. We are so excited for you!”
“Thank you. Pietro has already sent me your congratulations.”
“By text! It’s not enough. I’m so happy for you.
I wish I could hug you and Valentina. How is Anna? Is she okay ?”
I smiled slightly at Ines’s excitement. She was usually more composed. “The doctors are happy with her. She is breathing on her own and is well developed for a preemie.”
“Wonderful,” she said softly. “We would love to come and see you.
It’s been too long. I know you’re busy now, but maybe Peter and I could come with the children next week? We’d also stay with Mom and Dad if you’d rather have the house to yourself.”
“No, you are welcome to stay at our house. Last time Dad didn’t appreciate the twins’ rowdy nature.”
Ines huffed. “They’re only eight years old, of course they’re a little wild. Let me guess, he didn’t congratulate you on your daughter?”
“You know how they are,” I said.
“So Mom did what she does best and simply followed Dad’s example.” She made a little noise of disappointment. “I’m glad you got yourself a wife of your own. I think that’s exactly what you need.”
“Is that what you think?” ” Yes. You need someone to pull you out of your shell and occasionally kick your proud Leader in the butt.”
My mouth twitched. “You think I would allow anyone to do such a thing.” Serafina and Samuel screamed in the background, followed by Sofia’s crying.
“Great, they woke up the baby.”
“Take care of your children.”
“And you of yours and your wife.”
I returned to the room where Valentina was perched on the edge of the bed, her face contorted in pain. Giovanni gave me a worried look. I turned the wheelchair around and helped Val into it. “You can’t walk to the ICU yet.”
Val’s face made it clear that she was unhappy about her body’s refusal to obey her orders. Sometimes she could be as proud and stubborn as I was.
Seeing Anna in the incubator with all the monitors monitoring her vital functions, my heart clenched tight. A nurse rushed toward us and lifted Anna from the incubator, then laid her on Val’s chest. Val smiled at me and then at her parents. Livia began to cry again. John bent down and lightly touched Anna’s hand. “Those little fingers…”
Val had not only been a good choice for who she was, but also for her parents. Giovanni was a man I liked and could trust to a certain extent. And Livia would have been a much more loving grandmother than my mother could ever have been .
“I think we’ll give you some time now,” Giovanni said after a few minutes. Once he and Livia were gone, I pulled up a chair next to Val and stroked Anna’s cheek. “Did the doctors tell you how long she will have to stay here?”
he asked, without looking up from our little girl.
“Two or three weeks. She is a fighter, so despite her early departure they are confident she will be strong enough to come home with us soon.”
“Good. I want her home with us. I feel safer in our home.”
I kissed Val’s temple. “You are safe, Val. My men guard every entrance. They patrol the corridors, and I am by your side.”
Val looked up with a sweet smile. “Why don’t you hold her for a while?”
I nodded, then carefully lifted Anna off Val’s chest and cradled her against mine before lying back in the chair. Val watched us, her eyes glazed over. I intertwined our fingers and squeezed gently. She needed to know that this meant as much to me as it did to her, even if I did not express it in the same way.
Three weeks later, Anna was finally able to come home with us.
I took her to our mansion because Val was still not allowed to bring anything heavy.
Zita and Gabby were waiting in the lobby, obviously curious.
They had not yet seen our daughter because we had kept visits to a minimum. Only Ines and Pietro with the children and Bibiana had visited Val’s parents.
Zita approached with a motherly smile. “She is precious.”
Val nodded, “It is.” They exchanged a smile. Their initial animosity had turned into mutual respect, thanks to Val’s patience.
Gabby approached slowly, as usual shy toward me.
“She’s so small.”
“She’ll grow up fast,” I said. I held out the fanny pack to Zita, who quickly took it so I could help Val take off her coat. She was still moving a little stiffly but was trying to mask her pain from me.
“Your father called, Master,” Zita said as I picked up the carrier again. My mouth tightened. “He and your mother want to come over for dinner to meet their grandson.”
Val raised his eyebrows. She had pretended not to care about my parents’ disinterest in our daughter, but I was not blind.
“I didn’t know what to do, but I bought everything for a big banquet, just in case,” Zita said, looking between Val and me.
I tried to control my anger. Val stroked my arm, smiling at me , and some of my fury evaporated. “Please prepare something delicious, Zita. We will invite them.”
Zita nodded but looked at me questioningly as if waiting for my confirmation. I gave an abrupt nod of assent.
“Let’s take Anna upstairs.”
Zita and Gabby headed for the kitchen while Val and I moved upstairs. As they walked up the stairs, Val’s face lit up with discomfort, but she quickly masked it when she noticed my gaze on her.
Once Anna was settled in the crib, I touched Val’s shoulders. “Val, don’t hide your pain from me. You can lean on me. I need to know when you are hurt.”
She leaned on me with a trembling sigh, and I took her head in my hands. She swallowed hard, obviously holding back tears.
“These last few weeks have been hard to handle. I’m just glad Anna is finally home and I’m angry at my body for taking so long to recover. I want to be the controlled woman you expect.”
I recoiled with a frown. “You are everything I want, Val, trust me. Your body has been through so much.
You have given me a daughter. Give yourself time to heal. I want you healthy and happy, that’s all I ask you to be right now.”
He nodded, “You’re right. Lately I don’t feel like myself . It’s the hormones and changes in my body. I need time to get used to all this.”
“Maybe we’d better tell my parents that we don’t have time to invite them tonight. Neither of them will have a positive effect on your health.”
“I know they’re not happy that I didn’t give you an heir.”
My hands on her tightened. “But their disappointment can’t hurt me, Dante. All that matters is us. That we are happy, and I delirious with joy every time I look at Anna.”
“So do I,” I said, kissing her. Before Val, my life had been dominated by duty and controlled by the past. Joy had been an abstract concept without consequence for me. But slowly, it was becoming part of my existence again. Her happiness was kindling mine. I did not regret betraying the Outfit, although I should have.
It was my duty to put the Outfit first, to eliminate any threat to my power and the unity of the Outfit. Hiding the fact that Bibiana had killed her husband served neither purpose.
It was not the logical, dutiful, necessary choice.
It was purely an emotional decision. After seeing Val heartbroken over Antonio, I did not want to destroy her completely by having to punish her best friend. So I lied and deceived. My men. The outfit. My oath. Everything. For Valentina.
Did she realize what kind of sacrifice it was? If she had known, she would have realized that I didn’t have to pretend to make love anymore.