Running from the Mafia Heir With His Baby is an emotional mafia romance short drama about forbidden love, dangerous secrets, family loyalty, and second chances. After discovering she's pregnant with the Mafia Heir's child, a young woman is forced to flee while powerful enemies close in. As love and danger collide, both must fight to protect their family against impossible odds.
Watch the Full Episode to experience thrilling suspense, passionate romance, emotional twists, and an unforgettable mafia love story.
#RunningFromTheMafiaHeirWithHisBaby #MafiaRomance #MafiaHeir #BillionaireRomance #PregnancyRomance #FamilyDrama #ForbiddenLove #DramaSeries #ShortDrama #CrimeRomance #LoveStory #FullEP #ShortFilm #ShortMovie
Watch the Full Episode to experience thrilling suspense, passionate romance, emotional twists, and an unforgettable mafia love story.
#RunningFromTheMafiaHeirWithHisBaby #MafiaRomance #MafiaHeir #BillionaireRomance #PregnancyRomance #FamilyDrama #ForbiddenLove #DramaSeries #ShortDrama #CrimeRomance #LoveStory #FullEP #ShortFilm #ShortMovie
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The ruthless mafia heir Alessandro had money, power, blood in his hands, but not one woman in his bed.
00:07The rumors said the future Dawn was either impotent or gay.
00:10The old matriarch worried about the Moretti bloodline, so she gave the order to me, the maid who sold herself
00:16because of the family debt.
00:18Strip down and climb into Alessandro's bed. Teach him desire. If you succeed, your family's debts will be cleared.
00:24If you fail...
00:25Her voice pressed down on me.
00:28Don't bother coming back alive.
00:30I'd heard that other failed models and celebrities disappeared without a trace after they failed.
00:35Let alone a girl like me, with nothing to my name.
00:39That night I crept into his room in nothing but a thin lace slip kneeling at the foot of his
00:43bed, shaking.
00:45Alessandro was on the bed, idly toying with a gun.
00:49Bianca, what are you doing?
00:50He didn't expect it, me.
00:53Your grandmother ordered it.
00:54I whispered.
00:55She said I'm to teach my master about... sex.
00:59He sat up against the headboard, dark silk pajamas loose at the collar.
01:03He tilted my chin up, his gaze lingering over my face.
01:07His voice was low and teasing.
01:09Teach me then.
01:10I swallowed and took out a sex manual his grandmother had prepared for me.
01:14Techniques, positions, all of it.
01:16I read the first page in a flat, steady voice, like a prayer.
01:20I tried my best to ignore the illustrations.
01:23Alessandro nodded slowly.
01:25Not one word wrong.
01:27Impressive.
01:28But what about the pictures?
01:30I looked up.
01:31What?
01:31He suddenly pulled me onto the bed and wrapped an arm around my waist.
01:36Then he pointed at the illustrations.
01:40If you don't explain the picture, how am I supposed to know what it means?
01:43My face burned hot.
01:45My ears going red instantly.
01:47His pajamas hung loose at the chest.
01:49His burning skin pressed against me.
01:50I looked down.
01:52The picture was explicit.
01:54I knew the rough idea.
01:56I had no idea two people could even bend that way.
01:59They're, um, they're together.
02:02Alessandro pressed my head toward him, his lips almost touching mine.
02:05He whispered,
02:06Couldn't follow.
02:07Be specific.
02:09The text on the page had been one thing.
02:11The heat of his breath against my face was another.
02:13My face went hot.
02:15I shoved the book at him and put some distance between us.
02:18I don't know how to describe it.
02:20Mr. Moretti can see for himself.
02:22He didn't take the book.
02:24His gaze stayed on me, soft and sly.
02:27You don't even know.
02:28How are you supposed to teach me?
02:30Go back and learn properly.
02:32Come back tomorrow.
02:33A quarter hour later, I was outside his door, sniffling.
02:37Day one.
02:38Failed.
02:40The next day, the matriarch found out I'd failed.
02:44She lost it.
02:45Stay here on your knees until you figure out how to seduce him.
02:49I was punished to kneel in the garden under the rain.
02:52The stone slabs scraped my knees and the heavy rain soaked me through.
02:56I'd been born to a poor family.
02:58My father had gambled away a fortune in debts, and my mother couldn't afford to raise both me and my
03:03younger brother.
03:04So when I was still a child, she sold me to the Moretti family.
03:07It was there I met Alessandro 16 back then.
03:10I'd never known a man could be like that.
03:12Handsome.
03:13Intelligent.
03:14Violent yet elegant.
03:16He'd pulled me out of the dirty and back-breaking kitchen and made me his only personal housemaid.
03:21Ten years had passed.
03:22I pressed his suits.
03:23I poured his wine.
03:26I organized his files for him while he was working.
03:29And somewhere in there, somewhere I shouldn't have, my heart had started leaning toward him.
03:33But I had never once thought the matriarch would order me to strip and crawl into his bed like a
03:38whore.
03:38I felt the tears coming.
03:40I was still a virgin.
03:42How was I supposed to teach anyone?
03:44Alessandro came through the front gate just then.
03:46He saw me kneeling in the rain, crying.
03:49What's going on?
03:50I almost passed out from the pain in my knees.
03:53He didn't ask twice.
03:54He swept me up into his arms and carried me into his room.
03:58He checked my knees.
04:00Your skin is raw.
04:02He found a small jar of ointment and started working it gently into the skin.
04:06The most powerful air in New York kneeling in front of me.
04:09His fingers were long and careful, drawing slow circles on my knee.
04:13You're always so reliable.
04:15My grandmother only punishes you when you've done something wrong.
04:18Was it last night?
04:20I was so tense I twitched against the bruise and let out a hiss.
04:23But underneath, my heart was leaping because of his concern.
04:27Alessandro caught my finger and suddenly kissed my cheek.
04:30His voice didn't give anything away.
04:33Tell my grandmother I learned slowly.
04:35Come back tonight.
