Carla’s POV

"Watch your step, Lady Carla," Nathan, our butler, said as he gently supported me.

"Where is Alexander?" I asked, glancing around.

"He's busy, Lady Carla," Nathan replied respectfully. "He asked me to accompany you for your regular checkup today. He had other matters to attend to."

My gaze dropped to my rounded belly. I’m nearly six months pregnant, and even now, it feels surreal.

I’m going to start a family with Alexander, the man known as the most ruthless mafia lord in the country.

Not only does he dominate the business world, but his reputation as a dangerous and commanding figure precedes him.

Despite his cold and feared exterior, Alex means everything to me, which is why I feel uneasy leaving the mansion without him.

His protection isn’t just comforting—it’s necessary. I know there are enemies lurking out there, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Won’t there be anyone to guard me? No additional security?" I asked, my worry evident in my tone.

Nathan offered me a reassuring smile. "There will be, Lady Carla. Don Alexander has already assigned some of his men to accompany you. They’ll ensure your safety, and I’ll come with you too."

I bit my lip in frustration. It’s been days since I last spent time with Alex. Lately, he’s been so distant, so cold. I’ve noticed it, but I haven’t pressed him about it.

Maybe he’s overwhelmed with work or something he doesn’t want to share.

Either way, I feel the growing space between us, and it’s starting to hurt.

“All right, let’s go to the hospital,” I said softly, resigning myself to the situation.

Nathan and a few servants helped me into the car. Once I was settled, our personal driver started the car. The quiet hum of the engine filled the air, but my mind was far from quiet.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the screen for a moment before dialing Alex’s number. The line rang a few times before someone finally picked up.

"Alex, where are you? I need you with me for this checkup," I said, my voice carrying a mixture of longing and frustration. "You’re going to be a father soon. Shouldn’t you be here for this?"

I was expecting Alex to answer, but instead, I heard a faint mumbling in the background.

"Alex, sweetie, will you take long?”

A woman’s voice said, light and flirtatious.

“I just need to take a quick shower.”

I froze. It felt like ice water was poured all over me.

My mind went blank.

"A-Alex?" I called out, my voice shaking.

He didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure if he heard me.

"A-Alex?!" I repeated, desperate for him to respond.

The line suddenly went dead.

My heart raced, pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears. The phone slipped from my trembling hand.

What the hell did I just hear?

My thoughts spiraled as I replayed the voice in my head.

There was no mistaking it—it was a woman. Her tone, her words... and the way she spoke to Alex, it wasn’t just casual. It was intimate. My mind raced with questions I didn’t want to answer.

“Lady Carla? Is something wrong?” Nathan asked beside me.

“Where is Alex?” I demanded. “What did he tell you? Where did he go, and what is he doing?”

“Lady Carla,” Nathan began cautiously, “he mentioned he had urgent business to attend to. He said he was at the company handling something important.”

The pit in my stomach grew deeper. I couldn’t believe him.

“Drive to the company building,” I ordered the driver, my voice firm.

“Lady Carla, may I ask—”

“Just do what I said!” I snapped, my frustration and fear spilling over.

The driver and Nathan exchanged a brief glance but obeyed my command without question.

The car started moving, and as it sped through the streets, my mind was in chaos.

“Lady Carla!” Nathan shouted as he threw himself in front of me, shielding me with his body.

Then suddenly, an unexpected thing happened.

The car jolted violently, and before I could react, a loud crash echoed around us.

My head snapped forward, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

I heard the screech of tires, felt the impact as our car spun out of control, and then—a deafening explosion.

My vision blurred, and I felt a sharp pain radiating through my body. My head throbbed, and my ears were ringing.

Dizziness took over, and the world spun around me.

The only thought in my mind was my baby—my unborn child.

Please, be okay. Please…

The next thing I knew, darkness consumed me.

---

“Alex, please, hurry… ohh!” a woman’s voice said, urgency dripping from her tone.

When I finally started to regain consciousness, I heard voices—voices that were unfamiliar.

I tried to open my eyes, but my body felt heavy, paralyzed even. My vision slowly cleared, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

Moans.

Soft, intimate moans. And the sound of skin—bare skin meeting bare skin.

My heart sank.

I forced my gaze downward, the fog in my mind lifting just enough for me to process what I was seeing. My breathing hitched, my chest tightening as my worst fear unraveled before me.

There he was—Alex. The man I trusted, the father of my child.

He was in the same hospital room as me. But he wasn’t sitting by my side or holding my hand. No.

He was on the couch with another woman.

Their bodies were entwined, moving together in ways that made me sick to my stomach.

Her moans echoed in the room as Alex’s deep voice followed.

