Page 72 of Surprise Pregnancy for Villain

“You do know he’s not going to take this lightly,” Aunt Carlotta points out.

“I’m ready for whatever the D’Angelos will send my way. They need me way more than I need them,” he replies, waving her comment aside. He turns his attention to me. “Why didn’t you tell me Lucca put his hands on you?”

“I didn’t want to start any problems,” I explain. “You were hellbent on making me marry him. I’d hate to make the situation worse.”

“Understand this, carissima. I might be overprotective and domineering, but I’d never want you to get hurt. I’m sorry you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.” He sighs. “Now, what am I going to do with you?”

“Daddy.” I move up to him, beseeching him with a pleading stare. “I don’t want to raise my child here, not in this life surrounded by blood, violence, and crime. I can’t live in a place where my feelings aren’t considered, and I’m treated like a prisoner in my own home. If you love me, please let me go.”

I’m not sure if it’s the expression on my face or the words from my mouth, but something strikes a chord with my father. His gaze softens, and he lets out a heavy sigh. He removes his signet ring and gives it to me.

“Keep this with you at all times.”

I can only stand there in shock at his sudden about-turn. I expect him to cuff me, call for backup, and lock me up in the room but not whateverthisis. I can sense that Ezio is just as confused as I am. Seeing the bewildered look on my face, my father says, “Your mother said the same thing… before she died.”

I feel tears stinging my eyes as I embrace him. He wraps his arms tightly around me and whispers into my ear, “I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. Take good care of yourself, Nicki.” I nod my head and kiss my father on the cheek.

As I look at him, there’s a sense of longing in his face. For the first time in my life, my father is actually listening to me. He pats my cheek.Maybe there’s hope for my family after all.

“I’ll write to you when I can,” I say.

“You,” my father points at Ezio. “If you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down, do you understand?”

“I expected nothing less, Sir,” he smiles.

Ezio grabs my hand, and we make our way out the door.

As we head down the hall, I hear my aunt’s shrill voice echoing, “Are you just going to let them leave?”

My father doesn’t answer, but I imagine the icy glare he’s giving her right now. He hates being challenged.

Even after all we’ve been through, I hope we’ll see each other again someday.

***

Halfway towards the border, we ditch Ezio’s Maserati after buying a secondhand pickup truck. It’s old and musty but it does the job and besides, escaping town with a sports car and a gaping scratch on the hood is sure to catch attention. We stop at a diner and order some takeout to eat in our car. We’re already far away from the city, but Ezio doesn’t want to take any chances. I’m craving for burgers, so I feast on two cheeseburgers and fries and down it with some chocolate milkshake. He laughs at me, obviously amused at my pregnancy tendencies. After a quick lunch, we discuss the next phase in our plan. We managed to bring two bags with us. One of them contained wads of cash, mostly from his inheritance, some luxury watches that we can sell, and some extra money to get us through the trip. Ezio suggests that we head up north, to Canada, where he visited once as a kid. He tells me that it will be easy to buy a cabin big enough for the three of us, and we can even live near a lake.

“Besides, I like being in the cold,” he says.

He adds that he has friends near the border who would help us, and we can bribe our way through if we needed to. He must have seen the look of worry on my face because he grabs my hand and holds it tight.

“We’ll be fine,” he reassures me. “No one is going to hurt you. I’ll make sure of it.”

I smile at him. “I know.”

He releases my hand and starts the truck. “We’ll have to clean ourselves up before we continue up north.”

We drive a short distance away before stopping at a mini mall, where we buy new clothes and some food for the journey. Next, we head to a nearby pitstop for truckers and fortunately, we get to use one of the bathrooms with a shower. Ezio washes away the blood and puts on some fresh clothes, while I change into a plaid shirt and some shorts.

When we finish, we sit on the truck as I apply ointment to his wounds. His face is still beaten up, but the bruises aren’t as red as before. I apply some bandages, and he takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

“Take me far away from this place, Ezio,” I say. “Take me somewhere we can be ourselves with no one to hurt us.”

Ezio looks sad for a moment. He lingers his gaze on me, his shoulders drooping, and his eyebrows scrunched up together before he says, “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I’ve uprooted our lives, and my decision almost killed you. I’m so sorry.”

“Ezio,” I lift his chin up to look at me. Here he is with his bruised face and all he can think about is me.

“It’s not your fault,” I remind him. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If it weren’t for you, I would have been married off to a monster. I’d rather live anywhere else in the world with you than be with Lucca.With you, I’ll be free and happy.”

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