Page 39 of Deadly Don's Baby Contract

But I am engulfed in the betrayal, how she lied to me. That’s how she knew Loredana, not from Sunday school. Their fathers were best friends until they weren’t. My sister is right; I was blinded. “I’m going to Dom’s.”

“You sent her to stay at Dominique’s?”

“I didn’t know who she was, did I?” No wonder she was so livid at me. Her ‘godfather’ is rumored to have killed her father. She must hate him and probably me now. “He’s her godfather.”

“My godfather is doing twenty-to-life. You’re not sending me for a sleepover, Franco. Come on.” I wasn’t thinking straight. I was worried about keeping everyone safe. “Go and fetch her, and for God’s sake, bring her home.”

I text Dominique that I am on my way to fetch Aria and that Guilia is safely home. I try calling her, but it goes to voicemail. She was angry with me. I should have listened, but I let my rage and revenge get in my way.

I park in front of his ostentatious house and sit in the car for ten minutes before I have calmed down enough to consider getting out.

Chapter 14

Aria

I see him sitting in the car outside. We fought, and even though I know Guilia is safely home, nothing about my marriage feels safe anymore. Franco called me a liar—and I am a liar.

I have been lying to everyone for a long time, including myself. I wanted to be someone else, to escape the legacy of my family. Instead, I married into a worse one, and now I am having his baby. My marriage is why Vito is after Franco. He knows who I am.

What this union means for him and the other families… I committed the mafia version of treason. I unified two families who had bad blood for a very long time, and I did it without them even knowing it. There are two liars in my marriage, and there are two killers that sleep in my bed at night.

Franco comes into the house, and Dominique has made himself scarce. “We need to talk.” Franco’s voice is gruff as he looks at me. “Let’s go home.”

“Is Vito dead?” I ask him.

“Not yet, but Guilia is safe.” I knew she would be. She is not the end game. I am. Eliminate me, and all their problems are gone. Things go back to the way they have always been.

“Franco.” I want to go with him. I love him, but we don’t trust each other. “We should talk here.” I can’t face the silent treatment driving home and the anticipation of the fight I know is coming.

“You want to have this discussion here?” He glares at me. “Aria, let’s go home, please.”

“No.” I stand up for myself, remembering who I am, even if I wanted to escape and forget for so long. “I am not who you think I am.”

“I know, you’re a liar.”

“You’re a murderer.” I hate that he calls me a liar as if I wanted to deceive him. “What’s worse?”

“Aria, you are a Dilio from that Dilio family. I thought it was just a common surname. It could have been. But I know better now. If you did not have my child inside you, I’d probably kill you with a smile on my face just because of who you are. How could you lie, knowing that, knowing who we are.” His voice shakes; it’s not angry, but it sounds like he is breaking inside.

“But am I the bad person because I am a liar? Franco, we can’t do this. I told you I couldn’t marry either of you.” Tears threaten to fall from my eyes. “Only now does it make sense to him why. I tried so hard not to love him, to stay away from this life.

“But you did, and you lied the whole time. You could have told me.”

He is hurt and angry.

“And what? You’d have killed me with a smile on your face? Fuck off, Franco.”

“Don’t tell me to fuck off. You let me fall in love with you.”

“You think I wanted to love you?” I ask. “Franco, I ran away. You came and dragged me to the chapel to get married. I just wanted to go.”

“Marco was going to kill you.”

“I’d like to see either of you try.” They have no idea who I am—no one really does. “I can take care of myself, Franco. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I do worry, Aria. All I do is worry about you and our child.”

“You can stop. I am going to stay at the lake house for a while. I think we both need to cool down, and you need to resolve this business with Vito.”

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