When I got up the next morning, Stefano still hadn't texted me. I frowned and decided to walk out of my room. Unsurprisingly, the penthouse suite looked like a glittery frat house. There were cups everywhere and there was confetti and glitter everywhere. The decorations were looking a little less than perfect as they all dropped down or hung crookedly in the aftermath. I smiled and started picking up cups.

The front door opened and Bianca stumbled in, looking a little battered. "What are you doing?" She asked me.

"I'm cleaning up a bit. What are you doing?" I laughed as she squinted.

"It's too bright in here." She grumbled. "I'm checking to make sure everyone is still alive. And put that down, I have people coming by later to clean the place."

I bit back a smile and set the cups back down. "You look awful, Bianca."

She gave me a glare. "You're lucky you're pregnant or you'd be in the same boat right now."

I laughed. "Real funny." Suddenly, I winced, placing a hand over my belly.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Bianca asked, rushing towards me from across the room. Suddenly, she was alert.

I steadied myself against the desk and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-" I inhaled sharply as another wave of pain washed over me, making me feel dizzy.

"Alaya! Talk to me, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, still wincing. "I don't know, I think I need to sit down." I slid down the desk and onto the floor.

"Okay, uh, don't move! I'm going to go get Enzo. He's in my room." Bianca rushed out of the hotel room while I leaned my head back and focused on my breathing. My due date wasn't for another seven weeks, but I had a feeling my body was speeding the process along.

"What's happening, is everything okay?" One of the girls asked, poking her head out of one of the bedroom doors.

"Yeah, I think it's just Braxton Hicks contractions. The doctor told me this might happen, they're like fake labor."

Bianca rushed back in with Enzo who was already on the phone with Dr. Maxwell. I didn't think it was anything to worry about, but Enzo and the doctor both sounded worried, which scared me. They immediately started asking me questions about my contractions, their frequency and how tolerable they were. I did my best to answer them, but there was only one thing on my mind. "Stefano's not here. I can't have the baby without him here." I croaked.

Bianca's eyes widened in realization and understanding. "I'll call him, hang on."

"Alaya, can you stand up? We need to get you to a hospital. Dr. Maxwell said they will have everything you need to deliver a premature baby. There could be health risks if we don't go." Enzo asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think so." I mumbled, accepting his help up. I didn't want to go into labor right now, I wasn't ready. This had to be a false alarm, Stefano wasn't even here. "My back is killing me."

"That's completely normal, you're going into labor. Let's get you into the car." Bianca said, guiding me out of the room. "Someone call Alessio!" She yelled out as we passed one of the security guys Stefano had insisted we bring with us.

"Bianca, grab my purse!" I said, wincing. The gun Stefano had given me was in there. She nodded and ran back to the room.

Everything was happening so fast and the next thing I knew, I was sitting in a car. Bianca climbed in next to me and handed me my phone and my purse. "Stefano didn't answer, but I sent him a text. We're talking to Alessio right now."

"Stefano isn't answering?" I asked.

Bianca frowned. "It's okay, he's probably just busy."

"He can't be busy, I can't do this without him!" I cried as the car started moving.

"I know, Alaya, I know." She said, frustrated at the situation. "Just hang in there, okay? We'll take care of you. I'm going to get him on the phone with you as soon as I can. As soon as he knows you're in labor, he's going to drop everything to come be here." It was only a couple hour drive, but if he took a jet, he'd be here in under an hour.

I nodded in defeat. "Okay."

"Everything is going to be okay. Soon, you'll be holding your baby girl." She said, making me smile. "Here I grabbed this for you." She said, handing me a water bottle. "The hospital isn't too far, so we should be there in fifteen minutes."

"Security is following in a car behind us. They'll be there if something goes wrong." Enzo said from the front seat in an effort to comfort me.

"What are the chances that something goes wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing is going to go wrong." Bianca insisted.

I kept my thoughts to myself and prayed that she was right. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I wished Stefano was here with me because I didn't think I could do this without him. I also couldn't shake the idea that something was really, really wrong. He hadn't answered me the whole trip, which wasn't like him.

Bianca's phone pinged and I snapped my head towards her. "It's Alessio." I watched her read the text message carefully. "He said Stefano isn't at the Estate. He left a little after we did and hasn't been back since."

"What?" I asked.

Her worried eyes met mine.

"Where did he go?" I asked. Suddenly, the bad feeling I'd had the whole trip didn't feel like paranoia anymore.

Bianca shook her head. "We don't know."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I screamed in frustration. "He couldn't go MIA after I have this damn baby?"

Bianca grabbed my hand, but it did little to comfort me. "Don't worry, he's done this before. He'll show up eventually."

