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Chapter 2

Auteur: Liora Z
"And if I was?"

I met his deadly gaze. Voice flat.

"Don't you dare!"

Caspian snapped. The ruthless Mafia Don in him finally bled out.

But then he caught himself.

He pulled me onto his lap. Buried his face in the crook of my neck. Softening his voice.

"Aria, you have to understand." His large hand stroked my hair. "Cassandra's family runs the entire East Coast smuggling ports. Nora is the only thing keeping us from war. Having a kid now? It breaks the balance. Starts a mob war."

"So my baby is a declaration of war?" I let out a cold laugh.

"Think of the big picture." He gripped my shoulders. Commanding. "Get the surgery first. Wait until Nora is eighteen. She takes over. Calms the Commission down."

"Twelve years." I whispered. "You want me to mutilate my body and wait twelve years?"

"If you still want a kid then, we can get a surrogate." He planned it like it was nothing. "Cassandra's family won't have a say by then."

Surrogacy.

To keep his ex-wife happy. To protect his firstborn's status.

This was my husband of four years.

I shoved him away. Stood up.

Searing pain ripped through my stomach. But I stood tall.

"Caspian. Am I supposed to bow down to your bitch of an ex-wife for the rest of my life? All for your pathetic 'family peace'?"

Annoyance flashed in Caspian's eyes.

He fixed his suit. Back to the cold boss.

"You are the Donna. You know how this works." He looked at me, completely justified. "Keeping the fake peace with her family is my job. Your job? Is to be obedient."

I actually laughed out loud.

"I plan every single mob dinner! I stay up all night making allergy-safe menus for Nora! What about Cassandra? She threatens you. She tortures me. What the hell has she ever done for 'peace'?"

"Enough!" Caspian barked.

He turned around. Walked to the wine cooler.

Pulled out a bottle of expensive Macallan.

"You're hysterical, Aria. Stay here. Reflect on your behavior." Cold voice. "Cassandra gets migraines when she's mad. This is the only whiskey that helps."

He walked to the nursery upstairs without looking back.

Off to comfort the psycho who just framed me.

The old butler stood there. Watching Caspian's back.

"Sir really cares for Miss Cassandra... Even divorced, he keeps her favorite drink..."

He realized I was there. Froze.

"Ma'am, I..."

"It's fine." I didn't look at him.

I stared at the messy coffee table.

It wasn't just vitamins Cassandra dumped out.

Right next to them.

Two bottles. Labeled "Antidepressants."

The vitamins? My doctor prescribed them to help with my depression.

Caspian didn't even notice.

He only saw the "betrayal" Cassandra wanted him to see.

I clutched my wound. Climbed the stairs. Slowly.

Past the nursery's cracked door, I heard Cassandra's shrill voice.

"What do you even see in that woman? She's lifeless. Boring. Always playing the pathetic victim."

I stopped.

Two seconds of silence.

Then, Caspian's voice.

"I don't love her."

Ice cold. Rational. Zero warmth.

"You kept dumping Nora on me. Aria is quiet. Obedient. She teaches Nora art. She's just the most convenient Donna to run the house. Saves me a lot of headaches."

He took a sip. Sounding exhausted. "If I knew she'd become this crazy, I wouldn't have bothered."

Quiet. Obedient. Convenient.

That was my whole worth in this marriage.

I stood in the shadows of the hallway. A bitter smirk on my face.

Two weeks ago, I sat on the balcony till dawn with my depression diagnosis.

I just knew I hadn't been happy in a long time.

A boulder crushing my chest. Hard to breathe.

When did it start?

Was it when he ditched me on our Milan honeymoon to bail Cassandra out of a deal?

Or when I asked for a baby, and he tossed me birth control pills the next day?

It didn't matter anymore.

In this rotten mafia family, I was my only savior.

Since there was no love, I had to love myself.

I didn't kick the door down. I walked back to my bedroom.

Locked the door. Pulled out my burner phone from the safe.

The blue light lit up my dead eyes.

I typed to my lawyer.

"Draft my divorce papers. Thank you."
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Dernier chapitre

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 9

    If it weren’t for his deep eyes, I almost wouldn’t have recognized him. The King of New York was a skeleton. Hollow cheeks. Deathly gray skin. He was wrapped in a heavy cashmere coat. His body shivered slightly even in the warm room. I knew. That ambush hadn't just shattered his legs. I had heard the underworld gossip. A bullet fragment was lodged too close to his heart to be removed. It caused severe complications. His organs were failing. Irreversibly. He wouldn't live past the fall. “Aria.”He looked at me. His chapped lips moved with great difficulty. I calmly took off my gloves. I walked to the small bar and poured him a glass of warm water. My heart didn’t race. There was no anger, no sadness. I faced the man who had once destroyed half my life. I felt like I was helping a lost stranger. He didn't take the glass. He just stared at my face. Devouring the sight of me. Trying to burn my image into his soul. “I know. I shouldn’t have come to ruin your day.” He gave a

