CHAPTER 1

4th July, 2021.

BIANCA'S POV

With my hand on my still flat tummy, I thought for long how the past months had turned out for me. Nerve wrecking. I told myself I was doing the best by disappearing. Yes, disappearing! That was literally what I had done. I just disappeared like a puff of smoke. I hated the fact that I had to leave my boss and my job, which I loved so much. But then, at this point, there wasn't a better option left for me. If I didn't leave, then it would just be a big mess. How was I supposed to tell a man that was stuck on an impromptu vacation with me, due to simple mistake his men had made, by kidnapping me instead of his potential bride..... How was I supposed to tell that man that our few tumbles in bed had resulted to this?

I was pregnant for him and was so scared to let even my own parents know. God! My father was gonna skin me alive if he got to know about this. That was why I had to take the drastic actions I took once I found myself in that deep hole of shit. I resigned my job immediately because I definitely couldn't be working around as Alexander Russo's P.A, heavily pregnant with his cousin's child. Now that seemed like a very wrong idea to me. Neither could I stay back at my father's house. How was I going to explain my protruding stomach in the next months to come? 'Oh Dad, I guess I had too much salad during dinner today.'? Definitely not.

That is the reason why I had rented an apartment and moved out. As expected, moving out of my parent's house unprovoked, was quite a hassle because they tried to understand why I was leaving. No matter the number of times I yelled at the top of my lungs, telling them I was grown and no longer a child, therefore needed my own space and privacy, it sounded like I hadn't given a reasonable explanation yet. So I had to do what I did. I ran away from home. Literally. So far, trying to have a sensible conversation with them, and having them understand the fact that I'm grown enough to be on my own, wasn't working. I had to run off the next day when they were both away.

I stood from my bed and walked about in my very tiny room of a home. I had very little savings from working with Alexander for only a few months, so this was all I could manage to get for a house. I had to make do with the little I had, life was gonna be tough from here on. I definitely didn't plan on just hiding away in the small room apartment of mine, doing nothing until my baby was born. I had plans of getting a new job and working very hard. I had to save up enough money for when my baby was finally born. It had to be well provided for. I still couldn't believe I had to run away from my excellent job which took me a lot of time and preparation to bag. Another creature was in the picture now, and I found myself doing things I would never do on a normal day. Like for real! Who just ups and leaves a comfortable life with their parents, without a well drawn out plan for the future?

Just before my leg could hit the foot of my bed for the hundredth time, my phone rang out loudly, catching my attention and making me halt my steps. I looked to the middle of my bed where the phone laid, ringing out so loudly. A better look at the phone screen and I sighed when I saw who it was on the caller's ID. I missed her. I fell back on the bed and picked up the phone, quickly swiping up the answer button. Even God knew how much I wanted to talk to her. My entire head was so full that I couldn't really process a thing without panicking. I needed her help.

"Heyyyy Bibi!" Her excited voice rang out from the other end of the phone.

"Hey!" I replied, sounding more like a hen forced to dip itself in a jacuzzi. What did that even mean?

"Okayyyyyy...." Mila dragged, definitely noticing my mood. "I'm sorry, but you sound extremely horrible to me. Is all well?"

"Yeah." I lied, not knowing why I did. I thought I agreed to ask Mila for some help and advice? What the hell was I doing now?

"You know, Amara could lie to me and I'll swallow it hook, line, and sinker. But then, not you. What's really happening? We haven't talked since after the wedding, and I felt you had a whole lot to let me know. I had been so self absorbed during my wedding, that I failed to utilize the opportunity of having you with me physically. What's really happening Bibi?"

"Why do you sound like there is a problem?" I muttered.

"Because young lady, there is!" She yelled, sounding slightly frustrated. Wait a minute.... there was most definitely something she wasn't saying to me.

"You know, you can spit it out already. What do you want to say?"

"Well, what I want to say is that I'm confused! Extremely confused. Uncle Lucas has called earlier today." Now she was talking. I knew there was a lot more. "Bianca, did you really leave home?"

"Oh yes, I did." I replied.

"Oh yes, you did?" She asked in disbelief.

"Bianca, you need to go back home. It's been a whole week and your parents are awfully worried about you." Okay, let's ignore the fact that I've only lived alone for just a week, and my head was already so full and messed up.

"First of all, I take serious offense to how you refer to me. I am not a child, Mila." I pointed out.

