Page 94 of Devil's Tulip

Up the stairs. Into her bedroom.

My eyes narrow to slits as I watch her strain to lift the mattress and hides the pills underneath.

I’m on my feet before the mattress even drops back onto the bedframe, rage propelling me towards Gianna’s bedroom to discover exactly what she’s hiding from me.

I swing the door open with such force that it slams against the wall. I wince momentarily but don’t pause to wonder if it woke Gianna or not.

Let her wake up. Let her try to explain herself.

I make my way straight to the mattress and lift it with one hand, revealing the blister pack exactly where she hid it. I snatch it up, my lips curling into a snarl as I read the label with growing disbelief.

Birth control pills.

Why the fuck would Elira give my wife this? And more importantly—why the hell would she accept them? Especially when she responded so eagerly to me earlier, when it was so obvious how much she wanted me inside her, how much she wanted my child?

No.

No.

She won’t use them.The thought comes with absolute certainty, my fury cooling slightly.She can’t possibly want this.

She probably only took the one pill earlier to placate Elira. I nod to myself. Yes, that’s it. That explains it all. I don’t know much about Maximo’s relationship with his wife, but I know for a fact they’re not ready for kids yet. Did Elira try to impose her own choices on my wife? Did she convince her that motherhood wasn’t in her best interest?

As if she has any right to interfere in our marriage, in our future.

For a moment, the urge to storm back to our bedroom and confront Gianna is overwhelming—to shake her awake and demand answers, to make her choose between her friend’s advice and my desires. But I fight against the impulse. We just barely made up; I’m not about to stir the pot over something I can fix quietly myself.

And besides, after tonight, she’s probably already pregnant.

It will be dangerous for our unborn child if I leave these pills here.

I pocket the blister pack and drop the mattress back into place, smoothing out the bedding to conceal any evidence of mydiscovery. I know deep in my bones that Gianna wants our baby as much as I do, but just in case she has a moment of doubt…

I’ll remove the temptation entirely.

Pulling out my phone, I call the pharmacist on my payroll. “Hey,” I say as soon as he picks up. “I have some medication I need you to swap for me,” I explain what I want, and he assures me he’ll have it ready in two hours.

Good.

Wasting no time, I pop out every last pill from the blister pack and flush them down the toilet, watching with grim satisfaction as they swirl and disappear down the drain.

Then, with the empty pack in hand and a lightness to my steps, I head out to meet him.

27

GIANNA

The first thing I do when I wake up in Michael’s empty bed is rush to my own room and check my pills. My shoulders, knotted with tension, finally relax when I see they’re right where I left them. I snatch them out with trembling fingers.

I’m only supposed to use one per day, but after last night’s unprotected sex—without waiting the advised forty-eight hours—I pop two into my mouth, desperate for the meds to flood my system faster and erase my recklessness.

Fingers crossed. Hell, toes crossed too.

Seriously, universe, if you ever plan on doing me a solid, now would be the time.

Shoving down my nerves, I make my way downstairs, already knowing Michael will be waiting for me. He’s made it his personal mission to sit with me for breakfast every morning since I got here—a gesture that feels both possessive and oddly considerate. Sure enough, he’s already positioned at his usual spot at the dining table when I walk in.

Heat floods my cheeks the second I see him, and I find myself unable to meet his gaze directly.

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