The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 46

~ Violet -

"Ouch...!"

TWO WEEKS LATER

Sierra yelped in pain as the doctor ripped off the bandage on her stomach.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Dr. Lee asked.

"No, it's just the band-aid," she shook her head.

Ever since she got back to the estate, Damon put Dr. Lee on Violet's backing call. The doctor was to monitor the healing process of her bullet wound as well as the baby's condition.

"Hmm. I see the scar's really clearing up," Dr. Lee said as she poured some ointment to Violet's skin. She rubbed it on the scar Violet got from the surgery.

"You think so?" Violet asked, looking down to her stomach. She couldn't see where Dr. Lee was pointing because her baby bump was in the way. Yes, at 13 weeks old, she had a little baby bump now.

"Just a few more weeks, and it'll be good as new," Dr. Lee said as she replaced the old bandage with a new one.

"And how's the baby doing?" Damon interjected. He was standing on the side of the bed where Violet lay, right behind Dr. Lee.

"The baby's doing great. You two have nothing to worry about," Dr. Lee smiled reassuringly as she gathered her stuff.

Damon glanced at Violet and they shared a smile. Violet felt a tingling in her stomach every time the word 'baby' got brought up. Maybe it was just her being too excited, or maybe the baby knew people were talking about it.

"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll see you in the next few days for another check up," Dr. Lee said as she got up. "I still prescribe lots of water and plenty of rest,"

"Thank you, doctor," Damon nodded to the doctor as she exited the room.

Violet's hand went to pull down her shirt, covering the new bandage on her lower stomach. The surgery was a success and the wound didn't hurt her as much anymore, but the scar was still there. Sometimes when she looked at it in the mirror, she got reminded of that night and it pained her. She remembered Adrian and she remembered the terror of thinking she lost her baby.

But then, Violet also got reminded of how short life really is. She almost lost it all, but she didn't. She was here now, with the love of her life, expecting their child together. So despite the battle scar, that was something to be grateful for.

"I can't believe it," Damon said as he put a hand on her stomach, rubbing her gently. "Our baby's almost four months old,"

"I know," Violet said with a smile. "I can't wait to meet our baby,"

And just then, there was another flutter in her stomach. Damon felt it too and his eyes shot up in shock.

"I think our baby feels the same way," Violet said with a laugh.

Damon's lips curved into the biggest smile. And that made Violet smile widely too.

"So, I have to attend some meetings in the city today. I won't be back until late. Are you gonna be okay here? Should I send Elena to watch you?" Damon asked.

"I'll be fine. I'll just go see Talia. I wanna know how she's doing too,"

"Okay," he said as he grabbed his suit and bag. "Just make sure you get enough rest. Don't overwork yourself,"

"Yes, master," Violet said playfully.

Damon stopped moving immediately. He glanced at her and caught her playful smirk. Stifling a laugh and shaking his head, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, sweet girl,"

"I love you, Damon,"

Damon took one last long look at her before turning for the door. But before he could exit, he stopped himself again and turned around.

"...Liam and Beau will be around the house in case you need anything," he said.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," she said reassuringly. "Go,"

Damon nodded his head and pulled the door open.

"I'll see you later tonight," "See you,"

Damon closed the door as he kept looking at her. He must really didn't want to go, but this meeting seemed important. Damon hadn't left the estate ever since they got back, except for Adrian's funeral. But since he was turning their business upside down, he had a lot of things on the to-do list and it was inevitable that he had to leave the house sometime.

While Damon was busy with that, Violet, on the other hand, was only told to rest and rest. Dr. Lee and Elena would take turns monitoring her condition. Sometimes Liam and Beau got involved too. Violet felt that this was too much, but Damon insisted. The only time Violet could really be alone was when she visited Talia in her cottage.

Talia was coping with everything the best way she knew how. She mostly hid inside the cottage, knitting or painting. She also refused to see most people, except for Violet and the doctor.

Whenever Violet came to visit Talia, they rarely talked about Adrian. They mostly talked about the babies or other generic topics like the weather. Violet couldn't even begin to imagine what Talia must be feeling like, losing the love of her life. Talia hadn't smiled or laughed since the funeral. Violet could only hope that someday she would smile again.

After taking a quick shower and putting on a light jacket, Violet headed out of the mansion and to the garden. She greeted Elena and a few other maids on her way out. She also grabbed some freshly-baked muffins from the kitchen to bring to Talia. Violet approached Talia's cottage with a basket full of muffins and some flowers in her hand. But when she was about to knock on the door, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar. "Talia...?"

Violet pushed the door back in confusion. It was unlike Talia to leave her door unlocked like this. Violet took a step inside and she noticed Talia standing in her bedroom. The door to the bedroom was open, and that was how Violet could see inside. Violet was about to head in and greet her, when suddenly, Liam appeared. Liam was inside the bedroom too. He came and stood in front of Talia and he hugged her with such force. Talia started sobbing as she rested her head on Liam's chest. Liam rested his chin on the top of her head as he stroked her hair. And suddenly-- Liam tilted her face up and kissed her.

Oh.

Violet stood in shock for a moment. Liam was kissing Talia, and she kissed him back. Not knowing what to do, Violet turned around quickly and left the cottage. She closed the door quietly behind her and walked away. "Miss Violet?"

Suddenly, another voice was heard. Violet turned to the side and saw Beau jogging over to her.

"Oh. Yes?"

"There's a phone call for you. It's from your brother,"

Oh?

~ Damon -

It had been an extremely long day. Damon didn't like being away from Violet and the estate, but this was an important meeting with some of the smaller families regarding the future of the Van Zandt empire.