“Yes, ah, fuck, baby!” he groaned, completely unaware that I was awake.

Carla’s POV

I’m lying here in this hospital room, helpless, while watching my own husband fuck with another woman right in front of me.

After being in a terrible accident, I never imagined I’d wake up to such a horrific scene.

I want to scream. I want to confront them both, to demand answers and let my rage explode.

But I can’t.

I can’t speak, I can’t move. My body is wrapped in layers of bandages, immobilized by pain and injuries.

All I can do is cry silently as hot tears stream down my face. My vision is blurred, but it’s clear enough to see what Alex is doing. His hands move over her body, and their heated breaths fill the room.

Wait.

She looks familiar.

And then it clicks—she’s Alex’s secretary.

Of course, it had to be her. How long has this been going on?

“I’m cumming!”

I watch in anguish as Alex gives himself to her.

Her legs shake from the intensity of their encounter, and I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight of betrayal.

Once they finish, they start fixing themselves up casually, as if nothing had happened.

Alex stands tall, adjusting his slacks and zipping them up with ease. The woman, still breathless, straightens her red lace underwear, snapping it back into place.

Her voice breaks the silence.

“Let’s meet later, okay?” she whispers seductively, her lips curling into a sly smile.

“Sure,” Alex replies, his tone calm and composed, as if they hadn’t just shattered my entire world.

“I just need to keep an eye on my wife.”

The woman giggles, leans up on her tiptoes, and plants a kiss on Alex’s lips before walking out of the room.

Her heels click against the floor.

Alex, now alone with me, turns his gaze in my direction. For a brief moment, our eyes almost meet. Panicked, I quickly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

I hear his footsteps drawing closer to my bedside. Every step feels like a hammer pounding on my chest. Then, he speaks. His voice is low, venomous, and filled with contempt.

“You’re the reason for all this. The accident was your fault. You killed our child.”

His accusations are like daggers, stabbing me repeatedly. I want to defend myself, to scream that it wasn’t my fault, but I can’t even move. I’m trapped—physically, emotionally, and now mentally—by his cruel words.

“And I’ll make sure,” he adds, his voice dark and unforgiving, “that you suffer for the sins you’ve committed.”

I could feel the anger in his voice—it was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. He blamed me for everything.

“Once you wake up,” Alex said, his voice low and menacing, “I’ll make sure you regret everything. You’re not getting away from me. You’ll suffer for what you did to me, to us. It’s your fault our child died. You couldn’t even take care of yourself, let alone our baby.”

His words were unbearable, each one a stab to my already broken heart.

“You’ll never escape me.”

And with that, he stood up and left the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in silence.

Once I was sure I was alone, I opened my eyes, trembling from the fear and the weight of his words.

My thoughts raced. What could I do?

I wanted to call Nathan, to tell him everything—about Alex, about what I had just overheard, about the betrayal that had crushed me.

But before I could even gather the strength to move, the door creaked open again. My heart stopped.

I thought it was Alex returning. But no, it wasn’t him.

Instead, it was her—the woman he had been with, his mistress.

“Oh, you’re awake,” she said, her voice filled with mockery. “Good. I’m glad you’re conscious for this. You should see what I’m about to do to you.”

My eyes widened in terror.

What was she planning?

She strode into the room confidently, placing her designer handbag on the floor. From inside, she pulled out a syringe. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched her approach me.

With a sinister smile, she inserted the syringe into my IV line. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, her tone laced with malice. “I’ll make sure Alex is mine. You? You’re just a pathetic little obstacle in my way.”

Her laugh sent chills down my spine as she slowly pressed the syringe, injecting its contents into the IV. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but my body was still paralyzed. I was helpless, completely at her mercy.

When she was done, she smirked down at me. “Good riddance,” she said coldly before walking out of the room.

Moments later, I felt my body growing weaker. My vision blurred, and I struggled to breathe. Panic set in as the sound of alarms filled the room. Nurses and doctors rushed in, their frantic voices overlapping.

“We’re losing her!”

I was slipping away, fading into the darkness. But then, amidst the chaos, I saw him—Nathan. He pushed past the medical staff and came to my side, grabbing my hand.

“Please,” I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible. “Get me out of here. Save me. Don’t let Alex know. Just… take me away…”

Tears welled in my eyes as I felt my strength leaving me. “Please,” I begged one last time before the darkness swallowed me whole.

Carla’s POV

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the soft light in the room. A moment later, I heard a voice.

“Lady Carla, you’re awake.”

I turned toward the speaker and saw Nathan, the butler. He stood near the bed, a faint smile on his face, though his expression showed hints of relief and worry.

