His Innocent Flower, My Slaughterhouse

For eight years, I was his woman. Vincent Costello. The Don of Chicago.

I took bullets for him. I buried his enemies.

Then I found a pendant in his car.

A silver "A". Not mine.

His little secret had a name: Ava.

So I dragged her from the shadows where he’d hidden her.

In return, he burned my ten-million-dollar art gallery to the ground "This is the last time," he warned me.

I didn't listen.

The day he flew her to Vegas for a secret wedding, I intercepted her. And he praised me for it.

"Beautiful job," he said, his voice cold as steel. "You solved my little problem."

That night, he had me drugged. I woke up in a basement as his doctor cut my stomach open.

He ordered him to take my son. Eight months old.

Then he left me to bleed out on the floor.

But I didn't die. I opened my eyes.

I was back on the day I intercepted Ava.

This time, I was done fighting for him.

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1

"Ah!"

"Don't touch me! I'm pregnant with Vincent's child! Please, let me go, he'll give you anything you want!"

"He has a tracker on me! If I don't check in within the hour, he'll come for me!"

The girl crumpled to the floor, clutching her stomach as she scrambled backward.

Dust from the cement floor smudged her white dress, yet she still looked fragile and lovely—a truly pitiful sight.

In that moment, I think I understood.

I understood why Vincent was so captivated by her.

I gave a nod, signaling my men to untie her.

I only asked her one question.

"Do you know what kind of man Vincent is?"

"He can't give you the marriage you want. With him, you'll just be another one of his conquests."

The girl held her chin high, her gaze a mixture of stubbornness and naivety.

"I know, but he said I'm different."

"He also gave me this."

Her hand trembled as she opened her palm, revealing a vintage ring resting there.

It was his mother's heirloom, the symbol of the Costello family's Madre.

In that instant, my sanity fractured.

For eight years, I had been his right hand, his partner, his woman. I’d told him countless times I wanted to settle down.

But he always refused.

"In our line of work, Bella, marriage is a weakness. It paints a target on your back."

"I can't give them a chance to hurt you."

But now, for this girl...

His so-called principles were a fucking joke.

It turned out he wasn't against having a family.

He just didn't want one with me.

I straightened her messy skirt and told my men to leave.

But I didn't go. I hid behind a rusted shipping container.

The girl wasn't lying. Vincent's car screeched to a halt ten minutes later.

He kicked open the door and rushed in, his gaze locking onto Ava as if she were the only person in the world.

They clung to each other amidst the wreckage as he wrapped his jacket around her trembling body.

The sheer relief of finding her safe shattered his composure.

"Thank God you're okay."

"Who did this? I'll put them in the fucking ground!"

The girl sobbed, hugging him even tighter.

"Don't kill anyone, Vincent. You promised me."

That one sentence made the Don of Chicago sheathe his claws.

He gently stroked her back.

"Okay. I promise you."

"Let's go home."

At the doorway, Ava stopped, tugging timidly at the corner of his coat.

"Vincent, do you really love me?"

"If you like me, why do I keep getting into these situations?"

"A man like you must have so many other women. Once the baby comes, will you get tired of me?"

"You have all these women, but I only have you..."

Her tears fell, one by one, splashing onto the old scars that crisscrossed the back of his hand. Each drop seemed to sear right through to his heart.

He didn't speak.

Instead, he answered with a deeper kiss.

When they finally parted, their breathing was heavy.

"You're the only one for me."

"Ava, I promise this is the last time. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to a chapel right now."

The girl's tears turned to laughter as she pounded his chest with soft fists.

"You're lying again. We haven't prepared anything."

"A Costello wedding doesn't need preparation."

He swept her into his arms and carried her toward the door.

In that moment, my world shattered.

My vision blurred with tears.

I stood there for a long, long time.

Then I took out my phone and dialed a back-alley clinic.

"Schedule the surgery. Now."