All Chapters of Playing Dead and Breaking the Don-To-Be: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stood outside the VIP ward of a private hospital.The voices inside carried through the door, feeling like sharp needles driving straight into my chest."Vincenzo, my fever's down. You should go. Ella must be worried."Sofia Camorra's voice carried a deliberate note of sympathy.That little play-hard-to-get tactic was so obvious that anyone with half a brain could see right through it."Worried about what?"Vincenzo Costa's voice was full of tenderness. He used to only speak to me like that."If she hadn't thrown that water on you, would you have spiked to 102 degrees Fahrenheit? You're carrying the heir of the Costa and Camorra families. I'm not leaving your side."My fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palm until it went numb.It had been eight years.Eight years ago, I was digging through trash in the slums for leftover bread. Dirt clung to my skin.Meanwhile, he was the golden heir of the Costa family, dressed in tailored suits and surrounded by admirers.No

Chapter 2

"No… I just wanted to bring her some food…" I replied.Before I could even put the thermal container in front of him, Vincenzo snatched it from my hands.He lifted the lid, glanced inside, and frowned with irritation. His tone was sharp and impatient as he said, "Sofia's carrying our heir. Her stomach is delicate. She can't eat this."I froze. My fingers were still hovering in the position I'd held when I'd reached out.I'd started cooking this tomato beef stew at 5:00 am, simmering the beef until it was tender. Vincenzo used to eat two big bowls of this.However, now, in his eyes, it had become a "risk" to Sofia."I made it myself. It's clean, and it suits her tastes," I said in a trembling voice as I wrung my hands.Vincenzo didn't seem to hear. He turned and dumped the entire pot of stew straight into the trash."Ella Pezzano, don't push your luck." He spun toward me, and his gaze was ice-cold."If you hadn't doused her with water, would her temperature have spiked to 102 d

Chapter 3

Vincenzo chased after me and caught my hand in a few strides.Realizing he'd been too harsh, he softened his tone, trying to calm me. "Ella, I know Sofia bothers you, but this is just a deal. I only care about you!"I jerked my hand free and stepped back, keeping my distance. "A deal?"I thought about what happened last month. He said he was handling family matters, but I ran into him and Sofia at a mall downtown.They were holding hands. She leaned against him, trying on jewelry, and he helped her patiently. His gaze was filled with tenderness.I confronted him on the spot, and he fumbled through an explanation. "Ella, don't misunderstand. I'm just finishing the task. I have to please her so she can deliver the baby safely. Once it's done, we'll leave."That night, I received a message from Sofia.A photo was attached, showing her and Vincenzo in a hotel suite. She was wearing the necklace he'd just bought her as she snuggled in his arms.She wrote, "Ella, do you really think

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, I was still resting when a group of black-suited bodyguards burst in.Without a word, they grabbed me and started hauling me out."What are you doing? Let go!" I struggled, but it was useless against their overwhelming strength.In the end, they threw me into the Costa family's council room. The elders of both the Costa and Camorra families were seated there.The lead elder looked at me. His gaze was ice-cold. "Ella Pezzano, you're just a slum orphan who somehow earned Vincenzo's pity. You should've been grateful and stayed in your place!"But you were ignorant and ungrateful. You kept going after Sofia. Last night, you even poisoned her food and caused a miscarriage! Do you admit what you've done?""I didn't do that!" I wrenched free from the guards and scanned everyone in the room before my gaze landed on Vincenzo."The miscarriage has nothing to do with me. I never harmed Sofia. You can't condemn me based on assumptions!"My voice trembled, not from f