I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. The room was quiet and unfamiliar, yet it exuded a sense of privacy and safety. A single question escaped my lips.

“W-Where am I?”

At least I could speak now, though my body still felt heavy and unresponsive. Moving even slightly was a struggle.

“You suffered injuries, Lady Carla,” Nathan explained gently. “It was because of the accident. Thankfully, I only sustained minor injuries.”

I noticed his left shoulder was bandaged, his arm in a sling. There were scratches on his face and arms, but it seemed he had fared much better than I had.

“W-What exactly happened?”

Nathan’s expression darkened. “You almost died, Lady Carla,” he said, his tone serious. “Someone poisoned your IV while you were recovering in the hospital. It was a deliberate attack. Luckily, the nurses and doctors managed to save you just in time.”

I felt my heart race as his words sank in. Poison? An attack?

“After that,” he continued, “while you were still regaining your strength, I made a decision. I helped you escape from the hospital.”

I stopped breathing for a second there.

“Does… Alexander know about this?”

Nathan shook his head firmly. “No, my lady. Don Alexander has no idea. I kept this a secret because I trust you. And I only did what you instructed me to do.”

His words triggered a flood of memories. Suddenly, everything came rushing back—every painful detail I had tried to forget. My chest tightened, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“He cheated on me, Nathan,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “H-He betrayed me.”

The tears spilled over as the anger and hurt I had been suppressing poured out.

“I saw him with another woman in the hospital. He wasn’t even ashamed! He was furious with me, accusing me of killing his child.”

Nathan lowered his gaze, his expression somber.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” I cried, my hands clenching the blanket. “I didn’t want any of this!”

Nathan hesitated before speaking, his voice quiet but firm. “Lady Carla... I’ve known for a long time. Don Alexander has been unfaithful to you for years.”

My eyes widened in shock. “What? You knew?”

He nodded, “Yes, my lady. I’ve seen it all. That’s why, when you asked me to help you escape, I didn’t hesitate. I knew you deserved better.”

I struggled to process his words. The man I had loved, the man I had trusted, had been betraying me all along. My chest felt heavy with the weight of betrayal and anger.

“And now,” Nathan continued, his voice laced with urgency, “Don Alexander is doing everything in his power to find you. He won’t stop until he does.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Nathan stepped closer, his expression unwavering. “I’m risking my life for you, Lady Carla. But I made this choice because I believe in you.”

His words struck a chord deep within me.

I forced myself to stand, though my legs wobbled beneath me. Nathan quickly rushed to my side, steadying me with a firm but gentle grip.

“What are you planning to do, Lady Carla?” he asked, concern etched across his face.

“I’m going back to the mansion,” I said with determination.

“What?” His voice rose in alarm. “That’s too dangerous! You know what Don Alexander is capable of, and you’ve seen how far he’s willing to go. He won’t stop until he punishes you.”

I turned to him, meeting his worried gaze, “I’m not going back to surrender, Nathan. I’m going to show him what I’m capable of. He’ll regret everything he’s done to me.”

My voice was cold, each word carrying the weight of my pain and anger.

“I will make sure he pays for all of it. Mark my words.”

Nathan hesitated, his brow furrowing in frustration. But he didn’t argue further. Instead, he silently helped me sit back down.

I spent the next few days recovering at Nathan’s safe house, the place where he had hidden me after the hospital incident.

One evening, as I rested, he approached me hesitantly. “Lady Carla,” he began, “I can’t let you do this. Returning to the mansion... it’s dangerous. Don Alexander will hurt you. And his mistress is practically living there now.”

My heart clenched at his words, but I didn’t let it show. “But I have unfinished business with Alexander.”

He sighed heavily but nodded, realizing I couldn’t be swayed.

After a few more days, my body had regained enough strength for me to carry out my plan. Though the injuries from the accident still lingered, I was determined. The physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart—a constant reminder of the unborn child I had lost.

The memory of it was unbearable. Losing the baby was devastating, but Alex’s betrayal had turned that grief into something sharper, more unbearable. Even knowing we had lost a part of ourselves, he had still chosen to cheat on me. That betrayal would never leave me!

Finally, the day came when we returned to the mansion. Nathan stayed close, ensuring I had everything I needed.

As soon as I stepped through the grand doors, Alexander was there to greet me—or rather, to confront me. His expression was dark, anger radiating off him in waves.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he snarled, his voice cutting through the tense air.

Before I could answer, he stormed toward me, his hand shooting out to grab my neck. His grip was tight, unrelenting, and filled with rage.

“Do you think you can just disappear like that? Do you know what kind of trouble you’ve caused me?!”