Revenge in Rio

by Samantha Darling

  “Try me.”

  “I just…wanted to keep…you safe…”

  Daniella’s incoherent ramblings didn’t make sense to him.

  “You’re not making any sense. Why do you still insist on this ridiculous notion of my safety?”

  “Because Miguel wanted to kill you. How can you love and honor a monster like that? Tell me.”

  He almost laughed at the outrageous accusation. “Why would my own brother want to kill me?”

  She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand before she answered. “Because he despised you, envied you. Jealousy made him evil. You had the good job, the nice things, the girl…you had bettered yourself and left the gang, and he didn’t want to see you happy.”

  “Are you sure there is nothing else but fluids in that IV?” Luca asked the doctor.

  “Positive.”

  He watched Daniella breathe through another contraction, and she squeezed his hand so tightly the bones in his fingers clicked.

  “If what you’re saying is true and he was so evil, why the hell did you marry him?”

  “I had no choice.”

  Luca laughed. “So, he tied you down at the altar and forced the words from your mouth, did he? I can’t believe I’m even listening to this and engaging with your deluded fantasy.”

  “He wanted to hurt you and knew the best way to do that was by using me. I had to hurt you. He knew how much you loved me, and he wanted to see you heartbroken…for something to finally go wrong with your perfect life.”

  “I still don’t understand where my life comes into this? So what, you chose my brother, it didn’t mean I would curl up and die of a broken heart.”

  Her bottom lip trembled uncontrollably. “He gave me an ultimatum. He said if I stayed with you, he wouldn’t rest until he found you and killed you. Or I could simply end our relationship—break your heart by marrying him. Leave you and choose the better brother as he put it. Only then would he spare your life.”

  Luca stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. His disbelief began to waver. Surely she couldn’t make up such implausible stories like this?

  “What about the baby? You were not planning a family?” He shook his head in disbelief.

  Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

  Her face contorted and Luca was unable to determine whether it was due to his question or the contractions.

  “I asked you if you were planning a family.”

  Daniella covered her face with her hands.

  He pulled both her hands away from her face. “Answer me.”

  She struggled to whisper. “No.”

  The anguish in her expression tore at his heart. Was she really trying to say what he was thinking? Surely not.

  “I don’t understand. So the child was an accident? Not planned?”

  “None of that matters now.”

  There was no doubt in his mind Daniella loved her baby, but she hadn’t chosen this?

  As if someone had flicked a switch in his brain, it all began to register slowly. Piece by piece the jigsaw puzzle became clearer—the bruises, the constant worrying, the apprehension and the nerves when he touched her. The revulsion for his brother evident every time she spoke of him. Had his brother taken her body against her will over the years, resulting in the situation she was in right now?

  “He raped you?” Even the word disgusted him.

  Daniella turned her head to face away from him.

  “I think perhaps you may like to go and get a drink, Mr. Venancio?” The doctor shifted from foot to foot and looked anxiously at him.

  “No, I’m fine.” His gaze was intent on Daniella. “Tell me, Daniella.” He took hold of her hand again, this time softly rubbing the pad of his thumb across her knuckles. “Please, just look at me. I’m not the monster you think I am.”

  The slightest nod of her head answered his demand.

  “Jesus Christ,” he whispered. “So…everything was against your will?”

  “Yes. This child is lucky to be alive after the way he battered me black and blue on a regular basis.”

  “Why…why didn’t you leave…just run? When I had left Brazil you must have known I would be safe.”

  He was used to dealing with hard negotiations and world renowned business tycoons, not this. Not Daniella’s emotions. Not his own emotions.

  Not a child about to born any second!

  “Miguel said if I left, he would find you wherever you had gone. I had no money, no family. I was practically brainwashed and I had no clue what to believe in the end.”

  He leaned forward and brought her hand to his lips, careful not to touch the IV.

  “So you have lived a life of imprisonment, for me? You sacrificed your life for what…to save mine?”

  Daniella simply nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Because I loved you. If that meant us being apart, then so be it. I was prepared for that. At least you were still alive in the world, breathing, and not on a mortuary slab.”

  He opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him. He wanted to gather her in his arms and hold her close. He’d been told the couple was in love, that his brother had won the girl fair and square, or so he had been led to believe. His private detective had not reported any observations apart from Daniella attending the hospital once in a while.

  “Shit,” he muttered to himself as another part of the puzzle clicked into place. “You said loved?” He looked down at her hand still in his.

  “Yes. Loved.”

  “But—”

  “Daniella, we’re ready,” the doctor interrupted. “You’re fully dilated. A few really strong pushes and your little one will be with us.”

  “Please, just go.”

  The hard lump had returned at the back of his throat and however hard he swallowed, it wouldn’t budge. Was this the physical manifestation of how guilt felt? He owed it to her to stay firmly by her side.

  He kissed the back of her hand again. “I’m not going anywhere. You need me here, and more importantly, I want to be here.”

  “I don’t want you seeing me like this.”

  “I’m not leaving you or this little one, do you hear me? You are beautiful. You are amazing, and you can do this.” He placed his hand on her rock hard belly.

