Page 56 of Punishing His Runaway Bride
"You're thinking hard. Zoning out," she smiled. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," I said. "I should get to the office."
"Go ahead." She nodded. "The baby's with me."
I turned to leave.
Right then, the door swung open.
We both turned.
Olivia stood in the doorway.
She wore a loose, long dress, hair carelessly tied back, face still very pale. Those green eyes locked on the crib and immediately went red-rimmed.
"The baby." Her voice shook. "She's here?"
I nodded.
She stepped forward, eyes moving from the cradle to Bianca, then to me.
Her expression froze.
I saw something flicker across her face—confusion, hurt, something deep and compressed.
She stared at us both.
"Can I..." Olivia's voice was careful, testing. "Can I look at her?"
"Of course," I said.
She moved fast to the cradle edge.
Bianca naturally positioned herself between the cradle and Olivia.
"Mrs. Visconti." Bianca smiled gently, voice soft. "Juliet just fell asleep. She was restless last night, multiple times, she's exhausted now."
Olivia froze.
"I just want to look," she said, voice trembling. "I won't wake her. I'll just stand here and look."
"I know you want to see her," Bianca said, still gentle but unmovable. "But she really needs rest. Newborn sleep is crucial. If she's disturbed, she wakes and starts crying again. She already cried too much last night."
She paused, eyes glinting with genuine care.
"And you look so tired. Complexion's bad, body not recovered yet? If the baby wakes up fussing, you'll just get more drained."
Olivia stared at her, lips shaking.
"I'm not tired," she said. "I just want to see my child."
"I understand," Bianca said, stepping slightly forward, voice quieter. "But this isn't the right time. Later this afternoon, when she wakes up in a better mood, you can come back. Then she'll smile at you, let you hold her. Won't that be better?"
She turned to look at me.
"Ezio, you agree, right?"
I looked at Olivia.
