The Billionaire Secret surrogate

Chapter 5

Livia's POV

“Don’t touch me.”

The softness disappeared from Dante’s face as if it had never been there. His jaw tightened, and the warmth in his eyes vanished completely. He looked at me with a coldness I had never seen before, and somehow that frightened me more than if he had shouted.

“You told Maristella I was stupid,” I said. My voice was surprisingly steady now. “You told her I would come crawling back to you after this. You laughed about me.”

“I was only pretending,” he said quickly.

“You planned this with my father. You sold me.”

Dante stared at me without saying anything. The mask he had been wearing slipped away little by little, revealing something underneath that I had never seen in him before. It was not love, and it was not pain. It was calculation, as if he were looking at me and trying to decide how to deal with a problem that had suddenly become inconvenient.

I turned towards the door, desperate to get away from him, but before I could take another step, his arm locked around my waist from behind. He moved so quickly that I barely had time to react before something cold and damp was pressed over my mouth and nose.

I struggled against him, but my body was already becoming weak.

A strange smell filled my head, and the room seemed to spin around me.

“Dante…”

My voice came out muffled.

His mouth was close to my ear as he whispered, “You always had to make everything difficult.”

The last thing I remember was the sound of my own frightened breathing before the room slowly faded into darkness.

---

The drug turned my muscles weak and heavy.

I sagged against Dante’s chest, unable to control my arms or legs. He held me upright with one arm around my waist and kept the cloth over my face until the room became nothing more than a blur.

When he finally pulled it away, I gasped for air.

The ceiling tilted above me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the dizziness would stop. It did not.

“What are you doing?” I asked, but my tongue felt thick, and the words came out slowly.

Dante lowered me into a chair and locked the door behind him. The sharp click of the lock made fear rush through me.

Then he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto the floor.

He was not hurried or nervous. He looked completely calm, and there was even a small smile on his face.

“They’ll know,” I said, gripping the arms of the chair because I was afraid I would slide out of it. “If something happens to me, they’ll know. They’ll examine me again, and they’ll find out.”

Dante crouched in front of me and tilted his head.

“And what do you think they will do when they find out?”

I stared at him.

“They brought you here to carry Alessio Valenti’s child,” he said quietly. “You are under the Valenti family’s protection, and everyone already knows you are part of their private programme. If they discover that another man has been with you, do you really think they will listen to your explanation?”

My stomach turned.

“They could accuse you of breaking the agreement,” he continued. “Your father already signed the documents. The Valenti family has lawyers, doctors and enough power to make sure the story goes the way they want it to.”

He smiled without any warmth.

“And when they ask who was responsible, who do you think they will believe? You, or me?”

I could barely breathe.

“You have Maristella,” I whispered. My voice cracked, and I hated how frightened I sounded. “You already got rid of me. Why are you doing this?”

Dante slowly stood.

The smile disappeared from his face, leaving behind something darker and more disturbing.

“Because I can't stand knowing that I never had you.”

I stared at him.

“For three years, Livia, you were my girlfriend, but you never really let me have you,” he said bitterly. “You would kiss me and then pull away. You would let me hold you, but you always told me we should wait. You kept telling me that some things were supposed to happen after marriage.”

His expression hardened.

“I waited. I respected your stupid rules. I stayed patient, and what did I get for it? Nothing.”

He stepped closer to me.

“And now you come here and suddenly you are important. The Valenti family chooses you to carry their heir, and everyone starts treating you like you are some precious woman who deserves special protection.”

He bent down until his face was close to mine.

“Do you really think you are special because they chose you?”

His fingers closed around my chin.

“You are not special, Livia. You are useful. That is all.”

The drug had made my thoughts slow and confused, but his words still reached me clearly.

And then something inside me clicked.

If Dante had really wanted me, he had three years to fight for me. He had three years to pressure me, but he never did. Instead, he had been patient and careful, waiting for the right opportunity.

Then I came to the Valenti estate.

I became the woman chosen to carry Alessio’s heir.