04:37Keep teaching.
04:39That night, Alessandro was already in bed holding the book when I came in.
04:43Somehow, his pajamas was even more open than yesterday.
04:45I could see every line of his abs.
04:47He saw me and padded the bed next to him.
04:49Shoes off.
04:50Up here.
04:50I climbed up beside him, leaned against the pillows.
04:53Then, I realized what he was reading.
04:55The sex manual.
04:56My heart started slamming.
04:58He didn't seem to notice and laid the book open between us.
05:01His arm wrapped around my waist just like in the picture.
05:03Is this how the people in the pictures do it?
05:06I nodded, blushing.
05:07He flipped to the next page as if he were really a student.
05:09Time passed.
05:10He handled me like a toy, following every position from the manual.
05:13The only sound in the room was the rustle of paper in Alessandro's breathing, which was
05:17getting uneven.
05:18Bianca.
05:21Yes?
05:23I'm uncomfortable.
05:25What's wrong, my master?
05:27Alessandro suddenly snapped the book shut, threw it aside, and pulled me against him.
05:31I wanted to see you blush.
05:33He said into my hair.
05:35Now I can't take it anymore.
05:39I'd known I was pretty since I was small.
05:41The other servants used to tease me about it.
05:43They said with my face and my figure, I didn't have to do a thing to make a man want
05:48me.
05:49Alessandro caught my earlobe between his teeth.
05:51His breath was hot against my ear.
05:53I went stiff.
05:54I didn't know what to do with my hands.
05:55Take it easy.
05:57Alessandro kissed his way down my neck.
05:59His fingers slipped one of my straps down and his kiss landed lower.
06:03His other hand slid under my dress and I shuddered.
06:05Then he stripped off his shirt, revealing a perfectly sculpted body.
06:09His eyes locked on me.
06:10Your virginity is mine.
06:12And now, I'll take it.
06:16His perfect body moved against mine in steady waves.
06:19It hurt.
06:20I started to cry.
06:21He laughed soft.
06:24Don't even know how to do it.
06:26But you were going to teach me?
06:28Aren't you the one who doesn't know?
06:30I whispered, miserable.
06:31Sweetheart, there's no man alive who doesn't know.
06:34He kissed the corner of my mouth, gentle, turning to fierce.
06:38When it's the right woman, the body just figures it out.
06:42That night, he didn't let me go.
06:44Now I knew just how ridiculous those rumors were that he was impotent or that he was gay.
06:49Once a man's tasted blood, he wants more.
06:51For the next two weeks, Alessandro wanted me in his bed every night.
06:54He was fierce and dark behind closed doors.
06:57He had mastered every trick in that manual, except self-restraint.
07:00After being teased by a few servants about the marks on my body, I tried a careful approach.
07:04I heard that even good things shouldn't be overdone.
07:07That too much of it isn't good for the body.
07:10I stopped his kiss at my neck.
07:11Alessandro laughed.
07:12You know a lot for someone who knew nothing.
07:15But he let me sleep, that night at least.
07:17The matriarch heard it and nearly broke into tears of joy.
07:21Thank God.
07:22The Moreggi bloodline is saved.
07:25Then she turned to me.
07:28Bianca, you're a sharp girl.
07:30And you've got your head on straight.
07:32When the right wife comes into this family, I'll have Alessandro keep you on as his mistress.
07:37That was when I realized the matriarch was already arranging Alessandro's marriage.
07:41The candidate was Cassandra Santoro, daughter of the Santoro family.
07:47Of course, the most powerful mafia heir deserved a wife from a respected mafia bloodline.
07:51Not someone like me.
07:53A small-town girl.
07:54A maid.
07:54Being kept on by a man like him was a kind of miracle.
07:57And I was already half in love with him.
07:59And he told me he liked me.
08:00I never imagined there could be more.
08:02My face burned.
08:03I knelt and thanked the matriarch.
08:05Good girl.
08:06Take this as your reward.
08:07She handed me my family debt bondage.
08:09It meant I was free of my servant bond or the debt.
08:12I almost wept with joy.
08:13But Alessandro was the only one who wasn't happy.
08:16That night in his bed, he gripped my jaw.
08:19Your man is taking a wife.
08:21And you're happy?
08:22My chest squeezed, but I made myself smile.
08:25You and the Moretti girl are a perfect match.
08:27Why wouldn't I be happy for you?
08:29His face darkened.
08:30Each word came clipped.
08:31She's the wife.
08:32You're the mistress.
08:33The other woman.
08:34From now on, I'll be staying with her in this bed every night, using all the ways you
08:38once taught me to treat her well.
08:39If you cross her, she has the right to scold you, scream at you, do reasonable things
08:43she likes.
08:44It hit me then.
08:45He was warning me.
08:46He was afraid I'd get too comfortable.
08:48That I'd cross his new wife and bring down trouble.
08:50He was reminding me of my place.
08:52Yes, Mr. Moretti.
08:53I know what I am.
08:55I'll stay in line.
08:56Somehow he got even more angry.
09:00And if she's cruel, if she goes out of her way to hurt you, do you really understand?
09:08I lowered my eyes.
09:09Then I'll be more careful.
09:10I won't make trouble for you.
09:12Alessandro's jaw tightened.
09:14He was so angry that he actually got dressed.
09:16I didn't know what I'd done.
09:17I dropped to my knees.
09:18He'd always been gentle with me.
09:20He had never spoken to me like this.
09:22Was he getting tired of me?
09:23A few days later, Alessandro went out drinking with some of his friends at a private club.
09:28He'd always taken me with him before when he went out with that crowd.
09:31This time, he didn't.
09:32The night turned cold after he left.
09:34I worried he'd freeze and grabbed his coat to take to him.
09:37I got to the back rooms and stopped just outside the curtained booth.
09:40I heard one of his friends tease.
09:41Hey, Alessandro.
09:42Heard you're marrying the Santori girl.
09:44Your little Bianca didn't cry and scream and threaten to throw herself off a roof?
