Women were not to be trusted. No one was to be trusted really. But women had a way of making betrayal burn like no other. They found a weak spot dug their nails in and twisted the knife in until all that was left was pain. Nico knew this, so he had repeated the words to himself whenever he got the chance… "Never trust a woman. Never trust a woman. Never trust a woman…"
It was a rule Nico Bianchi had lived with for years, a rule that had kept him safe, a rule that protected his heart. But somehow he had let himself forget that with Gianna. He had deluded himself. Lulling himself into a false sense of security. Let himself care about her, even trusting her a bit, relying on the fact that he had set boundaries with her. How could he get hurt if they had a business deal?
Badly, that was how. And Gianna had been sure to aim right for his heart, and twist the knife in. Waiting until what was the happiest moment in his life to date before shooting him down.
"No-no, you do not understand, I am not supposed to be able to have kids," Her words rang in his mind every time he thought of her.
Were she an ordinary associate he would have had her run out of the city, or had her sleeping with the fishes. But she was not just anyone. She was Gianna, his Gianna. Even so angry at her he could hardly see straight, the thought of her harmed in any way made him feel uneasy.
But that still did not excuse what she had done. Nor did it take away his rage.
"Since you cannot be trusted to tell me the truth. I cannot trust you with my child,"
"To ensure the baby's safety, you will be staying with me from now on," He had told her when he had calmed down.
That had been two weeks back, and the two of them were now living under the same roof, but they could not have been more distant.
He had set up an appointment, the family doctor, Dr Nora, beyond ecstatic.
"The next generation of the Bianchi clan. I thought I would be in a retirement home somewhere by the time that happened," The old woman had looked like she was about to start dancing on the spot. Her grey hair bouncing, her grin wide as she delivered the news. For someone in her sixties, who had been the one to deliver Nico himself when she was born. Dr Nora was ridiculously energetic.
"Thank you for giving me this honor," She said, addressing both him and Gianna. In the next instant she was all business. She took Gianna's weight, her temperature, her blood pressure and did a slew of other tests that left Nico feeling dizzy.
"Now for the good part," She said once all the test were done. As Nico watched, a clear gel was applied to Gianna's stomach, then a wand was placed there. When all was said and done, the two of them left the office with a photo that if Nico was being honest looked nothing like a baby. But that did not stop him from having copies made and staring at the barely there speck each night before he slept.
Wondering if Gianna, now occupying the guest bedroom, was doing the same. As the parents to be, it was something they should have been doing together. Sharing all their hopes, dreams and fears for the baby. But instead they were now behaving like perfect strangers to each other. They bumped into each other sometimes, inevitable, seeing as they lived together. But Nico always carried on like he had not seen her. Sometimes when he walked into a room and found her there, he walked back out. Unmoved by the hurt look in her eyes. Effectively shutting down whatever she was about to say.
He did not have time for empty apologies or excuses.
'You are only angry because it will justify taking the baby from her'
A part of him would whisper, he ignored it with the same ferocity that he used on her. Over time it got easier. Gianna's face replaced with that of another woman. A woman Nico had all but forgotten.
The first woman to teach him why the females of the human race were so deadly. And in doing so it became easier to shut her out. To ignore her, leaving it to the guards to keep an eye on her while he buried himself in work.
For a while it worked. He was able to convince himself that everything would go according to his plan, then the call came.
"Boss, she's gone. We went shopping and she said she was going to try on some clothes, but she never came out," It was his first time hearing Lorenzo sound panicked. It would have been funny, but each word he said had Nico sinking deeper and deeper into his own panic. His mind playing one phrase in a loop.
Gianna was gone.
He called her phone.
"Come on, come on, come on…" He was desperate for her to pick up. All she had to do was answer his calls and he would have one of his tech guys locate her exact position. He would have her back in the safety of his hold within minutes.
But Gianna did not pick up, but someone else did.
In the split second before a voice he did not know answered, Nico's shoulders had almost slumped in relief. But then "Hello, do you know the owner of this phone? I just found it in the changing room," Came through, the voice a bit too loud and shrill, belonging to someone older. Nothing like Gianna's soft notes and Nico's panic had come back again. His entire body tensing up, his stress levels once again sky rocketing.
Her phone being in the store could mean one of two things. Either she had been nabbed and it had fallen during the struggle, or she had left it there on purpose.
But Lorenzo had been in the store the entire time. He would have noticed if there was a scuffle, no matter how brief. And the other man would most definitely have noticed if someone was being taken out of the store against their will. He was too experienced to miss something like that. That meant it had most likely been the second scenario.
Gianna had left, she was gone. Taking not just herself but their unborn child too. His heir, the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world just…gone.
Had he pushed her too hard? Had hebeen too cold towards her? He had known that the silent treatment was not helping matters. He had known that they needed to sit down and talkit out. To fix things, especially because stress was not good for the baby.
But knowing what needed to be done and actually doing it were two very different things. He had let his rage take the reigns. His ego smarting from being tricked by yet another woman. In his mind she had been no better than, that woman…
He shook his head, ending the train of thought. His mind was already spiralling out of control. There was no need for him to complicate matters by thinking of his traitorous ex. That woman was in the past, the very distant past. He had not thought of her in years, and he was not about to start. Gianna was in the present. And right now, he needed to put all his focus on her if he was to have any chance of finding her and his child.