Chapter 1

Dead silence on the other end.

After a long while, Dr. Evans finally spoke. His voice was full of pity.

"Aria, please think this through," Evans sighed. "Yes, the odds are low. But this baby is a miracle for you both. You know how much Don Cassian loves you. If he finds out..."

"All of New York knows you are his life." Evans's voice grew softer. "Five years ago, during that rival ambush, you took a fatal bullet for him. When you were in a coma, the almighty Mafia Don knelt before the altar, crying like a broken man. He prayed for you day and night. He would die for you."

Hearing these memories that used to move me to tears, my chest tightened with pure agony.

"Evans, I'm sure. And he doesn't need to know." I gasped for air, my voice shaking.

Hearing my desperate sobs, Evans fell silent.

"I understand, Aria," he said softly. "I'll make the arrangements."

The call ended.

The fire was roaring, but I was shivering to my core.

I looked down and tapped on the encrypted video again.

Below it was the comment section of Bianca's private account.

I stared at her reply to a friend:

[Yeah, Nico just turned five. Cassian always says the kid has his exact eyes.]

Five years old.

Doing the math, that was exactly when I took the fatal hit for Cassian. The bullet grazed my heart and left me in a coma.

Back then, everyone told me Cassian prayed in Sicily for a month. He begged God to let me live.

I believed it.

But the truth was, while I was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes, suffering for him...

He was fucking my best friend Bianca in a hilltop villa.

He gave her a child during his so-called "month of prayer."

My phone buzzed. A DM from Bianca.

No anger. No gloating. Just the intimate tone of a best friend sharing her daily life.

[Aria, I can't even get out of bed today.]

[My boyfriend went for rounds last night. No matter how much I begged, he wouldn't let me sleep. He's always so rough. It's sweet torture.]

Attached was a photo of a messy hotel bed.

On the rug next to it was the custom black shirt Cassian wore out yesterday.

I stared at the words, my stomach churning with disgust.

Humiliation crawled over me like a snake.

Rough. Wouldn't let me sleep.

I closed my eyes, remembering the past.

Our anniversary. I canceled my plans, wore his favorite perfume, and put on a sexy dark red nightgown. I waited for him on the edge of the bed.

But when Cassian came home, he just looked at me with those gentle eyes. He walked over, leaned down, and kissed my forehead. Then, he considerately pulled the blanket over my bare shoulders.

"Aria, your body is weak since the injury. I don't want to hurt you."

His voice was deep, full of restraint.

"You are my priceless treasure. I just want you healthy. Nothing else matters."

He held me. Proper and pure.

For five whole years, he was always like this.

I thought it was love. I thought he suppressed his most primal urges just to protect me.

Now I finally understood.

He wasn't holding back.

He had simply exhausted all his loss of control and filth on another woman.

He gave Bianca his wildest desires, his most shameless acts, and a five-year-old bastard.

I covered my mouth. A broken laugh slipped from my throat.

Tears smashed against the back of my hand.

The phone screen lit up again. A text from Dr. Evans.

[Aria, everything is arranged. The clinic guarantees absolute secrecy.]

I touched my flat stomach.

A few hours ago, I was devastated. But now, I felt crystal clear clarity.

I took a deep breath, wiped my tears, and looked at the last line.

[Pregnancy termination scheduled: Three days from now, at 9:00 AM.]