LENA’S POV

It was supposed to be the happiest night of my life – my engagement party to Marcelo, the man I had loved since childhood. But that all changed when I excused myself to use the restroom. As I got closer to the door, I heard conversations that chilled my blood.

The quiet laughter of my half-sister, Francine, blended with the deep voice of my fiancé, Marcelo.

"Mmm, Marcelo, you feel so good," Francine purred. "With Daddy's health failing, we'll be ruling this empire before you know it."

I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. Cautiously opening the door slightly, I looked inside. Marcelo's hands were freely moving over Francine's body without any shame. I watched with tears in my eyes, the betrayal making my heart hurt so bad. How could they even do this?

This lavish engagement celebration was supposed to celebrate my marriage to Marcelo, the Ruiz crime empire's heir. I was betrothed to him since I was a teen and after all these years, I thought he actually loved me. But now, I realized he was just using me.

Marcelo wrapped his arms around Francine's waist and laughed ominously. "You're right, my love. The Morano empire will be ours after that old bastard dies. Little Lena, too." He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "As soon as she serves her purpose, we'll be rid of her for good."

I suppressed a gasp as my hand shot to my mouth. So he was planning to kill me in addition to betraying me with my own sister?

"You know," Francine went on, biting Marcelo's earlobe, "I'm excited to see how she will react when she learns the truth. Hasn't she always been a naive little fool? She's even too weak and fragile to run a mafia empire."

Tears hurt my eyes, making it hard to see. What caused me to be so blind? Marcelo had been playing me all along, feigning love while secretly plotting to take everything away with my own sister.

Blinking back tears, I scrambled for my phone, eager to capture as much evidence as possible before they discovered me.

As I turned to go after filming, I knocked over a vase nearby by mistake in a haste. It fell to the ground with a loud smash.

Marcelo and Francine's heads snapped in my direction as they broke apart.

"Lena!" Francine hissed, spotting me. "You nosy little bitch, how much did you hear?"

I clenched my phone and swallowed hard, trying to choke back a sob. "Enough," I said, my voice shaking. "I know what you two are planning, and I won't let you get away with it."

Marcelo's jaw tightened and his brown eyes narrowed. "So, the little princess has finally learned the truth," he said. "Now, we can't have that, can we?"

"Stay back.” I warned trying to sound firm. “Don't come any closer." I stepped backward, my eyes darting over the hallway, trying to find a way out, my heart pounding.

Before it was too late, I needed to leave this place and alert my mother and the rest of the family.

But Marcelo was quicker, and his lengthy strides soon reduced the gap between us. I felt his hand tighten around my wrist, pulling me back.

"Not so fast, darling," he growled. "You're not going anywhere."

I fought against his grip, gripping my phone firmly with my free hand. "Let go of me, you bastard!" I yelled, trying to break free.

I finally pulled my arm away from his hold and sprinted towards the stairs, using all of my remaining power. However, Francine was there already, grabbing me back with her sharp nails.

"Get back here!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the corridor. "You're going to ruin everything!"

Francine viciously shoved me as soon as I took the first step down the stairs.

I felt myself losing my footing and tumbling forward, the phone falling out of my hand. As I fell down, time appeared to slow. I braced myself for the impact, the sound of my own terrified scream ringing in my ears.

Then, everything went completely dark.

As I lay there, I heard Marcelo's panicked voice. "Shit, shit, shit! Did she fucking die? She wasn't supposed to die like that!"

Francine bent over me, touching my neck and feeling for a pulse. "No, it’s faint but she's still breathing," she said, her tone strained. "We need to get her to a hospital, make it look like an accident."

"An accident?" Marcelo scoffed. "How the hell are we going to explain this? She was fine before and now she's at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding?"

Francine let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know, but we have to figure something out. We can't let this ruin everything we've worked for."

Lena's POV

I lay there, eyes closed, feeling how heavy my eyelids were. My head was pounding with a splitting migraine. I heard the voices of Francine and Marcelo nearby - speaking in hushed tones.

"We don’t want her rambling nonsense if she wakes up. Why don’t we just finish her off now we have the chance?" Francine said.

"If she even wakes up, we've already destroyed the evidence on her phone. It'll be her word against ours," Marcelo muttered in a quiet voice.

What the hell was going on? I tried remembering, but it was all a muddle.

I slowly fluttered my eyes open with the little strength I had. The beeping of machines and the clinical smell told me I was in a hospital.

Marcelo and Francine's faces hovered above me now, staring at me from every angle.

"Lena, darling, you're finally awake!" Marcelo exclaimed, grasping my hand in his. "You’ve been in a coma for two days. How are you feeling?"

"Can you hear us? What happened?" Francine asked, her brow furrowed.

I swallowed hard, my throat bone dry. "I...I don't know. What happened?"

Marcelo gave my hand a gentle squeeze."We were hoping you could tell us. You were found unconscious at the engagement party. Do you remember anything?"

"I'm sorry, I don't remember. What happened?"

Francine and Marcelo exchanged a glance, their faces unreadable. "You, uh, remember anything about a video?" Francine asked with a raised brow.

A video? My mind raced, but I came up empty. "No, I don't. What video?"

They both shared another loaded look. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," Marcelo said quickly, a little too quickly.

Before I could press them further, the door opened and a female doctor strode in. "Ah, Miss Lena, good to see you awake," She gave me a calm smile as she moved to my bed side. "I'm Dr. Emma. How are you feeling?"

"I can't seem to remember what happened." I admitted, wincing.