09:47She wouldn't dare.
09:49That was Alessandro's voice.
09:50Cold.
09:51A voice I didn't recognize.
09:53I lifted a corner of the curtain quietly.
09:55Beside Alessandro was a beautiful maid curled against him.
09:58Her low-cut bodice pressed snugly against his side.
10:01The sight made my blood run cold.
10:03Another man jeered.
10:05Well, that's new.
10:06You used to guard her like a junkyard dog.
10:08Alessandro drank.
10:09He sounded bored.
10:10She's just a toy.
10:11A little amusement.
10:13A man like me will have countless women in my bed.
10:15There's a whole world of them out there.
10:17Like wine.
10:18You have to taste every variety before you die.
10:21Or what's the point?
10:22Someone else.
10:23Disbelieving.
10:24And you say that to her face?
10:27Of course not.
10:28Alessandro turned the glass in his hand, voice silky and lazy.
10:31He put his arm around the girl's waist.
10:33With women, you have to coax them.
10:35Stroke them.
10:36Watch the way they melt when you string them along, ready to lay down their lives for you.
10:40That's the fun of it.
10:41Once the Santori girl's locked in, I'll have her exactly the same way.
10:45Wrapped around my finger.
10:46Loyal and begging.
10:48The men around the table howled.
10:50Glasses clinked.
10:51The whole booth erupted.
10:53The coat crushed in my fist.
10:54So the love he whispered in my ear was just some trick.
10:57A move on a board.
10:58I couldn't bring myself to pull back the curtain.
11:00I turned and stumbled out, the coat slipping from my fingers somewhere along the way.
11:04Alessandro's car was waiting at the front of the club.
11:07The driver was there.
11:08I should have walked back to the car.
11:10Instead, my stomach turned.
11:11I turned into a narrow side hall.
11:13I bent over and retched.
11:14Nothing came up.
11:15I'd counted the days and I was already two weeks late.
11:18This was a sign of pregnancy.
11:20The worst possible time.
11:21I looked around.
11:22I was in the back street behind the club.
11:24Nobody could see me.
11:25My debt bondage were folded in my bag.
11:27No debt.
11:28No service.
11:29I was a free woman.
11:30I'd never been brave.
11:31I was the most careful person I knew.
11:33But somehow, in that minute, I decided,
11:36I'll leave.
11:36I wouldn't be going back to the Moretti estate.
11:39I ran out into the rain around the alley and flagged down a cab.
11:43Take me away from this part of the city.
11:45As far as you can.
11:49Alessandro finished his last drink and stood to leave.
11:52That's when his eyes landed on the coat I'd brought.
11:54The brooch on it was a gift I'd saved up for months to give him.
11:57He snatched it up from the floor, eyes flaring with panic.
12:01Who's been here?
12:04The cab rolled through the storm, and my time at the Moretti estate played back in my head,
12:09scene by scene.
12:10The first day I'd come to work the estate, one of the family's men had cornered me,
12:14simply because of my face.
12:15Just as that filthy hand was about to tear my clothes off,
12:19an arm hauled him off and sent him sprawling.
12:21That was the first time I saw him, tall, sharp, like a blade drawn from its sheath.
12:26He'd looked up and his eyes had gone stunned just for a second.
12:29What's your name?
12:30I lowered my eyes.
12:31Bianca.
12:33It suits you.
12:34He'd said.
12:35You're fair as fresh snow.
12:36Of the dozen girls who'd come to work the estate that season,
12:39I was the only one Alessandro had chosen to be his personal maid.
12:42I'd been over the moon.
12:44I worked twice as hard as the others.
12:46When I cleaned the front rooms,
12:47I caught myself watching for his figure across the grounds.
12:50By the time I noticed what I'd done,
12:52the feeling had its roots in too deep to pull.
12:54I'd loved him so carefully.
12:56So afraid someone would catch on,
12:57that they'd laugh at the kitchen girl who thought she had a chance with the air.
13:01Being his maid had been enough.
13:02I never thought of more.
13:04But I couldn't be one bottle in his collection.
13:06I couldn't stand him watching me bleed for him and finding it amusing.
13:10And the very least,
13:11I didn't want my child to suffer for it later.
13:13I didn't want her called a bastard.
13:15I looked back at all his odd behavior the last few weeks.
13:18His harsh words.
13:19The way he'd stopped calling me to his bed.
13:21He'd been pushing me away on purpose,
13:23hoping I'd get the hint and back off.
13:25And here I was,
13:26an idiot,
13:27daydreaming about our future.
13:28Is that it?
13:29The driver took the next turn.
13:31The cab rolled on into the rain.
13:35I'd been in this little out-of-the-way town nearly a year.
13:38I'd had my daughter.
13:39I'd named her Penny.
13:40Even out here,
13:41gossip from the Moretti family filtered through eventually.
13:44People said the Santoro girl had been married in spectacular fashion.
13:47The display had gone on for blocks.
13:49Cars,
13:50jewels,
13:50the whole show.
13:51Alessandro had won her.
13:52He'd be high on himself now.
13:54He wasn't my match.
13:55He'd never been my match.
13:56Cutting him out of my life had been the right thing.
13:58I'd opened a small restaurant on the main road,
14:01using the money I got from pawning a diamond necklace he'd given me.
14:04When Penny was three,
14:05she ran a fever in the middle of the night.
14:07I rushed her to the hospital through the pouring rain that night.
14:10The doctor looked at me with pity.
14:12Just you raising her?
14:13Where's her father?
14:14Dead.
14:15Caught an STD and died young.
14:17Penny was burning up,
14:18half awake.
14:18She mumbled at me from under the blanket.
14:20Mama,
14:20what did he catch?
14:22A sickness people get when they don't keep clean.
14:24I stroked her hair.
14:25Penny keeps clean.
14:27So Penny will get better fast.
14:30Aunt Marge was trying to set me up again.
14:32I'd turned her down a dozen times.
