Page 49 of The Baby His Secretary Carries

Gio was blissfully numb, still in shock, but also wearing the insulated cloak of disinterest that had allowed him to survive the emptiness of his early years.

She had said she loved him and he had believed it, but she had known they were on their way to see the Zamos couple when she’d said it. She had been hiding such an explosive secret at that point, he found himself replaying every single thing she’d ever said to him, uncertain what to believe anymore.

Walking in on what had looked like an affair had shocked the hell out of him. Discovering she was carrying Rafael’s baby, but that the baby wasn’t actually hers...? He still couldn’t wrap his head around that.

All of the twists and developments left him wondering if her version oflovewas as manipulative as his mother’s.

That thought sliced through his chest like an electrified knife, leaving him so disturbed, he could only think that he was glad she was gone. Glad the ruse was over.

His life was simple again. Clean, if bleak and empty.

“I lied to you,” Gio admitted to his grandfather. “Molly was my assistant. Valentina’s assistant, actually. I was worried about you when we arrived so I asked her to pretend we were marrying.”

“I know.”

Gio shot Nonno a sharp look.

His grandfather was still convalescing, not leaving home, but his color was much improved and he dressed every day. He ate well and Gio had come to him where he was seated on a bench in the garden, soaking up the late-afternoon sunshine.

“I was sick, not stupid,” Nonno said with an impatienttsk.

“You told me to keep her.”

“I meant it. Why didn’t you?”

“Because—” Gio squeezed the back of his neck, forestalling his impulse to blurt out her pregnancy.

Rafael had gotten under his skin, though, warning him not to attack his injured wife or a helpless baby.Mollyhad got under his skin, sounding so confident when she had said he would never hurt her. He’d been furious in those moments of finding her with Rafael. Scorned and, yes, feeling attacked by her secrets and prevarications, and herdeparture.He’d been deeply tempted to say terrible things to her. Unforgivable things.

Agonizing fissures were still extending their way through him, breaking through his cloak of shock. His entire world had been overturned in twenty short minutes, from the moment he had caught sight of Rafael entering his hotel, when suspicions had skyrocketed inside him, to watching Molly gather a handful of things and leave.

“Because?” Nonno prompted.

“Because she’s not who I thought she was. She’s likethem.” His parents, he meant. “Motivated by money.”

“Pah.” Nonno refused to believe that. “Did she keep the ring? The necklace?”

“No.” Perversely, Gio was insulted that she had not only handed him the heirloom ring, but she also hadn’t taken anything he’d given her, just the modest clothes she’d been wearing. The electronics she’d shoved into her laptop bag were her own. She’d left all the jewelry and clothes, the company tablet and phone. Even her ID badge, which had felt very final.

Apparently, she would rather Rafael support her than take one thing from Gio.

“I thought she would make a good mother for our children, but she’s actually very dispassionate about family.” Despite his anger and sense of betrayal, he was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Molly had likely been moved emotionally. It was her body, her choice, but it seemed very out of character that she would carry a pregnancy for money.

That was the part that kept smacking him in the face—that he hadn’t really known her or understood her circumstances or what motivated her.

Was it really as Rafael had said? Was she trying to get ahead via the only means open to her? That didn’t ring true. Shehadbeen getting ahead. Maybe she hadn’t known she was in line to be promoted to his executive assistant, but she had held a very prestigious position under Valentina and enjoyed a generous salary.

He’d been shocked at how modest her flat was, though, given how well she was paid. It was in a good neighborhood and the building itself had been upscale. She’d told him she liked to live below her means so she could send money to her mother. “I’m helping Mom pay off her mortgage since the house will come to me one day,” she’d said. “Real estate is always a good investment.”

“You’re mistaken, Gio,” Nonno chided. “She has very strong feelings around family. She’s close with her mother and sister. I would swear on my life that she’s in love with you.”

She had said she was, but it hadn’t kept her with him, had it? She had walked away with another man.

Angry words burned on his tongue. He wanted to malign her because, if she felt love, if her feelings were strong and true, he would expect her to have been honest with him. She wouldn’t have walked out without a backward look.

Maybe she had looked back. He would never know because he had turned his back on her, refusing to watch her leave.

“You pushed her into the engagement,” Nonno said pensively. “And I pushed marriage. I thought...” He sighed heavily. “I thought if she was tied to you, you would begin to open up to her. Women need more reassurance up front that a man’s heart is available to her. A lifetime is a long time to live without love.”

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