Page 67 of Sexted By a Stranger
Before I could finish, I heard the door open. I spun around sharply—it was Sheila.
"Sheila?" My heart started pounding, an ominous feeling creeping over me.
I hung up the phone and looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm leaving, Luca." Her voice was perfectly calm. "Now. Immediately."
My heart clenched.
"Sheila, what the hell are you talking about?" As I spoke, I moved to pull her into my arms.
Just as my fingertips were about to touch her skin, she jerked back a step, avoiding my touch.
"What did you do last night, Luca?"
I withdrew my hand, shoving it into my pants pocket, my fingers unconsciously curling tight.
After several seconds of silence, I spoke in a low voice.
"There are some things I have to handle."
Sheila took a deep breath. Then she raised her head, her gaze no longer evasive, meeting my eyes directly with a sense of burning bridges.
"You're still hiding it from me, aren't you? I know who you are, Luca Bellomo." Her voice wasn't loud, but each word hammered against my heart. "You're the head of the mafia. That's what you wanted to tell me, isn't it?"
My pupils contracted sharply.
She knew.
I quickly regained surface calm, even stepping forward to close the distance between us.
"When did you find out?"
"I overheard your conversation by accident." She bit her lower lip, her eyes slightly red.
"My family, Soprano," I didn't want to lie to her anymore. "Drugs, weapons, casinos… whatever you can think of, I've done it."
Sheila's body trembled slightly, but she tried to keep herself composed. "So the shootings these past days, the injuries, those bodyguards… all because of your identity?"
"Yes. Connor is my enemy. He wanted to hurt me by targeting you. Recently, I completely destroyed his operation, but he escaped."
"I thought I'd only fallen in love with a mysterious businessman. Turns out I fell in love with a cold-blooded mafia boss." Her voice began to choke.
"I didn't want you caught up in danger, but now…" I said gravely, "Connor won't let you go. I'll protect you, but you need to be prepared too, Sheila."
"Prepared?" She acted like she'd heard the most absurd joke, the corner of her mouth twisting into a mocking arc. "What if we had children?"
My breathing stopped. My gaze unconsciously swept over her flat stomach—there were no visible signs. But the hypothesis itself was enough to shake my soul. The family needed an heir; this was a responsibility carved into my blood and bones. But a child…
"If we really had a child… stellina," I tried to convey my determination, "I would protect you both with my life, with all my power. I wouldn't let anyone have the chance to harm either of you."
"Protection?" Sheila repeated the word, the fury in her eyes ignited by my words. She stepped closer, her voice cracking with emotion. "Is this what you call protection? Letting our child grow up with guns pointed at them from the moment they're born? Hearing explosions instead of lullabies? Watching betrayal and death become everyday occurrences?"
Her voice trembled. "Luca, you looked me in the eyes and promised you wanted a normal life with me. Were those just... lies?"
Her accusations became sharp weapons, stabbing at the protective umbrella I was trying to build.
I was burned by the disappointment in her eyes. Frustration and anger at being misunderstood surged up.
