Antonio and I have discussed about the child. We'll keep him or her. Antonio will be the only father that they'll ever know. The name Lorenzo will never be spoken of inside this house once the child is born.

Through everything, Antonio have been very helpful towards me.

He made sure I had been comfortable at all times. He treated this child as if he or she is his own. His love for me never seemed to die despite all the destruction that have been made to my body. His love only seems to grow as the day pasts.

Alessandra also came by today. For the first time ever, I saw hatred in my sister's eyes. But the hatred had not been directed towards me but the child that laid protected inside of me. She had told me that I shouldn't keep the child but to abort the child.

I refused her advice.

No matter what had been done, this child had been innocent through everything. It had caused no harm to me, only the man who donated the sperm. That's all he is to the child. A sperm donor.

Antonio, is the real father.

I already feel protective over this baby. Nothing will happen to my child under my watch. I will die before I let another harm my child. It's true what they say. A mother cannot love anyone more than their child.

~Isabella Valldarri

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It has been a while since I have written in here.

Five months to be exact.

I've recovered from my trauma. Everything that Lorenzo have done to me has been talked out. I told them everything that had happened. Everything single touch, every single word, they know of it all. I felt relieved after letting it all out.

I felt free.

I am now five months pregnant with my little piccola. Yes. It's a girl. A beautiful baby girl that will look like me and nothing like the man who had injured us both. She will grow up, loved, and she will never know the truth behind her birth.

Antonio have gotten more protective now that I'm with child. He does not let me do anything on my own anymore. He cares about the child and talks to her every single morning. We have it all figured out.

I wished everything single day that the child is not only Antonio's daughter in name but also in blood. Fate is so cruel to us. If she had been his child by blood, everything would be perfect. I know it hurts him but I also know he won't love this child any less.

How did I ever get so lucky to get a man like Antonio? There is no better man that a man who fathers another man's child.

Hopefully, when my little piccola grows up, she will find a man like Antonio. A man who will love her even if she were to carry another man's child. Hopefully she will find a man who will love that child like its his own.

~Isabella Valldarri

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The day is nearing.

Our little piccola will be coming soon.

Antonio and I are very excited.

He wants to be able to hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loves her. He promised me that he'll love her no matter what happens and I know I could trust him with her if anything were to ever happen to me.

I could tell that he will spoil her rotten. He will make sure that she is loved every single day and he will make sure that no one will ever hurt her as I have been hurt. I am proud to have a husband like Antonio.

I love him and even in death, I will continue to love him.

~Isabella Valldarri

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Ashley closed the notebook back up and laid her head back on the pillow. She closed her eyes and held the notebook close to her chest. Her father had loved another man's child. He cared for another man's child and made her his own.

A deep respect formed inside of her.

Her father had been a strong man.

How much it must have hurt him to stare at her every single day of his life, knowing that she is not fully his. How much it must of hurt him to see the features of that man on her. How much it must have hurt him to see that she was the reason why the love of his life is dead.

Ashley laughed to herself.

It's ironic how Antonio knew that she wasn't his child and raised her anyways. Yet Dante couldn't be the father to his own child because of his arrogance and ignorance.

She sees the true man in Dante now.

A man who is too scared of being committed so he took the first chance that he got to get out of this marriage.

She should have known that someone like him would not stay committed for too long. He had been given a chance to get out of the marriage and he took it, all while blaming her for the destruction of their marriage.

She realized now that Dante never loved her no matter how much he had told her and even himself that he did. Love is about making sacrifices. It's about putting the person you love before yourself. It's about enduring years of hurt and pain just to do right by your love.

What her mother and Antonio had.

That had been love.

A love so strong that they fought against all odds. Even through death, Antonio still loved her mother. He continues to show his love every single day of his life. He loved her so much that he fathered a child that had not been his but yet still loved her as if she had been.

Ashley understood now why he had sent her away to be with her grandparents. It had been too much for him at the time. But she knew that he had never stopped loving her and seeing her as his daughter.

As his little girl.

Ashley got off her bed and limped towards the window. She grabbed onto the rails and stared down into the garden below. She smiled, seeing a heavily pregnant woman walking with a man. The man reached down and kissed the woman on the lips.

