Prelude

Alessio

I was in love with her.

There was no doubt left when I realized that, regardless of anything else, all I wanted was for her to stay with me so that we could work out the problems, the differences that arose from my ambition and blindness. I saw her pacing nervously, running her fingers through her beautiful dark, long, silky hair with an anxiety that was not only harming her but also damaging me. She was showing me that she was suffering from the many possibilities that were opening up in that moment for both of us.

I didn't want her pristine, perfect face to be tainted by doubts.

So, I approached her and took her by the shoulders, causing her beautiful brown slanted eyes to look at me with fear, pain, and a lot of resentment. That mix was destroying me from the inside in a way I hadn't anticipated. She was supposed to be just a pawn in this war, a tool that would give me what I needed to carry out my plans, not someone who would steal my heart, my senses, and my mind.

"We'll be alright, no matter what happens, Amaya," I told her, and her thin lips trembled in response.

"I don't believe you, Alessio... I don't believe you anymore."

That hurt me, especially when she wriggled out of my grasp and continued walking, as if I weren't there.

"I promise you, my dear... I will make everything work out." I insisted, and she looked at me with anger.

"No... You just used me, I was just one more transaction for your revenge, and now, if I'm pregnant, it's your fault, because of what you did... I have to go through this pregnancy in the midst of chaos, in the midst of stress, in the midst of constant fear that once it's known, my baby will be a target," she burst out, tears streaming from her eyes. "Nothing is right, I didn't want to bring a child into the world in these conditions, I didn't want to have a child with you, I didn't want..."

She collapsed on the floor to cry, and I could do nothing but go against her wishes and embrace her, giving her the warmth, she deserved, the shelter she needed these days.

"I will protect you, I will protect them," I emphasized fervently.

"I hate you," she replied, but she didn't pull away from my arms. "I hate you so much... This is your fault."

"I know, I know."

"I didn't want to get married; I didn't want this life; I didn't want to be used like cattle... I wanted to be happy, I just wanted a normal life and not be afraid that my children would never be safe..."

Listening to her deepest fears broke my heart.

She wasn't cut out for this life, I knew it from the moment I saw her in the library, but I couldn't cast her aside. I held onto the sole purpose of hurting Hiroshi Yagami, I only wanted to mess with that precious thing he was hiding. I had no idea that I would end up loving his daughter madly, and that was my greatest downfall. The girl wanted to live happily, she had dreams, real goals to achieve, a promising future that was taken away from her in an impulsive act, and she had no choice but to adapt to me.

"I'm sorry for all of this, my dear... I'm sorry."

It was hard to say because my mind was trained not to apologize to anyone.

"You lied to me, you used me, you made me believe in your love and got me pregnant even though I didn't want to, even though you decided to start a war..." She pulled away from me, her eyes red. "Why did you do all of this to me, Alessio? Tell me why..."

I looked at her for a long moment.

"Because I wanted power, because I wanted you with me, and because from the moment I saw you, I knew you would be mine, Amaya, only mine... And I'm a selfish bastard who gets what he wants," I admitted, causing her to furrow her brow and clench her fists tightly in my shirt. "But all that doesn't change the fact that I love you, and I would freeze hell for you, for our child, for everything we need together. You have to come back to me, you have to."

"No... You're lying, you don't love me. If you loved me, you wouldn't have come after me, you would have let me go..."

"I came because Gemma couldn't hide from me what was happening to you, because she saw me torn apart by loving you, and that's not up for debate, Amaya... You're still my wife and you will be until the end of my days, until death do us part," I warned her, and she shook her head.

"I don't want to live in this life, I can't, I..."

She was breaking in a way that I despised.

"You can do it, I know you can, you've shown me more than once. You just have to be strong, especially if you have our child in your womb... So, if you want to cry, fight, argue, or berate me, this is your moment, but when we step outside, you're Mrs. Milano, you're the wife of a capo."

Unexpectedly, she slapped me across the face, and I brought my hand to my cheek. Looking at her, I enjoyed the veiled anger, the burning on her cheeks. That's what I wanted to see in her, that's what I needed to bring out so that she wouldn't end up in shattered pieces. Nevertheless, I had a difficult task ahead, one that would be challenging to achieve, one that would be difficult to carry out as I tried to earn her forgiveness.

With a smile, I captured her in my arms before placing my right hand on the back of her neck and sealing our lips in a kiss that shook our bodies, a kiss that accelerated our souls, a kiss that brought out everything we had stored inside us. Amaya didn't pull away; she followed the kiss with hunger, as if she were starved for love, hungry for desire, hungry for longing.

We kissed with everything we had until neither of us could breathe anymore.

"You're mine, and it's time for you to understand," I said before standing up.

I led her to the bed and entered the bathroom to look at the tests her brother had bought her. There were six tests from different brands, and each and every one of them confirmed that she was expecting my child, the future of the Camorra, the result of our love.

I emerged with the brightest smile and answered the unspoken question her mouth couldn't form.

"We're going to be parents, and today I'm the happiest man alive."

For the first time throughout our encounter, she gave me the biggest smile in the world before the sound I least expected to hear enveloped us completely.

A gunshot stunned us; I had just been shot.