Cassini ran her fingers through her hair in distress. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea he would just show up like this—”
“Leave.” I stepped toward him, wanting him to get far away from my woman. “Now.”
He held his ground. “I’m not leaving her alone with a psychopath.”
“I’m worse than a psychopath, asshole.”
“Balto, back off,” Cassini commanded. “Now.”
Like a dog, I obeyed. I stepped back.
She turned to Alessandro. “I’m sorry, but you should go. Balto and I need to talk.”
“I can’t let this guy hurt you,” he argued.
“He would never hurt me,” she said. “He hasn’t made a very good first impression, but he’s harmless. I promise you.”
“She’s right,” I said. “If I wanted to hurt you, you would be unconscious right now.”
Alessandro stared at me for a long time before he moved away. “Call me when this is over. Just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Sure,” she said. “I’m so sorry about this…”
“It’s okay,” he said. “If I were a man who’d lost you, I’d be crazy too.” He finally walked away and left us alone.
My eyes turned back to her, back to the woman who occupied my entire heart. No other pussy had been around my dick. No other woman had kissed these lips. I’d been as devoted to her as the first night we met. Looking at her now, even when she was pissed, reminded me how much I loved her. I’d tried to fight it for so long, but I couldn’t do it anymore.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Balto, it’s not what you think…”
“I know a pregnant woman when I see one. What was your plan? To never tell me? That’s wrong, and you know it.”
She looked into my eyes, the pain obvious in her gaze. If she still loved me, she didn’t show it. She’d showed more compassion to the guy she’d been with just a minute ago. “I didn’t tell you because it’s not yours, Balto.”
All my pain disappeared because there was a bullet in my heart. I slowly came back down to earth, my eyes narrowing in surprise. When I saw her belly, I assumed I was the one responsible for making her that way.
“It’s Lucian’s…”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “The doctor told me how far along I am. It’s not possible for you to be the father.”
Shocked, I continued to stare at her. When I first saw her belly, I felt a surge of joy. I didn’t want a family, but seeing her glowing with life was a turn-on. I imagined us going home, getting naked, and me kissing her belly everywhere. But now, everything had changed. I didn’t know what to say, so I kept looking at her.
“Why are you here? I’m guessing Heath told you about my date.”
“Yeah…he mentioned it.”
“And you got pissed off and decided to sabotage it?” She cocked an eyebrow, her disappointment sharp as a knife. “Even though nothing has changed and we still want different things? I always knew you were an asshole, but you’re something else…” She grabbed her clutch off the table then turned away. “You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” She turned back around, vicious.
I held my silence, unsure what to say. Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was doing when I drove here. All I knew was I didn’t want this to happen. “I…I don’t know.”
She shook her head. “Leave me alone, Balto. I’ve met a nice guy who couldn’t care less that I’m pregnant. You don’t want to commit to me, and that’s fine. But don’t interfere with my life ever again.” She turned around again and walked away, her nude heels clapping against the concrete.
I watched her walk away, watched the way her body waddled with her movements. Lucian’s child was growing inside her, so she could never really escape him. When she looked at that child every day, she would have to think of the man who’d imprisoned her and raped her.
It wasn’t fair.
25
Cassini
I returned to my apartment, the place where I lived alone. I didn’t know what would happen with Alessandro, but I’d made sure the place was in perfect condition just in case he came over for a glass of wine. I didn’t expect to like him, but he was definitely charming.
But all of that was ruined because of Balto.
That fucking asshole.
Like a wild animal, he charged me and tried to kill my date. He ruined the evening by making me seem like a woman with a psycho ex. Finding someone new was already difficult because I was pregnant, but finding someone when a man like Balto was still keeping tabs on me was impossible.
Alessandro would never want to see me again.
Couldn’t blame him.
I was so pissed off at Balto that I didn’t care about lying to him. I looked him in the eye and said the baby wasn’t his. But since he’d crashed my date, I knew nothing had changed. He didn’t fight for me because he missed me. He only did something when he realized someone else was interested. It was pathetic and the opposite of romantic.