Dr. Emma nodded pitifully. "That's not uncommon with head injuries like yours. The temporary memory loss is likely due to the trauma. But don't worry, it should come back to you in time. Just don’t try to force it."

Marcelo cleared his throat. "Well, Francine and I should probably get going. Lena needs her rest." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be back later, my love."

Francine gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Feel better, Lena."

Once they were gone, Dr Emma turned to me with a serious look. "There's something else I need to discuss with you. I'm afraid you suffered a miscarriage due to your fall. It was very early on. I'm so sorry for your loss."

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. "A miscarriage? But I didn't even know I was pregnant."

Hot tears welled up in my eyes very fast. A baby. I was going to have a baby. And now... "Does my fiancé know?" I asked, my throat feeling tight.

"Yes, I informed him earlier," the doctor said quietly. “Also, you might experience some complications with carrying a child in the near future.”

I understood because this wasn’t the first time I was losing a baby. Marcelo had forced me before now to terminate my own pregnancies.

I had just turned twenty one when he first did it, pressuring me to get an abortion because we "weren't ready" for a baby yet. And as the dutiful partner, I went along with it, even though it broke my heart.

It happened again a year later, and then again, and then once more not long ago. Each time, Marcelo would promise it was the last, that we'd have children when the timing was right. That we'd get married first.

Now I was twenty five years old and had lost another baby because of him.

The tears flowed freely down my cheeks and I felt so foolish, so naive. And the knowledge that Marcelo has been the only man I've ever loved? That I had loved him for ten whole years, made everything much more devastating.

My mother soon rushed in, her face streaked with tears and I was grateful she came in at the right time. As she wrapped me in a warm hug, I confessed to her that I was pregnant and lost the baby.

She was shocked and saddened by the news. She held me close, trying to comfort me as I cried.

As my sobs subsided, Mom’s face turned grave.

"Honey, the doctor said you’re suffering from memory loss but I think Francine had something to do with your accident,"

I gave a small smile that had no warmth. "I know she did, Mama. Because I remember every single thing."

My mother's eyes went wide with shock.

LENA’S POV

Immediately I woke up, I remembered exactly how I landed in that hospital bed. But I had to keep Marcelo and Francine on their toes. I wanted to be two steps ahead of them so I feigned the temporary memory loss. And they believed me.

“Tell me dear, what actually happened?” Mom probed.

I went on to give her all the details of everything I heard and how I was being pushed down the stairs.

When my father's mistress, Celia and her daughter, Francine, suddenly burst into our lives five years ago, everything changed.

My dad, in an attempt to make amends for his past mistake, had invited them to live with us after discovering Francine was his biological daughter. She was conceived during an infidelity that had been kept hidden from my mother.

At first, my dad tried to make it work, insisting that we welcome them into our home. Francine was his first daughter after all, a year older than me. He cheated when Mom couldn’t give birth few years after their marriage.

But it was clear from the start that Francine had no interest in being a part of our family. She was cold and constantly tried to one-up me.

I remembered the day they moved in so vividly. Francine sauntered through the door, eyeing our house with greed. She was definitely not used to that luxury. Her mother, Celia, simpered at my father, batting her eyelashes. "Thank you so much for having us, darling. We're just thrilled to be here."

I could see the way they had my dad wrapped around their little fingers, and it made me sick to my stomach. From that moment on, it was like my mother and I ceased to exist in our own home.

Francine would constantly belittle me, mocking my interests and insecurities. She knew exactly how to get under my skin, knowing that I had always been the shy and quiet one.

And my father, was so blinded by his affection for Francine and her mother that he never saw the way they were tormenting me.

The worst part was, no matter how much evidence I tried to present, he never believed me. Francine and her mother were masters of deception, putting on a show of sweetness and light whenever my dad was around. They told him lies and he ate it up like a lovesick fool.

I remembered pleading with him to see the truth. "Daddy, please, you have to believe me! Francine is not the angel she pretends to be!"

But he just shook his head, chuckling and patting my hand. "Oh, Lena, you worry too much. Francine is family now, and we have to support her."

It was infuriating, watching him choose them over me and my mother time and time again. I felt so powerless, so invisible in my own home. And the worst part was, now I knew Francine and Celia were just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

If anything happened to Dad, I was supposed to get most of his wealth as his biological daughter. My uncle was going to run the mafia empire if I didn’t want to get my hands dirty. But then despite Francine being an illegitimate daughter, she was still going to get a percentage. But that wasn’t enough for her.

The thought of them wanting to take away everything made my blood boil.

I had been hesitant to have Francine attend my engagement party, fearing she would ruin the celebration. But I never knew she was sleeping with my own fiancé and was a mistress just like her mother.

Now I knew why Marcelo had extended her an invite. He loved her, not me. I gave him everything for the last ten years. All for what?

I sat up, a firm expression on my face. "Mama, I want to take over the family business."

Her ears perked up at the sound of that.

"Mija, do you understand what you're getting into? This life is about bloodshed, betrayal, and constant fear. Is that really what you want?"

I nodded, my jaw set. "Yes, it's exactly what I want. I want to take control and make sure we're never weak again."

Mom's eyes narrowed. "You're angry and hurting, but getting involved in the mafia won't solve anything. It won't bring back your baby or heal your heart."

I shook my head. "You're right. But it will give me the satisfaction of watching Francine and Marcelo pay for what they've done."

Mom's grip on my hand tightened. "If I had known Marcelo was involved in this, I never would have encouraged your relationship with him."

"It's not your fault, Mama. Francine and Marcelo are experts at deception. But that ends now."