Chapter 3

Marco froze for a moment, then let out a scornful laugh. Without even looking, he casually knocked the ring from my hand. "Just like you. A cheap fake that doesn't belong on any stage."

Right after that, he spat in my face. "Take this filth downstairs!"

The basement was cold and damp. I was shoved onto the carpet.

Marco walked in, Mia following behind him. He poured himself a glass of yellow liqueur and sat down on the sofa in the center of the room. His legs crossed, like a judge passing sentence, he looked at me with cold indifference.

Mia stood before me, one hand on her belly, looking down at me from above. "Lucia, you really are a cheap tool. Marco doesn't even want you anymore, and you're still out here lying and trying to fool people."

Her face was filled with the smug pride and contempt of a victor. "The Godfather's child? Why not just say you're pregnant with God's son?"

Marco did nothing to stop her. He seemed to enjoy watching Mia humiliate me.

I pushed myself up from the carpet and looked at him calmly. "Marco, I'll say this again. I'm carrying the Godfather's child. If you stop now, it's not too late. Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

My composure angered him again. "Stubborn thing!"

Marco pulled a box from the drawer of the coffee table and threw it hard in front of me. It was a box of pregnancy tests.

"Test." He pointed at me, his eyes vicious. "Right now. Here. In front of Mia and me. Prove it to me."

I picked up one of the tests and started toward the bathroom.

A hand grabbed my arm roughly.

Marco sneered and yanked me back. "The bathroom? What are you planning to do in there? Do it here."

He leaned close to my ear, devoid of warmth. Every word felt like an ice spike. "Take off your pants. In front of us. Spread your legs and piss on it. That's what honesty looks like."

The humiliation was naked and raw, more unbearable than any beating before.

I looked at the pregnancy test on the floor and did not move. My voice was light, but clear.

"No."

The muscles in Marco's face twitched. He slowly stood and pulled a black handgun from the back of his waistband.

Click.

The sound of the safety coming off echoed sharply in the quiet room. The cold muzzle pressed hard against my temple. The sharp smell of gunpowder filled my nose.

"Woman, you're wearing out what little patience I have left." His voice was low and heavy with threat. "Test."

In despair, I closed my eyes. Slowly, I picked up the pregnancy test from the floor. I turned my back to them and unfastened my pants.

Behind me were two cold, scrutinizing stares.

I did what he demanded. Then I lifted the pregnancy test in front of them.

Two clear red lines, like twin blades, stabbing straight into their eyes.

The color drained instantly from Marco's face. He rushed at me and seized my throat, slamming me against the wall.

The suffocating pressure came at once. His eyes were bloodshot, savage.

"I was fighting those Gambino dogs on the West Coast, and you let someone into your bed? Tell me! Whose spawn is it?" he roared, tightening his grip.

Struggling for breath, I forced out a few words. "Rosato… Vincenzo…"

Rosato Vincenzo. The Godfather's name.

He released me. I collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.

"Nothing but lies. I'm out of patience." Marco looked at me, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

He turned coldly to his men. "Go get the doctor."

Then he looked at Mia, a twisted amusement in his tone. "Baby, want to see it with your own eyes?" He paused, a brutal smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "How that spawn gets dug out of her belly?"

A flicker of fear crossed Mia's face, but it was quickly replaced by excitement and malice. "Of course I do, Marco."

Abortion.

The word exploded in my mind like thunder. I understood that pleading and explanations were useless.

Marco had gone mad. He was really going to kill my child.