Chapter 1 - The Envelope of Betrayal
The fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor buzzed with a sickening hum as I tore open the thick manila envelope Margaret had thrust into my hands. My hands, which had never trembled while holding a loaded weapon or signing away millions of dollars, were visibly shaking. Inside was a stack of documents that felt heavier than lead. I flipped through them, my eyes scanning the damning evidence with ruthless speed.
There were bank wire transfers originating from Bianca’s personal offshore accounts, routed directly to Dr. Aris Evans—the very fertility specialist who had sat in his plush office and solemnly told Sofia that her eggs were unviable. There were printed email chains between Bianca and the doctor, discussing the exact dates of Sofia’s lab work and how to seamlessly falsify the results. And at the bottom of the stack, there was a consent form for the destruction of our frozen embryos, bearing a signature that looked exactly like mine. But I hadn't signed it.
The air in the hallway grew thick, suffocating. I had blamed Sofia. I had looked at the woman I loved more than life itself and told her that her body was the reason our home was empty. I had let my grief turn into a weapon, and I had used it to cut her out of my life, completely blind to the snake slithering into my bed.
I slowly looked up from the papers. Bianca had backed away, pressing herself against the cold hospital wall. The mask of the demanding, pampered girlfriend had completely melted away, replaced by the raw, naked terror of a woman who suddenly remembered who she was dating. I wasn't just a wealthy businessman. I was Adrian Moretti, the head of the Chicago syndicate.
"Adrian, please," Bianca whispered, her eyes darting toward the exits. "She fabricated those. Sofia is just trying to ruin us because she’s jealous."
"Matteo," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly, quiet register that made even the nurses at the nearby station freeze.
My lieutenant stepped forward instantly from the shadows of the waiting area. "Yes, Boss."
"Take Bianca down to the underground parking garage. Put her in the soundproof SUV," I ordered, never taking my eyes off the woman who had destroyed my marriage. "If she screams, gag her. If she tries to run, break her legs. She is going to wait there until I am done here. And then, she is going to tell me exactly whose bastard child she is currently carrying."
Bianca let out a piercing shriek as Matteo’s massive hand clamped down on her arm, dragging her mercilessly down the corridor. I didn't flinch. I turned back to Margaret, Sofia’s mother, who was watching me with a mixture of hatred and desperate hope.
"I didn't know," I swore to her, my voice breaking under the weight of my sins. "Margaret, I swear on my life, I didn't know."
May you like
Before Margaret could answer, the double doors of the surgical wing swung open, and a nurse sprinted out, her scrubs stained with fresh blood. "We need more O-negative! She’s crashing!"
The world stopped spinning. The vengeance burning in my veins was instantly extinguished by a wave of pure, paralyzing ice. Sofia.
