Chapter 4

Damian froze for a second, then rubbed between his brows as though this were another argument that would eventually pass.

“Elena, stop. We’ve been married for seven years, and you’re carrying our child. You’re not really going to leave me.”

His phone rang before I could answer.

Sofia was calling to remind him that her parents were still waiting upstairs.

Damian told her he was coming, then looked back at me.

“Once the Donna ceremony is over, I’ll fix what happened today. I’ll get the ring back too. We’ll talk when we’re home.”

Then he turned and walked away.

I didn’t stop him.

The next day, my mother accompanied me to a prenatal appointment.

We were crossing an intersection when a black car slammed into us from behind.

The impact threw me forward. When I looked down, blood was already soaking through my skirt.

My mother screamed my name.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw Sofia climbing out of the car behind us through the shattered window.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop in time. I swear I didn’t mean to hit you!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital.

My mother sat beside the bed with swollen, red eyes. She held my hand for a long time before finally forcing herself to speak.

“We lost the baby.”

The nurse removed the equipment beside my bed while my mother carefully put away the bloodstained ultrasound image.

At twenty weeks, the baby already had a clear shape.

Only yesterday, Damian had been so certain that our child was one of the reasons I would never truly leave him.

Now our child was gone.

At ten that night, Damian called.

The first thing he asked was for me to sign a statement agreeing not to pursue the accident.

His voice sounded tired, as if he were dealing with a problem that had already gone on far longer than necessary.

“Did Sofia ask you to call me?”

“She didn’t hit you on purpose.” Damian paused. “She told me you weren’t seriously hurt. If you’re fine, why do you need to take this any further?”

I looked at the medical report beside my bed.

“You’re sure I’m fine?”

“Sofia said the doctors treated you. You were shaken up, that’s all.”

Silence hung between us for two seconds.

Damian seemed to assume I was still angry over what had happened with the Bellinis. When he spoke again, impatience had crept into his voice.

“Elena, I know you’re angry with me. Blame me if you want, but don’t take it out on Sofia. Her Donna ceremony is coming up. She can’t have a reckless-driving charge hanging over her now.”

So even my refusal to forgive her was only revenge in his eyes.

“I’m not signing it.”

I ended the call.

Less than half an hour later, my hospital door opened.

Sofia walked in with two men in black suits. One of them placed the statement on the table beside me.

The panic she had shown at the accident scene was gone.

“Damian sent me to get your signature. He wants this matter finished.”

“Get out.”

My mother reached for the call button, but one of the men stepped in front of her. I picked up my phone to call the police, and the other man took it from my hand before blocking the door.

Sofia watched me calmly.

“Damian already believes me. What exactly do you think you’re accomplishing by refusing?”

“Give me my phone.”

I reached for it.

The man caught my arm and shoved me back against the bed. My lower back struck the rail, and pain tore through my abdomen. The bleeding that had only just stopped started again, spreading across my hospital gown.

Sofia glanced down at the stain.

“The baby is already gone. Pursuing this won’t change that.”

She placed a pen beside my hand.

“Sign it.”

I looked at her.

Her expression held the confidence of someone who had already won.

“You should understand by now, Elena. Whenever I ask, Damian always chooses my side.”

Something inside me finally went quiet.

I picked up the pen and signed my name.

Then, while Sofia was still looking at the accident statement, I quietly opened the bedside drawer and slipped two documents underneath it.

A set of divorce papers.

My medical report.

I closed the drawer as if nothing had happened.

“You win. Take this to Damian.”

Sofia didn’t notice what I had slipped underneath.

She assumed I had finally surrendered.

Half an hour later, the documents arrived at the Valenti estate.

Damian picked up the accident statement first.

The moment he saw my signature, the tension he had carried all evening finally eased.

“I knew Elena wouldn’t really make things difficult for Sofia.”

He set the paper down, almost amused.

“She’s still angry with me. I’ll go see her tonight, we’ll talk, and this will be over.”

Only then did he notice the two documents underneath.

The first was the signed divorce filing.

Beneath it was my medical report.

Patient: Elena Valenti

Date of admission: the day of the collision

The diagnosis was only one line.

Pregnancy loss at twenty weeks due to trauma sustained in the collision.