Chapter 205

My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing over me.

“Admit it, Iris,” Christian continues, stepping closer. “You’ve known all along that he was mine, nor Frank’s. You’ve lied to your son. Did you lie to Frank too?”

“No,” I whisper, letting my eyes fall shut. “Frank always new – from day one, he knew. But he didn’t care – and neither did I. You can claim him all you want, but Leo – Frankie is his father in everything but genetics. Frankie was there – he held Leo when he was born. I didn’t lie to Leo because it was never a lie. He doesn’t know about you. He never needed to.”

Christian’s demeanor shifts, the anger in his voice tempered by a hint of something softer, almost pleading. “I deserve to know my son. I have a right to him, Iris. You can’t keep that from me.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. The reality of the situation sinks in deeper. I sigh and open my eyes. “He’s not your son.”

Christian watches me, the resolve in his eyes unyielding. “That is my child.”

I shrug, not really caring about the genetic side of the argument. “Paternity is more than just whether or not he has your eyes, Chris.”

“And you stole any chance I had to be his father,” Christian growls, smacking his fist down on the bar, making my head spin to look at him. “You stole my first five years with my son!”

“And you stole his chance to a good life,” I snarl, leaning forward towards him, narrowing my eyes. “Now you’re going to sink him into this world, into this pit of blood and violence!? You’ve killed half your family, Christian, if not more! Is he next!?”

“The mafia has changed in your absence,” Christian snaps, his voice low and menacing. “Taking my son away from me used to be an offense for which you would be killed. But now? I’m in charge, and this world is different, and I have made it a place in which my son will have a wonderful life, full of all the privileges you denied him when you made him grow up on that slack little farm.”

I laugh in the Mafia King’s face, shaking my head. “You will corrupt him –“

“I will raise him to his birthright!” Christian shouts, smacking his fist again on the marble. “And you will fall in line!”

I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest, shaking my head at him. Because whatever I say now doesn’t matter – Christian still holds all the cards.

Christian steps back, crossing his arms over his chest as if to shield himself from my pain. “You can’t keep running from this. It’s not just about you anymore. You’re playing with their lives, Iris.”

“Playing? Is that what you think this is? I’m trying to do what’s best for them!” I cry, my voice cracking. “Do you think I wanted any of this? Do you think it was easy for me to leave!?”

“It doesn’t matter whether or not your decision was easy,” Christian murmurs, waving one hand to dismiss my point as he takes a hasty drink from his tumbler, his frustration boiling over. “The point is that your decision was wrong. You betrayed Leo, you betrayed our family, and now you’re trying to suggest it was all my fault.”

I feel my heart pounding in my chest, and the anger flares within me. “You’ve done nothing but betray me, Christian! You turned our marriage into something I couldn’t stand. You forced my hand!”

“And yet here you are, standing in front of me, telling me how I’ve ruined everything. But I’m still standing, and I’m still fighting for us.” His voice softens slightly, and I catch a glimpse of the man I once loved. “I’m the one who still wants to be with you, Iris.”

“Christian,” I whisper, leaning towards him, “what the hell are you even fighting for? A family that’s already shattered? A trust that’s been broken beyond repair? You can’t just pick up the pieces and pretend nothing happened!”

“I can if you let me,” he replies, his eyes searching mine, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through the cold facade. “You can’t deny that there’s still something between us. We have to fight for our family, Iris.”

The air thickens with unspoken emotions as I consider his words. My heart races as I grapple with the idea of giving him another chance. “How can expect me to just come back, to pretend that everything’s okay?” I whisper.

“Because it can be okay,” he insists, stepping closer again, his voice barely above a whisper. “That boy is mine. He is my son. And I want to be a father to him. I want to be a family again. I’ll take Daisy too – my daughter, no questions asked.”

My eyes go wide, my breath stopping at this offer.

“You named her for me, after all, didn’t you?” A little smirk comes to is mouth.