14:34She wouldn't quit.
14:35You've got a child.
14:36You can't go through this life alone.
14:42Penny and I are enough.
14:43We're our own family.
14:44That's different.
14:46Now,
14:47this Ethan,
14:48his father had once owned a large farm.
14:50He never amounted to much,
14:52but he owns a house.
14:53He lost his wife a few years back,
14:55looking for a kind,
14:56steady woman to settle down with.
14:57She stroked Penny's head.
14:59He says he doesn't care that you've got a child.
15:01He'll treat Penny like his own.
15:02So,
15:03if yes,
15:04I'll make it happen.
15:05Don't be shy.
15:06He'll come to your restaurant tomorrow for lunch.
15:08Brown jacket,
15:09far corner table.
15:10Just walk over
15:11and look at him.
15:13If you like him,
15:14I'll keep going.
15:14If not,
15:15no embarrassment.
15:16I never got a word in.
15:18The next afternoon,
15:19a brown jacket sat down at the corner table,
15:22just as promised.
15:23I'd tell him I wasn't interested.
15:24I walked over carrying the beef stew.
15:26Sir,
15:28try the beef stew.
15:29His hand shot out and locked around my wrist
15:31as I set the bowl down.
15:33The broth nearly splashed.
15:34I jerked my eyes up,
15:35ready to snap at him.
15:36I met a pair of stunned eyes,
15:38a familiar face,
15:40the kind of handsome I had spent four years
15:42trying to forget.
15:43Now his face was wrenched with shock and fury.
15:45How could it be?
15:46Mr. Moretti.
15:48I caught the word before it left my mouth.
15:51I turned my face away and forced my voice flat.
15:53Sorry.
15:54Wrong table.
15:56That order was for someone else.
15:57His hand wouldn't let go.
15:59His voice was shaking.
16:00Bianca,
16:02why are you here?
16:04Half the room was looking at us now.
16:06I had made up my mind four years ago
16:07that I would never let this man back into my life.
16:10Let go!
16:11I slapped him across the face,
16:13hard.
16:16You've got the wrong person.
16:17Get a grip, sir.
16:19I bolted for the back.
16:21Alessandro caught up in three strides
16:23and cornered me against the far wall of the back lot.
16:25He had me pinned,
16:26anger pouring off him.
16:27So you've got some nerve now,
16:29running from the estate and even slapping me.
16:31I held the line.
16:32I really don't know you.
16:34He laughed once,
16:36sharp and cold.
16:36His eyes dropped to my collar.
16:38Is that so?
16:39Let me settle this.
16:40His fingers yanked my collar down.
16:42There was a scar on my shoulder.
16:46Once, a gunshot cracked through the estate drive toward him.
16:49My instincts made me step in front of him.
16:51The bullet hit my shoulder.
16:52It left a scar on my collarbone.
16:54After that,
16:55whenever he had me in his bed,
16:56he always kissed there.
16:57Alessandro's eyes were rimmed red,
16:59furious, hurting.
17:01I remember every inch of you.
17:04What do you have to say now?
17:07You gave up the life of Moretti Woman
17:09to come out here and sell food.
17:12What was the point?
17:13I held back my tears.
17:15None of your business.
17:16Outside the lot,
17:17a man's voice.
17:20Bianca,
17:22I heard someone was bothering you.
17:23You all right?
17:24Alessandro's eyes narrowed.
17:25A man in a blue jacket stepped into the lot.
17:27He saw us,
17:28saw my collar pull down.
17:30Alessandro had shifted just enough to block the view,
17:32but he got even closer.
17:33You slit!
17:35Disgusting!
17:35Ethan was panting,
17:36pointing at me.
17:37Aunt Marge sets up a meeting
17:38and you're back here
17:39whoring around with another man?
17:42Alessandro turned his head.
17:44He seized Ethan
17:44and hurled him against the wall
17:46like he was garbage.
17:48She's mine.
17:49Get out.
17:50Ethan scrambled away as best he could.
17:53The lot went quiet.
17:54Alessandro's face was iron.
17:55You were meeting that?
17:56Women grow up.
17:57Women marry.
17:58There's nothing wrong with it.
17:59What does he have?
18:00He's vulgar.
18:01He's twice your age.
18:02That was what you wanted?
18:04Who I marry is none of your business,
18:06Mr. Moretti.
18:07He bent down,
18:08hands on my shoulders,
18:09putting himself eye to eye with me.
18:11You took your debts bondage
18:12and you ran
18:14after everything I did for you.
18:17Do you have any heart at all?
18:19From his side of things,
18:20yes.
18:20He had been good to me.
18:21He had never cursed me,
18:23never humiliated me,
18:24never even raised his voice.
18:25He paid me well
18:26and slipped me extra on holidays
18:28for hired help.
18:29A boss like that was a blessing.
18:30But the problem was,
18:32I loved him.
18:32I fell into silence.
18:34He thought he scared me
18:35and softened his voice.
18:36That day,
18:37they said you'd come to the club
18:38with a coat for me.
18:39I asked the valet and the driver.
18:41Neither of them saw you leave.
18:42I even thought it was my rival
18:43who had taken you.
18:44But I tore this city apart
18:46looking for you.
18:46I couldn't find a trace.
18:48He cupped my face.
18:52Four years.
18:53Tell me why.
18:55Why did you go?
18:58He said it as if
18:59I'd mattered to him.
19:00I was confused.
19:01Maybe it was just that
19:02he'd never found another maid
19:04who served him
19:04as well as I had.
19:06Bianca,
19:08tell me the truth.
19:09The truth?
19:10How was I supposed to put it?
19:11If I said he'd broken my heart,
19:13I'd been the fool.
19:14If I said he was unfaithful,
19:15what right did the help
19:16have to throw that at him?
19:18So all I said was,
19:19A mistress is an object.
19:21No dignity.
19:22No feelings.
19:22Loyal because she has to be.
19:24The man wants company.
19:25She strips and lies down.
