Page 265 of Breaking Rosalind

“Miri?”

She breathes hard, her chest rising and falling with panicked breaths. Every fear I had of telling her the truth rises to the surface. She’s too young, too delicate, too vulnerable to handle such a terrible revelation.

Her eyes dart from side to side as she backs toward the edge of the mattress, her features etched with horror.

“Please say something.” My voice cracks.

“No… You can’t. You’re too young.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” I say.

“Why are you apologizing for something that wasn’t even your fault?”

“Because you deserve better,” I say with a sigh.

Her face crumples. “Who was my father?”

My tongue darts out to lick my lips. “His name was Matteo Galliano. The second-in-command of a large crime family.”

“Okay,” she says, with a nod. “He got what he deserved and died in a burst of flames.”

I wince. “He survived.”

“What?”

“He’s the man who boarded the boat last night.”

“That creepy old guy Cesare killed?”

I nod.

“Oh, god. How can you even look at me?” she cries, her delicate features contorting with pain.

“Because you’re the only good thing in my life. I love you so much.” I pull her into a hug. She struggles at first, but I hold her tight, wanting to convey that I don’t blame her for the sins of her father.

“But you have Cesare,” she wails.

“True,” I murmur into her hair. “But I’ve had you for much, much longer. You’re what gave me the strength to carry on, even at the worst of times. ”When I sat in that horrible room, having you growing inside me was my only source of light.”

Pulling back, she gazes at me through red-rimmed eyes. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Because you were too young to know,” I say with a sigh.

“Do you hate me?” she whispers.

“Never,” I rasp.

She blinks away a tear. “Does Cesare know?”

I nod.

She chews on her bottom lip, her eyes growing distant. “Last night, that man called him son.”

“That’s right”

She blinks, her eyes sparkling. “So, you’re my real mom and he’s really my brother?”

A laugh bubbles up in my chest. “Yes.”