  As the doctor shuffled past Luca, he lowered his voice and said, “The baby is premature, do you have facilities to care for such demands here?”

  The doctor shook her head. “No, we don’t. The women here just pray that their child arrives into the world strong and healthy.”

  Luca dragged his free hand over his face. The faintest murmur of a prayer passed his lips for both mother and the child about to be born into the doctor’s arms.

  “Just one more big push, that’s it. Daniella, your baby is here.”

  Daniella could hear Dr. Menezes’s voice, but it seemed muffled, as if she was in another room and calling through the wall.

  Tiredness washed over her and she could barely lift her head to look at baby.

  “What…what is it?” she whispered, closing her eyes.

  “You have a perfect…” Luca’s voice faded further away into the same room as the doctor.

  * * * *

  “You gave us all a fright coming into the world so suddenly, little one.”

  Luca. He was close by. Slowly, she opened and closed her eyes a couple of times to adjust to the light. The room was different, but strangely familiar. The clinical whitewashed walls and terracotta curtains triggered a memory. The curtains. She was at the clinic where Luca had arranged for her scans.

  “Daniella?” His hand was on top of hers.

  “What…happened?” Her voice was croaky. She closed her eyes again. How did I get here?

  She recalled hearing Luca’s voice telling her that her baby had been born and then…nothing. The rest was a strange and heavy blur. She concentrated on the dimmed spotlights in the ceiling as the dizziness subsided. What happened?

  Her baby!
>
  “My baby! Where’s my baby?”

  Panic rushed through her veins and her heart banged furiously in her chest. The cold numbness of dread filled her entire body and paralyzed her for the faintest of seconds.

  “She’s right here.” Luca smiled and his face was radiant, a brilliant white smile.

  He held a small bundle completely swaddled in soft pink blankets. A tiny, perfectly shaped nose peeped out of the top of the material.

  “Sh…she?” Her voice caved as tears burned the corners of her eyes. I have a girl? A painful lump formed in her throat as she swallowed.

  “Yes. You have a beautiful and healthy daughter. Congratulations.”

  She put her weight on to her palms and pushed herself up the bed, desperate to get a look at her baby. The pink blankets were neatly wrapped around her daughter as she peacefully slept in Luca’s arms.

  To see him hold her baby—her daughter—just inches away, and to have the potential to get up and leave frightened her. Judging by what he had put her through, she knew he was no better than his brother. The only difference was Luca’s financial stability, which meant he had immediate access to ways and means of ensuring she never saw her flesh and blood again. Her stomach somersaulted and nausea washed over her.

  “Please, can I…” Daniella stretched out her arms. Fear clawed at her throat and stopped her midsentence. She’d never wanted anything more than to have her child in her arms right now.

  Was he going to snatch her away? She recalled him stating he had obligations to the child when he’d first shown up in Rio. Did he intend to fight for guardianship?

  Luca’s brow furrowed as he gazed down the infant. He gave the bundle a gentle squeeze and placed a kiss on her forehead, and she stirred in his arms.

  “Of course.”

  Hesitant, Daniella watched as he stood and loomed over her. The maternity ward blankets and their contents appeared so teeny between his muscular arms. For a moment, Luca could have been mistaken for the doting new father who was learning how to handle his newborn child—all fingers and thumbs.

  “Here.” He gently placed the child into Daniella’s waiting arms.

  The churning in her stomach stopped as she held her baby close to her body for the first time. Unconditional love coursed through her and she knew right then that she would do anything for her. Absolutely anything. She would go to whatever lengths were necessary to protect this little one, anywhere and anyhow.

  “My beautiful little girl.” She dipped her head closer and whispered to the sleeping newborn. “I’m your mamãe.”

  Forgetting Luca was present, she focused her undivided attention on the miracle in her arms and traced a finger down her daughter’s cheek, stroking the downy hairs that covered her small, rosy cheeks. She was completely oblivious to the chaos she had caused just hours before. Her small, rosebud-shaped lips were slightly parted as she breathed, her chest rising and falling with each minute movement.

  She wriggled in her mother’s arms before she opened her eyes. Large, dark brown pools greeted Daniella before her eyelids crept down and sleep claimed her again.

  Luca leaned forward and smiled again. It was genuine and full of adoration. She’d never seen him so animated, so alive with love. It was amazing how a newborn child could make a person feel. However harsh a man could be, however nasty and full of angst and betrayal, a tiny newborn baby could bring him to his knees.

  “She looks just like you.” He caressed the child’s soft cheek with the back of his index and middle finger.

  Concentrating on the little girl’s face as she nuzzled close to Luca’s fingers, Daniella couldn’t see her resemblance at all. Instead, she had all the features of the Venancio bloodline, with the chocolate brown eyes and a head of thick black locks. There was no disputing her family name whatsoever.

  “Can you please leave now?” She hesitated and drew her gaze from her child’s to his.

  She’d whispered the words and now wished she’d voiced them louder, with confidence and control, but she feared if she angered him he would be impulsive with his actions. He was a Venancio after all and nothing would surprise her now.

