The doctor frowned at the ultrasound screen, his brows tightly knit.

"Ms. Russo, your body's in a very special condition. You haven't gotten pregnant once in the last seven years. If you terminate this one, you might never get pregnant again."

I let out a bitter laugh. "I'm already divorced. I don't want my child to be born without a father."

The cold anesthetic slid into my veins, and my consciousness slowly blurred.

As everything faded out, I thought I saw the Leone I used to know.

He pressed his ear against my belly and smiled, saying this child would grow up to be a card shark, so he'd have to teach him poker from the cradle up.

He even called the old Don and said he wanted the luckiest name possible for our baby.

He wrapped his arms around me and promised that once he found someone to inherit the casino, he'd take the baby and me out of the family so the three of us could travel the world.

...

All of that tenderness had shattered to dust the moment he told Bliss she was the only one who deserved to be the woman in charge of the casino.

When I woke up, I dragged my hollowed-out body to Jason's ward.

Thank God this time, Jason had only taken a minor hit while he was out on a job. He'd be fine after a short recovery.

In my last life, I'd watched him being beaten to death right in front of me. In this life, I refused to be that stupid again.

I contacted some people in the black market and paid a fortune for two tickets on a flight to Santoria that left in three days.

If I tried to leave through normal channels, Leone would know immediately.

Then, I called the only associate I still trusted, handed him some cash, and asked him to quietly take care of Jason's discharge.

Only after I'd done all that did I finally let myself breathe out a sigh of relief.

I flagged down a cab and gave an address a few blocks away from the family villa.

I'd always had that habit. I had too many enemies, and I couldn't afford to let anyone follow me straight home.

But I never expected that the moment I stepped out of the cab, a man would clamp a hand over my mouth from behind and drag me backward.

I struggled hard, but I'd barely taken two steps when another man swung a club straight into my back.

Pain tore through my back, and warm blood soaked my clothes in an instant.

I didn't need to guess. They had to be Leone's enemies.

The casino had taken over so much territory that the enemies who wanted Leone and everyone close to him dead could've lined up from here to the harbor.

I reached for the knife I kept in my bag, but my arm was twisted hard behind me. Then, they snatched my phone and smashed it into pieces.

"Stay still, puttana!" the man choking me around the neck snarled as he dragged me toward a van parked by the curb.

Just when I was about to lose all hope, a familiar black limousine turned in from the main road.

It was Leone's car.

I forced out the last of my strength, screaming hoarsely and fighting to break free, desperate to make the man in the car notice me.

The car clearly hit the brakes and slowed down.

He'd seen me.

But the very next second, the limousine sped up without a hint of hesitation and drove off.

Through the window, I saw Leone pull Bliss against his chest in the passenger seat, shielding her eyes so she wouldn't look my way.

It was as if the woman being dragged off to die wasn't his wife, but just an ugly scene he didn't want Bliss to see.

In that instant, every shred of struggle and hope drained out of my body.

Pain and cold swallowed me whole, and the darkness closed over the last of my awareness.

When I woke up, I was lying in a private hospital room.

The door wasn't fully closed, and low voices drifted in from the hallway.

"Don Vieri, the signora took a bad hit this time. If she finds out about Ms. Mancini—"

It was Leone's private doctor, Ben Bruno.

He didn't get to finish before Leone's cold voice cut in. "Watch your mouth! Your job is to treat Anna. Stay out of everything else!

"Anna's been in the casino game for years. She's done every ruthless and dirty thing there is. Bliss isn't like her. She's clean, like a blank page. She wouldn't stand a chance against Anna."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "If Anna wakes up and starts acting up, bring Jason in and use him to threaten her. He's the only family she has. She won't look the other way."

My fingers clenched tight around the sheets. I bit my lip until it split, the taste of blood spreading across my tongue.

The night I helped Leone take Navarro's casinos, he'd looked me in the eye and said, "Anna, from now on, no one in Navarro will dare lay a finger on you."

The same vow he once made to me, he'd given to another woman.

He once protected me like I was priceless. But now, he saw me as a threat he needed to guard against.

When I heard footsteps approaching, I closed my eyes and pretended I had just woken up.

"You're awake? We found out who did it. It was that small-time punk who cheated in the casino last time. We broke his hand, remember?" Leone said.

Then, he tossed a document onto the bed in front of me.

"Sign this settlement, and the man who kidnapped you will hand over the East Pier."

The East Pier was the only clean piece of land left in the city. It sat by the sea, with no casinos and hardly any dirty business.

I remembered Leone telling Bliss, "I'll find somewhere quiet and build a resort for you..."

So, all the injuries on my body were just bargaining chips for him to build a gilded cage for his new lover.

I asked hoarsely, "Leone, when did you make this deal?"

