Chapter 4

Lucian's face darkened instantly. He grabbed Sophia by the wrist and dragged her into the back garden.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? I warned you to never show your face here! If your sister finds out about anything, you know the consequences!"

I walked to the second-floor window, which gave me a perfect view of everything in the garden.

Lucian was like an enraged beast, shoving Sophia away forcefully.

"Are you insane? Do you want to bring the entire Family down?!"

Terrified by his rage, Sophia trembled, pulling a hospital report from her bag with a shaking hand.

Even from that distance, I could faintly make out her words: "I know I shouldn't have come… but I'm pregnant."

"The doctor said last night was too rough. I'm nine weeks along, and it's a high-risk pregnancy now."

"Lucian, I know I shouldn't cause you trouble, but I'm scared. Will the baby be okay? This is your first heir, the future of your bloodline."

Those words struck me like a bolt of lightning, shattering me completely.

My chest felt as if a hole had been gouged out of it, raw and bleeding.

Sophia was… also pregnant with a child of the Marino Family?

I remembered how, when we first got married, we had discussed the issue of continuing the bloodline.

Lucian had said that having a child too early would affect our relationship, that he wanted our union to remain the purest form of love.

Back then, I was so mesmerized by his so-called "devotion" that I believed his nonsense and had been on birth control ever since.

Only now did I understand. He could so casually father a child with another woman.

From the very beginning, he never wanted to have a child with me.

Hearing the word "pregnant," Lucian froze.

He stared intently at Sophia's stomach, a flash of confusion in his eyes.

He'd always taken precautions, so how…?

But he question was there and gone in an instant. His lips trembled, and his tone suddenly softened.

"Nine weeks? We need to be extra careful at this stage."

"Nothing can happen to the heir of this Family."

"You wait in the car first. I'll immediately arrange for the Family's best private doctor to give you a full check-up."

Sophia's tears turned to smiles as she stood on her toes to offer him a kiss.

Lucian's eyes instantly darkened, but he gently sidestepped her kiss. "We're at the Marino estate. Be more careful."

"Besides, you need to prioritize the child in your womb now."

"Don't provoke me."

A roguish smile touched his lips as he walked back toward the villa.

I quickly retreated to my room and sat back down at the dining table.

Nine weeks. That must have been the night I first discovered he hadn't come home.

I touched my own stomach, feeling nothing but sorry for this little life.

It's mommy's fault. I couldn't give you a happy family.

Soon, Lucian pushed the door open.

"Nora, I need to go out and handle something."

"The Romano family has been making some moves lately, possibly targeting our business."

"I have to go deal with it myself. You be good and wait for me here at the estate for the next couple of days."

I gave a faint nod of understanding.

Seeing my placid expression, he was relieved and kissed my forehead before leaving.

He was still so good at his act, moving effortlessly between Sophia and me.

I watched his disappearing figure, then glanced at the calendar on the wall.

This might be the last time we ever see each other in this life.

That afternoon, my phone vibrated without warning.

On the screen was a picture of an ultrasound report.

It was followed by another picture: Lucian gently cradling Sophia's slightly swollen belly, bowing his head to kiss it reverently.

The tenderness on his face was a gentleness I had never seen before.

Even though the sender was an unknown number, the identity of the sender was obvious.

Perhaps carrying the Marino heir had given my sister the audacity to provoke me, the Donna.

But what she didn't know was that none of this had any effect on me anymore. My heart was already a still, dead sea.

My heart was ash. I was determined to disappear.

For the next two days, as expected, there was no word from Lucian.

I took advantage of this time to erase every trace of myself from the estate.

I donated what jewels and antiques I could and burned the rest of my personal belongings.

I only kept the bare necessities to take with me.

On the day I left, I woke before dawn and packed everything into a suitcase.

I waited quietly for the car from the lab to pick me up.

Just as I was about to contact my mentor to confirm the pickup time, my phone received another text from that number.

"Sister, the doctor said it's a boy. I'm carrying the Marino heir."

"Lucian said he's going to make things official for me and our child. You useless woman who can't even produce an heir, if you know what's good for you, get out of the Marino estate on your own!"

This time, I replied.

"Congratulations. Your wish is about to come true."

Just after I sent the message, the car arrived.

I dragged my suitcase and got into the back seat.

As we passed St. Mary's Cathedral, a sudden downpour began.

Raindrops hammered against the car window, blurring the world outside.

It was then that I saw a familiar line of black cars parked in front of the cathedral through the rain-swept glass.

That was where we held our wedding seven years ago.

In the rain, Lucian emerged from the church, holding a black umbrella, his other hand holding Sophia's tightly.

She wore a white maternity dress, which stood out starkly in the rain.

They had just come out of the church, as if they had just finished a prayer.

Just as Lucian was helping Sophia into the car, a gust of wind parted the curtain of rain.

He looked up and happened to look in my direction.

Through two layers of rain-blurred glass, our gazes met again at the very place that had witnessed our vows.

When he saw it was me, his eyes filled with shock, confusion, and fear.

His lips moved silently, as if calling my name.

I looked away, severing our final, silent connection.