Chapter 5

Third-person POVMeanwhile, in the ward, Vincenzo sat on the edge of the bed. His hand was clenched tightly in Sofia's grip.She had just let a few fake tears fall, then snuggled closer. "Vincenzo, I'm still a little scared. Can you stay with me a bit longer?"He patted her hand half-heartedly, but his gaze kept drifting toward the window. His mind was consumed by the look of utter despair in Ella's eyes as his men dragged her away.He felt uneasy, but he kept telling himself it was necessary.If he hadn't done that, the family elders would have executed her on the spot.Punishing her and locking her up was just a temporary measure. Once things settled, he could make things right with her.After all, Ella loved him so much. She would understand.Eight years ago, she had endured the family's cruelty with him. She could wait a little longer.Once he secured his position, he could openly marry her and never let her suffer again."Vincenzo? What's on your mind?" Sofia's voice pul

Chapter 6

Vincenzo meant every word. That same day, he mobilized the full force of the Costa family. One team investigated the fire. Another dug into Sofia's so-called miscarriage.The first crack appeared in the hospital records.When Sofia claimed she had a 102-degree fever and signs of a miscarriage, she was treated at the Costa family's private hospital.Vincenzo ordered all the records from that day pulled, but there was no registration under her name and no record of any doctor treating her for a miscarriage caused by a high fever.He had the doctor Sofia named dragged in. The man tried to lie until Vincenzo's men pinned him to the wall and pressed a blade to his throat."S-Signorina Camorra told me to lie!" the doctor stammered. "She said if I admitted to treating her and confirming her pregnancy and miscarriage, she'd give me a large sum of money! I never even examined her. Those diagnoses were all fake!"Vincenzo stared at the empty medical file in his hand, and his knuckles turne

Chapter 7

The Camorra family refused to back down. The war escalated, shaking the Eldorian underworld to its core.Vincenzo led the strike himself, taking down their main hideout.When he stormed the villa, the Camorra family's elders were trying to flee through secret passages, but his men blocked every exit."Vincenzo, don't go too far!" the lead elder barked, his bravado thin and trembling. "Aren't you afraid your family will fall with us?""Fall with you?" Vincenzo laughed. His voice was dripping with mockery. "I stopped caring the day Ella died. This family and its businesses mean nothing to me now."He raised his hand, and his men shoved the elders to the floor."I want to know something. Was my Papa involved in Sofia's fake pregnancy and the plot against Ella?"The elders froze. Nobody dared answer.Vincenzo took a step forward and pulled out a gun. He pressed it to the temple of the lead elder. "Answer me!""Si! It was Don Costa's idea!" the elder stammered, pale with terror. "H

Chapter 8

Ella's POVTwo weeks later, I was at a business summit in Norvale. Out of nowhere, I felt a familiar gaze on me.I turned, and there was Vincenzo.He wore a black coat, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked utterly haggard.He stared at me with a wild obsession burning in his gaze.My heart sank, and I instinctively tried to step away, but he was already striding toward me."Ella!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chatter. "It's really you! You're not dead!"Everyone around turned to look. Their gazes were full of curiosity and scrutiny.I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down."Signor, you've got the wrong person," I said coldly. "I'm Luna Kane, not Ella.""Wrong person?" Vincenzo laughed. His voice dripped with madness."You can change your name, your hair, everything, but I know you. I'll never forget your eyes, your nose, and the corner of your mouth."He reached for my hand, but I stepped back. My bodyguards moved in and blo

Chapter 9

Vincenzo's persistence never stopped, but he tried a different approach.He no longer shouted for me to acknowledge him. He didn't try to break into my office or apartment anymore.Every morning, there was a fresh white rose waiting outside my building, tied with a small note that read, "Scusa."At night, he would watch from a shadowed corner as I walked into my apartment. He wouldn't speak to me or come closer."Signorina, should I make him leave?" my bodyguard asked every time.I shook my head.I never touched the roses or opened the notes, yet seeing him grow thinner stirred something complicated inside me.One evening, after a long event, I was about to get into my car when a scream cut through the crowd. "Watch out!"A black car came roaring from the side, moving impossibly fast.I shut my eyes instinctively.In the chaos, a dark figure lunged at me, pushing me out of the car's path.It was Vincenzo.The car hit him with a sickening thud. He went down hard, and blood b

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