19:27Nobody asks whether she wants it.
19:29I wiped my eyes
19:30and made myself smile.
19:33Mr. Moretti.
19:35Bianca didn't want to serve anymore.
19:37Will that do?
19:38I wouldn't make you the mistress.
19:39No.
19:40I cut him off.
19:40A restaurant.
19:41My own food.
19:43My own roof.
19:44It suits me fine.
19:46Alessandro stood there a long time.
19:48He gave a small, bitter laugh.
19:50I see.
19:52I underestimated your pride.
19:54Letting me touch you?
19:55Letting me have you?
19:57That was a humiliation to you.
20:02After he was gone,
20:03I hung the closed sign
20:04on the front door early.
20:05By dusk, the rain had started.
20:07I went to pick up Penny.
20:09When the restaurant was busy,
20:11I left her at Aunt Marge's,
20:12who watched her along
20:13with her grandson, Tommy.
20:14I was halfway to the door
20:16when it creaked open.
20:17Penny had walked herself home.
20:19Mama,
20:19I saw a man on the street.
20:21He didn't have an umbrella.
20:23He was just standing in the rain.
20:25He looked so sad.
20:26I gave him my candy.
20:28The one Tommy gave me.
20:29Her hair was misty wet.
20:31I unclipped it
20:32and dried it with a towel.
20:34You don't walk home alone in the rain.
20:36You wait for Mama.
20:38Did he take your candy?
20:40Yes.
20:40She blinked her big, serious eyes at me.
20:42He said he messed something up.
20:43I told him not to be scared
20:45and if there's something he can fight for,
20:47he should fight for it
20:48with everything he has.
20:50I sighed,
20:51half laughing.
20:52She remembered everything
20:53I'd ever told her.
20:55My little brave girl.
20:56I tucked her in
20:57and coaxed her to sleep.
20:59Then someone was knocking at the door.
21:00The second I opened it,
21:02a wet shape pushed inside
21:03and pulled me into his arms.
21:06He was soaked through.
21:08Water was running off his hair
21:09onto my collar.
21:10His breath was hot.
21:11His mouth came down on mine
21:13like he owned it
21:13and I couldn't move.
21:14I knew who he was
21:15the second his hot body was on me.
21:17His familiar scent was around me.
21:20Alessandro had one hand
21:21braced at the back of my neck
21:22and the other locked at my waist.
21:24He kissed me
21:25like he meant to take me apart
21:26on the doorstep.
21:27I twisted against him
21:28in a panic
21:29and bit his lip.
21:30The taste of blood
21:31spread between us.
21:32His eyes went red at the corners.
21:34He bit me back,
21:35hard,
21:35on the mouth.
21:37Do you know what these years
21:38have been like for me?
21:39My lip was throbbing.
21:41I made a sound
21:42and tipped my head up at him
21:43with tears in my eyes.
21:44He breathed out
21:45then bit out.
21:46Debts are not,
21:47you're still mine.
21:48You're coming back with me.
21:50My grandmother gave you
21:51those papers
21:51so you could become my wife.
21:53Not so you could vanish.
21:54Do you know what happens
21:55to a woman who runs
21:56from this family?
21:57Beat me.
21:58Punish me.
21:59Whatever Mr. Morelli
22:00wants.
22:01I couldn't see his face.
22:03I could see his hand.
22:04Shaking.
22:06I didn't tell you to kneel.
22:08Get up.
22:09Mama.
22:10What's wrong?
22:11Penny was awake.
22:13Her hair was loose,
22:14eyes blurry,
22:15feet bare on the floor.
22:16I bolded up
22:17and scooped her
22:17inside my voice shop.
22:19You should be sleeping.
22:20What are you doing out here?
22:22Mom,
22:23is this bad man hurting you?
22:25Alessandro stepped inside
22:27after us, dripping.
22:28He looked at the two of us
22:29and forgot how to move.
22:31She called you Mama.
22:33I didn't answer.
22:33He looked at Penny.
22:35What's your dad's name?
22:36Hmm.
22:37My dad caught something dirty.
22:39He died.
22:40Alessandro took one slow step
22:42toward us.
22:43Then another.
22:44His voice was unsteady.
22:46How old are you?
22:49A child can't keep a secret.
22:51Three.
22:53I scrambled for cover.
22:55Mr. Moretti,
22:56don't get the wrong idea.
22:57She's adopted.
22:59I found her in a dumpster
23:00three years ago.
23:01That's why I called her Penny.
23:02I found a Penny
23:04in the gutter.
23:05Alessandro didn't move.
23:07Bianca,
23:08don't you think
23:09you're explaining too much?
23:10Penny was glaring at me.
23:12Mama,
23:12you said I came out
23:13of your belly
23:14and my name means
23:16a small thing
23:16that grows into
23:17a great thing.
23:18It doesn't mean
23:19you picked me
23:20out of the trash.
23:22Penny had Alessandro's eyes
23:24and his mouth.
23:25The shape of her face
23:27was mine.
23:28There was no walking
23:29this back.
23:29I clutched her tighter,
23:31terrified he'd take her
23:32the next breath.
23:33Alessandro knelt down
23:34in front of us.
23:35He started to reach
23:36for Penny's cheek
23:37and then remembered
23:38his hand was wet
23:39and stopped his fingers
23:40an inch away.
23:40I knew you the second
23:41I saw you.
23:42That's why I took the candy.
23:44Penny,
23:45I'm your father.
23:47Penny stuck her hand out,
23:48palm up.
23:50You hurt my mama.
23:52Give it back.
23:54I didn't hurt your mama.
23:56Alessandro's voice
23:57was so gentle.
23:57He looked at her
23:58like he couldn't believe
23:59she was real.
24:00I ate the candy.
24:02It was sweet.
24:03Thank you for the encouragement.
24:05Penny puffed up her cheeks.
24:07Mama was right.
24:08There are a lot of liars
24:09out there.
