Chapter 16 - The Truth of Alessia
On the third morning, Damian’s eyes slowly opened.
The blinding white light of the hospital room focused gradually on a soft, familiar shape sitting beside his bed.
Claire was asleep in the chair, her head resting near his knee, her hand still holding his.
Damian moved his thumb slightly, tracing the back of her skin.
Claire woke instantly, looking up into his dark eyes. "Damian?"
"Claire..." his voice was a dry, rasping whisper. "You're... still here."
"I’m here," she said quietly, handing him a plastic cup of water with a straw.
He drank slowly, his eyes never leaving her face.
Standing in the corner of the room, Marco stepped forward respectfully. "Boss. The police have cleared the incident as self-defense against an armed gang assault. Antonio's faction in Chicago has completely collapsed following his death."
Damian nodded weakly. "And Alessia?"
Marco glanced at Claire nervously before looking back at Damian. "She attempted to contact the federal prosecutor’s office in New York to offer testimony against our shipping logistics in exchange for immunity. But when we released the private financial audits of her father's firm, the feds arrested her father for international fraud. She has fled back to Milan."
Claire looked at Damian. "Why did you keep her around for eight months, Damian? Tell me the truth."
Damian closed his eyes, taking a painful, shallow breath.
"Her father held the original legal deeds to my grandfather's estate in Sicily," Damian whispered, looking at Claire with utter honesty. "I was trying to force him to sign them over so I could gift the estate to you for our fifth anniversary. I thought... I thought if I humored Alessia, her father would hand over the papers without a war."
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He shook his head, a tear slipping down into his dark beard. "It was stupid. It was vanity. I thought I could handle everything, control everyone... and I let it destroy the only thing that mattered."
Claire stared at him, feeling the heavy knot of bitter confusion inside her heart slowly begin to untangled. He had still failed her—his arrogance had still cost them their son—but the shadow of intentional betrayal was finally lifted.
