Chapter 2

The pain in my belly was so intense that cold sweat trickled down my back.

At my checkup earlier that day, the doctor had warned me that the pregnancy was unstable and that I needed to avoid stress.

The gunshot had caught me off guard and terrified me.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

I fumbled for my phone and called 911. Charles was long gone with Susie. He hadn't looked back once.

I passed out before the paramedics got there.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. The doctor told me the shock had been too much. I'd lost the baby.

The grief sat on my chest like a weight, and the tears wouldn't stop.

It had been so hard for me to get pregnant. Four years earlier, during the shootout at the docks, I'd jumped out of a moving car and lost my first baby.

My body never fully recovered, and getting pregnant again had been a struggle.

When I finally did, I never imagined Charles would be the one to cost me my second baby. The bullet had missed my head by only a few inches.

If it hadn't, his bullet would have killed me too.

Thinking about that only made it hurt more.

I stayed in the hospital for three days. During that time, I had my lawyer draw up the divorce papers.

Over those three days, Charles didn't call once. He didn't even send a text.

The day I was discharged, I went back to the estate.

Charles was on the couch with his head in his hands, looking exhausted.

When I came back, he looked up at me. "Why are you only getting home now? You didn't even tell me you were going out."

I stood in the doorway. I'd been gone for three days, yet he hadn't called once. Whatever concern he was showing now felt forced.

"I was at the hospital," I said, looking down and digging through my bag for the paperwork.

"Susie's pregnant." Charles's words stopped me cold.

He didn't ask why I'd been at the hospital. The first thing out of his mouth was Susie.

I looked up and studied his face. Then I shoved the papers back into my bag.

"Then we'd better get this divorce done fast," I told him.

Charles's face twisted, and he let out a sigh. "I never thought she'd get pregnant. I told you, I don't want a baby with anyone but you. I'll take care of it. Just give me time."

"Don't divorce me."

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked miserable.

"How you handle it is your business," I said flatly. "It has nothing to do with me. I've already called my lawyer."

"Do you have to act like this?" Anger flashed across Charles's face. "I'm already exhausted, and now you're threatening me with divorce."

"Didn't I tell you? It was all an accident."

"And Susie's not doing well. Her family never accepted her. She's never had much. Not like you. You have everything. You've never had to go without. All she has is me. Why can't you cut her some slack?"

"She's felt guilty for four years about not protecting you back then and about you losing the baby. You made her feel guilty. Are you really this vicious?"

I stared at Charles, stunned.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He said it with total conviction, like I was the other woman who'd come between them.

"If all she has is you, then she can have you," I said coldly.

"Perfect timing, too. You two have a baby on the way. Your heir."

With that, I turned to go upstairs and pack.

Charles grabbed my wrist. "I'm not divorcing you," he said through gritted teeth. "But I'm not giving up Susie, either."

The look on his face made me sick.

"Let go!"

"I already told you, Susie is just a responsibility to me," Charles said. "What more do you want from me?!"

It hurt to breathe. His grip on my wrist was crushing.

I tried to pull free, but he only held on tighter.

He didn't let go until his phone rang.

It was his underboss.

Charles glanced at me, then turned away to answer.

His underboss sounded frantic. "Don, you need to get to the hospital right away. Ms. Clarke is threatening suicide. She says her baby is a bastard, that she's betrayed the Donna, and that she'll die if the Donna won't forgive her."

Charles's hand trembled as he gripped the phone.

He glanced back at me. "I'll be right there. Don't let her hurt herself."

Fury filled Charles's voice. The moment he hung up, he snapped, "No wonder you were at the hospital. You went to see Susie. You're so vicious!"

Then he turned and rushed off to the hospital.

I stood there, not knowing what to do.

Not once had he asked why I'd gone to the hospital.

One phone call was all it took for him to decide that I must have said something to her.

Enough. None of it mattered anymore.

As soon as Charles was gone, I booked a flight to Maine.

Then I went back to my room to pack.

While I was packing, I noticed the safe in the corner. Inside was all the evidence of the Marino family's crimes over the years. I'd always been the only one with the combination.