The next morning, the first thought Lucius had was to track Marta down and ask her about Olivia and the baby.
Like many mornings, he found her in the kitchen with her hands deep in pastry.
Marta brushed her palms on the apron around her waist and gave him a worried look. “Sebastian called early this morning, signor. It’s a girl. Healthy and beautiful. But Olivia is very upset. Sebastian said she is inconsolable.”
Lucius nodded. It was exactly as he expected.
“Thank you, Marta. Please alert Mark that I will need him today.”
“As you wish, signor.”
Lucius planned to visit the hospital as soon as possible, but he first had to stop by the lawyer’s office.
Lucius watched as Marta made her way to the back of the villa before entering the breakfast room. He sat with the news open on his phone, but the words swam before his eyes. He couldn’t concentrate. His mind was with Olivia and her baby.
Marta’s words worried him. What did she mean when she said Olivia was upset and inconsolable? Would his plan work in his favor? Or did the woman want to keep the child?
The door opened, breaking Lucius from his musings, and Marta entered with his morning coffee.
She nodded. “Mark is out front with the car when you are ready, signor.”
Lucius took a sip of his hot drink, then stood up.
He was born ready.
Lucius exited the elevator on the fourth floor, the maternity ward, a folder held tight in his hand.
He had texted Sebastian, his friend and brother-in-law, who volunteered at the hospital as a medical student. In his messages, Sebastian made it seem like the situation was dire, as though Olivia was suffering from a deep loss.
At first, Lucius didn’t press for a paternity test. He needed a child, and he wasn’t sure if he truly wanted to know who the child’s father was. But now, after he gave it some thought, he understood that it would be in his best interest if the baby was his sibling.
So he pushed Sebastian to do whatever it took to get him the results as soon as possible. He didn’t have time to waste. The woman would be discharged no later than tomorrow, and he needed an answer before then.
He bypassed the nurses’ desk and headed straight for Olivia’s room.
Before he could touch the doorknob, a nurse opened the door from the other side.
“How is she?” Lucius asked.
“Thank you,” Lucius said before entering the room.
A woman, not much older than him, lay on a small, ivory-colored bed. Her long, dark hair was matted to her forehead, and her large eyes looked haunted.
He felt sympathy for her. Whether she was an unfortunate seductress or a victim of his father’s abuse of power, he didn’t know. Either way, she was lying in bed, her eyes glazed over, lost to the nightmares in her mind.
Lucius slowly approached the bed. If she noticed him, she didn’t show it.
He sat in the chair next to her bed and cleared his throat. “How are you doing, Olivia?” he asked.
Her eyes flickered, but she didn’t meet his gaze.
“Tell me,” he said as he leaned closer to her, “do you want the baby?”
She closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek. She let out a sob, breaking the silence.
“I can help you,” Lucius said.
She shook her head. “It’s too late. No one can help me now.”
He took a breath and repeated his question. “Do you want the baby?”
She shook her head vigorously. “I cannot keep it. How can I care for two kids on my own?”
He stared into her eyes.
“I have papers with me. Adoption papers. If you sign them, I’ll reward you generously.”
Her brow furrowed, and a mix of emotions played in her eyes as she sobbed. “I can’t take care of myself. Look at the mess I made of my life. How am I supposed to take care of a small, demanding baby?”
“Listen to me.” Lucius reached out and gripped her hand. “If you sign these papers, I’ll raise the child. And in return, you’ll be compensated handsomely. You’ll be able to get your life together and focus on your other child. We would both win.”
He waited until understanding shone through her eyes.
When she gave a small nod, his whole body relaxed.
“You will be discharged tomorrow. Return to the house with the child and collect your things. Your check will be waiting. Once you leave the villa, you will be free to start your life anew. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
Lucius nodded and sat back in the chair. As relief flooded through his body, he pondered on how cruel the cycle of life was. We enter this world covered in blood and pain, full of life, and leave it silently and completely drained.
The curtains fluttered, drawing his attention. There stood a teenage girl, her round cheeks below overly large eyes.
She had her mother’s dark hair, and it framed her oval face and full lips.
There was a look of terror in her eyes.
Their gazes met, and she stood frozen in place, clutching the heavy fabric of the curtain.
Lucius didn’t recognize her, but assumed she was Olivia’s other child. Though she was older than he was led to believe.
He returned his attention to the woman in the bed. He placed the folder next to her hand. “This is the contract for the adoption. Take your time reading it. Reach out to me if you need help understanding it, and I will send a lawyer to go over it with you.”
She stroked the folder with her index finger.
“I’ll leave you to go over everything in peace.”
With that, Lucius stood and walked out of the room.
As he left the hospital, a warm feeling filled his chest. This child would bring much-needed peace to his wife and hopefully heal her heart. It was the best present he could give to his dear, suffering Anna.
The gift of life.
“Are the goals for this project clear?” a tall, balding man asked.
His question was met with loud applause and smiles from the packed meeting room.
But Lucius felt as if cotton was stuffed in his ears. He saw a bunch of mouths moving, but all he heard was a loud buzzing in his head.
“Sir? Lucius? Sir!” One of his top managers tapped his arm to get his attention. He stared into her sky-blue eyes, not recognizing her for a moment.
The entire room grew quiet, waiting for him to speak.
Usually, he was the epitome of composure, but today he sat there looking like the devil himself. His hair was too long, his beard hadn’t been shaved in days, and his top button was undone, revealing the tattoo from his wild past.
He stared at his team with his bloodshot eyes.
It had been two weeks since the adoption papers were signed and little Sarah entered his life. He thought it would solve everything, but his life was a total mess. And he just let it all go downhill without lifting a finger to stop it.
An image of Anna kept popping up in his mind. When they first met, Anna was stunning, brilliant, and always composed. She was the daughter of a well-known industrialist and could trace her bloodline even farther back to Italy’s high society than Lucius’s family.
She was a woman who never got into drama. Nothing about her was frivolous; he truly believed she wanted him and not the world he could offer her. Her coolness toned down his fiery spirit, leaving him with more time to chase success.
But then her mood started shifting. She went from being sad and quiet to aggressive and demanding in a split second.
After a while, she started blaming him for not loving her enough. Claiming that if he loved her, he’d give her a baby.
Fertility treatments, clinics, therapies, and disappointments were his everyday life.
Lucius was desperate to get his wife back. But no matter how many times he told her to take it easy and stop hurting herself, she just wouldn’t listen. The child became an obsession; nothing else mattered in Anna’s life.
And lately, it’d gotten worse.
Lucius saw it, he felt it, he knew it. But he did nothing to stop it. She would visit the doctor and assure Lucius that everything was fine. He preferred her lies over the truth.
Because the truth had the power to smash his perfect life into dust.
A drop of sweat slid down his back, making him shiver.
He was too powerful not to have enemies and adversaries throughout his life, and too smart to let emotions get in the way.
Pinching the bridge of his nose with long fingers, he waved for the meeting to continue.
Talk picked up again, and Lucius’s jaw twitched in annoyance.
His cell phone buzzed, vibrating on the table in front of him. Ignoring the curious looks, he checked the message.
Marta never texted or called him while he was at work. For her to reach out to him now, something must be terribly wrong.
Lucius stood, drawing all eyes to him. “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, we’ll continue this another time.” He walked out the room, avoiding further questions, and hurried home to the villa.
