36

Michael

I opened my eyes and immediately saw Victoria. She was holding my hand with a worried expression.

"Michael?"

I blinked my eyes a few times. Victoria turned around and said, "he's awake."

Victoria let go of my hand and stepped away. I tried reaching out to her but was blocked by someone in a white coat.

"Long time no see, Michael," a familiar voice said.

I looked up at the person and saw it was my cousin, Luciano; he was a doctor here in Rome.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well," Luciano said. "You died."

"What?"

"Don't worry! Your baby mama brought you back to life by performing CPR."

I looked at Victoria, surprised.

"You did?"

Victoria nodded.

"You were hardly breathing and still unconscious, so I used your phone to call Dylan, and he called Luciano."

"How long have I been unconscious?"

Luciano looked at his watch and said, "Approximately twenty-seven hours. You died from blood loss, so I did a blood transfusion and have been keeping an eye on you."

I looked at Victoria, who had a look of worry in her eyes and was shaking slightly. She knew she wasn't allowed to use my phone or answer the door.

"Luciano, can you give us a minute?"

"Sure."

My cousin stepped out as I turned to Victoria.

"You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?"

I shook my head and opened my arms.

"Come here."

Victoria slowly made her way to my bed and carefully lay in my arms, cuddling into my side.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?"

"Saving my life."

Victoria cuddled closer to me and softly said, "I can't live without you."

That warmed my heart. I loved Victoria, and I couldn't live without her either. I realized that I needed to trust her. She had proven her loyalty by saving my life and calling for help. She could've let me die or tried to find a way to leave me, but she didn't. I owned her heart, and that brought a smile to my face.

Victoria

I was so tired. After ten minutes of CPR, I was ready to give up, but I remembered seeing a small AED in the first aid kit. It took two charges for Michael to start breathing again. As Michael remained unconscious, I was scared; I had no idea what to do or who to call. It took multiple tries, but I managed to figure out Michael's password; it was the day we met in person. I called Dylan, knowing he was Michael's closest family member. Dylan was in the United States, but he mentioned they had a cousin who was a doctor here in Rome. When he arrived, I told him exactly what had happened, and he was able to treat Michael. I hadn't left Michael's side the entire time except to take care of Antonio.

Although I was relieved Michael wouldn't punish me for breaking his rules, I felt disgusted being in his arms. I was so fed up with the situation; I was tempted to kill Michael, but that would be too easy; Michael needed to suffer. I let out a frustrated sigh, making Michael kiss the top of my head.

How long am I gonna have to put up with this bullshit?

"Mommy!" I heard Antonio call out.

I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to Antonio's room.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"I'm hungry."

"Okay. What would you like to eat?"

"Pizza!"

"I let out a laugh and said, okay. Do you wanna help me?"

Antonio nodded his head and stood up. I took his hand, and we walked to the kitchen. I preheated the oven and opened the fridge to grab a can of premade pizza dough.

"What toppings do you want?"

"Cheese and pepperoni!"

I grabbed a wedge of mozzarella cheese and a pack of presliced pepperoni and walked to the kitchen island.

"Okay," I said. "I need you to get the rolling pin."

"Okay."

As I took the premade pizza dough out of the can, Antonio handed me the rolling pin. I gently rolled out the dough, making sure it was even.

"Hmmm. What's next?" I asked.

"Sauce!" Antonio said excitedly.

I grabbed a jar of marinara sauce from the pantry and poured some on the pizza dough. I handed Antonio a spatula and helped him spread out the sauce. I grated some cheese all over and let Antonio put pepperoni while I wrapped up the cheese and put it away.

"Okay, Mommy. I'm done."

I looked at the pizza, and my eyes grew wide; every inch was covered with pepperoni.

"Wow, that's a lot of pepperonis," I said.

"I like pepperoni."

I shook my head and smiled as I put the pizza in the oven and set the timer.

"Okay, let's watch a movie while we wait for the pizza."

"Okay."

We were halfway through the movie by the time the timer went off.

Antonio immediately jumped off his bed and ran to the kitchen.

As I cut the pizza, I heard Michael's voice, "something smells good!"

"We made pizza!" Antonio excitedly said.

"Do you want some?" I asked.

I turned around and saw Michael attempting to stand up straight as he held on to his side.

"Sure. I'll take a few slices."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Antonio said.

I stopped cutting the pizza and watched in shock as Antonio ran up to Michael and hugged him.

What the hell is going on?

I wondered why Antonio had such a sudden change of heart towards Michael. However, this was good; I wouldn't have to worry about Antonio trying to kill Michael.