Ashley turned away from them, wishing that she had someone like that man with her.

At least she still had her family.

A family that she knew would never abandon her ever again. A family that would protect her and her baby girl no matter what happens. She know they've wrong her in the past but they were still family. She know how much they've changed.

Especially Samuel.

And she knew that deep inside Alessandra, there is a woman who still cared. A woman who is too afraid to show weakness but will do anything for the ones she loved. But Alessandra is too blinded by hatred.

"You should be resting right now." a familiar voice claimed.

Ashley jumped and turned her head towards the door. She smiled weakly at him. "Good morning Dr. Morcelli."

He raised his eyebrows up at her and crossed his arm over his chest. "Good morning Ashley." He walked over to her and reached his hand out to her.

She grabbed it and allowed him to help her back to her bed. Laying down on it, she smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He opened up her file and looked down at it. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'd get pains every now and then." she responded truthfully.

He nodded his head at her again. He sat down on the chair next to her bed and looked at her. "I'd like to keep you here with me until you give birth."

She gave him a confused look. "Is there something wrong? I thought I had been cleared to leave tomorrow."

He stayed silent for a few seconds. Those few seconds increased the worry inside of her. "I just want to make sure everything goes good for you. Keeping you here will let me keep a better eye on you."

"That's not the reason." she whispered. She placed her hand on her stomach, "Is there something wrong with my baby?"

He looked away, a sigh leaving his lips. She got her answer but he continued to lie to her. "No, there's nothing wrong."

"Please just tell me. I deserve the right to know." She begged him.

He looked back at her. He placed his hand on hers. "Do you trust me?"

She stared back at him, not knowing how to answer that. She had only known him for three days at the most.

Yet he just asked her if she trusted him.

Confusion swirled inside of her mind. She looked down at her stomach and noticed how big his hand was compared to her. For some reason, it felt like his hand belonged there. Right on top of hers. She didn't know why, but seeing that gave her the answer.

"Yes." she whisperd. She looked back into his eyes. Eyes that captivated her, drowning her in its deep. "I do."

He smiled at her and caressed her hand softly. "Then trust me that this is for the best for you. Trust me that you'll be okay. I will make sure nothing happens to you or your child. Both of you will be safe with me."

Ashley smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"Of course." he said softly, removing his hand away. He stood up, a faraway look in his eyes. He looked as if he was having a debate with himself before he shook his head. He smiled down at her.

Ashley noticed how fake it seemed. Although he was not a man of smiles, Ashley had seen them many times before. And she knew his fake ones from his real ones. "What's wrong?" she asked him. She grabbed his wrist.

He shook his head and gently peeled her fingers away. He held her fingers for a few seconds before releasing them. "Get some rest." he said, walking towards the door.

"Wait." she blurted out.

He turned back around. "Do you need something?"

"Can I just go home? Just for the week. One week wouldn't make much of a difference right?"

She asked, fiddling with her finger.

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Alessio frowned. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea." His heart dropped in his chest when he saw the hope leave her eyes. He sighed and closed his eyes, praying that his decision wouldn't harm her too much. "Alright. But just for five days."

A smile made its way to her lips again and Alessio fought the urge to walk back to her and kiss those plump lips of her. He shouldn't be feeling this way to her. She's his patient. It's against the rules. Also, he'd only known her for a few days.

He scolded himself for being so hormonal. But with one look at her, he became putty in her hands. He didn't know what this meant, all he knew was that he didn't like it. He felt weak, and weak had been a feeling that he didn't allow himself to feel.

"Thank you." she said with bright eyes. "I'll be careful. I promise."

Alessio sighed and smiled back at her nonetheless. "I'll get your papers ready."

With that, he turned around and left her room. His legs itched to go back into her room and pull her into his arms. But he knew he couldn't do it. That would be so wrong on so many levels. But one reason stood out from all the rest.

He didn't want to overwhelm her.

There had been a strong urge inside of him to protect her ever since he laid eyes on her. The urge to make sure she never gets hurt and make her as happy as she could be. But he knew that he could never be that person. He would never be able to make her happy.

She is better off without him.

But for some strange reason, he couldn't help but keep coming back to her. He couldn't stay away, no matter how hard he tried.

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