The car ride was short, but it felt like it took an eternity as my contractions came in waves. The only thing I could do was breathe and squeeze Bianca's hand. Enzo parked the car and met me on my side of the car.

He and Bianca helped me across the parking lot as the car with the other men acting as security parked. They rushed me inside and to the front desk where they spoke in rushed Italian to the lady sitting at the front desk. She looked from me to Enzo before calling over some nurses.

"Lei non parla Italiano." Enzo said as the nurses helped me into a wheelchair.

(She doesn't speak Italian.)

The nurses spoke in Italian as they wheeled my down a hallway with Enzo and Bianca hot on our heels. They took me to the maternity ward and into a private room. Enzo helped me up just as another nurse walked in.

"Hi, I'm Camilla. The other nurses don't speak English. What's you're name, dear?" She introduced herself.

"Alaya." I said, breathing out slowly.

She handed me a folded up hospital gown. "There's a private bathroom through that door. We're going to need you to change into this. Do you need any help changing?" She asked me.

"Bianca?" I asked, looking at her.

She nodded and took my hand. "Come on, let's get you changed."

Bianca closed the door behind me and held the gown while pulled my shirt over my head. She turned around as I unhooked my bra and pulled my underwear down. She blindly handed me the gown and I draped it over my body.

"Okay." I said, breathing a little heavy. I was between contractions, so the pain wasn't there, but changing my clothes during the last few weeks had really started to feel like a workout.

The next hour passed by in a blur and I almost felt numb to it all. The nurses were checking my dilation and giving me fluid through an IV while asking my questions I didn't always have the answer to. I was getting really stressed out laying here and even though I had Bianca and Enzo with me, I felt completely alone.

Stefano was nowhere to be found and I was in labor. The baby was six weeks early and I wasn't ready to deliver it without him. My breathing quickened in a panic.

"Alaya, you need to take deep breaths and relax so you can deliver a healthy baby girl." Camilla said.

"She's too early, she can't come out yet!" I argued.

"She's near-term, she'll be okay. You just have to let us do our job." She tried to reassure me.

"No, no, I can't do this without Stefano." I sobbed.

"Sweetie, you need to breathe. It's going to be okay."

I shook my head and closed my eyes. "No, I want to go home, I want to leave." I said, trying to sit up, but Camilla pushed my shoulders back down.

"Alaya!" Bianca yelled, slapping me across the face. It effectively got me to shut up and made the nurse gasp. "Pull yourself together! You're doing this whether you want to or not! Now breathe and listen to the nurses and doctor!"

I looked at Bianca in shock as the nurses checked my vitals.

She winced. "I'm sorry for hitting you, I didn't know what else to do."

I blinked. "It's okay." There was nothing in the world that I wanted to do more than just curl up under the blankets and cry, but Bianca was right. The baby was coming and she didn't care if her father was here or not. My priority should be my daughter.

The doctor checked me again before gently squeezing my knee. She said something in Italian.

"You're almost ready to push." Camilla translated.

As much as I loved Dr. Maxwell, I was so happy this doctor was a woman. My legs were wide open for everyone in the delivery room to see with the exception of Enzo and Bianca who were standing up by my head. This was probably the most intimate moment of my life.

I don't even know how to explain what happened after the doctor told me to push. It was the most intense, painful, rewarding and relieving experiences I'd ever had. The moment I heard my baby cry, an intense sense of relief washed over me. She was okay, she was crying and alive. I did it. I fucking did it.

As soon as the nurse put my daughter on my chest, I let out an exhausted sob. "Hi baby..." I whispered.

"Did you pick out a name yet?" Bianca asked me gently.

I looked up at her and Enzo. I had completely forgotten that they were in the room. They were both standing there with fascinated smiles on their faces.

I smiled through my tears. "We didn't really talk about baby names, but I think I have the perfect name for her." My heart ached because of Stefano's absence, but I ignored it. "Giulia." I whispered, looking down at my baby.

Her eyes blinked open and my breath caught in my throat.

"She has his eyes." Bianca said with a smile.

I looked at them with a pained expression. "Where is he?" I asked, my voice breaking.

They exchanged a worried look and Enzo frowned. "We don't know." He said. "My father is looking for him. It's not like him to disappear, especially not with you in another city."

"Oh god." I whimpered. "I just hope he's okay. He has to meet our daughter." I moved my thumb gently over the soft brown hair on the top of her head.

The nurses took Giulia again to run some tests to make sure everything was okay. After a while, they put her in a crib next to my bed so she would be close to me. I fell asleep while the nurses danced around the room with Bianca and Enzo by my side. Stefano was still missing.

It's wrapping up soon!! Please Please Please don't forget to vote and comment!

xoxo,

Emma