Chapter 2

Matteo walked down the grand staircase. My soul drifted right behind him.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant.

"Book the City Opera House for this weekend," Matteo ordered.

He loosened his silk tie. "Sofia's birthday is coming up.

Fly in that soprano she likes from Milan. And check on the custom dress from Paris. It needs to be perfect."

He hung up. He smiled.

He was planning a lavish party for the woman who ruined my life.

I floated beside him.

My ghostly chest heaved with a phantom ache.

Just one week ago, Sofia returned from studying abroad.

Matteo waited at the airport for three hours. He stood in the arrivals terminal with a massive bouquet of white roses.

On that exact same day, a drunk driver smashed into the side of my car.

The airbag deployed.

Glass shattered across my face.

Blood dripped into my eyes.

I fumbled for my phone in the crushed wreckage.

I dialed Matteo's number. My fingers shook violently.

He answered on the fourth ring.

"Matteo," I gasped. I coughed up dust. "I got hit. I'm bleeding."

"Stop it, Elena," Matteo snapped.

His voice dripped with disgust. "Sofia just landed. I know you hate that she is back. But faking a car crash for attention? You disgust me."

He hung up.

The paramedics pulled me from the wreck.

They rushed me to the emergency room.

The doctors ran tests. They bandaged my head. Then, the attending physician walked in with a chart.

"You are lucky, Mrs. Vitiello," the doctor said. He smiled warmly. "And congratulations. You are six weeks pregnant. The baby is perfectly fine."

I froze. A sudden, overwhelming joy burst through my bruised ribs.

I touched my flat stomach. A baby. Matteo's baby. We had tried for two years.

I grabbed my cracked phone.

I ignored the throbbing pain in my skull. I dialed his number again.

He rejected the call immediately. I called again. He turned his phone off.

Matteo spent the next three days with Sofia.

He helped her settle into her new penthouse. He ignored every single message I sent.

On the fourth day, I walked out of the hospital. I took a cab to the family estate.

Matteo sat in the living room.

He swirled a glass of amber whiskey.

He looked up when I walked in.

He scanned my bandaged forehead and my pale face.

He sneered.

"Matteo," I said. I stepped forward.

I gripped the hem of my shirt. "I wasn't faking. I was in a crash. But the doctor told me something else. I'm pregnant."

Matteo froze. He set the glass down on the glass table.

The heavy crystal slammed against the surface.

He stood up. He walked toward me. His dark eyes locked onto mine. He didn't look happy. He looked murderous.

"Pregnant," Matteo repeated. He let out a harsh, barking laugh. "You are pregnant."

"Yes," I said. I reached out to touch his arm.

He slapped my hand away. He grabbed my jaw. His fingers dug into my cheeks.

"I have oligospermia, Elena," Matteo hissed. He leaned in close.

His breath smelled of alcohol and rage. "My sperm count is practically zero. The doctors told me years ago. So tell me, Donna. Are you faking a pregnancy to steal my attention from Sofia? Or did you spread your legs for another man?"

I stared at him. The room spun.

"No," I choked out. Tears spilled over his tight grip on my face. "I swear, Matteo. It's yours. Only yours."

He shoved me backward. I stumbled and hit the wall.

"You look perfectly fine for someone who supposedly survived a car crash," Matteo snarled.

He pointed a finger at my chest. "Do not try to compete with Sofia. If you pull another stunt like this, I will make sure your next car crash is real."

He walked out. He left me sobbing on the floor.

The next afternoon, Sofia showed up at my hospital. I was working my shift in the ER.

She wore a designer trench coat.

She clicked her heels across the linoleum floor.

She cornered me in the breakroom.

"I heard your little lie," Sofia said. She examined her manicured nails. "Pregnant? How pathetic."

"Get out, Sofia," I said. I clenched my fists.

She stepped closer. She lowered her voice.

"Even if it is a miracle," Sofia whispered.

She smiled maliciously. "Even if you actually managed to get knocked up by him. Matteo will never let you keep it. He promised me long ago. I am the only woman who will bear the Vitiello heirs."

I raised my hand to slap her.

Suddenly, the trauma alarms blared. The overhead speakers crackled.

"Gunshot wound! Trauma Room One! We need an ER nurse immediately!"

I dropped my hand. I turned and sprinted out of the breakroom.

A teenage boy lay on the gurney.

Blood soaked through his school uniform.

I jumped into the trauma bay. I started applying pressure to his chest. I forgot about Sofia. I forgot about the argument. I just focused on saving a life.

Sofia got bored and left. She stepped into the hospital's old South Wing elevator.

The elevator stalled. The power flickered.

She got trapped between the third and fourth floors.

She panicked. She pulled out her phone and texted Matteo.

The elevator is stuck. I can't breathe. Goodbye forever, Matteo.

Matteo was in the middle of a multi-million dollar sit-down with the Russian syndicate.

He flipped the table. He pulled his gun. He abandoned the meeting and raced to the hospital.

The maintenance crew got the doors open thirty minutes later. Sofia was crying.

Matteo held her.

Then he turned his wrath on me.He drove me straight to the restaurant's freezer.

I floated in the hallway of the estate. I watched Matteo walk toward the front door.

Luca rushed down the hall. His face was completely drained of color. He held a phone in his trembling hand.

"Boss," Luca gasped. He stopped in front of Matteo. "The restaurant manager just called. He checked the freezer camera feed."

Matteo stopped. He adjusted his cufflinks.

"Is she ready to apologize?" Matteo asked.

"Boss," Luca swallowed hard. His voice cracked. "The Donna has no vital signs. She isn't moving. The thermal imaging shows no body heat."

Matteo froze. An icy dread pierced his chest. His breath hitched. His hands actually trembled.

"No body heat?" Matteo whispered. Raw panic flashed in his eyes.

His heart hammered with sudden terror.

Then, Sofia's voice drifted from the study.

"Is she playing dead to make you guilty? She definitely bribed the manager to fake the feed."

Luca shook his head. "Boss, the manager sounded terrified……"

"Shut up, Luca," Matteo snapped.

Sofia's words anchored him. The fear vanished.

Cold mockery replaced it. He turned toward the study. "Sofia!"

Sofia walked out. She wore a knowing smirk.

"Come with me," Matteo said. He grabbed her hand. "You are absolutely right. Elena is just throwing another tantrum.

She is pretending to be dead. Looks like this lesson wasn't enough. Let's go to the freezer and see her."