Chapter 7

"Of course you do!" Hope reignited in my mentor's eyes. "That's wonderful news. It's a tragedy that your talent is trapped in these bloody family games."

"When are you leaving? If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

His words were the best thing that had happened to me all day.

After bidding my mentor farewell, I didn't go back to the estate. I went directly to the family's law firm.

"Hello, I want to dissolve an alliance. Please draft two agreements for me."

One was an alliance dissolution agreement, the other a divorce decree.

The lawyer was shocked, but at my insistence, he drafted the documents as requested.

I read every word carefully, and after confirming everything was correct, I signed both documents without hesitation.

When I returned to the estate, I was surprised to find both Kieran and Camilla in the living room.

Just a few days ago, Kieran had said she wouldn't be back. He was truly playing me for a fool.

At this point, I couldn't be bothered to ask why she was here again. I glanced at them and headed straight for the bedroom.

But Kieran frowned and spoke up. "Where have you been? You're back so late."

"I was meeting a friend," I lied casually.

"Which friend?" Kieran wasn't letting it go.

I don't know why, but lately, he had become strangely curious about everything I did.

If this had happened six months ago, I might have been ecstatic. But now, I just found him annoying.

He had a point, though. In the three years I'd been married to him, my entire life had revolved around him. I didn't have any friends.

Moreover, my style of dress had changed recently. My clothes were getting looser and looser, which he must have found strange.

I was trying to think of an excuse when Camilla came over, a sweet smile on her face. "Scarlett, you're just in time!"

"Tomorrow is the Marcelli family's reconciliation horse race. You must be bored at home alone. Why don't you come with us? It'll be a chance to get out of the house and socialize."

I was about to refuse, but Kieran spoke first. "Yes, you should both go. You can look out for each other."

Camilla immediately took my arm. To protect my baby, I couldn't pull away too hard, so I just nodded in agreement.

The horse race was held at a private track.

The venue was lavishly decorated, and members of all the major families were present.

Camilla and I sat in the VIP box, with Kieran behind us, talking to a few Capos.

"Kieran, do you remember the first time we came here to watch the races?" Camilla suddenly turned to Kieran, her voice filled with nostalgia.

Everyone around them stopped talking and looked at them curiously.

I rarely attended public social events with Kieran, so many people in the box didn't know me. They just assumed I was the daughter of some famiglia and paid me no mind.

But everyone recognized Kieran and Camilla, the golden couple of the New York Mafia scene. It was an open secret that the Underboss's marriage was just for show.

"You told me back then that if my favorite horse won, you'd grant me one wish," Camilla continued, her eyes sparkling.

The people around them started to tease. "Did the horse win?"

"Of course it did!" Camilla laughed. "And Kieran promised to take me to see the Northern Lights in Iceland."

"Wow, how romantic!"

"Kieran is so devoted to Camilla."

"You have no idea. Kieran used to have a diary, and it was filled with Camilla's name!"

Listening to their chatter, I felt a wave of nausea. I couldn't tell if it was morning sickness or if I was just disgusted by them.

I just never expected that Kieran, a man so cold and controlled, would have a love for Camilla so well-known.

Perhaps that was why he could never forget her.

Seeing the color drain from my face, Camilla looked triumphant, but she leaned in close and feigned concern. "Scarlett, I didn't mean anything by it, really. It's just..."

"I know," I cut her off, my voice flat. I stood up to head to the parking lot.

But Camilla thought I was angry and grabbed my hand.

In the late stages of my pregnancy, I was easily tired. I had no energy to argue with her. I just wanted her to let me go.

I was about to pry her hand off when a rush of footsteps sounded from outside the box.

Then, several masked gunmen burst in, the sharp click-clack of their rifles filling the air.

"Everyone on the floor! Move and I'll blow your heads off!"

The scene erupted into chaos and screams.

Everyone finally understood. The so-called reconciliation with the Marcelli family was a massive revenge plot.

As a gunman raised his submachine gun to open fire, Kieran's first instinct was to throw himself over Camilla.

He shielded her with his own body.

Meanwhile, I, pregnant, was knocked down by the panicking crowd, left exposed in the line of fire.

A bullet grazed my arm, leaving a searing, bloody trail.

I was pushed to the ground by the frantic crowd, and a sharp pain shot through my abdomen.

I couldn't help but cry out, my hands protectively clutching my stomach.

Blood gushed from the wound, staining the expensive Persian rug beneath me.

Kieran held Camilla tightly, and only after confirming she was unharmed did he finally see me, lying in a pool of blood amidst the chaos.

His face paled. "Scarlett!"

But he still didn't let go of Camilla.

"I'm fine. Get Camilla out of here," I managed to say, forcing myself to sit up. Blood was seeping from the wound on my arm.

Kieran swept up Camilla and ran for the door. As he reached it, he yelled to the family doctor who was rushing in.

"Check on Camilla first! She's terrified!"

The doctor was immediately swamped by Camilla, who was sobbing hysterically, claiming she couldn't breathe and her heart was racing.

And I sat alone in a pool of my own blood, the pain in my abdomen growing more intense.

With my medical knowledge, I knew what was happening. I was going into premature labor.