Chapter 109 Revelation
GIOVANNI’S POV
Before I could stop myself, I grabbed the bottle and left my room.
My feet carried me down the hallway, to the door I was avoiding for two months.
Arya's room.
The door creaked as I pushed it open and my gaze raked over the dimly lit space. Everything was exactly as she left it. The bed was made and the curtains were drawn with a faint scent of jasmine still lingering in the air.
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me and the memories hit me all at once.
Arya sitting on that bed, laughing at something I said. Arya brushing her hair at the vanity, catching my eye in the mirror and blushing.
Arya curled up with a book, looking so peaceful I hadn't wanted to disturb her. Arya beneath me, gasping my name, looking at me like I was everything.
I took another drink straight from the bottle then I moved to the bed and down. The mattress gave slightly under my weight.
Without thinking, I leaned forward, pressing my face into her pillow. The jasmine scent was stronger here.
"Why?" I asked the empty room, my voice breaking. "Why did you have to betray me? We could have had something… something-“
The words dissolved into something too raw to voice.
Anger surged up suddenly, overwhelming the grief. I stood, grabbed the pillow, and threw it across the room.
But it wasn’t enough.
I swept my arm across the vanity, sending perfume bottles and jewelry crashing to the floor. Then I yanked open the dresser drawers, pulling out the clothes inside and throwing them everywhere.
My hand snagged on a broken perfume bottle and blood welled up, dripping onto the pale carpet.
But I didn't care. I sank to the floor amidst the destruction I created, the whiskey bottle clutched in my bloody hand.
"I miss you," I choked out. "I hate you, and I miss you, and I don't know how to stop. Why did you do this? Why did you make me…"
Love you.
The word stuck in my throat and I turned my gaze to the floor and that was when I saw it.
Half-hidden under the bed, probably kicked there during my rampage was a thin white stick with a purple cap.
I reached for it and pulled it out into the light. My eyes widened at the sight of the pregnancy test.
The world stopped moving. I stared at the small plastic stick then at the space showing two clear pink lines.
My mind went black, although my heart was thumping erratically.
When did this happen? Was it the night I went to her drunk and angry and took what I had no right to take?
Or before that? The night she gave herself to me willingly? Either way, she was pregnant before she left and she said nothing.
The realization hit like a sledgehammer to the chest, stealing my breath.
Somewhere out there, Arya was alone and pregnant with my baby. And I drove her away.
The test slipped from my numb fingers, clattering to the floor.
What had I done?
I stumbled out of her room, the pregnancy test clutched in my bloody hand like evidence of a crime I didn't want to believe I committed.
My legs barely carried me down the stairs but every step felt disconnected, like I was piloting a body that no longer belonged to me.
"Enzo!" My voice came out strangled. "ENZO!"
I burst into the dining room where the celebration was still going. Everyone turned, their faces shifting from surprise to alarm as they took in my appearance.
There was blood on my hand and the white stick I was holding out like a weapon.
"Gio, what is going on?" Enzo started.
"Look at this." I shoved the test toward him. "Tell me what this is.”
Enzo took it, his eyes widening as he registered what he was holding. "Where did you find this?"
"In her room.” I said gruffly. “It's hers, isn't it? Tell me it's not hers."
But I already knew. I could see the confirmation in everyone's horrified expressions.
Jasmine moved closer, taking the test from Enzo with trembling hands. She stared at it, and something crumbled in her face.
"Oh God," she whispered. "She was pregnant. That's why…"
Her voice broke. "That's why she ran. She was pregnant and terrified and we… we locked her up. We treated her like a criminal when she was carrying.”
"My child." The words felt foreign in my mouth. Impossible. "She's out there, pregnant with my child, and I-“
I couldn't finish because of the horror of what I did.
"We need to find her." I spun toward Enzo, desperation clawing at my throat. "Right now. Get everyone on this. I don't care what it costs.”
My fingers were trembling as I formed it into a fist. “I don't care if we have to tear the city apart brick by brick. She's pregnant and alone.”
"Gio, breathe." Enzo grabbed my shoulders. "You need to calm down."
"Calm down?" I shoved him away. "My child is out there! Our baby is…"
The word caught in my throat. "She could be anywhere."
"I know." Enzo's voice was steady. "I know. But you spiraling won't help her."
"He's right," Maria said gently, moving closer. "Mr. De Santis, you need to think clearly. Panic won't bring her back."
But how could I think clearly when my entire world had just shattered and reformed into something I didn't recognize?
Arya was carrying my baby and I drove her away with my stupid pride.
"She's been gone for two months," Claire said quietly, her voice thick with unshed tears. "If she was pregnant then, she would be… what? Four months now? Maybe more?"
My bottom chin trembled but I held myself. "I need to find her,” my voice quivered. “I need to do it now-“
The room spun and I grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright.