Page 121 of Dark Mafia Bride

The only thing truly stressing me out is constantly thinking about Ettore and this...situation in which we find ourselves.

The doctor smiles kindly at both of us. “It’s natural for the expecting father to worry about his partner’s well-being,” she says.

I can hear Ettore’s frustrated huff beside me, and I can’t help but tease him a little. “He doesn’t just worry. He acts like he’s the one carrying the babies.”

And even though he acts like he’s upset, I see a crack of a smile on his lips.

“Can’t help it,” he murmurs, running a hand through his hair. “I worry.”

For a moment, everything feels right. We share a small laugh as the meeting continues, and with time, the tightness in my chest eases a little bit. I know this moment will pass and we will snap back to reality when this is all over, but for now, I just want to pretend like everything is okay.

It’s fleeting, I know, but for now, I’ll take it.

Ettore holds my hand as we walk back to the car after the doctor appointment, his grip firm, as if we’re still a normal couple, as if nothing has changed between us.

There’s a silence that settles between us, not awkward or forced, but comfortable, as if we’re both content to just exist in the moment. It’s the kind of quiet where words feel unnecessary, where the space between us is filled with everything that doesn’t need to be said.

I can feel his hand still holding mine, his presence grounding me. I just want to hold onto this. Just us, here, as if nothing has changed.

I wish it could stay that way—quiet, simple, without all the mess. But then he speaks, his voice cutting through the stillness.

“So, when’s the next appointment?”

“A few weeks, I think. Wait, let me check my hospital card.” I pull it up on my phone, swiping through the screen. “Okay, that would be next month, on the 23rd.”

“Oh.”

“What do you mean,oh?” I glance up at him, narrowing my eyes.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be there,” he says, a little too quickly.

I don’t buy it. “Ettore...”

He hesitates, and then there’s that familiar glint in his eyes—something he’s not saying. “But it might clash with a trip I’ve got scheduled.”

“A trip?” I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “What kind of trip?”

“Business,” he says quickly, but I can tell there’s something more. His tone is a little too casual, like he’s trying to cover up a truth he doesn’t want to say out loud.

“You know you don’t have to come if you don’t want to?”

“I don’t want to miss it, Bella. But you know how things are.”

I stop walking, turning to face him. “Hence, why I said you don’t have to come. It’s fine. You always seem to find a way to miss things that matter.”

The words hit harder than I intended. I see him flinch, just for a moment, but it’s enough. His jaw clenches, and I can feel the shift in the air. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, his voice low.

“I just—” I take a step back, frustrated. “I don’t need you to be here when it’s convenient, Ettore. I don’t need you to show up for just thegood parts. I’ve been doing this on my own, and I can keep doing it.”

His eyes narrow, and there’s something in the way he looks at me, a flicker of pain beneath his usual tough exterior. He takes a deep breath, his voice steady but with an edge. “I’m not asking you to do it alone. I never wanted that. I just...I don’t want to lose any more of this. Of us.”

He steps closer, his hand reaching for mine again. “I know I haven’t been perfect. I’ve messed up, Bella. But I’m not going to keep making excuses. I want to be here. For everything. Forus.”

I look away, unsure of what to say, my chest tightening at the sincerity in his voice. The truth is, I’ve missed him, more than I want to admit. But the anger and hurt still linger.

And then, in a softer tone, he says, “I want us back, Mirabella...”

My heart stutters, but I don’t answer immediately. I can’t.

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