Page 66 of Masked Mafia's Runaway Bride

My chest tightened. Mirella appeared behind him, her face pale as a ghost when she saw me standing there. Her eyes darted to Alex and then back to me.

“Alex, sweetheart, go see Dahlia,” she said, her voice calm but firm.

“But I want to play with him—”

“Now,” she insisted.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding, giving me one last curious glance as he shuffled off.

The room fell silent, the air between us heavy. Mirella crossed her arms, her expression guarded.

“You’re not leaving until I explain, are you?”

I stepped closer, my heart pounding in my chest. “Alex called you Mama.”

She flinched, the tiniest movement, but it was enough.

“I’ve been blind, yes, but not stupid. Is he mine? I mean, he belongs to the stranger?”

Her lips parted as if to deny it, but then she closed them. Mirella sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Yes, Sergio. He’s yours.”

The world tilted on its axis. My knees felt weak, but I forced myself to stay upright and focused.

“You never told me he was your son. Was it because you knew I was the stranger? Why?” I said, my voice shaking.

“I didn’t know,” she snapped, her tone sharp enough to cut glass. “Not until today. Not until…” Her gaze flickered to my arm, to the tattoo that had unraveled everything. “Until I realized you were the stranger.”

“Why did you tell me he was Dahlia’s son?”

She threw her hands up, exasperated. “Because I didn’t want him caught up in this life! In my life. Do you have any idea what it’s like to carry the weight of that decision? To know that if I made the wrong call, he could end up in danger?”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I took a shaky breath, trying to process everything. “You didn’t trust me enough to protect him if I knew he was yours?”

“It’s not about trust,” she said, her voice softer now, almost pleading. “It’s about reality. Look at the world we live in, Sergio. Do you really think it’s safe for him to be part of it? Look at all the lies and secrets we have been keeping. Is that the life we want for him?”

I ran a hand over my face, trying to make sense of it all. “He’s my son, Mirella. I deserve to be part of his life.”

Her eyes softened for a moment before she steeled herself. “Not right now. Not with everything going on. It’s too complicated.”

“Complicated?” I scoffed. “Do you think I care about complicated? I shot my own father for you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But you don’t even give me the chance to prove I can protect him, to prove I can be a father to him.”

She flinched at my words, but I didn’t stop.

“You think keeping him from me is the solution? What happens when he starts asking questions, Mirella? When he wants to know who his father is?”

“I’ll deal with it when the time comes,” she said, her voice trembling. “Right now, my priority is keeping him safe.”

The room fell silent again. I took a step back, shaking my head.

“I don’t want us to keep arguing, and I am not giving up on him or us,” I said, my voice low. “But right now, you need to know something. My father is onto you. He’s having you investigated. He doesn’t trust you, and he’s digging for dirt.”

Her face paled even further, her bravado crumbling just slightly.

“He’s what?”

“I overheard him talking to an investigator off the hallway this morning when I got home. He knows about the assistant’s son, and he doesn’t believe your story. He’s suspicious, Mirella, and he’s not going to stop until he uncovers everything.”

She stared at me, her eyes wide, her lips parted, but no words came out. She just stood there, staring at me, the shock evident in her eyes.

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