"Pheewww!" She sighed. "True. I'm sorry. But then, I'm worried for you as well. You have never been the type to do things so spontaneously, you always have a plan. I was shocked to hear that you just up and left the house, after only telling uncle and aunt of your plans to the leave the day before. Bianca, the best you would have done was let them know your location after leaving, at the very least. I can imagine uncle Lucas and aunt Greta, both returning home to find yourself and your things gone. Did you think of the implications of your actions?! Your parents are hypersensitive for crying out loud! You're offended by how I addressed you but honestly, I've known you to be smarter. Only a teenager would act this way."

"Well, I'm no better than a teenager then. So you can as well hang up this call." I said apathetically, feeling quite insulted and disappointed.

I had really high hopes of talking to Mila, and letting her know what was going on. Somehow, she always had a solution to everything. If I was being honest with myself, she was right about me acting so spontaneously. That had never been my style. I was more of a 'sit down with mom and dad, and talk things out' kind of person. But then, the slightest idea of how my father was gonna react at learning I was pregnant, just made me scamper away in fear. I wasn't even thinking. Now, I was in a literal fix. Yes! I knew I didn't have so much to survive on, as I had paid quite a fortune for this cubicle I was living in. If only landed properties weren't so expensive on this side of Italy. I was slowly growing frustrated and I knew it was not good for my baby. Talking about my baby, I knew it was very important to do the routine hospital checks and all. How was I going to manage with the little money I had? So far, finding a job after walking out on my previous one hadn't been as easy as I thought. I was really acting without thinking and honestly, only a teenager would do that.

"Mila." I muttered, feeling shitty.

"Love." She sighed on the other end of the line. "It's okay to feel this way, especially when it seems like no one knows the actual story. I may have judged wrongly and spoken out of turn. For that, I'm sorry." She apologized, making me go soft immediately. I could feel the tears clouding my eyes. "I'm also sorry for not approaching you as my favourite cousin, but instead, as uncle and aunt's mouth piece. Now tell me my love, what's going on with you?"

At her question, I found it difficult to hold back a strand of tear that fell down my cheek. I cleaned it off with the back of my palm immediately. Suddenly feeling energized to tell Mila everything that had been going on, I inhaled deeply and exhaled. Mila was one person that I knew would understand me. Just like myself, she had once fallen pregnant.

"Mila, I..." I was still talking when the door of my apartment came flying across me. The manner in which it luckily escaped my face, had me holding my breath in shock. What the fuck?! How could my door just go.....? I paused in my train of thoughts as I saw the three men in suit all walk in. My heart pounded so loudly in my ribcage. As I feared, my most dreaded thoughts were playing out.

"My goodness! What was that sound? Bibi! Bibi, are you safe?" Came Mila's panicked voice from the other end of the line. One of the men in suit looked at the phone, slightly irritated, but then, he chose to ignore it. Just then, the man I was trying so hard to hide from, came walking in through the door his men had just destroyed.

"Bianca." He muttered, looking every bit stoic. Why was he even here in the first place? Had he finally realized I was better for him than his Francesca? My head was always out of the game though, because if it was, I would have reminded myself that he didn't look like he had come to lay at my feet and beg to have me back in his life. Moreover, he had stayed for 3 months without hearing from, or seeing me. What exactly could he be here for?

"Manuel." I replied. "What do you want?" At my question, he gave a psychotic laugh before putting on his composure once more.

"What I want?" He asked, fondling his goatee, deep in thoughts.

"If you came breaking into my house just to stroke your beards, then you might as well leave." I said, not daring to look at him in the face.

"Biancaaa..." He drawled. He sounded like he was warning me, and I only braced myself for whatever he had to say. I honestly had no idea as to why I was disturbed. I definitely hadn't told anyone I was pregnant. Mila would have been the first but then, he had interrupted our conversation with this animalistic behaviour of his. Frankly, I should have been more bothered about fixing my broken door, than whatever he had come here to say.

Maybe I was this troubled because I knew the almighty Manuel Russo wasn't going to drive all the way to my apartment, breaking down my door just to say a few petty things and leave. Far from it.

"Bianca, bold of you to think you could just disappear with my child in your belly!!" He growled, making me shake in my spot. Now, I could understand Manuel literally had his way around everything. He had easily found out where I stayed, even when I hadn't disclosed my location to anyone. But how the fuck did he know that the growing child inside me was his? How did he even know I was pregnant? This was top tier creepy.