Page 99 of A Touch of Fate

Dad slanted me a look. “Samuel?”

“I think Emma is going to leave me. I lied to her. I almost killed her today.”

“Why didn’t you come to me sooner? I’m your father. You can tell me anything.”

“Dad, I’m your heir. I’m a Made Man. A man should be able to hold his liquor, right?”

Dad grimaced as he pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. “That’s just something I said. It doesn’t mean you should get drunk every day.”

“I’m not drinking to get drunk. I hardly ever get drunk anymore. I just drink to function.” I laughed bitterly. How was that for staying in control? Samuel Mione, the ice king, losing control of his life and body. A shame. A fucking disgrace.

“We’ll grab a coffee or two before we head to Emma. You smell of alcohol. We need to get you sober before you see her again.”

“I am sober. Or as sober as I can be.”

Dad grabbed my arm. “Dammit, Samuel. I lost Fina. I won’t lose you.”

I nodded mutely. Fina.

“Is this because of her? Did you start drinking because of her?”

“Because of the friends I killed. Because of my inability to protect those I care about. Because I lost her to a madman. The list is long, Dad. The funny thing is Emma makes me happy. But I still drink.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t stop,” I admitted, then shook my head. “Because of the guilt, because I’m scared to mess up and get Emma or our baby killed. I almost did today.”

“You need to stop.”

I nodded. I knew that. What if it was too late? What if I’d already lost Emma?

I watched the young female doctor in trepidation as she did the ultrasound. Samuel leaned against the wall next to me. I had ignored his outstretched hand and hadn’t said a single word since he’d entered the room five minutes ago. I couldn’t bear his touch right now. I was too agitated. With the doctor present, he couldn’t really say much either, which was a relief.

My anxiety spiked to unbearable levels as the seconds trickled by while the doctor checked on the baby when suddenly a heartbeat sounded. I smiled, hope banishing my acute fear.

“Is everything okay?” Samuel murmured as he straightened, the cold mask on his face slipping for the first time since he’d entered the room. His worry dulled my anger briefly, but I reminded myself of the close call we’d had today.

The doctor nodded before she gave me a small smile. “I can’t detect anything out of the ordinary. Your bleeding couldhave been the result of a hematoma bursting. This area”—she motioned at a darker area on the screen—“looks like a burst hematoma to me.”

“And the crash?” I whispered. I hadn’t hit the side of the car very hard, but I could feel a bruise blooming on my upper arm.

Samuel crossed his arms in front of his chest, the tension returning to his body.

“I don’t see any injuries. You don’t have a concussion either. We have to wait on the examination of your arm to see if it’s only bruised. But I think you were very lucky.”

Samuel met my gaze, the regret in his eyes melting through my anger. I bit my lip. There would be time to talk about all this later. My mind was still too chaotic. Samuel pushed the hospital wheelchair closer to the bed, and I lowered myself into it since we’d left mine at home. With my growing belly, it wasn’t as easy as it used to be, but I didn’t want Samuel’s help.

“Please proceed to your room for now. My colleague will come to see you very soon.” The doctor opened the door for us, and Samuel pushed me out into the corridor. Pietro was waiting for us. He gave me a tight smile before he leveled his gaze on Samuel, who still looked slightly disheveled. Nothing an outsider or someone who didn’t know him would notice, but it was obvious to his dad.

“How about you go freshen up and grab another coffee, and I’ll take Emma to her room.”

Samuel met my gaze. I kept my face straight. Maybe he hoped I’d ask him to stay, but I still needed a couple of minutes to let the relief sink in. Our baby was okay. The bleeding had been nothing serious, which made our almost catastrophic crash even more tragic. What if I’d lost the baby because of this? I didn’t even want to think about it.

Samuel brushed my shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.” He bent down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, surprising me with theintimate gesture in front of his dad. It showed how shaken up he was and that I didn’t shy back exposed how shaken I was too.

“Okay,” I clipped and watched him stride away. Strong and tall but a little broken. My heart wanted to forgive him, but I knew he and I would have to have a serious conversation and find a solution before that could happen.

Pietro took me to my room. My arm hurt, so hoisting myself up caused me more trouble than anticipated.

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