Page 119 of The Don's Soulmate

"We'll make do," I mutter, more to myself than anyone else. I shrug off my jacket and roll up my sleeves. "Carlotta, tesoro, look at me."

Her green eyes lock onto mine, filled with a mix of pain and trust that makes my chest tighten. "Remember what I told you about my past lives? How they come back to me?"

She nods weakly, gasping through another contraction.

"I’ve delivered babies with less than we have here," I assure her, my voice steady despite the chaos around us. "Now, I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?"

"Y-yes," she manages, her soft voice barely audible over the roar of the engine.

I turn to rummage through the car, gathering what I can. My tie becomes a makeshift tourniquet, and the unopened bottle of water in the cupholder is a godsend. I pull out my handkerchief, thanking whatever deity might be listening that it's clean.

"Sofia," I call out, "I need your scarf. And any other cloth you can spare."

As Sofia tosses back her scarf, I lock eyes with Carlotta again. "This isn't ideal, but you're going to be fine. Both of you will be. I promise."

She nods, a small smile breaking through her pain. "I trust you, Ettore."

Those words hit me like a physical blow. Trust. It's not something I'm used to, not in my world. But with Carlotta, itfeels... right. I push the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.

"Now," I say, my voice dropping to a low, commanding tone, "settle back in the seat and part your legs for me. I need to take a look. Let's bring this baby into the world."

She nods, gritting her teeth through another contraction. I shed my suit jacket and roll up my sleeves. The familiar rush of adrenaline courses through me, a twisted excitement I can't deny.

After all, I'm about to be a father.

"Sofia, I need you to find something to cut the umbilical cord," I bark, my tone leaving no room for argument. She leans across, eyes still on the road, and opens the dashboard, handing me a pair of scissors.

As I position myself between Carlotta's legs, I catch a glimpse of our pursuer in the side mirror. Vittorio's car is gaining on us, the sleek black vehicle a harbinger of death.

"He's getting closer," Sofia warns, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.

I growl, "Focus on driving. I'll handle this." My hands are steady as I check Carlotta's progress. She’s dilating at a miraculous rate, telling me what I already knew.

Our baby is fighting to enter the world, to end this curse.

The car swerves violently, and I brace myself against the seat. Vittorio's headlights illuminate the interior, casting long shadows across Carlotta's straining face.

"I can't do this," Carlotta sobs, her resolve crumbling.

I grab her hand, squeezing it hard enough to hurt. "You can, and you will," I snarl. "I've delivered babies in worse conditions than this. You're not dying on my watch."

I hear the ominous sound of a car door opening behind us. Vittorio's making his move.

"Sofia, lose him!" I roar, my focus split between the birth and our impending doom.

Chapter 58

Carlotta

A searing pain rips through my body, and I can't hold back a scream. I knew giving birth was meant to be painful, but my body feels like it’s being ripped apart, my organs shedding to pieces. The car lurches, and I grip the leather seats. My knuckles are white with tension.

"Ettore," I gasp, my voice trembling. "I … I can’t do this,” I cry, my eyes closing shut as tears pour down my eyes.

Without a word, he moves between my legs, his hands gentle yet firm as he assesses the situation.

Another contraction hits, and I cry out, my body convulsing with the force of it. Through tear-blurred vision, I see Ettore’s worried eyes on mine, Sofia's hands tighten on the steering wheel and she looks back at me briefly, her knuckles as white as mine.

"Hold on, Carlotta," Sofia calls back, her voice strained. "We're almost there."

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