These women didn’t even have to wait a month from marrying their men before announcing pregnancy. Valentina knew there was a chance she could already be pregnant, and it could have been from the first night she was with Giovanni.
In the past three months, she’d not had a cycle.
There were also noticeable differences. One, her trousers were a lot tighter. She’d opted for a dress today because sitting in pants that were close to tearing wasn’t ideal. In fact, it sounded like a total nightmare, not something she wanted to do.
The dress gave her some decency and allowed her to create the illusion she wasn’t pregnant.
The morning sickness had already come in droves. Giovanni was rarely home in the mornings anymore. He was always there for her at night, but he didn’t know of the sickness, and she’d kept it from him.
No coffee either as she’d vomited all over one of his maid’s feet when she brought it to her. Then of course there were the food changes. She ate ice cream with pasta just yesterday, and it didn’t take a genius to know her cravings were weird.
She offered a smile to the beaming mother-to-be and parted from her quickly, not wanting any more pitying looks.
Men were shaking hands with the father-to-be, and Valentina had enough of all of the male pride, and the crap that went with it. There had been a time when she wasn’t married where she’d play her role, but now, she just couldn’t be bothered to do so.
Stepping out of the main house, she breathed in the warm air, very aware of the guards close by. Most of them held guns in their hands. Of course, they would. Thomas Rossi was a guest today, and if anything happened to him, there would be death coming.
She stepped toward the wall, putting her hands flat against it as she looked out across the gardens.
Luxury as always.
Giovanni was nowhere to be seen. Thomas had taken him aside within minutes of them entering the house.
“Sweetheart, you shouldn’t be out here,” her mother said. “It is way too warm. It will frizz up your hair.”
Her hair already had a natural curl to it, but rather than fight nature, she had learned to embrace it.
Her mother pulled her in for a hug, and she took it, happily. She had already gotten the third degree from the woman after she attended the benefit in the revealing dress. Today’s dress covered a lot more. Her back wasn’t on display, but with the heat, she hadn’t worn a cardigan, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed. Of course, some of the ink she had on her legs was visible.
It was just another added reason for the women to not like her.
“Where is your husband?” her mother asked.
“Dealing with business.”
She saw how she paled. “Business?”
Valentina kept her lips closed. Giovanni spoke to her about a great deal. She knew he had his secrets, and she didn’t know every single little detail, but she knew enough. There was a rat lurking close by, with the threat of turning several of the capos against Thomas Rossi. He had to find the culprit.
What Giovanni didn’t tell her was the main suspect. She had a feeling he already knew, and he wasn’t investigating to find out who was responsible, but instead, gaining evidence to help him bring the person in, which meant it was someone important.
She had a horrible feeling she knew who it was, but she wouldn’t dream of telling anyone, not even Giovanni.
“I was hoping you would have some news for … us.” Her mother’s gaze dropped to her stomach. It wasn’t subtle. Nothing about her mother was ever subtle.
“Not this time,” she said. She had a feeling she was pregnant. No confirmation. Burying her head wasn’t the best plan, but for now, she needed the time. They hadn’t talked about what a family, a child, would truly mean for them.
Running a hand down her face, she tried not to allow the fear to build up within her. She did want to become a mom, very soon. She adored children. When they had events like this in the past, she’d often go find the nannies and hang out with the kids, playing games, watching them braid hair, or color. They were a lot easier to get along with.
“Honey, you have to. I don’t— Have you made sure that … Mr. Romano pays you a visit?”
She nearly burst out laughing. Her mother was worried that her husband didn’t find her attractive.
Giovanni couldn’t keep his hands off her. There had been a few lunchtime visits as well, where he’d wanted to be inside her because it had been too long. They made love and fucked multiple times a day. Nothing got between them.
“Mom, that’s not the problem.”
“Hello, Mrs. Berlusconi.”