Chapter 171: Too Late for Love, Not for Truth.
Alessandro’s POV
Leonardo let out a bitter laugh, one without an ounce of humor. He swirled the liquid in his glass, eyes still fixed on it like it might give him a different truth.
“I thought about that too,” he admitted, voice rough. “The moment she told me, my first instinct was to call it a lie.
I even asked her for proof test results, something concrete.”
“And?” I leaned in, my gut tight.
“She showed me a report,” he muttered.
“Had my name on it, said she was eight weeks along. The dates line up.
It was… right before everything with Aurora blew up.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to process it.
Leonardo looked over at me, his eyes bloodshot but sharp.
“Do I trust her?
Hell no.
But even if there’s just a chance it’s true… I can’t ignore it. Not after everything I’ve already done wrong.”
“You still could get a proper test,” I said.
“Not something Lena waves in your face.”
“I will,” he said quietly. “Eventually. But right now? I think I’m just too damn tired to fight.”
I sighed and leaned back in my seat again.
“Leo… I didn’t come here to judge you. I came here because I don’t want this to break us. We’re brothers. Blood or not.”
“I know,” he said, voice low.
“But I need you to hear this,” I added.
“Aurora… she’s not yours anymore. And she deserves better than being a piece in a war between us.”
He nodded slowly, finishing what was left in his glass.
“She already chose,” he said.
“And I don’t blame her. I gave her every reason to walk away.” His voice cracked slightly.
“So, don’t worry. There’s no fight left in me for her. Not after what I’ve done.”
I looked at him really looked.
He wasn’t putting on a front this time.
No fake smirk. No arrogant shrug.
Just a man sitting in the ruins of his own choices.
Haunted. Wrecked. Maybe finally honest.
And for the first time in a long while… I believed him.
“Have you told her?” I asked, lifting my glass and taking a slow sip.
He turned his head, brows furrowed.
“Told her what?”
“That Lena is pregnant with your child?”
His whole face shifted. His eyes widened like I’d just slapped him.
“You want me to tell her?” he burst out, voice full of disbelief.
“Are you crazy?”
He leaned forward, hands gripping the edge of the bar like it could anchor him.
“She’ll hate me for the rest of my life, Alessandro.
Because then she’ll know the truth. That I was a lying, cheating asshole pretending to love her while screwing someone else behind her back.”
I let out a breath and shook my head.
“And not telling her?” I said quietly.
“You think that’s any better?”
He didn’t respond.
“She may not be with you anymore, Leo, but she still deserves the truth.
You owe her that much, at least.
Because if she hears it from someone else especially someone like Lena…”
I paused, letting the weight of my words hang.
“…then she’ll never speak to you again. Not even out of pity.”
His jaw tightened. I could see it hitting him, all at once.
And I hated that I had to be the one to say it.
But someone had to.
“You want to drink yourself into the floor, go ahead,” I said.
“But if there’s even one decent piece of you left, you’ll go find her and say it to her face.”
Leonardo didn’t speak for a while.
He just sat there, breathing hard, staring at the bar like it might give him an escape route.
Then, finally, he muttered, “She already looks at me like I ruined her.”
“You did,” I said, not sugarcoating it.
He winced. But he didn’t argue.
“And I’ll carry that,” he whispered. “Every damn day.”
His hands rubbed his face, and for a moment, he looked like a man who hadn’t slept in years.
“I just wanted her to be happy,” he said, voice cracking. “But I destroyed that too.”
“Then do the right thing,” I said, quieter now. “It won’t fix anything, but at least… it’ll show her that you’re not hiding anymore. That you’re done lying.”
Leonardo dropped his hands and leaned back on the stool, eyes tired. Broken.
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start by being honest,” I said. “For once. No games. No excuses. Just the truth.”
He gave a bitter laugh under his breath. “She’s going to hate me.”
“She probably already does,” I said gently.
“But that doesn’t mean you let someone else tell her the truth first. If you really ever loved her… then go and be a man about it.”
He didn’t reply this time. Just stared at his glass like the answer was at the bottom.
I let the silence stretch between us for a while. We didn’t need more words right now.
He knew what he had to do.
And whether he did it or not… that was on him now.
But one thing was clear.
If he stayed sitting at that bar, drowning in whiskey and regret, he’d lose the last sliver of respect I had left for him.
He might also lose the last shot to set things right.
Then, he pushed his glass back and got up.
He took out some cash, left it on the counter and walked off without another word.
He paused, his shoulders moving up and down as he took a deep breath as if he was ready for a fight.
Then he faced me.
His eyes looked worn out, but maybe, just maybe with a hint of hope in them.
“I really hope you’re right, Alessandro,” he whispered.
I looked at him and nodded lightly. “Well… you won't know unless you try.”
For the first time in a long while, Leonardo smiled a weak smile.
Then he left the bar.
*****
Not long after Leonardo left, Rafael slid into the seat beside me at the bar, a smug grin on his face.
“Are you done charming that beta, or did she turn you down flat?” I teased, raising an eyebrow.
He scoffed, tossing back his hair like he was in some kind of movie.
“No woman can resist my charm, Alessandro. I’m handsome and I know how to make a woman feel good.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Rafael, always so full of himself. When was he going to grow up?
Then he glanced toward the door. “I saw Leonardo a second ago. Looked like he was heading toward the pack hospital.”
I nodded. “Yeah. He’s going to see Aurora.”
Rafael paused, brows raised.
“Oh... that’s... um… brave of him. Aurora basically hates his guts right now.”
I nodded again.
“She does. But he wants to explain everything.
And… he’s going to tell her that Lena is pregnant with his child.”
Rafael was just lifting his glass for a sip when the words hit him.
He choked, sputtered, and nearly spit his drink all over the bar.
“What?!” he coughed, eyes wide like saucers.
“You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”