And suddenly Dante wanted me again.

He did not want me.

He wanted what my body could give him.

The fear inside me did not disappear, but something colder began to take its place.

“You want the baby,” I whispered.

Dante's fingers went still.

“You want to get me pregnant,” I continued, forcing the words out through my dry throat. “You want to use my pregnancy to put your own child into the Valenti family and make everyone believe the baby belongs to Alessio.”

For a brief moment, surprise crossed Dante’s face.

Then it disappeared.

He did not deny it.

“You don't need to understand the whole plan,” he said as he straightened. “You only need to cooperate.”

He took a step towards me.

Panic rushed through my body.

I looked around the room and saw the heavy metal candleholder sitting on the side table. I reached for it with the little strength I had left and knocked it onto the floor.

The loud crash echoed through the room.

Dante froze.

A moment later, footsteps sounded in the hallway.

“Ms Bellandi?” someone called from outside. “Is everything all right?”

Dante's jaw tightened.

He quickly picked up his shirt from the floor and pulled it on. By the time the door opened slightly, his entire expression had changed.

He looked calm.

Concerned.

Almost innocent.

“She lost her balance,” he told the staff member. “She knocked the candleholder over.”

The staff member looked at me.

I was shaking, my face was hot, and tears were running down my cheeks. From the outside, I probably looked like a frightened woman who had simply lost her balance.

“I’m fine,” I managed to say. “I just want to go back to my room.”

The staff member helped me stand and began guiding me towards the door. My legs were still weak, and I had to lean against them to keep from falling.

Dante followed us.

As soon as we stepped into the hallway, his hand closed around my upper arm.

To anyone watching, it probably looked harmless.

It wasn't.

His fingers dug into my skin, and his grip was strong enough to make me wince.

“Say one word about tonight,” he whispered so quietly that only I could hear him, “and I'll destroy your family.”

I froze.

“Your father is already under my control,” he continued. “But your brother Elio is still young. He has his whole future ahead of him.”

My hand immediately went to the locket around my neck.

Elio.

My little brother.

The person I had spent years protecting.

Dante leaned closer.

“One call from me could destroy his future,” he whispered. “His school, his opportunities, everything he is working towards. Don't make me do it.”

My blood ran cold.

“Please,” I whispered.

Dante smiled.

“Be a good girl, Livia.”

He released my arm and gently patted my shoulder as though he had just comforted me.

“And Elio stays safe.”

He smiled politely at the staff member, nodded once, and walked away down the corridor as though nothing had happened.

I stood there unable to move.

The walk back to my room was a blur. I barely noticed the people around me or the quiet sounds of the estate. All I could hear was my own heartbeat.

Elio.

My baby brother.

Dante knew exactly where to hurt me, and he had found the one thing that could force me into silence.

The drug was getting stronger instead of wearing off. Heat spread through my body in waves, and my skin felt strangely hot. My thoughts became harder to control, and I struggled to keep myself standing.

I stumbled through the door of Alessio’s private room.

The room was dark and quiet.

Alessio was still lying exactly where I had left him, motionless beneath the soft light of the medical equipment. His breathing was steady, and for some reason, seeing him made me feel a little less afraid.

I did not choose to go to his bed.

At least, that was what I told myself.

My legs carried me towards him because I was weak, frightened and desperate for somewhere safe. Everything that had happened with Dante had left me terrified, and Alessio was the only person in the entire estate who could not hurt me.

I reached the bed and slowly climbed onto the mattress.

I had been holding my breath for what felt like hours, and when I finally let it out, it came out as a shaky sigh.

I moved closer to Alessio and rested my head against his shoulder.

His body was warm.

Solid.

Safe.

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to calm myself.

“Please,” I whispered into the darkness.

My fingers tightened around the front of his shirt as another wave of fear passed through me.

A small, helpless sound escaped my throat before I could stop it.

Then I felt movement.

A hand suddenly closed around my wrist.

My eyes flew open.

A cold voice came from beside me.

“How dare you?”