I just stare at Christian, wondering. Because Daisy – it was always his nickname for me, when we were children. And Frankie knew this, and didn’t question for a second me wanting to name her that.

But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?

I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.

“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her as well. If you are my wife, then she is my daughter. After all, I’m just as strong as Frank on that subject – and you were very willing to let him play father to my son. Why can’t I be his daughter’s father?”

My heart wrenches in my chest because…it’s all so fast.

Frankie – the man I loved, endlessly, for every moment we’ve been together. Taken from me in one horrible afternoon. And now another man coming and offering to be the father of his child? When Frankie had made that same offer to me so long ago in that vineyard it had seemed a rich, kind offer…

But Christian, here, making the same…

God, it just makes me sick.

I shake my head, not knowing what to say.

“I’m not trying to control you, Iris,” he says, his voice angry. I look up, wondering at that, and see frustration on his face. And I realize quite suddenly that he does not like, at all, that I’m not jumping with joy at his offer to take my daughter as his own. He clenches his jaw. “I’m trying to bring our family back together. This is about more than just you and me. It’s about the children.”

“But they won’t be safe here,” I reply, my voice trembling with emotion. “Not in this life, not in this world.”

“It’s not that same world anymore,” Christian counters, his tone growing more serious. “I’ve fought to clean up my world, make it a place where I’d be proud to rear my son, my daughter. I’ve done everything I can to create a life that’s better for us all. But you have to let go of the past.”

“Let go?” I echo, incredulous. “You want me to forget your betrayals, the chaos, and just fall back into the role of the perfect wife?”

“I want you to trust me again,” he says, the raw honesty in his voice striking a chord within me. “I want my family back, and I’m willing to fight for it. But I need you to fight too.”

The emotional struggle within me reaches a breaking point. “What if I can’t?” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “What if I can’t trust you again?”

He steps closer, his eyes intense, searching for something—perhaps hope. “Then give me a chance, Iris. Just one chance to prove that I’ve changed. We can be a family again, if you just let me show you.”

I stare at him, the weight of his gaze heavy upon me. My heart is torn, caught between the love I once had for him and the fear of falling back into the same destructive pattern.

But, ultimately, I know that…none of this negotiation matters. That even if I disagree, he can just take Leo and shuttle me away. And then Daisy…what happens to her…

God, he could just…be done with her, as easily as he was done with Frank.

I swallow hard, knowing that I’m out of options. That I have to play Christian’s game again – forever. For my safety, but – far more importantly – for the safety of my little girl.

Because I am utterly out of options and entirely in his control.

“Fine,” I say finally, my voice shaking. “I’ll be your wife again, Chris. I’ll…try. But don’t think for a second that this means I’ve forgiven you.”

A flicker of surprise crosses Christian’s face, but it’s quickly replaced by a sense of victory. “That’s all I ask for, Iris. Give me a chance to prove that I’ve changed. We can be a family again, if you just let me show you.”

I nod, though the weight of the decision feels heavy on my chest. The thought of returning to that life terrifies me, but the prospect of losing Leo and Daisy forever is worse. I’ll do it for them, I say to myself, the worlds echoing in my mind.

Christian’s expression softens slightly as he steps towards me. He reaches out, his hand brushing against mine, and for a moment, I feel the warmth of his touch. But then the reality of what I’ve agreed to settles in and I turn my hand over, letting him take my hand in his, our palms pressed together.

“I love you, Iris,” Christian murmurs, stepping closer. “I always have. We can…start again.”

I look up at him, unable to help the tears that shine in my eyes. I squeeze his hand, hoping he hears me. “I’m going to need time, Chris,” I whisper, my voice shaking. “This is not…going to be easy on me.”

“All right, Daisy,” he whispers, putting his glass down and raising that hand, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “My little wife. We’ll go slow.”

I sigh, nodding and then letting my head hang, defeated at the thought of returning to that life sends shivers down my spine.

But I’ve made my choice. Now, I just have to find a way to survive it.