24:11Alessandro's mouth opened
24:12but nothing came out.
24:13Penny squinted at my mouth.
24:15Mama,
24:16what happened to your lip?
24:19Burned it on some soup.
24:21You had soup?
24:23Uh,
24:24yes.
24:25Yes.
24:27Tasted good.
24:29I went hot with shame
24:31and rage
24:32and would have hit him
24:32if my daughter
24:33hadn't been watching.
24:34He then changed the subject
24:36in a perfectly cheerful voice.
24:37My clothes are wet.
24:39How do I shower here?
24:41Can't you see
24:42mama's wet too?
24:43Mama goes first.
24:45Right.
24:46You're right.
24:48My mistake.
24:49A spoiled heir
24:50who'd been waited
24:51on his entire life.
24:52less considerate
24:53than my three-year-old.
24:55Bianca,
24:56take a hot shower.
24:57I'll watch the child.
24:59Don't catch a chill.
25:01Penny gave me
25:01a sage look.
25:03Mama,
25:03I'll keep an eye on him
25:05so he doesn't try
25:06anything.
25:07I came out
25:07from the shower
25:08to find that
25:08the watchful Penny
25:09had fallen asleep.
25:10In the warm lamplight
25:11she lay curled
25:12with her little
25:13flowered blanket
25:14pulled to her chin.
25:15dark lashes
25:16resting on her cheeks.
25:17Alessandra was
25:18hanging over
25:19the side of the bed
25:19eyes fixed on her
25:20like he couldn't
25:21look away.
25:22How is she this pretty?
25:23She looks like you
25:25and like me at once.
25:26I can't get over it.
25:28My restaurant
25:29doesn't keep guests
25:30overnight.
25:31You should go.
25:32He looked like
25:33a big wet dog.
25:34In this rain
25:35where am I supposed
25:36to go?
25:37He had nowhere
25:38to go.
25:39That was actually
25:40true.
25:41So why had he
25:41shown up here
25:42completely alone?
25:43No entourage.
25:44Not one bodyguard.
25:46He plucked
25:47at his wet shirt,
25:48gave up,
25:49and went to
25:49take a shower.
25:51My hair was
25:51thick and long.
25:52I'd just gotten
25:53it half dry
25:54and was reaching
25:54for the lotion
25:55when I heard
25:55him come back.
25:56I turned
25:57and froze.
25:58Alessandra was
25:59standing in the
26:00middle of the room
26:00with absolutely
26:01nothing on.
26:02I whipped my
26:03head back around.
26:04What are you doing?
26:05He kept his
26:06voice down.
26:07Don't wake
26:07the kid.
26:09Don't read
26:10into it.
26:10I didn't mean
26:11anything.
26:12Do you have
26:13a change of
26:13clothes?
26:14I lived alone
26:15with a three-year-old
26:16girl.
26:16Where would I
26:17have men's
26:18clothes?
26:18And if I did,
26:19he'd have torn
26:20the house apart
26:21trying to figure
26:21out whose.
26:22He was right
26:23behind me now.
26:24I couldn't
26:25keep dodging.
26:25I turned
26:26and faced him.
26:27You have
26:28clothes.
26:29Wet.
26:30Uncomfortable.
26:31Broad shoulders.
26:32Narrow waist.
26:33Not an extra
26:34ounce on him.
26:35The kind of
26:35body that would
26:36have stopped
26:37my heart at
26:3718 and was
26:38still stopping
26:39it now.
26:39I refused to
26:40look any lower.
26:41He leaned in.
26:43His voice had
26:44dropped.
26:44Where do we
26:45sleep tonight?
26:48There was no
26:49chasing him out,
26:49so I took the
26:50next best option.
26:51Penny and I
26:52sleep in the
26:52inner room.
26:53You sleep out
26:53here.
26:54Don't come in.
26:55Alright.
26:55I'd half expected
26:56him to refuse the
26:57cottage outright.
26:58He didn't.
26:58He looked around
26:59at my small
27:00furniture, my
27:01plain shelves,
27:02and just said,
27:03tight, but warm.
27:05The rain came down
27:06all night.
27:06I slept hard.
27:08When I got up to
27:08make Penny's
27:09breakfast, Penny was
27:10already up.
27:12Alessandro was not.
27:13She was on his bed.
27:14My dad already died,
27:16so how come you came
27:17back to life?
27:19You'd never seen me
27:20before, so how do you
27:21know I'm your daughter?
27:23Alessandro was lying
27:24flat under the blanket,
27:25laughing helplessly.
27:26I scooped Penny off
27:28his bed and gave
27:29him a look.
27:30Sun's been up for
27:31hours.
27:32Why aren't you?
27:33He looked pained.
27:35My clothes are still
27:36wet.
27:36I couldn't leave him
27:38under the covers all
27:39day.
27:39I went downtown and
27:40bought him clothes.
27:41Four years on, I
27:43still knew his
27:43measurements without
27:44thinking.
27:45I felt ashamed of
27:46myself.
27:46I came back from the
27:48store and tossed the
27:49bundle at him.
27:50Get dressed.
27:51He sat up pulling on
27:52the shirt and watched
27:53me.
27:55Bianca.
27:56You've changed.
27:58It hit me then.
27:59He wasn't angry.
28:00He was smiling.
28:02Bossy.
28:03I like it.
28:05He liked it.
28:07The ice over my
28:07heart cracked, but I
28:08knew a man's affection
28:09for a stray cat.
28:10He didn't mean
28:11anything by it.
28:12Alessandro insisted on
28:13coming with me to the
28:14restaurant to help.
28:16In one morning, he
28:17broke three bowls,
28:18burned a hole in the
28:19bottom of the stock
28:20pot, and nearly set
28:21fire to the kitchen.
28:22I spent the rush
28:23apologizing to my
28:24regulars and giving
28:25away meals.
28:25I lost money.
28:27The pampered young
28:28air was streaked with
28:29soot, ducking my eye,
28:30looking guilty for the
28:31first time in his
28:32life.