Was it the moment he saw me being dragged away? Or long before that, when he decided to pave the way for Bliss with my blood?

Leone's brows pulled together. He clearly didn't like the question.

I tugged at the corner of my lips and let it go.

Whatever the answer was, it didn't matter anymore.

Maybe to soothe me, Leone stayed by my side for the next two days, handling family business from my room.

But his phone never left his hand. Even while we ate, he'd snap photos and send them to Bliss, wearing a soft smile I had never seen.

I watched his profile and suddenly thought of seven years ago.

The first time I met him wasn't in a casino. It had been in a dark alley.

He'd been caught cheating at cards. Several men with knives circled him, and he was one swing away from losing an arm.

I had just won a pile of cash, so I saved him on a whim. Later, I dragged him back to my apartment.

Not long after, my father, back home, owed money to loan sharks and was pushed into his grave by a drug dealer.

They'd grabbed me to pay off the debt. A cold needle had been pressed against my vein.

At the last second, Leone showed up with his men and rescued me.

Leone stayed by my bed day and night, taking care of me and never letting his guard down.

After that, I helped him build up a small casino. Then, I helped him take down casino after casino, wiping out one rival after another.

I knew my hands were already stained with blood that would never come clean. But even if the whole world thought I was dirty, Leone had no right to.

After I was discharged, Leone used the family business as an excuse and never showed up again.

I was leaving the next day, so while he wasn't around, I went back up to the penthouse suite above the Navarro casino.

I took my passport and a few important documents out of the safe.

When I stepped out of the elevator, my legs suddenly went weak, and I pitched forward.

I didn't hit the floor because a pair of slender hands caught me in time.

"Are you okay?" a soft, timid voice asked, her face full of concern.

I looked up and met Bliss's clear eyes.

She wore the casino dealer's uniform, but she still looked completely out of place in it.

She didn't recognize me and probably thought I was just some regular guest who had lost everything and was wandering around in a daze.

"I'm fine. Thanks," I said as I steadied myself, ready to get out of there.

Instead of letting go, she kept hold of my arm, tugging me toward the staff break room. "You look really pale. Come sit here and rest for a while, okay?"

For some reason, I didn't refuse her.

She poured me a cup of warm water and took a packet of bread out of her own locker.

"Here, eat something," she said. "Don't be too upset about losing money. Go home early. I'm sure your family's waiting for you."

When I didn't answer, she hesitated and then pulled a few bills from her uniform pocket and pushed them into my hand.

"You can use this for a cab, but I really can't help with plane tickets," she said.

My throat tightened, like something was stuck there.

I wanted so badly to tell her to stay away from Leone. He was heartless. Every bit of gentleness he showed was just poison hidden under a sugar coating.

But when the words reached my lips, I swallowed them back down.

If she found out who I was, she'd definitely confront Leone.

When that happened, I'd be the one they blamed for it.

I only had one day left. I couldn't gamble with my life and Jason's.

I took the bills from Bliss, thanked her, and hurried out through the back door.

The moment I stepped outside, something cold and solid jammed hard against my temple.

It was a gun!

I instinctively tried to glance back.

Bliss was already lying unconscious on the hallway floor.

Before I could move, the gun butt crashed into my neck, knocking me out cold.

When I came to, Bliss and I were tied up in an abandoned warehouse.

Bliss was trembling as she cried softly. "Who are you? Why did you grab us?"

A man with a knife scar slashed across his face slapped her hard.

"Because you're Leone's woman!" he shouted. "He took over the East Pier and cut off my business, capisce?"

They were accomplices of the cheats from Westside who kidnapped me last time.

Leone had just traded for that piece of territory using the settlement I signed.

Luckily, they didn't recognize me. Bliss, on the other hand, had been sticking close to Leone lately, which made her an easy target.

I moved my wrists in small, careful motions, cutting the rope with the tiny blade I'd hidden under my fingernail.

After so many years living on the edge, I always made sure to have a way out.

The scar-faced man thought I was just some regular gambler and spat at me. "You're unfortunate to have been caught with her. Call your family. 500 grand, and we'll let you go."

Bliss sobbed miserably as she said, "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this. But don't be scared. My fiancé is powerful. He'll definitely come to save us!"

At the mention of Leone, her eyes lit up with absolute trust.

I kept my mouth shut and cut the rope faster.

It seemed like the scar-faced man's call didn't go through. He kicked a metal drum over in frustration.

"Damn it! Leone's not picking up? Fine! Let's send him a present to clear his head!"

He picked up the knife from the floor, his gaze roaming over Bliss with filthy intent.

"I saw you and Leone at the hospital. You're carrying his child, right? Perfetto! We'll carve that bastard out and let Leone have a good look!"

My heart sank. So, Bliss was carrying Leone's baby.