Chapter 1

I tore my gaze away from the dashboard display and reached for the door handle—only to discover, to my despair, that it was locked.

Vito Costa had rushed off so quickly he'd completely forgotten I was still inside the car. Just as I was about to call him, the door finally opened.

"Get in the back, Luisa," he commanded.

But when he saw the look of disbelief I gave him, he paused and deigned to explain, "You know that Sofia gets carsick. Don't cause a scene at a time like this."

Standing beside him, Sofia Bianchi bit her lip. "Luisa, Nina's really sick right now. I have to take care of her. I promise, once she's better, I won't fight you for the front passenger seat anymore."

I said nothing. Cradling my lower abdomen, I pushed through the pain and climbed out of the car, moving into the back seat.

Right now, nothing else mattered. I just wanted my baby to be safe.

Soon, the car headed down the road again, but it wasn't headed toward Riviera Hospital.

"Vito…" I called weakly.

But he simply replied in a curt voice, "Stop kicking up a fuss. I need to take Sofia to the vet first. Once we know that Nina's alright, I'll take you to the hospital."

I looked at Nina, the cat, and couldn't find anything to indicate that it was sick. Yet Vito didn't hesitate to neglect our child for its sake.

"I'm carrying your baby," I said with great difficulty, hoping that he would change his mind.

Instead, he frowned, his voice sharp with warning as he retorted, "Don't you dare use the baby to threaten me, Luisa."

My hands froze.

Vito and I had tried countless times before finally conceiving this child. I'd treasured every moment of its existence. Yet he could actually accuse me of using our baby as leverage against him.

Seated beside him, Sofia tugged on his sleeve and said, "Vito, maybe you should take Luisa to the hospital first. I can take Nina to the vet myself."

As she spoke, she reached for her seat belt as if to unbuckle it.

Vito's expression softened at once. He stopped the car on the side of the road and held her hand to stop her.

"It's pouring outside. You'll catch a cold if you go by yourself."

He didn't even look at me as he continued, "Luisa's just throwing a tantrum. It's not a big deal."

The moment I heard those words, my heart finally sank. At the same time, I suddenly felt something inside me slipping away.

"I'm not lying, Vito!" Stricken by the abrupt change I was feeling, I inadvertently raised my voice.

"Stop using these tricks to get my attention, Luisa. It gets tiring." Vito's expression darkened.

He turned his head toward the back and continued, "If you keep this up, you can go to the hospital yourself."

I looked at the torrential rain outside the window, then at the two people in the front, still flirting with each other as if I weren't right there with them.

I couldn't take it anymore. Gritting my teeth, I yanked the door open and dashed out into the rain.

As I got out, I could still hear them talking.

"Vito, why don't you tell Luisa to come back? I don't want to come between you two."

"Forget her. It won't be long before she starts begging to come back."

My lips curled into a bitter smile. What was I even hoping for?

The next second, the armored sedan drove away without the slightest hesitation, splashing muddy water all over me. I stood there, completely drenched, until I finally managed to get a cab.

When the driver saw the miserable state I was in, he asked, "It's pouring right now. Why isn't your boyfriend picking you up?"

"He's dead," I replied.

The driver immediately realized he'd misspoken and stopped talking.

By the time I reached the hospital, I was barely conscious. I could only vaguely hear someone shouting beside me.

"Hang in there, ma'am! We'll do everything in our power to save the baby!"

"Don't bother…" I squeezed out with the last of my strength.

I didn't want my baby to be born into a loveless family.