"Okay, let's eat," I said as I served three plates of pizza.

As we ate, I watched as Antonio and Michael got along as they did before. It was like a flipped switch, and I worried Antonio might be bipolar.

Once we finished eating, Antonio went to play in his room. At the same time, Michael cleared the table, and I put the leftover pizza away. I was planning the perfect timing to get my revenge when my thoughts were interrupted by a hand placed on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Michael looking at me with a smile before pulling me in for a hug.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving my life and getting Antonio to stop being an asshole to me."

"Michael, you don't need to thank me."

"No, I do." Michael pulled away to look into my eyes. "I've been a complete asshole to you, yet you've been loyal to me. You could've let me die and taken off with Antonio to start a new life, but you didn't. I'm sorry for doubting you, and countless times I've accused you of flirting with other men."

I looked down, not knowing what to say. This was a good thing; I was finally getting Michael's trust, and I could get started on my plans sooner than expected. It's good that the person I had in mind to help was available 24/7.

"I know it's shocking to hear that from me. I've never been one to apologize, and I've never been one to keep my promises."

I flinched as every memory of Michael hitting me came back all at once.

"Hey," I felt Michael's strong hands gently grab my arms. "I'm sorry I brought back those memories. That's all in the past, and I promise things will be different now."

I looked up at Michael and nodded, despite the doubt running through my mind. Michael pulled me in for another hug.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I looked at Michael in confusion.

"That's my cousin, Hailey. Luciano's sister; I asked her if she could babysit Antonio."

"For what?"

"I wanna take you on a date."

"A date? Michael, you were just stabbed."

"All the more reason I want to go out," Michael chuckled. "Go put on something sexy, and I'll introduce Hailey to Antonio."

"Okay."

I felt uneasy about having a stranger babysit Antonio, but I knew I had no choice. All I could do was get ready for my date.

Michael

Antonio warmed up quickly to Hailey; he seemed to have a slight crush on her already. After observing the two play, I decided to prepare for my date with Victoria.

I dressed in a Brioni Italian suit. I wanted to look my best for Victoria, as she would do the same for me. I finally came to my senses and wanted to show her that tonight. After ensuring I looked perfect, I headed downstairs to wait for Victoria.

I felt nervous as I waited; I wanted the night to go smoothly. I felt pain where I was stabbed, but my attention was drawn to the stairs from the sound of high heels, and I was in awe. Victoria looked stunning in a red off-the-shoulder bodycon dress. The dress went to just below her knees and had a slit that went up to her mid-thigh. She wore silver heels, small silver hoops, and a silver bracelet. Her hair was pinned back with large curls, and she wore bright red lipstick and brown eyeshadow. She looked so stunning that the crotch of my pants began to feel tighter.

"You look gorgeous," I said.

"Thank you."

"Come on. Before I rip that dress apart."

Victoria gulped hard before taking my hand. That made my pants feel even tighter as I imagined her gulping down my semen.

Focus. Now is not the time to get horny. However, we could get physical at the end of our date.

I guided Victoria to the car and opened the door for her. After ensuring she was settled, I closed the door and got into the driver's seat. I couldn't help but notice how tense Victoria seemed. She kept her head down and played with her fingers; I put my hand on her thigh to get her attention.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm a little nervous. It's been quite a while since we've had a date."

"Yeah. It's long overdue."

I took Victoria's hand in mine and held it as I continued to drive to our destination. I loved how she admired all the buildings; I couldn't wait for her to see where I was taking her, and for the surprise, I had planned.

We pulled up to a curb in front of some old buildings. I could see the curiosity in Victoria's eyes and chuckled. I opened the door for her and helped her out of the car. I took Victoria's hand in mine and said, "close your eyes." Victoria did as she was told and followed me as I guided her.

I smiled excitedly as we approached the Trevi Fountain; it was the perfect spot. I turned to Victoria and said, "Okay, open your eyes."

Victoria opened her eyes and instantly looked amazed. The fountain was beautiful at night; it seemed almost magical.

"Wow. This is so beautiful!"

Victoria's excitement brought a smile to my face. I reached into my pocket and took out two coins. I handed one to Victoria and said, "Here. Let's make a wish. We both turned our backs to the fountain and tossed our coins in. Victoria looked back at the fountain with a smile on her face. I was glad she was happy. After making her life so miserable for so long, it felt nice that I could make her genuinely smile.

This is the perfect moment.

I slowly reached into my jacket pocket and said, "Victoria."

"Yeah?" Victoria turned to look at me.

I got down on one knee, held out a ring, and said, "Marry me."