Elias followed the physician into the back office to collect the prenatal file. Serena, however, murmured something about needing the restroom and stayed right where she was.
Once they were both out of sight, she finally spoke, her voice a slow, lazy drawl. "You can come out now. You've been standing there watching long enough. Haven't had your fill yet?"
I stepped out without a word, my expression blank.
Seeing that I stayed silent, Serena grew impatient. Her gaze sharpened with mockery.
"What, no shame left at all? You knew Elias never loved you, yet you still insist on holding on to the title of Falcone bride?"
I let out a cold laugh. "And you don't find it shameful to be the kept woman, fully aware he's married?"
Serena's lips curled into a smile. Her fingers drifted to the pearl at her ear and held there a fraction too long. "I knew Elias long before you did. If I hadn't gone overseas, you'd never have had the chance to stand at that altar with him."
She placed a hand lightly over her belly, then added smugly, "But I'm back now. And I'm carrying his child. So I'd say it's time for you to step aside."
From the moment I married Elias, I knew he had a woman he considered his one true love. But I never thought she'd hold such an unshakable place in his heart.
The pain that shot through my chest nearly brought me to my knees. My grip tightened instinctively on the report in my hand.
And that's when Serena saw it and snatched it from me.
She scanned the conclusion and burst into wild, gleeful laughter.
"Cancer, huh?" she said. "So, what do you think? Will you live long enough to give birth to that bastard Paolo, or are you both going to die together?"
Her laughter rang in my ears like sirens and something in me snapped. I stepped forward and slapped her, hard.
She staggered back dramatically, then fell to the ground with a wail.
"Bianca, I didn't mean to keep this from you! But I'm pregnant! How could you hit me like that?"
Huge, dramatic tears rolled down her cheeks. And before I could even process her performance, I felt a violent shove from behind. I lost my balance and my belly slammed into the cold, hard floor.
The clinic corridor was empty. No soldiers, no nurses. Just the hum of fluorescent lights overhead and the faint antiseptic smell of a place that existed because the Families needed somewhere quiet for the things hospitals asked too many questions about.
Elias grabbed my arm and yanked me up. I was still dazed, still trying to process the shock, when he yelled in my face.
"Are you out of your mind? How could you push Serena? She's pregnant!"
I stared at him, stunned. Before I could speak, Serena cried out, "Elias, please don't fight with Bianca because of me. I shouldn't have asked you to come to the appointment with me. This is my fault. As long as the Paolo's okay, she can slap me."
She looked like a tragic heroine. Eyes glassy, lower lip trembling.
Elias's face twisted with anger. His voice was low and sharp when he turned to me.
"You've crossed the line, Bianca," he said coldly. "Apologize to Serena."
The sound of it shocked even me. I laughed. Bitterly.
"You want me to apologize?" I said, my voice hoarse. "Elias, do you know what this is?"
I shoved the cancer report into his chest, my hands shaking. My throat tightened with emotion.
He didn't even look at it.
He tore the paper in half and glared at me like I was the problem. His signet ring sat motionless against his knuckle, and the stillness of it was worse than any raised hand.
"I don't care what that says. All I know is you've gone too far. God, you're pregnant, Bianca. How could you be cruel to another woman?"
Tears finally slipped down my cheeks, hot and silent. My whole body trembled. Not from pain, but from sheer fury.
Elias saw me crying and for a moment, his expression softened. His tone shifted to something gentler.
"Alright… can you just apologize? I know I haven't been giving you attention these past few months. But I promise I'll make it up to you once the Paolo's born."
Then, without a trace of shame, he pushed me toward Serena.
She looked back at me, eyes glinting with smug triumph.
I looked hard at Elias, wondering how the man who once swore he loved me could change so drastically the moment Serena came back. Had he forgotten every promise he made the day we stood at the altar? Every vow spoken in that church while both Families watched, while the candles burned, while our blood was still fresh on the oath cloth?
My thumb found the edge of the saint medal at my throat. I held it for one breath. Then I let it drop and lifted my chin.
"No," I said quietly. "I won't apologize. And Elias… you've truly disappointed me."
Then I turned and walked away.
