Page 60 of Plus-Size Bratva Possession
“I know. But he deserves the truth, Elena. Go through the envelope I sent. What you do with it... That's up to you.”
The call ended, and I stood there frozen, my mind spinning with what I'd just learned. Gastone had built his entire vendetta against my family around avenging Adriana and their unborn child. What would happen when he discovered it had all been a lie?
What would happen when he discovered she was having an affair? That the child he had been mourning wasn’t even his?
The dread clung to me, squeezed at my throat, but I needed to see the facts for myself. Maybe… Federico was wrong. About the affair, I certainly hoped so.
I went to the mail basket in the foyer and hunted through it. Most were addressed to Gastone, but one stood out. A manila with the word “EVIDENCE” written across the front in Federico's bold handwriting. I tore it open right there, unable to wait another second.
And there it was. Everything. There were copies of all the police reports, verifying what Federico told me. There were witness statements by friends and acquaintances placing Adriana with another man repeatedly in the months before her death. There were medical records with her lover’s name all over it: Ricardo. There were printouts of the journalist’s bank accounts, showing large deposits made by Adriana’s lover.
And finally, I saw the most damning photo of all. It was a grainy, but clear enough, CCTV footage screenshot of a clearly pregnant Adriana, with another man outside a hotel. She was kissing him.
I sank down onto the marble floor in complete and utter shock.
I put all the evidence back into the manila envelope. I knew I needed to tell him, but if I did, he would be shattered.By telling him, I risked losing this version of Gastone. The loyal, trusting, loving man I’d come to know.
And for what? So he'd know the woman he'd loved had cheated on him? That the child wasn't his? That he'd wasted years hating my family for nothing?
But if I didn't tell him, what kind of person did that make me? The lie would always be between us; he would always hate my family.
I needed to protect both sides, but didn’t know how.
“Fuck,” I whispered as I walked to my room, the envelope clutched in my hand. I couldn’t decide what to do. I knew I had to tell him sooner or later, but I needed to know what state of mind he was in.
I couldn’t risk him seeing the envelope before I knew when the time was right, if he could shoulder this terrible news. On an impulse, I shoved the envelope into my bedside drawer. He’d never look there.Just for now,I told myself.Just until I figured out what to do.
I knew what I needed to do next. I needed to see him. To look into his eyes before I decided what to do. I needed to know if today was a good day to shift the earth beneath his feet.
***
An hour later, I stood outside Gastone's office, my heart hurting from how hard it raced. I hadn't called ahead to tell him I was coming. I needed to see him as he was when he thought I wasn't watching.
The receptionist recognized me and smiled. “Mrs. Ajello! What a pleasant surprise. He's in a meeting, but I'm sure he won't mind if I let him know you're here.”
“No, please,” I said quickly. “I'd like to surprise him. Is that okay?”
She nodded with a smile. “Of course. You know where his office is.”
I walked to his office and stood outside, hearing voices from within. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I leaned closer, trying to get a listen. If he was having a bad day, if he was…and then, I stiffened when I heard what sounded like a woman's tearful thank you.
I stopped, stepped back to take cover behind a large potted plant, and just then, his office door opened. A middle-aged woman stepped out with red eyes. In her hand, she clutched a tissue and repeatedly wiped her eyes. Gastone followed right behind with his hand on her shoulder, his back to me.
“I told you, Maria, take as much time as you need. Your son is what matters now. The job will be here when you're ready to come back, and I’ll make sure you remain on the payroll. If there’s anything else you need, just ask.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ajello,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “The treatment is so expensive, and with my husband losing his job—”
“Don't worry about that. I'll arrange for all the medical bills to be covered.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. “Just take care of your boy. That's an order.”
She nodded, unable to speak through her tears, and hurried toward the elevator.
Gastone watched her go, and I saw him, my heart breaking for this unbelievably kind, compassionate man. The man I never thought he could be, when I was festering withanger over how he took me. At that moment, I realized how wrong I’d been about him the whole time.
He was only trying to do his best, and despite the rage he held for my brothers, he never took it out on me.
Gastone turned around to head back into his office, but then he stopped when he noticed I was standing there.
His eyes widened. “Elena?”
