Chapter 123

Mena

My eyes turned to Domenico who slammed his arm around Giulia's waist to pull her closer. "If you start crying now-"

"Wait, before I freak out," Giulia slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes watery. "Are you sure?" she looked at me.

Was she really this upset?

"Y-Yes?"

Suddenly, Giulia burst into tears and began sobbing. Domenico chuckled and wrapped his arms around his wife, his gaze meeting mine. "That's good news, congratulations!"

A relieved breath escaped from my lips.

She wasn't upset, just overwhelmed in a good way.

Alessio got up from the sofa and rushed to his Mom. He held her close as he gently wiped away her tears. "Why are you always overreacting?"

"Because I thought I would die before I would make it to this day," Giulia joked through her tears, causing Alessio to scoff with a chuckle.

After wiping her tears, she pushed both Alessio and Domenico aside to get to me.

"Come here, give me a hug," she beckoned, pulling me from the sofa.

Not having that much of a choice, I let her pull me up. "I haven't told you this," Giulia began, wrapping her arms around me. "But you are one of the best things that has ever happened to this family."

Alright, now she was doing too much.

I swallowed my throat upon hearing the words I had never heard from my own mother. The last time we spoke, she told me I was the worst thing to ever happen to the family.

"Thank you," Giulia pouted, pulling back to look at me. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better now."

"So do we," I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I turned, I met Domenico's eyes.

We weren't the closest-barely spoke, really-but I felt comfortable around him. He gave off this fatherly feeling, and despite knowing and hearing what he was capable of, I felt safe around him. Just like I did with Alessio.

"Thank you for bringing us this good news," Domenico said softly before pressing a kiss to my forehead. A gesture that had even surprised Alessio.

I wondered why they were thanking me, feeling a bit puzzled but also cherished. It was clear that this baby meant something special to everyone here, not just to Alessio and me.

"That's enough," Alessio spoke with folded arms across the room. "The two of you need to let her breathe."

-

Some time in the afternoon, I was at a diner with Pilar while Giulia was out with the girls. I munched on my food, nodding and smiling while listening to Pilar's long rant about how 'amazing' Gian was.

"I'm really in love with the guy," Pilar blurted out, confused by her own choice of words. "I think?"

"In love?" I sang, raising a brow in surprise. I had nothing against him, but I personally couldn't see how one could fall for him-and it wasn't because he had called me out of my name.

Gian was just an interesting figure to be around. I couldn't imagine him like this romantic individual Pilar made him out to be.

Then again, it was the same way others might think about Alessio.

"Everything between us just makes so much sense. It's crazy!" Pilar spoke, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "He's still an ass to me, but it's so sexy."

"Is it?" I chuckled. "How so?" my lips moved to the straw to take a sip.

"A few nights ago I asked him if I'm the best woman he's ever been with and he said, no."

"Huh?" I choked on my drink, not believing she would tell me something like this with a straight face. Someone would have to hold me at gunpoint to get something embarrassing as that out of me.

"He said I'm up here with a few others," she squinted her eyes, raising her hand to a higher level. "But the way he said it was just…urgh!" her hands fumbled in the air. "Sexy!"

I scrunched my nose. "And what did you say?"

"Well, to be fair he asked me the question first and I gave him a similar response."

I chuckled at her confession. Pilar had always had a way of seeing things in a unique way, and her descriptions of her relationship with Gian were no exception.

"But don't get me wrong, we also have deep conversations," Pilar's smile faded as she looked down at her plate. "He's not that much of a talker, but I told him he can talk to me and he does."

"About what?" my curiosity got the best of me.

"About everything. His hand, and how he feels useless without it, how he can't take the pitiful stares people give him, especially Domenico and Giulia, and he talks about-"

Pilar raised her head. "He talks about you."

"What about me?"

"He cares about you, a lot-and a lot of it comes from guilt," Pilar spoke, her expression much more serious.

"Really?" I was taken aback. I thought we had put that whole thing behind us.

"Yes, he's worried about you because you're so good and we…we're different," she said with a chuckle, but I could feel that was not all that was discussed.

"What exactly did he say about me, Pilar?" I pressed, needing to know more.

Pilar shook her head, looking uncomfortable.

"Nothing, I shouldn't even have brought it up-"

"But you did," I cut her off. "And now I want to know what he had to say about me."

Pilar took a handful of fries and pushed them inside her mouth. "He said you don't belong here, but it's not because he doesn't like you because he does. He just doesn't want you to lose yourself," she ranted, trying to explain herself.

After fighting so hard to get the two of them together, I had somehow turned into a topic of conversation.

"Lose myself?" I repeated, confused. How would I lose myself?

"You're a good person, Mena. That's all," Pilar spoke softly. She tried to end the conversation, but it was nowhere near finished for me.

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him you belong here with us and with Alessio. What else would I have told him?" Pilar slightly raised her voice as if I had accused her.

"And what did he say?" I asked further. "You can tell me."

"He said we should keep a close eye on you. He is sure you will lose it when you see what will happen to Isaac," Pilar whispered as if she had just told me something that wasn't supposed to reach my ears-and it was likely that was the case.

"Lose it? Why will I lose it?" I questioned, feeling attacked by the Fanucci brother who I had the least closest bond to. What did he know?

"Because unlike Anson, Isaac is what you've grown up to believe as the good guy and you might turn your back on us."

Finally, there it was.

He feared I would turn my back on them.

So much for caring.

"What?" I spoke, startled. Just a while back he said he might've underestimated me, praised me for coming forward with the information-and now all of a sudden I was not trustworthy?

"No one said anything bad about you. He cares about you so much, he has a soft spot for you," Pilar leaned across the table to grab my arm as she stared into my eyes. "He's always the first to defend you-and I told him you wouldn't turn on us. I told him you weren't like that."

Right, I wasn't.

Why would I turn my back on them while they would torture an undercover agent who had come to the mansion to take down their criminal activities and seek justice for all the lives that have been destroyed.

Why would I…

"You're right," I gave her a nod. "I'm not like that."