  He was silent and unmoving for a moment before stuffing his hands into his pocket.

  “Sim.”

  Daniella’s heart leapt. The way he looked at her baby was mesmerizing, as if the little girl had him spellbound. He kissed his forefinger and rested it on her cheek.

  Please don’t kiss me.

  She closed her eyes and silenced the war between her heart and her mind. More than anything she wanted his lips on hers, his arms locked around her and her baby. They could be the perfect family. No. No, we can’t be the perfect family. Far from it. She reluctantly opened her eyes.

  “I’ll be outside.”

  She paused before she spoke, searching for the right words. “I would rather you left…completely.”

  She watched the sleeping child, nestled safely in her arms, and purposely avoided any further eye contact with Luca. The soft click of the door handle told her that he’d left.

  Chapter 13

  The doctor appeared in the doorway seconds after Luca left.

  “You’re awake.” She smiled. “And I see you have finally been introduced to your daughter.”

  Daniella returned the smile. “She’s perfect. No…she is beyond perfect.”

  “She certainly is. You did brilliantly.” The doctor placed the blood pressure cuff around Daniella’s arm and positioned the SATS monitor over her index finger. “Do you have a name for this little one yet?”

  “No. I thought I still had time to think about it.”

  “Well, life is full of surprises. There’s no rush, you will think of a beautiful name for her when you least expect it.”

  Silence hung in the air as the doctor recorded Daniella’s observations, the blood pressure cuff creating a whoosh sound as it released and beeped with the result.

  “What happened? I remember hearing her cry, but…I can’t seem to recall anything else.”

  Doctor Menezes folded up the cuff and hung the stethoscope around her neck as a flicker of a frown crossed her face.

  “After your baby was born you suffered a postpartum hemorrhage and lost an extremely large amount of blood.” Standing still, the doctor looked from the sleeping child to Daniella. “It was touch and go. If you’d have stayed at in Rocinha…” She swallowed and held Daniella’s gaze. “Well, let us just be thankful that Mr. Venancio was able to get you here quickly. Ambulances do not venture into the favela, and even if they did, the wait would have been too long. Yes, we provided you with the care here, but it was he who managed to drive you here in time and ultimately save your life.”

  Tears stung the corners of Daniella’s eyes as realization hit her front on. She would never have seen her daughter if it hadn’t been for Luca. She looked down at the contented child.

  “And she’s okay?”

  “She’s absolutely fine. A few weeks early, but the neonatal nurses and the consultant have checked her over and there is no need for any special care. She just needs lots of love and nurturing.”

  Daniella nodded, unable to speak for fear of unleashing the torrent of emotion inside of her.

  “He didn’t leave your side, you know. From the minute he arrived in Rocinha until just this very second, Mr. Venancio has been right beside you with this little one.”

  * * * *

  Daniella concentrated on her daughter who had dozed off after nursing for the countless time. Not that she minded. Daniella loved holding her small miracle of life close as she nuzzled skin-to-skin.

  A tray of freshly prepared dinner had been served just minutes before and Daniella’s tummy rumbled. Picking up the solid silver knife and fork, she took a mouthful of the beef churrasco and coconut lime rice that the hospital chef had prepared on request.

  “Anything you wish to eat, our chefs will prepare it. You name it,” the nurses had told her.

  It was delicious and she quickl
y appreciated how hungry she was as the food hit her belly with comforting warmth.

  A knock on the door startled her and her fork clattered against the fine china plate. Before she could call out for the visitor to enter, the door handle turned and she was met with Luca once again.

  He’d left a few hours ago when she had insisted and she should have known it was too good to be true to believe he would actually follow her wishes completely.

  “May I come in?” He stood in the doorway and waited for her answer.

  She pushed the tray away from her lap and attempted to shuffle toward the edge of the bed.

  “No, stay where you are. You are meant to be resting.”

  “What do you want?” She tried to keep her voice down.

  “I would like to come in and talk to you instead of hanging around the doorway.”

  “Fine, but be quiet.”

  Luca stepped into the room and quickly closed the door behind him. He held a Louis Vuitton travel bag in one hand and a huge spray of tropical flowers in the other. “I brought you some of your things. Figured you would want a change of clothes, some toiletries—”

  “They aren’t my things. You purchased them.”

  “What am I going to do with a room full of perfumes and women’s clothes? They’re for you.”

  “Throw them away. Give them away. Sell them. I don’t care what you do.”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Please, just keep them.”

  His dark, expressive eyes almost pleaded with her. She hesitated before she nodded in agreement and pulled her robe more tightly around her.

  “These are for you.” The cellophane crunched annoyingly as he placed the neatly wrapped bouquet on the table.

  “You do realize flowers won’t fix everything?” The brusqueness of her words even sent a shiver through her body.

  “That wasn’t the intention. I just thought you might like them.”

  She cast her gaze over the ridiculously huge bunch of flowers and admitted they were exquisite. An explosion of color from the laelias, poppy-papaver and quesnelia testudo flowers reminded her of Luca’s stunning private garden and she wondered if they were from there. The sweet perfume filled the room and created a tranquil, heavenly atmosphere.