Chapter 4

The air was thick with the stench of disinfectant .

Pavel, the Corleone family doctor, peeled off his bloodied rubber gloves. His eyes darted around, refusing to meet mine.

He wiped cold sweat from his forehead, turned to Lorenzo, and bowed deeply. His voice trembled but echoed clearly in the dead silence.

"Don, Sophia's wound... it looks alarming, but no internal organs were damaged."

Lorenzo's tense shoulders had just begun to relax when Pavel dropped the bombshell that shattered my last shred of dignity.

"However, during the examination, we discovered that Sophia is two months pregnant."

"That is the precious bloodline of the Corleone family. It is your child..."

In that instant, I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

I looked at Lorenzo.

The man I had loved for twelve years, the man who swore only I was worthy of bearing his heirs, now stood frozen.

There was no rage or denial as I had expected.

His eyes held shock at first, which was quickly replaced by a complex mix of wild ecstasy.

"Is it true? ...I have a child with you?"

He didn't even spare me a glance. He strode to the hospital bed and grasped Sophia's uninjured hand as if holding a rare treasure.

Sophia leaned weakly against the pillows, her face pale—perfectly staged.

In reality, that knife had barely scratched her skin; it didn't even need stitches.

But right now, she looked like a porcelain doll ready to shatter, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes as she looked up at him timidly.

"Lorenzo... I'm so sorry... I wanted to keep it from you."

"I know Elena hates me. If she knew I was carrying the family's firstborn, she would have killed me and the baby..."

"Just now in the basement, she wanted to drive that knife right into my stomach... I thought I was going to die."

She gasped for air, her body trembling violently with sobs, as if the psycho who had just stabbed herself wasn't her.

I stood in the corner, the wound on my forehead still oozing blood that stung my eyes.

But no one cared.

I watched this absurd farce with cold eyes.

"Lorenzo," I spoke, my voice raspy. "You believe her?"

Lorenzo whipped around, his gaze so unfamiliar it chilled me to the bone.

It was the look of a protector facing an intruder.

"The facts are right in front of us, Elena!"

He pointed at the grainy black-and-white image on the ultrasound machine, his tone harsh and unquestionable.

"This is my blood. This is the future of the family! And you nearly killed him with your own hands!"

"We are in the middle of a vendetta. Hitmen from rival families are targeting our every weakness."

"To protect this sole bloodline, I must make a decision."

He took a deep breath, issuing a Don's command that could not be defied.

"Prepare the private jet immediately. Send Sophia to 'Black Rock Fortress' in Sicily."

"It has the world's top defense systems. It is the ultimate safe zone."

I didn't get angry; instead, I laughed.

Black Rock Fortress.

That was a sanctuary reserved only for the acting Mama of the family. Now he was opening it for a mistress and a bastard.

"You're sending her to Sicily?" I stepped forward, forcing him to look at me. "Then where does that leave me?"

Lorenzo seemed stung by my gaze. He avoided my eyes, furrowing his brows.

"Elena, this isn't the time for petty jealousy."

He pressed his earpiece, connecting to the family's security channel.

"This is Don Corleone. Orders: immediately mobilize all elite members of the 'Shadow Guard' to escort Sophia to Sicily."

"Initiate S-Class protection protocols. I want zero mistakes!"

My pupils constricted sharply.

The Shadow Guard.

That was the last trump card my father left me, death squad soldiers who answered only to me. In this turbulent period of vendettas, they were my only amulet.

He was stripping away all my defenses for Sophia?

"Lorenzo!" I shouted. "That is *my* guard! If you withdraw them, what happens to me?"

"Every gangster in New York knows the family is vulnerable right now. Do you want me to die?"

Lorenzo turned and gripped my shoulders with both hands.

His grip was strong, hurting me.

His eyes held a trace of pain and struggle I couldn't read, but his tone was coldly matter-of-fact.

"Elena, you're different."

"You've had the best combat training since you were a child. Your marksmanship is better than many of my Capos."

"You are strong enough. You have the ability to take care of your own safety."

He glanced at Sophia on the bed, who looked weak enough to expire at any moment, and his gaze instantly softened.

"But Sophia can't. She's too fragile. She's pregnant, and that is my firstborn son."

"She and the child need this protection more than you do."

I looked at the man in front of me.

How righteously he spoke.

Because I was strong, I deserved to be abandoned?

Because she was weak, she could rightfully steal everything from me?

I slapped his hands away, took two steps back, and leaned against the cold wall.

Blood from my forehead dripped onto the pristine white floor tiles, blooming into glaring red flowers.

The last spark of hope in my heart was finally extinguished in that moment.

"Fine."

I heard my own voice, calm to the point of being eerie.

"Since you want to save her, then take everyone."

"I hope that in the future, you won't regret today's decision."

Lorenzo looked at the resolve in my eyes and felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.

He opened his mouth, seeming to want to explain: "Elena, once the heat dies down, I will..."

I pointed at the door.

"Take your Princess and your firstborn, and get the hell out of my sight immediately."