After Giulia had fallen asleep, I headed into the cigar lounge. Loulou trotted after me. She spent most nights in Daniele’s or Simona’s bed, but my steps must have drawn her out. Fixing myself a drink, I sank down in the wide armchair and took a sip. It was dark in the room, except for the moonlight streaming in through the windows and the glow of the dying embers in the fireplace.
Loulou peered up at me.
I patted my thigh and she effortlessly jumped up then curled up on my lap. She and I had come to an understanding over the years. She still preferred Giulia, Simona, and Daniele, but when I spent a sleepless night in the lounge, she always kept me company.
I stroked her soft curls with a sigh.
Secrets had a way of coming out. Today had proven that.
I should have known Father had done a paternity test the moment he found out about Andrea. He wasn’t a man who let things rest that bothered him.
I was angry for his disregard of my wishes and absolutely livid that he wanted the truth out so badly that he told someone like Felix. Both wanted to see their unborn grandson as an Underboss. That was all it took to turn men who hardly tolerated each other into allies.
I didn’t want to imagine what it would have done to Daniele and Simona if they’d found out. Our circles wouldn’t have looked kindly upon them. The result of cheating and incest. No matter how brutally I would have reacted to people’s gossiping, I doubt I could have convinced my men to accept Daniele as their boss one day.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to face Father again. He’d risked Daniele’s and Simona’s future. That wasn’t something I could forgive. Luca must have called him today because Father had tried to reach me, but I turned my phone to silent mode. I didn’t want to talk to him.
As if my thoughts had conjured it, my phone flashed, but it was Mia. That she was awake at this time of the night was already a bad sign. I picked up.
“You have to come to the hospital. Dad’s dying. He won’t survive the night.”
I was silent, caught somewhere between shock and my burning anger.
“Cassio?”
“I’ll be there soon.” I hung up. Loulou jumped down from my lap, and I hurried upstairs to wake Giulia.
“I’ll come with you,” Giulia said immediately.
We didn’t wake the kids. I didn’t want them to see their dying grandfather, especially if he might reveal the truth in his last moments. Elia would watch the house while we were gone.
Giulia slanted me worried glances as I drove us to the hospital. “Are you okay?”
“No.”
“You love your father, right?”
I frowned. Right now, my anger was the dominating emotion toward him, but I still loved him. “He was a decent father, better than many men in our world. He had his faults, but so do I.”
“Then don’t let your anger ruin saying goodbye. What he did was wrong. He’s been sick for a long time. That might have influenced his judgment.”
“He’s been wanting the truth out for years.”
“I know. But still, don’t fight with him today. Let him die in peace. Not just for him, but also for you.”
I sighed. Giulia was the forgiving soul. I was more of a vengeful being. I nodded anyway.
Ilaria waited with Mother in the corridor. Both of them were crying and clinging to each other. Mother immediately hurried my way and hugged me tightly. I patted her back. “What happened?”
Mother couldn’t answer. She only shook her head and kept crying.
I raised my eyebrows at Ilaria. “Father insisted on taking calls from Luca and Felix today. You know how he is. He can’t let business rest, even if you’re in charge. After that, he was upset and it led to another small heart attack. His body is too weak.”
I nodded. “He’s talking to Mia now?”
“Yes,” Ilaria said. “He wanted a word with each of us alone.”
The door swung open and Mia stepped out, her face tear-stained. When she spotted me, she looked relieved. “You’re here. Father worried you wouldn’t come.”
“I’m here,” I said simply. Giulia squeezed my hand. I headed into the hospital room, trying to stifle my anger toward Father. The moment I spotted him lying in the bed, looking breakable and like the shadow of the man I’d known all my life, it slipped away. Giulia was right. Today wasn’t about dishing out accusations. It was about saying goodbye. That was one of the things Giulia had taught me: to allow kindness when I could afford it, which wasn’t often.
Father’s eyes followed me as I walked up to him. He looked terrified. I’d never seen him like that. He was a brave man, one of the strongest men I knew. Now he looked like a word from me could break him.
“Father,” I said quietly.
I touched his thin hand resting limply on the covers. His expression softened, and he slowly turned his hand so he could wrap his fingers around mine, squeezing weakly.
“Cassio.” The word was a croaky whisper. I bent over him to hear him better. “I only… only wanted what I thought was the best.”
“I know.” He’d been wrong, but I, too, was guilty of wrong decisions in my past.
“I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
Forgiveness wasn’t my forte. I wasn’t sure if I could really give it to my father so shortly after the events, but he didn’t have much time left. “I do.” It wasn’t a lie. I’d eventually forgive him. Not today, but in a few months or years. He closed his eyes briefly and a tear slid out. I’d never seen my father cry. I leaned forward and hugged him carefully. He squeezed my hand again, even weaker than before. “Can you… get…?”
I nodded and asked my sisters and Mother to enter. Father died
