Chapter 200 Book 2 CHPT 32:? Return Of The Dead

Chapter 200 Book 2 CHPT 32:? Return Of The Dead
ALINA 

The words hung in the cold night air, heavy and sharp, slicing through the tension like a blade.

Valentino froze.

"Che... cosa?" he whispered, his voice barely audible at first, then rising, trembling with a mix of disbelief and panic.

"What... what did you just say?"

I felt frozen as Valentino suddenly stopped dragging me. My hands trembled slightly, my breath catching in the icy air.

He stared down at me in confusion.

"Is that true?" he asked, trembling.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I turned to Nana, my eyes wide with disappointment.

My fingers clenched the fabric of my coat, knuckles whitening.

"Why would you say that? You told me to keep it a secret. I've been careful... I have stayed hidden just like you instructed, but at the end of it all, you ruined all my efforts."

"I'm sorry, child. But I can't just watch and let him kill my family. Forgive me."

Val studied me silently, his jaw tight, his hands twitching like he wanted to do more than just hold me.

His nostrils flared slightly, and I could see the faint tremor in his fingers.

Then, without warning, he yanked open my jacket and the coat I was wearing.

His large hand cupped my stomach gently, almost reverently, and my heart leapt and broke all at once.

His eyes widened, then narrowed, filled with a thousand emotions I could barely name: shock, fear, disbelief, fury, and... something softer, something tender.

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

"You... you're carrying my child?" His voice cracked, thick with guilt and pain.

"Why... why didn't you tell me? Why hide this from me?"

I shook my head, tears streaming freely.

"I... I couldn't..." My lips trembled as I struggled to hold back sobs.

"How long?"

"Three months... next week," I whispered.

I exhaled loudly, mist forming as it hit the cold night air.

"That's why she distanced herself from you," Nana chimed in.

"When I met her, I did a reading. I saw that the best way to protect her child-your child-was for her to stay away from you. Not because you're bad for her, don't get me wrong, but because it was necessary."

His hand trembled slightly against my stomach.

I could see the guilt burning in his eyes, and the raw shame. His jaw clenched, and he swallowed hard as if the words were physically painful.

"Why can't she tell me? Why make her suffer like this?"

His voice cracked, as if he finally realized all his mistakes.

"I should have known," he whispered, shaking his head.

"You're not the kind of woman to push me away for no reason. I... I'm so sorry."

Tears rolled down his cheeks, glinting even in the dark.

"I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused. For everything."

He caressed my stomach gently, and more tears streamed down his face.

"God, how could I be so stupid! How could I not know you're carrying our child... is our child okay? Have you... gone to the hospital?"

"No, baby," I said softly, my voice breaking.

"I can't. Nana said... it's not time yet. I have to stay hidden."

He swallowed hard, guilt and panic mingling, and his eyes darted anxiously.

"Why do you trust her so much? Are you sure she's... not a fraud?"

"Fraud? Of course not," I said firmly.

"She predicted I would get pregnant, and I did. Everything she told me had been true."

Valentino's hand trembled against my stomach as he whispered, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not understanding. For not being there. For everything."

I felt tears well up again.

His voice, usually so dangerous, was now soft and broken.

"And Nikita..." he said, choking slightly.

"Everything with her... it's just to get information. She will never... she can never take your place. I swear it. I swear with my life."

The mention of Nikita ruined my mood again, and I looked away to hide my tears.

"Look at me," Val grabbed my face, his fingers brushing the hair from my cheek.

"Look at me, baby. I know I've been cruel. I know I've made you suffer. I'm so sorry."

I stared at him, numb, unsure if relief or fear should win.

He was crying now, hard and bitter, his body trembling with barely contained emotion.

He tilted his head to the wolves holding Nana and Julius.

"Leave them!"

His wolf guards slowly lowered their weapons, then bowed reverently.

Nana and Julius rose slowly, trembling.

Valentino bowed slightly to Nana, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I never knew... I never knew you were helping her. I'm so sorry for the chaos I've caused."

Nana shook her head, calm despite the tension. "It's fine. I understand."

He turned back to me, his face softening in anguish.

"Baby... are you still mad at me?"

I shook my head, overwhelmed, my hands clutching my coat tightly.

But a new panic gripped me; my secret had been exposed, everything I'd been protecting was now gone.

Will I lose this child too?

"I... I am scared..." my voice trembled. "What if I lose the baby?"

"You won't lose the child," Nana's voice cut in, steady and reassuring.

"I lied."

"You... did what?" I turned sharply in her direction.

But before she could explain further, the sound of engines ripped through the night.

Another convoy-longer and more imposing than Valentino's-rolled in, shining bright lights over the yard.

"Who is that?" I whispered, my breath fogging in the cold.

"Dante?"

Valentino shook his head.

"Not Dante. He won't be back until the end of this week."

The doors opened, and masked men poured out, guns raised in a silent threat that froze everyone.

"Bloodhounds!!!" Val roared, and immediately chaos erupted.

The wolves and the bloodhounds leveled their weapons at each other, tension and danger crackling around us like electricity.

Then, from the middle car, a single red heel appeared first, followed by a flowing black robe.

A woman stepped out, her face hidden beneath a black umbrella. Her presence was both elegant, deadly, and commanding.

"Is that Nikita?" Val mumbled, holding me tighter to his chest, his jaw tight and fists clenching as if trying to shield me from whatever chaos was about to happen.

"No... that can't be Nikita," I whispered. "She's taller... and slimmer."

The umbrella trembled slightly in her hand, lowering with deliberate slowness.

Then a voice, cold and impossibly familiar, cut through the night air, dripping with mockery:

"Oh dio... what a touching moment."

Time seemed to slow as the umbrella descended, inch by inch.

My chest tightened, my heart pounding so violently it felt like it might leap from my ribs.

And then finally... her face came into view.

A cold chill ran through my spine as recognition slammed into me, and I nearly fainted.

Valentino's dark eyes widened, a mixture of disbelief and terror etched across his face.

"Bianca...? Impossible."