Chapter 7 THE UNWELCOMED GUEST

Chapter 7 THE UNWELCOMED GUEST
Anabella Pov
I'm staring at a man with golden hair, a man with a nervous smile on his face. My hand drops from the peephole, and I open the door, my mouth agape.
"Annabella," he says, his smile widening, but his eyes are filled with a strange kind of desperation. "I've been meaning to talk to you."
It's Luciano. I'm speechless. How did he know I live here? Is he a part of this too? He was also there that night. He was also there, standing at Killian's door. A new wave of fear washes over me. I step back, and a single thought consumes me. I have one stalker. Now I have two.
Luciano's nervous smile falters when he sees Claire standing behind me, her expression a mix of fury and protectiveness.
"Annabella," he says, his voice soft, almost hesitant. He steps forward, but Claire steps in front of me, a small but formidable wall.
"Luciano," Claire says, her voice dripping with ice. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Last I checked, you were trying to beat my friend at a game of chance, and now you're showing up at her apartment? What do you want?"
Luciano's gaze flickers from Claire to me, his hands going up in a placating gesture. "I... I just want to talk to her. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes, it is!" Claire says, her voice rising. "What if you're working with Killian? What if you're trying to set her up?"
"I'm not working with Killian," he says, his voice firm. "I'm not here to hurt her. I've been away for a month for something urgent but I've been meaning to talk to Annabella. I had to know if you were okay. After that night... after that night, you just disappeared."
He looks at me with a sincerity that makes my chest ache. I step out from behind Claire, a sigh escaping my lips. "Come in, Luciano. It's too cold to be arguing in the hallway."
He nods, his gaze fixed on mine, and steps inside. The air in my small apartment instantly feels suffocating. He is too big, too much of a reminder of that night. He stands in the middle of the living room, looking around at the cluttered space, his presence a difference to the small, cozy room.
"Okay," Claire says, her hands on her hips. "Now that you're in, start talking. Why are you here? What do you know?"
Luciano's eyes find mine, and he takes a deep breath. "I've been trying to meet you, Annabella. My men... they told me about the financial scandal at Astor's company. I knew it was a setup. I knew it was Killian trying to get rid of you. I had to find you. I've been worried sick. I had to make sure you were okay."
My heart aches with the kindness in his words. No one has worried about me like this. Not even Claire, who, despite her tough exterior, has been panicking for the last two hours. I bite my lip, trying to find the words to tell him everything that has happened. I don't know where to start.
Claire, however, has no such problem. She walks right up to him, her finger pointed at his chest. "You knew it was a setup? So you knew what he was trying to do? And you did nothing? What kind of man are you?"
Luciano flinches, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I didn't know how to tell her, it's not my company. I knew Killian was after her. I just... I had to let him have his way. I didn't want to start a war with him over her. I didn't think... I didn't think she'd actually be pregnant."
The words hang in the air, heavy and loaded. Claire and I exchange a shocked look. Annabella’s mouth falls open. He knew? How did he know?
"You know?" I ask, my voice a barely audible whisper. "How did you know?"
"I... I had my own people watching Killian," he says, his eyes fixed on me. "I knew he was obsessed with you. And when you collapsed, and he had you taken to the hospital... and then when his people started talking about how he was furious with you for leaving him without telling him about the baby... I just... I had to come here."
The information hits me like a ton of bricks. Killian's possessiveness, his controlling nature... it was all real. He wasn't just being a monster. He was a monster who was watching my every move. I feel a wave of nausea wash over me.
"So you were both watching me?" I say, my voice shaking with a new kind of terror. "Killian was watching me, and you were watching him watching me? What am I, a lab rat? Am I a pawn in your little chess game?"
Luciano shakes his head, his face full of remorse. "No, Annabella. You're not a pawn. You're... you're a person. I was worried about you. I was worried about what Killian would do to you."
"And what about you?" Claire says, her voice full of suspicion. "What about you? What about the baby? How do you know it's not yours?"
Luciano's gaze snaps to her, then back to me. His face pales, and his eyes widen in horror. "The baby?" he says, his voice a whisper. “ Annabella, do you know who the father is?"
I nod, tears streaming down my face. "No," I say, my voice choked with emotion. " I don't know who the father is." The words feel like a physical weight, a truth I can no longer hide.
Luciano stumbles back, his hand on the back of the couch. He looks as if I just punched him in the gut. The confident, nervous man from the doorway is gone, replaced by a man who looks utterly broken.
"Oh, God," he says, his voice filled with despair. "I... I can't believe this. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Claire says, her voice full of righteous anger. "Sorry for putting her in this situation? Sorry for making her a pawn in your sick game? You're just as bad as Killian!"
Luciano ignores her, his gaze fixed on me. "I'm going to make this right, Annabella. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to you or the baby. I'll fight him for you."
"Fight him for me?" I say, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "I'm not a prize, Luciano. I'm a person. I'm not going to let you and Killian fight over me like I'm a piece of property."
He takes a step towards me, his hand reaching for mine. "I know, Annabella. I know. But I'm going to protect you. I promise." He looks at me, his eyes filled with a new kind of possessiveness, a terrifying intensity I've only ever seen in Killian. "You're going to be safe. I'll make sure of it."
The phone on the coffee table suddenly rings, a shrill, unwelcome sound. We all jump. I look down at the screen, and my blood runs cold.
It's Killian.
I look up at Luciano, who is staring at the phone, his face filled with rage. My life, which I thought I had some control over, is spiraling out of control. I don't know what to do.
I have one protector, a friend who wants to protect me, and my baby. And I have two men, two powerful, ruthless men, who are both fighting over me. My life has become a battlefield, and I am the prize.