Where a Traitor's Kingdom Falls

The Don of the Castello family, Griffin Castello, was targeted by a car bomb in a premeditated attack at a charity gala at the Art Institute of Chicago.

At that moment, my husband, Julian Thorne, who was in charge of the Don's security detail, had abandoned his post to be with his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett Shaw. He had even taken the core security team with him to a private yacht party on Lake Michigan.

I didn't activate my emergency communicator. Instead, despite being six months pregnant, I threw myself in front of Griffin, my body shielding him from the glass curtain wall that shattered in the blast.

In my past life, I had pressed that button.

Julian had abandoned Scarlett, rushed back to save Griffin's life, and was hailed as a hero for it—even earning a promotion.

But because Julian had left her, Scarlett had an "accidental" fall into the lake and drowned.

Julian resented me for it. Without a word, right after I gave birth, he sold my child and me to the black market.

"The Don has his own men! Why did you have to call me back? Was it for nothing more than your damn vanity?"

"If it weren't for you, Scarlett would still be alive! You'll pay for what you did, and I'll make you suffer a thousand different kinds of pain before you die!"

I could only watch as my organs were carved out one by one, and even my newborn child was not spared.

In the end, I died in excruciating agony from my wounds and the subsequent infection.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of Griffin's ambush.

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1

"There's a bomb! Protect Don Castello!"

A scream ripped through the elegant atmosphere of the gala.

Watching the car hurtling toward the museum entrance, my first instinct was to recoil.

The memory of being carved apart in my past life, of dying in agony, sent a phantom jolt through my nerves. As chaos erupted in the grand hall, that searing pain shot through me once more.

I had been reborn. And right at the moment Don Griffin Castello was about to be ambushed.

Shaking myself back to the present, I placed a protective hand on my slightly swollen belly. My baby was still alive. I still had a chance.

Amid the chaos, I took the emergency communicator from my clutch and tossed it into a nearby decorative fountain.

Among the panicked crowd, the Don stood completely exposed.

The car had already smashed through the barricades. The driver wore a crazed grin, his hand reaching for the detonator.

Without a moment's hesitation, I shoved the Don behind a thick marble column, using my own body as a shield.

An instant later, a deafening explosion tore through the air.

A shockwave laced with glass shards slammed into my back. The impact threw me to my knees, a piercing pain shooting to the bone.

I coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.

Then, as a massive chandelier broke free from the ceiling, I met the Don's stunned gaze and threw myself in front of him again.

"Be... careful, Don Castello... The family... it needs you..."

I watched as the astonishment in his eyes melted into gratitude. In that moment, I knew my gamble had paid off.

My husband, Julian Thorne, was a Capo in the Castello family and was supposed to be by the Don's side at all times.

Yet, during today's ambush, he was nowhere to be seen.

It was all because his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett Shaw, had said she wanted to go to a yacht party on the lake. So he abandoned his post, taking the entire core security detail with him to escort her.

In my past life, I had worried Julian would be punished for this dereliction of duty, so I pressed the emergency communicator to summon him back.

Although he had abandoned his post, he returned in time to save the Don and was hailed as a hero for it.

But Julian later accused me of being vain, blaming me for Scarlett's death. He sold me and our child to the black market, where we were tortured to death.

Since fate had given me a second chance, I swore I wouldn't let history repeat itself.

After the explosion subsided, we were surrounded by the wreckage of the car bomb. But thanks to me, the Don was unharmed.

Just then, the Soldati, having gotten the news, finally arrived. They raised their guns and cordoned off the entire area.

The crisis was over.

But I could feel the faint stirring inside me slowly ceasing. Warm, sticky blood flowed from the wounds on my back, and a violent tremor ran through me.

I was six months pregnant.

My hand reached for something that wasn't there, my vision tunneled to black, and I collapsed.

The Don caught me, his voice laced with panic as he yelled, "Get Dr. Elliot! Now! And get her husband—bring him here at once!"

I tried to speak, but I could only cough up more blood. Yet, the Don showed no disgust. He leaned in, trying to hear me.

I gathered all my strength and managed to gasp, "My name is... Aurora Valenti. I'm... Capo Thorne's wife."