28:33Stop.
28:34Just go watch the
28:34child.
28:35He nodded vigorously
28:36and informed me that
28:37he was extremely good
28:38with children.
28:39Toward dusk, Penny
28:40tugged on my sleeve.
28:41Mama, some people
28:43came to talk to the
28:44bad man.
28:45They're whispering.
28:47I crept around the
28:48side of the restaurant,
28:49light on my feet.
28:50Behind the kitchen,
28:51two of Alessandro's
28:52men.
28:52I caught fragments.
28:53While Bianca isn't
28:54looking, take the
28:56child.
28:56A mother's instinct
28:57went cold in my chest.
28:59Penny was his daughter.
29:00He clearly adored her.
29:01He was going to take
29:02her from me.
29:04Alessandro was already
29:05married.
29:06He had a wife at home.
29:07Penny taken back would
29:08be the illegitimate
29:09daughter of a mafia boss.
29:11She would be treated
29:12like dirt, looked down
29:13on by the wife and the
29:14rest of the family.
29:15I knew what happened
29:16to girls like that.
29:17That night, I slipped
29:18Alessandro a sleeping pill,
29:19crushed into a cup of
29:21something calming.
29:22I called it a kindness.
29:23He was touched.
29:25He drank the whole cup
29:26down.
29:27Get some rest.
29:28I turned to go.
29:29His arms came around
29:30me from behind.
29:32Bianca, you raised our
29:33daughter alone for four
29:34years.
29:35That had to have been
29:36hard.
29:36I thought, is this the
29:37goodbye speech?
29:38You know it was hard and
29:39you're still trying to
29:40take her?
29:41Even if you hate me, a
29:42child needs a family,
29:44doesn't she?
29:44There it was.
29:45He was taking her.
29:46I kept my voice level.
29:48Let me think about it.
29:49Of course.
29:50Around midnight, I called
29:52Alessandro's name.
29:53No response.
29:54He was out.
29:55I shook Penny awake.
29:57Shh.
29:58Quiet.
29:59Mommy's taking you
30:00somewhere.
30:02We worked together like a
30:03tiny conspiracy.
30:04Penny's job was to throw
30:05out his clothes.
30:06With no clothes, he
30:07couldn't chase us right
30:08away.
30:09My job was to gather the
30:10valuables.
30:11Finally, we locked the
30:12door.
30:12Gone.
30:13He had found me in the
30:14most out-of-the-way town
30:15in the state.
30:16Wherever I went next had
30:17to be smarter.
30:18It came to me.
30:19The most dangerous place
30:20is the safest place.
30:21His own city.
30:22He would never imagine I'd
30:24run straight to the heart of
30:25Moretti territory.
30:26I had practice now.
30:27The road went smoothly.
30:28We caught a ride with a
30:30small moving convoy heading
30:31north.
30:32The lead driver was a kind,
30:33big-shouldered man who took
30:34a few bills and let us ride in
30:36the back of an empty truck.
30:37The truck was clean.
30:38We took the main highway.
30:40Barely a bump.
30:41A young woman named Tessa
30:42looked after me.
30:43Every stop she brought a
30:44tray of rich, hearty food to
30:46the truck.
30:47I tried to refuse.
30:48She waved me off.
30:50Eat up, ma'am.
30:51The company has cash to spare.
30:53By the time we made the city,
30:54the heat had thickened.
30:56Midsummer.
30:56The driver recommended a
30:58clean, modestly priced hotel.
30:59I took the cheapest room on
31:01offer.
31:01I'd just dropped my bag when
31:03the clerk came up.
31:05Apologies, ma'am.
31:05This room's already been
31:06booked.
31:07Let me move you.
31:07He moved me to the best
31:09suite in the house.
31:10If the clerk had so much as
31:11asked for an extra dollar,
31:12I might not have caught on.
31:14There's no free lunch.
31:15A single mother and a child
31:16in an unfamiliar city were
31:18the easiest targets in the
31:19world.
31:19Every alarm in me started
31:20ringing.
31:21I grabbed Penny.
31:22Penny, we're leaving.
31:24The door wouldn't open.
31:25They had locked us in.
31:27From behind the partition at
31:28the back of the suite, a slow
31:29figure stepped out.
31:30Alessandro Moretti in a fresh
31:32tailored suit, hair pushed
31:33back, standing like a blade.
31:36The air around him went
31:37heavy.
31:38Running again?
31:38Where do you think you're
31:39going?
31:40The sleeping pill?
31:41The clothes?
31:42The locked door?
31:45Bianca, what am I going to do
31:47with you?
31:47He stepped toward me.
31:49I stepped back.
31:50Penny went rigid in righteous
31:51indignation.
31:52I threw the clothes out.
31:54Alessandro stalled, then
31:56swallowed.
31:58It's alright.
32:00Daddy's not angry.
32:01He pulled Penny from my arms.
32:03The door opened.
32:04Tessa, from the convoy,
32:06walked in.
32:09Look after the little one.
32:11Penny kicked and screamed
32:12at Alessandro.
32:13Don't you hurt my mama.
32:15Alessandro stroked her head
32:17and softened.
32:18I won't hurt her.
32:19I just need to talk to her,
32:21sweetheart.
32:22Grown-up things.
32:23Be a good girl.
32:24Penny was carried off.
32:27Alessandro turned and dropped
32:28the act.
32:29His face was a sheet of frost.
32:31He pushed me back onto the
32:32couch.
32:33His hands were shaking with
32:34rage.
32:34The cords in his forearm
32:35stood out.
32:37You hate me that much?
32:40You'd rather run from me
32:42again and again than stay
32:43one more night?
32:46His grip was crushing my
32:47shoulder.
32:48I twisted in pain.
32:50You're hurting me.
32:52It didn't register on him.
32:53His eyes were rimmed in red,
32:55wet, like a creature
32:56betrayed.
32:57Threw away my clothes.
32:59Locked me in that cottage.
