He didn't pause, didn't listen. "I'm warning you, don't use the baby to manipulate me. If you want to get rid of it, then do it. Do whatever you want."
Then a soft, fragile voice came from the other end. "Dante, don't be mad at her. She's just worried about you. This is all my fault…"
"Viviana, this isn't your fault…" he replied gently. And then the call ended.
My hand fell weakly to my side. A bitter smile touched my lips, faint and hollow.
Of course. How could I ever compare to his precious Viviana? Holding on any longer would only make me look more pathetic.
But my baby… my child had only needed two more months to come into this world.
The so-called incident at the mall had been about me from the very beginning. It was all because of Dante.
The moment the button man grabbed me, he slapped me hard across the face, twice in quick succession. My head spun, my vision blurring as his voice echoed faintly.
"Your husband couldn't save my wife! Do you even understand that?" he shouted bitterly.
"That so-called surgeon is nothing but a fraud! And I know his Family has money. Snatching you means I can finally get compensation for what he caused!"
When I realized he wanted money, a small sense of relief flickered inside me. At least that meant he wouldn't kill me immediately. At least my baby might still have a chance.
But after eight calls, seven ignored and one filled with nothing but blame, I lost all value in his eyes.
At that moment, I had never been more terrified.
I knelt on the ground, begging desperately, my voice shaking as I pleaded for my child's life.
But my words meant nothing.
The knife on the table was picked up without hesitation. Then it was driven straight into my stomach.
The pain was unbearable, a burning agony that spread through my entire body. Warm blood poured out, soaking everything beneath me.
My baby was gone, just like that.
And yet, only that morning, I had felt tiny kicks inside me, gentle and full of life.
My consciousness began to fade, slipping further and further away. Without my baby, I no longer had the strength to hold on.
I thought I could just let go, let everything end.
But just as I accepted that fate, Adriana broke through the window to reach me.
She glanced at my phone lying on the floor, its screen still faintly lit, and shouted in panic, "Why didn't you answer? If I hadn't come, what would've happened to you? Were you just waiting to die?"
Her hands trembled as she lifted me, trying desperately to call Luca.
But the only response she got was the same cold message: Viviana's in court. Do not disturb.
Those six words left her frozen, disbelief filling her eyes.
She tried calling the police, but the signal was gone. No cell coverage that far from the main road. No matter how many times she tried, it didn't connect.
With no other choice, she dragged me into her car and drove forward along the narrow back road that cut through Falcone timber land, refusing to give up.
But then came the landslide, blocking the road completely.
Perhaps it was fate.
As the rain poured down and the world around me faded into darkness, I slowly closed my eyes and let everything drift away.
Now, Adriana and I lay in the same room in the Family's private clinic, side by side on two narrow beds. The sterile white walls felt cold and distant, and the faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air. A soldier stood post outside the door. I could see his shadow through the frosted glass, still as a statue, guarding a room no one from the Family had bothered to visit.
Silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating, pressing down on us like an invisible weight. Neither of us spoke at first, as if even breathing too loudly might shatter what little composure we had left.
She must have heard Dante's outburst over the phone earlier. Even in her weakened state, she forced herself to sit up, her movements slow and unsteady.
Reaching out, she gripped my hand tightly. Her fingers were cold, trembling slightly, and her face was pale as tears slipped down silently, falling onto the back of my hand. My thumb rubbed the pale mark where my wedding ring had sat, back and forth, back and forth, while I stared at the ceiling and refused to let the burning behind my eyes become anything more.
"I'm so sorry, Bianca," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I never should have introduced you to Dante. You deserved so much better than this… you still do."
