Lola De Rossi’s POV
The terrace lay in semi-darkness, lit only by the soft garden lights and the distant glow of the sea. Alessandro watched me expectantly, with that mix of pride and concern I had learned to recognize in him. The children were asleep inside, Carla keeping watch. Isabella had disappeared early, as if she sensed the coming storm.
I took a deep breath, the weight of the past few years crashing down on me like a slab of stone.
“Papà… the triplets are not biologically mine.”
He tensed, but didn’t interrupt. He only tightened his grip on my hand.
“I was a surrogate,” I continued, my voice trembling as the memories resurfaced. “In New York. I worked as an assistant to a powerful CEO, Adrián Valcourt. He and his wife, Claudia, couldn’t have children. They offered a genero
