Chapter 4

My voice was flat.

No emotion.

"A security clearance pass. To Switzerland."

Before he could ask more, I heard Gianna's weak voice in the background.

"Nicolo, Alessia is just acting out to get your attention. Your wedding is tomorrow. Go calm her down."

"She loves you so much. She would never leave you."

She would never leave you.

That line calmed Nicolo's panic.

Right.

I loved him.

Why would I leave him?

This was just another game to get his attention.

His face hardened.

His voice turned cold. A warning.

"Alessia, don't play games with leaving."

"If you're not at the Peninsula Hotel tomorrow, the wedding is postponed. And without the De Santis family's protection, you won't last a day in Chicago."

I looked down.

My hand rested on my flat stomach.

"Fine. Cancel it,"

Silence.

My quick agreement stunned him.

Gianna whined at the perfect moment. "Nicolo, I feel dizzy..."

He snapped, "You're on your own. I'll pick you up in the morning."

Nicolo spat the words and hung up.

I put down the phone.

I pulled out the SIM card and dropped it in the trash.

Where I was going, the military gene facility in the Swiss Alps, was a fortress.

Full lockdown.

Protected by European military police.

No mafia crew could ever get in.

The hospital room door opened.

My mentor came in.

His face was grim.

He handed me a USB drive.

"I re-ran the tests on Gianna's last blood sample. Her levels are all perfectly healthy. She doesn't have leukemia."

I took the drive.

My fingertips were ice cold.

He went on, "I followed the trail. I checked the head of oncology's private account. There was a large transfer."

My mentor pointed at the drive.

"This is his confession. A recording. He admits Gianna bribed him to fake the terminal diagnosis."

I smirked.

Pathetic.

For a fake illness, my husband and my family almost sent me and my unborn child to hell.

I found a beautiful gift box.

I put the USB drive with the recording inside.

Then, the official, stamped Certificate of Divorce.

And last, the pregnancy test with two red lines, along with an ultrasound scan.

"Intrauterine pregnancy, 10 weeks."

I sealed the box.

I scheduled a same-day flash delivery for 7 PM the next evening.

Recipient: Nicolo De Santis.

Address: The Peninsula Hotel Ballroom.

With that done, I got on my crutches and boarded the private jet to Zurich.

Goodbye, Chicago.

---

The next evening.

Nicolo stood at the church altar in his tuxedo.

He hadn't cancelled a thing.

He was waiting for me to break.

He was sure I would come running back, just like I had for the past fifteen years.

Begging him.

I wouldn't give up being his bride.

Gianna sat in the front row.

The most prominent seat.

The Donna's ring was on her hand.

She was chatting smugly with the guests.

My parents sat in the pews.

Marco checked his watch, annoyed.

The ceremony was already half an hour late.

Nicolo tugged at his tie.

A strange panic grew in his chest.

He'd always felt I owed Gianna.

That he had to make it up to her on my behalf.

But now, with me gone, all he felt was an overwhelming dread.

Marco put his phone down.

He cursed.

"She's not picking up. What the hell does she think she's doing? Does she really think she's irreplaceable?"

The doors burst open.

The estate butler ran in, panicked.

"Boss! Miss Russo threw out every gift you've given her in fifteen years! They're all in the garbage truck! She didn't even keep a single dress!"

The ballroom went silent.

Nicolo's face darkened.

The unease exploded inside him.

Just then, a courier walked in with a gift box.

The courier asked, "Which one of you is Don Nicolo? This is a wedding gift for a scheduled delivery from Miss Alessia Russo."

Marco sneered.

"See? I told you she was just putting on a show. Here she is, sending gifts to suck up to you."

Nicolo's face was stone.

He walked down from the altar and took the box.

He fought to control his pounding heart.

He opened the lid.

He expected a gift of surrender.

But what he saw was a cold, hard document.

A Divorce Petition.

In the bottom right corner was his own signature.

The one he blindly signed to "save" Gianna.

Now, it was a death sentence to his marriage.

Nicolo's blood ran cold.

His eyes widened in pure horror.

"No... Alessia wouldn't do this..."

He felt drained.

His fingers trembled.

He frantically pushed the document aside.

The next second, his gaze froze.

At the bottom of the box lay a glaring pregnancy test.

Two red lines.

I'm pregnant...

Next to it, a USB drive.

Nicolo's hands shook.

He plugged it into a laptop.

He clicked play.

Gianna's recorded voice played.

"The final million is in your offshore account. Listen closely. My terminal leukemia scans need to look flawless. I just have to play the dying victim for three months. Nicolo is marrying me out of sheer guilt. Everything is falling into place."

Gianna's voice.

But it wasn't weak or frail.

It was sharp.

Cunning.

Nicolo's mind exploded.

BOOM.

The box fell from his hands.

The contents scattered.

His tall frame swayed.

All the blood drained from his body.

His eyes were scarlet.

He kept whispering.

"No... This can't be happening..."