These kinds of meetings were much doable when Adrian was around. Adrian was much better at negotiation and conflict resolution than him. But now that Adrian was gone, it was up to Damon to finish everything with level-headed wisdom. Yes, violence was not the answer anymore. Which was why he didn't even bring Liam or Beau to the meetings.

The point of these meetings was that Damon was pulling the Van Zandt family's protection over the smaller families under him. He no longer wanted to be a part of the dark underworld, so these families would have to fend for themselves on their own. They tried reasoning with Damon, some even asked for money since Damon breached their contract. Damon willingly gave them all the resources he had, losing a lot of money in the process, but gaining an immeasurable amount of peace.

When he was finally done with the meetings today, Damon returned home just after dinnertime. He thought Violet would be in bed by now, so he raced to the bedroom as soon as he walked in. To his surprise, however, Violet wasn't in there.

Damon let out a sigh and shook his head. Violet must be in the kitchen again, crafting some coffee concoction because she was so bored. He didn't like the fact that Violet wasn't obeying the doctor's orders. After taking off his jacket, Damont turned around and headed downstairs into the kitchen.

"...Hold me close and hold me fast... The magic spell you cast... This is la vie en rose..."

As Damon was nearing the kitchen, he heard Violet's voice singing. The frown on his face turned around instantly.

"When you kiss me heaven sighs... and though I close my eyes... I see la vie en rose..."

Damon stood at the kitchen doorway, leaning against it. Violet had her back turned to him, so she didn't realize he was there. She was also busily pouring tea into a cup, dancing a little as she sang. "Damon?!" Violet gasped in shock when she turned around. "How long have you been in there?"

"Long enough,"

"I-I was just-"

"Please, don't let me interrupt you,"

"I was just making some tea," she blushed and looked away. "Do you want some?"

Damon let out a chuckle and came closer.

"Sure. I'll have whatever you're having," he said.

"Okay," she said as she turned for the counter and reached for another cup.

Damon stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her body. He felt her body relaxing against him. She rested her head on his shoulder as she stirred some honey into the cup.

"How was your day?" he murmured to her ear.

"It was good," she replied. "I went to see Talia and... oh! My brother called!"

Violet turned around instantly, looking Damon in the eyes.

"He did?"

"Yeah, I hope that's alright that he called,"

"Fine by me," he shrugged. "After what we did to Hugo, no one's gonna dare cross us ever again,"

The people who were trying to tap the phone lines were all linked to Hugo, and now that Hugo was dead, all of them turned around. The Van Zandt estate was strong and safe from any attack whatsoever. "What did Dylan want?" Damon asked.

"Nothing, he just wants to talk..." Violet said cautiously, gauging Damon's reaction. "But, anyway... I was thinking, maybe I should go see my family for a bit,"

"You wanna leave?" Damon was taken aback.

"Not forever," Violet shook her head quickly. "Just a little bit. Just to see how my mom and brother are doing. Dylan was telling me that Ivy, his wife, is pregnant too. And they really miss me," "But I really miss you too," Damon argued.

"It's only for a few days," Violet said pleadingly.

Damon thought about it for a moment. Narrowing his eyes at her, he then asked, "Will he be there?"

"He?" Violet asked back. "Oh, you mean Luke?"

Damon didn't respond in words, but the jealous look in his eyes said it all.

"Well, he lives in that town..." Violet trailed.

"Why don't we just have your family over here?" Damon suggested. "We can fly them out,"

"Really? You don't trust me that much?" she scoffed.

"I trust you. I just don't trust anyone around you,"

"Damon,"

"Besides, I don't think it's safe for you to travel on your own. I learned some pretty disturbing news at the meeting today,"

"Oh, no," she gaped. "What happened?"

"Turns out, Hugo fathered two illegitimate sons outside his marriage. His sons are now out for vengeance," Damon sighed and raked his hair with his hand.

Out of everything he had to listen to today, this was probably the worst. One of the smaller families knew about Hugo's affair and they heard about his sons possibly building an army to fight back. "What?!" she squeaked.

"They're small-time crooks with no backing. It shouldn't be hard to get rid of them. But it's gonna take some time," Damon said reassuringly.

Violet's eyes were filled with worry. Damon didn't want to tell her these things because he didn't want to stress her out, but it was useless to hide things from her. He wanted to try something different now. Open and honest communication, and let her decide on her

own.

"I don't want you to worry, but I hope you understand why I don't feel good letting you out of the house for now," Damon said again, putting a hand on her cheek.

Violet thought for a moment before nodding her head meekly. Damon let out a sigh of relief and took the cup of tea from behind her.

"Good girl," he said as he sipped his drink.

"But... Can we really fly my family up here?" she asked. "Even Luke?"

"You want him to come too?" he scoffed irritatedly.

"He's still my friend-"

"Who you had feelings for,"

"Not in that way," she said sternly, shaking her head. "I only said it so you'd let us go,"

"So you don't really love him?"

"Not the way I love you,"

"What about the wedding?"

Violet let out a sigh and put her hands on Damon's face.

"Luke is only being a good friend. He didn't want me to raise a baby alone. And we're living in a very small town where people are judgy..." Violet paused for a beat before continuing. "Nothing's going on between us, but I left him in such a haste. I feel like he deserves some closure..." Damon narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't like the idea of Luke being around her at all, but Violet was being persistent. Looking at her bright purple eyes, Damon didn't have the strength to say no.

"Fine," he said with a defeated sigh. "I'll have Liam pick them up with the jet,"

"Thank you!" Violet exclaimed happily, jumping up to hug him.

"But I'm not letting him alone with you! Beau's gonna be watching-"

Before Damon could finish his sentence, Violet stood on her tippy toes and pressed her lips against his, shutting him up with a kiss.