Chapter 4

Henson pulled a document from his suit jacket, the paper rustling loudly in the night wind. "Take a look at this."

He threw the file at my feet. I trembled as I picked it up, and under the moonlight, the words came into focus.

[DNA Paternity Test Report. Test subjects: Henson Costello, Sofia Costello. Conclusion: Paternity excluded.]

My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the paper. I was absolutely certain Sofia was Henson's daughter. After we got married, I had only ever been with him.

"Impossible... This is fake..."

"Fake?" Henson scoffed, walking toward me.

He said, "I had my private doctor run this three months ago. I used Sofia's hair and my blood samples. The results are in your face."

He bent down, his voice ice-cold as he growled, "She's not my daughter."

"You know exactly what you did during those three days you spent with Vincenzo..." He spoke slowly, deliberately.

"It was purely business negotiations!" I practically screamed.

"Business? What kind of business requires you to stay at his private estate?"

"I was trying to save the Costello family–" My voice grew weaker.

"Save the family?" He cut me off, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "You carried a Moretti bastard and disgraced the Costello bloodline!"

Each word was like a knife, carving into my heart. I fell to my knees, utterly speechless.

Ten years of marriage, everything I had sacrificed for this family, and the man I loved, all turned into a cruel joke.

Henson turned away in fury and walked toward the elevator control box.

"No!" By the time I realized what he was about to do, it was too late.

He raised his foot and kicked the control box hard. Sparks exploded, illuminating his twisted face.

The sound of the circuit shorting was deafening. Then, one of the main cables snapped with a piercing metallic screech that echoed through the night sky, and the lift began tilting violently as it plummeted.

The elevator lurched violently.

"Sofia!" I screamed.

I watched as she tumbled inside the lift.

"No... No!" I rushed toward the edge, but the bodyguards held me down tight.

I watched helplessly as the lift dangled in midair on just two remaining cables, ready to fall completely at any moment. Just then, Henson's phone rang, the sharp ringtone drifting on the wind.

He answered the call, sounding irritated. "What is it?"

"We found Angelina. She's at her mother's house, safe and sound."

I listened to his underboss' report, and a spark of hope ignited in me.

"Please..." I sobbed. "Henson, let Sofia go, she's innocent..."

"Innocent?" He walked to the lift and looked at the unconscious Sofia. There was not a trace of emotion in his eyes, and he was looking at her like she was a nuisance.

"Why would I spare a mongrel?"

I struggled and shouted, "Henson! She's your daughter!"

He replied calmly, "She's not. She's your brat with Vincenzo."

He turned his back on the lift, as if Sofia’s life meant nothing at all. I stared at the swaying platform as the remaining cables groaned under the strain.

Sofia could fall at any second.

"No!" I used every ounce of strength to break free from the bodyguards' grip.

I rushed to the edge and jumped, wanting only to hold Sofia, my most precious treasure.

A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, my body jerking to a halt in midair as I was yanked back. My back slammed hard into the concrete floor. As the searing pain hit me, I nearly blacked out.

Henson pinned me down, his grip crushing my wrist, his nails digging into my skin.

He panted and growled, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! I won't let you!"

I looked at him, tears blurring my vision. He held me tight and whispered in my ear, "It's okay, Aurelia. Once that runt is dead, we can start over."

He kissed my forehead, the gesture terrifyingly gentle. A metallic sweetness surged up my throat, and my vision suddenly went black as I lost consciousness completely.

The last thing I heard was the sound of the lift falling in the distance. Then, a deathly silence.