Thirty Eight.

He shoots up out of his seat, chuckling as he looks down at me. "Funny!" He exclaims.

Standing, I grab the picture off the table and I hold it out towards him. "Take a look, Aydem." I plea.

The sound of his laughter quickly fades, the look of amusement on his face, diminishes and a look of irritation masks his handsome face.

"I don't need to look at the photo because I," he hits his open hand against his chest. "know he isn't mine. Look, it's basic knowledge that you can't fall pregnant just by kissing and it takes roughly around 40weeks for you to give birth, Mila." He grounds out as he combs his tousled hair with his fingers. "We've never fuc-"

"You're wrong!" I cut him off. "I'm the one night stand that stole your white shirt."

He scoffs, "There have been many women who have stolen my clothes." He lazily shrugs his shoulder as he continues to refuse to believe me.

I glare at him, " You're still a cocky bastard!" I growl with disdain.

Something in the air shifts between us, and he snatches the photo from my grasp while glancing down at it. As his nostrils flare and his lips thin, his narrowed eyes gradually widen.

"I dont-"

"He's yours. I didn't know until a few days ago when I confronted Castello, I.." Sighing, I place one hand on my hip and the other against my head, turning away from him.

The room is deathly silent.

I have no idea what is on his mind or what he will do next. Will he want to kill me for keeping Sandro hidden from him, or will he continue to deny the obvious truth?

There are so many endless possibilities.

I bite the bullet and slowly turn back around to face him, my eyes nervously peering down at the ground.

"I want a DNA test." He grounds out through gritted teeth.

I glance up, "You can run all the tests you want." I promise him. "But-"

He takes a step forward, his body only a hair away from brushing up against mine, and heat radiates from him to mine.

"But, what?" He roughly grabs me by the upper arm, digging his fingers into my skin, and I let out a small whimper.

"They have him." I gulp back the tears. "They are holding him as a ransom for me to complete my mission." I struggle against him.

He snarls, holding up the photo frame before he tosses it onto the coffee table, cracking the glass.

"How do I know that's not photoshopped and you're lying to me?" He growls.

"Do you really think I wanted to tell you? I have risked everything knowing that you may take him away from me!" I cry out. "But if anything happens to him, I'm dead anyway. That little boy has been nothing but my pride and joy and knowing that he wasn't born from ra-" I quickly shut my mouth knowing that I've said too much already.

I do not want him to believe I am attempting to elicit pity by informing him about Trent and Ace raping me.

He leans closer towards me, "If he is my son, you can bet your sorry little ass that I will take him from you. A Peker in an Esposito family home?" He looks livid as his chest rises and falls with each breath he takes through his flaring nostrils.

I yank my arm out of his embrace, "Maybe you should've gloved up before you fucked me." I sneer, stabbing my finger into his rock-solid chest.

"I thought-"

"That's your first problem right there, Aydem. You thought!" I say sarcastically. "But.. Our Sandro is here and he needs our help." I sniffle, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Please, help me get him back."

He looks down at his watch, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is a new tipping point. Every family knows that children should not be touched or used as bargaining chips. The rules were put in place for a reason, and because they broke one of them, all agreements are off the table."

"They broke those rules a long time ago." My voice cracks.

He glares at me, "What are you saying?" He questions me in a demanding undertone.

"Trent.." I breathe out shakily. "He kidnapped the Irish leader's son and he, he.. tricked me into shooting him." I fall back onto the sofa, covering my mouth with my hand.

He curses out loud in his mother tongue.

"Do they know?" He says after a long period of just glaring at me.

I shake my head.

"Ha!" He smirks as he nods his head slowly.

"You look like you have a plan?"

(Yes) "Evet, we can form an alliance with the Irish family and if we are lucky enough they will retaliate by trying to take the Esposito family down. I heard through the grapevine that the Russians were giving their princess to Trent. Is this true?" He cocks an eyebrow.

"Yes, she is only 15 years old, and he intends to impregnate her as soon as possible." My entire body tingles with disgust.

His brows pinch together, marring his perfect complexion with fine lines. "She's just a minor." He mutters.

"Yes, he also has a very cruel demeanour and I know he'll traumatize the poor girl if the Russians give her to Trent."

"We can inform them of his plans so the Russians won't feel obligated to stand with The Esposito's." He mutters.

"You'll kickstart a war?" I look at him oddly.

(Yes) "Evet, I want you to return to the Italian scum and see what they did with the Irishmen's sons body. If we can provide him proof that Trent murdered his son, we can create a conflict and keep them busy while I contact Sedar and find out where they have placed Sandro."

"I'm all the proof you need. I was the one that shot him and they buried his body in the basin. Besides, don't you think it will look a bit fishy if I suddenly show up at the mansion and start asking about the Irishmen's son?" I try to keep my voice free of any trembling but it shows my anxiousness.

I want to beg him not to send me back to the mansion. Every time I enter the gates of hell I die a little more on the inside. But if he really needs me to go there, I will. I'll do anything to get my baby back and if I have to submit to Trent's torturous ways, I will.

I suck in a deep breath, reliving the dark moments of his heavy body against mine and I quickly become dizzy with nausea.

"I'll pick you up in the morning and we will go to the Irish bar and meet with the Mc Carthy family." He growls.

I nod my head, watching as he abruptly turns around, marching towards the front door, he yanks it open and slams it shut behind him.