Chapter 4

Valeria walked out of the mall with a cheap bag of underwear and basic products. She had spent her last dollars on pregnancy essentials. Her head was spinning from hunger and constant nausea. She had barely taken two steps outside the mall when a familiar, cold voice paralyzed her.

"Look who is still crawling around the city."

Alexander Blackwood stepped out of a luxurious black car with Sophia on his arm. She was wearing a tight red dress and designer glasses, smiling as if she had just won a prize. Several people took out their phones upon recognizing them.

Valeria tried to ignore them and keep walking, but Alexander reached her in two strides and grabbed her arm tightly.

"Are you still here?" he hissed close to her ear so only she would hear. "I thought you would have already gone to die under a bridge like the rat you are."

Sophia walked over laughing and snatched the bag from her hands, throwing it to the ground. The cheap garments rolled across the dirty sidewalk.

"How pathetic. Buying trash on sale while we come from the VIP area. Do you still think anyone will give you a job after what Alexander said about you?"

People started recording. Valeria felt tears burning her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of them.

"Leave me alone..." she pleaded in a low voice. "I am nothing to you anymore."

Alexander squeezed her arm harder, digging his fingers in.

"Exactly. You are nothing. If I see you breathing the same air as me again, I will make you regret being born."

He pushed her with contempt. Valeria stumbled and fell sitting on the sidewalk. A sharp pain pierced her belly and she hugged herself instinctively, protecting her baby. The crowd murmured, some laughing, others recording the spectacle.

At that moment, a tall man in his forties, with an impeccable gray suit and sharp gaze, approached with a determined step. It was Damien Cross, Alexander's main rival in the business world. Owner of Cross Empire, declared enemy of the Blackwoods.

"This is pathetic even for you, Blackwood," Damien said with a cold, loud voice so everyone would hear. "Humiliating a woman in the street doesn't make you more of a man. It only shows how small you are."

Alexander let out a dark laugh.

"Cross... Don't meddle in my business. This woman is already history."

Damien ignored Alexander and crouched down in front of Valeria, offering her his hand. His dark eyes showed a mix of pity and calculation.

"Miss Montenegro, are you alright? Allow me to help you."

Valeria hesitated. Her pride was shattered, but the pain in her belly and the fear for her child made her accept his hand. Damien lifted her gently and picked up her things from the ground.

"Come with me," he told her in a low voice while guiding her to his car. "I have a proposal that could save you from all this."

Alexander took a step forward, furious.

"Cross, if you take that woman..."

"She is no longer your wife, right?" Damien replied with a defiant smile. "You already discarded her publicly."

Without saying more, Damien helped Valeria walk toward his car under the watchful eyes of all present.

Inside the luxury car, Damien offered her a bottle of water and looked at her seriously.

"I know who you are and what they have done to you. I need a trustworthy personal assistant for my branch in Spain. Good salary, house included, total protection. No one will know where you are. Alexander won't be able to touch you. If you accept, I will personally get you out of the country this very week."

Valeria lowered her gaze, touching her belly discreetly. For her child. She had to protect him.

"I... I accept," she whispered with a trembling voice. "But I need to leave soon."

Damien smiled, satisfied.

"Excellent decision."

That same night, Valeria was packing her few belongings in the hotel when the door opened violently. Alexander entered like a hurricane, accompanied by two security men. He grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall.

"Do you dare to leave the country with my enemy?" he growled, his eyes full of possessive rage. "Listen to me closely, Valeria. If you get on that plane, I will find you. And I will kill you. I will not allow my ex-wife, the opportunistic whore you are, to become Damien Cross's trophy. I will destroy you first."

He released her abruptly. Valeria fell to the floor, panting and trembling with fear.

"You are mine until I decide otherwise," Alexander spat before leaving. "Try to run away and you will see what I am capable of doing."

The door closed with a dull thud.

Valeria hugged her knees, crying in silence. Fear paralyzed her, but inside her, the little life growing reminded her that she had to be strong.

Now she had two powerful enemies... and only one chance to escape.