"Answer me, Arnold. Oh, sorry. Fabio. That is your real name, isn't it?" Leah's voice faded, becoming little more than a whisper.
She stared intently at Fabio with sorrowful eyes that begged for honesty, but the man before her remained frozen. Fabio kept his face turned away, as if looking into Leah's gaze was a terrifying prospect he could not face.
"Get some rest, Leah," Fabio murmured hoarsely without looking back.
"You know I love you. I will make sure that something that terrible never happens." Fabio leaned in, attempting to press a gentle kiss to Leah's forehead as a futile form of comfort.
However, the touch only ignited an explosion within her. "You say you love me?" Leah screamed. Her voice thundered through the room, as if she had suddenly recovered all her strength. "THEN WHY DID YOU KILL MY FATHER?!"
Fabio took a long breath and finally turned his head. "Your father was spying on my organization, Leah. You did not know who Sean Etmand. Or rather, Jackson Sterling actually was, did you?"
"So. You knew he was my father, and you killed him anyway?" Leah challenged him loudly, her chest heaving with mounting rage.
Fabio went silent for a moment, staring at the floor before finally raising his face. The look in his eyes had turned sharp and cold; there was no longer any trace of the gentle Arnold left.
"I did not know beforehand that he was your father," Fabio said, pausing before continuing in a flat but chilling tone. "But even if I had known. I still would have killed him."
"You criminal! You are a demon!" Leah shrieked hysterically. She began to beat against Fabio's chest with her small fists in a blind frenzy. Fabio allowed several blows to land before finally grabbing Leah's wrists, stopping the assault with dominant strength.
"Leah. Listen to me carefully!" Fabio forced Leah to look into his eyes. "Your father was a secret FBI agent, and I am a Mafioso. We exist on opposite sides of the world. By the laws of nature, I had to finish him before he finished me. However." Fabio lowered his voice, trying to find a remnant of affection in Leah's eyes. "None of that changes my feelings. I still love you."
Fabio brought Leah's hand toward his broad chest. "I hope you still love me too. Especially since you are carrying my child. Our child, Leah."
Leah shook her head violently, letting tears stream down her pale cheeks.
"You have destroyed everything, Fabio. You killed my love when you killed my father," Leah said with a voice that trembled uncontrollably. "I cannot trust you anymore. The Arnold I loved is dead. The person in front of me now is nothing but a criminal."
Leah's crying grew louder, a wail of loss so profound that the silence in the room became suffocating.
"Leah. Sweetheart. I beg you," Fabio whispered, his voice cracking between affection and despair. He reached for Leah's clenched fingers, trying to stop her frantic movements without hurting her further. "Do not struggle anymore. Please, never think of hitting your own stomach. Do not hurt this child."
Fabio then reached out, placing his large, warm palm over Leah's stomach with a very gentle motion. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to feel the pulse of life there that he claimed as his own.
"Go to sleep, Leah. You are exhausted," Fabio continued softly. He guided Leah's trembling shoulders, slowly laying her body back onto the bed. Leah no longer fought him; her body felt limp like a lifeless ragdoll, her energy completely drained by the endless anger and sobbing.
As he brushed a stray hair from Leah's wet cheek, Fabio stared at her with a deep, possessive gaze. "I love you, Leah. More than anything."
Fabio continued to wait there until Leah's breathing became regular, even though he knew that behind those closed eyes, the love that once existed for him had now turned into hatred.
***
Fabio stepped through the glass doors of the local police station, leaving the identity of Fabio Casso completely behind in the driver's seat of his car.
Now, Fabio wore a faded flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up haphazardly and slightly wrinkled jeans. It was the daily uniform of Arnold Hein, the modest owner of a small restaurant. His shoulders were slightly slumped, removing the intimidating aura he usually possessed.
Fabio approached the administration desk with hurried, unsettled steps.
"Excuse me. I want to file a missing person's report," Arnold's voice sounded hoarse, carrying a perfectly orchestrated tremor of anxiety.
A female police officer with a nametag that read Deborah Hayes looked up from her computer. "Yes, sir? Take a breath first. How can I help you?"
"My girlfriend. I have not been able to reach her for the last two days," Arnold said while wringing his fingers on the desk, showing the gesture of a man on the verge of frustration. "Her phone is off, and she is not at her house. Her friends do not know where she went either. I am so worried about her."
Deborah took a pen, ready to take notes. "What is your name, and what is your girlfriend's name, sir?"
"I am Arnold Hein, and my girlfriend is. Leah. Leah Etmand."
Instantly, Deborah's hand froze. The pen in her hand nearly dropped. Her eyes widened as she stared at Arnold. The noise in the police station lobby suddenly went silent for Deborah.
"Wait. Wait here for a moment, Mr. Hein," Deborah said with an expression that shifted drastically, a mix of suspicion and panic.
Without further explanation, Deborah hurried out of her chair and ran up the stairs toward her superior's office, leaving Arnold standing there.
Arnold stayed in character. He did not watch Deborah's departure with a sharp gaze; instead, he sat on the wooden waiting chair with a restless posture. Arnold deliberately bounced his leg quickly, staring blankly at the floor while his fingers twisted the hem of his shirt. To everyone in the room, he was just a poor man with a troubled heart, though behind the mask, Fabio was counting every second of the police reaction.
Arnold had waited for quite some time on that hard wooden chair. His acting grew more intense; he kept glancing at the wall clock ticking slowly, while his foot never stopped tapping the floor.
"Mr. Casso."
Those two words hit Arnold's ears like a grenade blast. Every muscle in Arnold's body went rigid.