Dominic’s POVI dropped to my knees by the dresser and everything snapped into sharp focus—the sick red, the smell of blood, the sudden, boyish panic that I didn’t know how to manage because I’d always been the one to do the hurting, not the one who feared it. I cupped her face, fingers trembling. “Antalya, stay with me. Talk to me—please.”She shoved my hands away like I was a viper. Hard. Her palm stung across my wrist and the old, ridiculous ache of wanting to be the one to make her stop surged through me.“You betrayed me,” she spat, voice tearing into pieces. “You left me when I needed you. You killed my parents. You killed our baby.” Her eyes were a storm—soaked, burning, raw—and she kept repeating it like a verdict given to the world. “You killed them.”“You don’t get to say that,” I said, the words coming out too hot, too loud. “Antalya, you don’t know what you’re saying.”She dragged herself up, blood at her temple and fury on her lips, and slammed her fist into my chest. “Yo
Dominic’s POVThere are a lot of things you expect as an Alpha—disobedience, fighting, even betrayal. But nothing prepares you for the sight of your woman jumping into your car and peeling out like she’s the star of some cheap action movie.I stood there for a second, completely stunned, while Marcus ran around like a headless chicken. “Alpha, she just—she just stole your car!”“No shit, Sherlock!” I snapped, already yanking my phone out. “Get in another car and follow us!”I called Antalya, hoping she’d pick up and stop this madness. “Antalya! Pull over! This isn’t funny.”Her voice blasted back, angry and wild. “Oh, so now you want to talk? Keep dreaming, Dominic. Why don’t you get out and run after your precious Lacie, or do you just like breaking women’s hearts for sport?”“Antalya, stop the damn car,” I growled, my pulse pounding. “You’re going to get yourself killed, and for what? So you can act like a brat?”She laughed—a mean, brittle sound. “Why? Does it hurt your little ego
Antalya’s POVThe hospital ceiling was starting to look like a bad painting—plain, boring, and a little too bright. I stared at it for hours, thinking maybe I’d find a secret message if I stared hard enough. But all I found was emptiness, just like the hole in my chest.The days crawled by, each one heavier than the last. Every time the nurse walked in, I hoped it’d be someone with good news. Maybe my parents, alive. Maybe Dominic, sorry and desperate. But all I got was silence, and pitying looks that made me want to scream.After three days, I’d had enough. I forced myself out of bed, ignoring the dull ache in my body and the sharper pain in my heart. My first goal: find the doctor who’d taken my baby. I needed answers. I needed someone to blame.But as soon as I reached the nurse’s station, they looked nervous. “Dr. Reddington? Oh, he’s… he’s been transferred. Left the city last night.”Transferred? Just like that? I almost laughed. How convenient.“Don’t play dumb with me,” I snappe
Antalya’s POVIt’s funny how a heart can keep beating even after it’s completely shattered. That’s exactly how I felt—crushed, hollow, and empty. There was no baby. There was no Dominic. There was no family, not anymore. I had nothing left except pain, and it was choking me, one breath at a time.I pressed my forehead to my knees, trying to hold in the sobs. I’d cried so much that I was out of tears, just dry and tired and numb. If anyone had walked in, they’d think I was dead. Maybe that would have been a mercy.“Look at yourself, Antalya,” I whispered, my voice hoarse and bitter. “You let everyone walk all over you and then act surprised when you end up alone.”I squeezed my eyes shut. Dominic didn’t believe me. Worse, he thought I killed our baby on purpose. Lacie had convinced him that I’d betrayed him. And as if that wasn’t enough, now she’d shown me a video—a video—of my parents being tortured. A video that should never have existed.My chest twisted with anger. How could Dominic
Dominic’s POVI never thought I’d be this broken, standing outside a hospital room, fists clenched, breathing like a bull about to charge. My head was full of questions, none of them with answers I wanted. How did it come to this? How did Antalya turn into my biggest mistake?I pounded on the wall, frustration gnawing at my insides. She didn’t even care about our baby. When the doctor called, telling me she’d “requested” the pregnancy be ended, I almost lost my mind. She could have fought for it, but instead… she chose the easy way out.The doctor tried to explain, but his words were just noise. “She was in pain. She needed surgery. The risk was—”“Shut up!” I snapped. “Don’t make excuses for her. She’s not as weak as she pretends.”Before I could storm off, my phone rang. Lacie’s name flashed on the screen, and just seeing it made my blood pressure spike. I hesitated, then answered. “What is it?”She didn’t bother with small talk. “I thought you should know Antalya’s been meeting with
Lacie’s POVAntalya was curled up on the hospital bed, clutching her pillow like it was the only thing keeping her alive. Her eyes were swollen and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She looked absolutely pathetic. I almost felt sorry for her—almost. But pity was for losers, and right now, I was the one winning.I let out a loud, exaggerated laugh, making sure everyone in the corridor could hear. “God, Antalya, you look like you just lost your last brain cell. It’s just a guy. And a baby. Crying isn’t going to bring either one back.”She glared at me through her tears, trying to summon up some backbone. “You’re disgusting, Lacie. I’m not going to let you get away with this. I’ll make you pay for everything you’ve done.”I snorted. “Sure, princess. I’d love to see you try. You can barely stand up. Maybe you should practice walking before you talk about revenge. You don’t want to end up in another hospital bed, do you?”She tried to sit up straighter, but her hands were shaking.