33:00His voice cracked.
33:02Should I do the same to you?
33:03Would you like that better?
33:05I pictured the inversion.
33:06Cold dread went through me.
33:08That's why the road was so
33:09smooth.
33:09You had the convoy from the
33:10start.
33:10I walked straight into it.
33:12I felt my nose start to burn.
33:13You can have a wife and a
33:15dozen children.
33:15I only have Penny.
33:17You take her from me and I have
33:18nothing left.
33:19His face caved.
33:20Aren't I family to you too?
33:22Or do I not even have a place
33:24in your heart?
33:25I stared at him,
33:26lost.
33:27Was that what he was actually
33:28asking?
33:29Let me ask it differently.
33:30He pulled himself together,
33:32held my eyes.
33:34Bianca,
33:36do you love me?
33:38Yes.
33:39It was out before I knew I was
33:41going to say it.
33:44I regretted it instantly.
33:46I had spent four years building a
33:48wall around that one word and one
33:50question from him and I'd handed it
33:52over.
33:52Floozy.
33:53I scolded myself.
33:54Cheap.
33:55A man who could betray me once could
33:57betray me a thousand times.
33:58I had to remember.
34:00Alessandro's face had lit up.
34:01I cut him off with the next
34:03sentence ice cold.
34:04But I don't only love you.
34:05There's a whole world of men out
34:07there.
34:09Like wine.
34:11You have to taste every variety
34:12before you die or what's the
34:13point?
34:14You have to coax them,
34:16stroke them,
34:16see them melt when you string
34:17them along,
34:18watch them go from joy to despair
34:19on a single word.
34:20It's quite a lot of fun.
34:21I had never in my life seen
34:23Alessandro Moretti look like
34:24that.
34:25His eyes went bloodshot,
34:26his fury so hot I thought he might
34:28catch fire.
34:29What did you say?
34:32I smiled and didn't answer.
34:34You wouldn't dare.
34:35He went berserk.
34:36I watched him from the couch,
34:37calm.
34:38He swept his arm across the side
34:40table and sent the glasses
34:41crashing.
34:42The one thing he didn't do was
34:43raise a hand to me.
34:44When he had spent the worst of it,
34:46he stood there breathing hard,
34:48pointed at me,
34:49then at the door.
34:50Get out.
34:51All right.
34:51I stood up smoothly,
34:53thinking,
34:54good.
34:54Finally over.
34:56The door was right there.
34:57The whole world on the other side.
34:59My chest hurt anyway.
35:01Wait.
35:02That line.
35:04Why does it sound familiar?
35:07I stopped.
35:08I didn't turn around.
35:10Mr. Moretti,
35:10you remember now.
35:12You're already married.
35:14Taking Penny and me home
35:15would just poison your wife.
35:17Go be good to her.
35:18Don't be the philenderer you were.
35:20Alessandro caught up to me.
35:21His voice was thin with panic.
35:23That day.
35:24The club.
35:25You came to bring me the coat.
35:27You heard me,
35:28didn't you?
35:28I heard everything.
35:30In my head,
35:31you were the perfect man.
35:33Sharp and untouchable.
35:34The reason you couldn't bear
35:36to let me go wasn't love.
35:37It was that I'd begged for crumbs.
35:40I worked to please you.
35:41I was useful.
35:42I was happy to serve as your maid.
35:44I wouldn't serve as your plaything.
35:46That's not what it was!
35:50Four years ago.
35:52The woman I wanted to marry was you.
35:55Alessandro took my hand carefully,
35:57like he was afraid I'd pull it back.
35:59His palm was hot.
36:01Not a mistress.
36:02My one and my wife.
36:04Will you?
36:07I stared.
36:08A dozen feelings hit at once.
36:09He had a wife.
36:10He'd been married four years ago.
36:12Hadn't he?
36:13There's no wife.
36:14I never married her.
36:15He told me everything.
36:17The Santoro girl had been fixed on him
36:18from the first time they'd met.
36:20She had begged her father
36:21to come to the Moretti estate
36:22and propose the match.
36:24The matriarch had thought
36:25the two families were a good alliance
36:26and accepted.
36:27But Alessandro had wanted no part of her.
36:30The only way out,
36:31with two stubborn matriarchs locked in,
36:33had been to perform.
36:34That afternoon at the club,
36:36Cassandra Santoro had been in the next booth,
36:38having drinks with friends.
36:39She'd heard Alessandro call his woman a toy.
36:42Heard him brag about how he'd handle her
36:44once she was married.
36:45Decided he was a degenerate.
36:46His act had been good enough
36:48to fool Cassandra Santoro.
36:49And good enough to fool me.
36:51The Santoro girl.
36:52The one I'd heard about.
36:53The spectacular wedding
36:54with the display for blocks.
36:56She had married someone else.
36:58Four years.
36:59You ran.
37:00For four years over this.
37:05If I'd ever done something to hurt you,
37:07you could have told me
37:08and I could have explained.
37:09The help doesn't question the boss.
37:11A servant's rule was that
37:13the master was always right.
37:14Anything wrong was always on us.
37:16But I wasn't the help anymore.
37:17So I would say it.
37:19If you wanted to marry me,
37:21why didn't you ever once give me a sign?
37:23If I'd known I mattered to you,
37:25I wouldn't have been so easy to wound.
37:27I wanted it done.
37:29Then I wanted to surprise you.
37:32And I was scared it wouldn't work.
37:34I didn't want to raise your hopes
37:35and then watch them fall.
37:38You have a mouth.
37:39You could have used it.
37:40I thought maybe we were even now.
37:42He wasn't done.
37:43Second question.
37:44Why did you run a second time?
37:46There was no point hiding now.
37:48I told him.
37:49The line I'd overheard.
37:51Take the child while Bianca isn't looking.
37:54The actual sentence had been,
37:56Take the child while Bianca isn't looking
37:58and force her back to the city.
37:59That plan is no good.
38:01Don't try it.
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