Page 47 of Borrowed Bride

She was right. As soon as I held Freya in my arms, I was overwhelmed with the urge to return to Marco.

But what if Fawn is right? What if staying with Marco means endangering Freya’s life?

My chest tightens like a rubber band as I weigh my options, my mind clouded with hormones, fear, and doubt. “I need time to think,” I whisper, shaking my head.

Fawn’s laugh cuts through me like an icicle. “Did you listen to a word I just said? There’s no time, Gianna. You have no idea who else is watching you. You don’t have forever to decide. I’m here, offering you one single chance.”

My aching heart pounds as Fawn’s words sink in. Fawn found me, so who knows who will be next to walk through that door?

I’m running out of time, and my decision now won’t just determine my fate—it will decide my daughter’s future.

As Fawn’s cold eyes bore into mine, I grow sick under the weight of the horrifying truth:

No matter what choice I make, someone will pay the price.

I have to do what is best for Freya.

18

GIANNA

Twelve months ago, I turned up on Leonardo Simone’s doorstep drenched from the storm and begging for his help.

With my emotions in constant fluctuation from giving birth, it was painfully easy to fall into the role ofdamsel in distressjust to get safety and security for Freya and I.

I told myself I didn’t believe a word Fawn said about Marco, and yet I couldn’t risk possibly endangering my daughter. So, Leo was my only hope as the wolves closed in around me.

He took me in without question and was very clearlyeagerto save someone from Marco Barrone. I cried in his arms for days and he never left my side. To his credit, in the first few months he was very attentive, and Freya and I were taken care of to the highest degree.

It was only supposed to be a few months—just until I was able to feed Freya properly and get her all her vaccines and required injections. Then, it was until I could get her to sleep through the night and get both of us back up to a healthy weight. The days turned into weeks, and the weeks bled into months.Before I knew it, six months had passed, and I was no closer to understanding anything Fawn had told me.

It was difficult to dwell on that when my baby daughter now consumed my entire life.

And she was thriving. Thanks to the intense security Leonardo had at his home estate, she was happy, healthy, and safe. To my knowledge, no threat ever reached my door, and it became almost too easy to keep up the pretense of needing saving.

Leonardo would ask me often how I escaped from Marco, and I would tell him a vague tale of escaping from the hospital after sending Marco away for the nurse. Leo would always get the same sad look of understanding on his face whenever I told that story, then he would promise me constantly that I was safe and no one would harm me and my daughter.

I came to enjoy that security because, unlike Marco, Leonardo was rather absent. He would always call ahead to let me know when he was coming, and we would spend a lot of time together when he helped me with Freya, but all in all, I was given my privacy.

And then Leonardo proposed.

It came as a huge shock when he got down on one knee and declared that he had fallen in love with me. He wanted to ensure the safety and security of me and my daughter for the rest of our lives and I was completely lost for words.

I warmed to him, but I didn’t love him.

And yet, I got the distinct impression that I couldn’t say no. If he decided to toss me out on the streets, I would be right back at square one with no idea who was a threat, or how to keep my daughter safe. It was one thing to pick pockets and scam men for money; it was quite another to support myself and a seven-month-old baby.

So I said yes.

Protecting Freya became my priority from the second she was born and keeping Leonardo on my side was the best way to do that.

With the engagement came a new freedom as Leo left me to plan every detail. In his words, he wanted me to have a dream wedding so everything would be under my control.

During the day, I would do just that. But as the nights drew in and my mommy brain no longer became the main ruler in my mind, I started to dig.

I dug into Marco and his father, Dante. My time spent looking into Cherry had made me rather deft at connecting dots and finding out things that were meant to be hidden, so within a few weeks I was knee-deep in hell. It wasn’t that hard to find information on the families that did dealings with the Barrone’s. I remembered most of them from that dinner where Marco and Leo were at each other’s throats.

From there, I followed thread after thread and a semblance of the truth began to become clear to me.

---