Chapter 6

Perfect. The first step of my plan was in motion.

On the day of the appointment, I was ready early, sitting in the corner of the basement, waiting.

Footsteps descended the stairs, but it wasn't the sound of Matteo's leather shoes.

"Get up. It's time to go," Claire said, standing in the doorway, her tone icy.

"Where's Matteo? He promised he'd come with me."

Claire rolled her eyes. "My brother has more important things to do."

I didn't have to ask. Stella must have had another one of her "episodes." She was always the more important thing.

"But he promised me," I mumbled, as if to myself.

"A promise?" Claire laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Did you really think he would choose a piece of trash like you over the mother of his heir?"

"You're so naive, Ava."

She turned and started up the stairs. "Stop dawdling and follow me."

She glanced back, her eyes venomous. "We're going to a more suitable place for your check-up."

The black sedan stopped in an industrial district on the edge of the city, a wasteland of abandoned factories and warehouses.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of chemicals, a nauseating stench.

"What is this place?"

"An underground clinic," Claire said, shoving me forward. "It specializes in making problems... disappear."

"You didn't really think the family's private hospital would serve someone like you, did you?"

Behind a dilapidated iron door was a narrow, dark hallway.

The walls were peeling, covered in water stains and mildew. A single, dim bulb flickered overhead, buzzing with electricity.

I was pushed into a small room. It contained only a rusted operating table and a few pieces of archaic medical equipment.

It looked more like a slaughterhouse than a clinic.

A middle-aged man in a surgical mask walked in.

"You're Ava?"

My heart pounded. I looked closely at his eyes. I knew him.

It was Dr. Romano.

Three years ago, I had saved his daughter's life, pulling her from a car wreck. He owed me a favor.

Now, it was time to collect.

"Dr. Romano," I said, my voice a near-silent whisper.

He gave a slight nod, his eyes signaling me to remain calm. "Lie down. Let's begin the examination."

Claire stood in the doorway, watching us like a warden. "Just get it done. I don't have all day."

Dr. Romano picked up a syringe filled with a clear liquid. "This is a sedative. It will make you more comfortable."

He leaned close to my ear, his voice so soft only I could hear. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can help you hide it. You have other options."

I closed my eyes, the events of the past months flashing through my mind.

Matteo's indifference, Stella's mockery, Claire's abuse.

The words "bastard" and "mutt" from the mouths of his family.

Bringing a child into this world would be the cruelest thing I could do to him. It was better to grant everyone's wish.

"I'm sure."

The sedative hit my veins. Dr. Romano squeezed my hand, his eyes full of apology.

"I'm sorry, child. But this is your choice."

The drugs took effect, and a sharp, cramping pain began in my abdomen.

I bit down on my lip, refusing to make a sound.

I'm so sorry, my sweet baby.

Mommy has no other choice. This world is too cruel, and not even your own father will claim you.

I could hear Claire on the phone in the hallway, her voice a giddy, vicious whisper. "Yes, it's all going to plan... That little bastard will be gone soon, and my brother can finally focus on dealing with the Falcone business..."

The pain intensified, like a thousand knives twisting inside me. I felt a warm gush of fluid between my legs.

Blood. So much blood.

Dr. Romano's expression turned grave, his movements becoming frantic. "She's bleeding too much! I need to stop it now!"

But I knew it was over.

My child...

The door crashed open.

Matteo burst in, his face as white as a sheet. His hair was disheveled, as if he had run all the way here.

When he saw me on the table, covered in blood, when he saw the stains on the floor and the bloody tissue in the metal pan, his pupils constricted, and his breath hitched.

"No... No. This isn't happening."

His voice was a raw tremor. His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed.

"Ava! How could you let them..."

Matteo stumbled toward the operating table, his hand reaching for me but hesitating, trembling in mid-air. His eyes were wide with terror, shock, and utter despair.

"Ava," he choked out, "what did you do to my son?"