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 8

    Two days later, a light rain fell over New York City. I sat quietly in the spacious office of the family lawyer. Across from me, Caspian sat with his head down. He held a pen. This was the man who signed billion-dollar arms deals without blinking. Right now, his hand was shaking violently. He couldn’t stop it. The tip of the pen scraped against the paper, leaving ugly marks. He misspelled his own name several times. I watched him. My heart was perfectly still. I couldn’t feel his despair. Our marriage was now officially over. I had cut the cord myself. He finally finished signing. I glanced at the agreement. Caspian had added a ridiculous list of assets. The properties and trust funds were insane. Enough to last me ten lifetimes. I didn’t hesitate. I signed my name with a clean, swift stroke.When I walked out of the law firm, the rain had stopped. Caspian followed behind me. He broke the silence, his voice hoarse. “What are your plans now?”I clutched my trench coat tig

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 7

    The guards dragged a screaming Cassandra out of the room. The door clicked shut. Only Caspian and I were left. He looked exhausted. His jaw was clenched tight. He looked ten years older in an instant. “Aria, we need to talk.” He walked to my bedside. His voice was a raw whisper. I didn’t answer. I calmly pulled a document from under my pillow and held it out to him. “Sign it.” I looked him straight in the eye. Deadpan. “I’m done. I will never be your sacrifice for some fake alliance again.”The words printed in stark black ink were piercing: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.Caspian didn’t take the paper. The next second, the man who controlled the entire West Coast buckled at the knees. The untouchable Mafia boss knelt. Hard. Right there beside my hospital bed. He grabbed my hand. His grip was desperate. All his pride and arrogance vanished. His eyes were filled with nothing but begging and absolute despair. “Don’t do this to me, Aria,” he choked out. His voice shook uncontrollably. “I

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 6

    I woke up two days later. The sharp pain in my lower abdomen was a cruel reminder. I had walked through the gates of hell and barely made it back. This time, I survived. But my love for Caspian was completely dead. He wasn't my husband anymore. He was just a disgusting memory. I didn't even want to breathe the same air as him. The hospital door opened. My nurse came in to change my IV. She shot a cold glance toward the hallway. “Mr. Serrano is here to see you,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Funny how he was nowhere to be found when you were bleeding to death. Now he’s been standing guard outside for two days. No food. No water.”I closed my eyes. My heart was completely numb. “Tell him to get lost. I don't want to see him.”The next morning, I was propped up against my pillows. I stared blankly out the window. A small head suddenly popped up outside the glass. Nora was clinging to the windowsill. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her cautious, timid look pricke

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 5

    Caspian’s mind went completely blank.Miscarriage? A hysterectomy?The image of Aria’s white cashmere coat flashed in his mind. It had been soaked red with blood. The sharp, metallic smell seemed to hit his nose. A fierce need to protect her clawed at his chest. Gut-wrenching regret twisted his stomach into a hard knot. “What did you say?” He grabbed the butler by the collar. His voice was raw. Lethal. “Who had a miscarriage?”“It was your wife, Boss!” The old butler’s eyes streamed with tears. His voice trembled. “Four days ago! That dead pigeon in the black box startled her. She fell down the stairs. Massive hemorrhage. To save her own life, she had to sign the consent form for the hysterectomy herself. All by herself!”Caspian’s blood ran cold. Four days ago? That day, he was in Las Vegas for a Family summit. Aria had called him. Her voice was weak, begging him to come home. He had coldly accused her of playing games to win his attention. He even told her to get her tubes

  • Bleeding Out While He Chose His Vow to His Ex-Wife   Chapter 4

    Caspian stopped.He didn't turn around. Just scoffed. Pure arrogance."Divorce?" He turned to look at me. Like I was a clown throwing a tantrum. "Aria. You aren't the first woman to threaten me with divorce. I don't buy it."He fixed his lapels. Back to Don Serrano."Get better at the hospital. Then get the surgery done. Don't make me ask a third time."Slam.He was gone.Left me in agony and fever for his ex-wife's cheap lie.I survived the night at our cartel-owned hospital.Next morning. The old butler took a call. He rushed out, pale as a ghost."Send backup! Nora is missing!"I shot up in bed.Next second. My phone buzzed like crazy. Nora's smartwatch.I picked up. Her blood-curdling scream tore through the speaker."Aria! Help! A man is trying to kill me... at the Central Park lake..."I didn't even think. Ripped the IV out of my hand. Blood dripping.Grabbed a white cashmere coat. Stumbled all the way to Central Park.The cold wind sliced my stomach wound like a knife. I was bla

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