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."

LENA’S POV

I was being discharged from the hospital today and Marcelo had no idea. I had been stuck here for four days and Marcelo had visited me only once. And even then, he had barely spared me ten minutes, claiming he had more "pressing operations" to attend to. I scoffed bitterly, shaking my head.

I looked down at the date on my phone and felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. Today was our relationship anniversary.

Of course he wouldn't remember our anniversary

- not when he was too busy cozying up to that little snake, Francine.

As I made my way out to the front of the hospital, I spotted my mother waiting for me by her car, looking concerned. She never left my side all these days.

"Mija, are you ready to go home?" she asked gently.

I hesitated, staring down at the crumpled discharge papers. "Actually, Mama, I... don't think I want to go back to the mansion just yet.I can't stand the thought of seeing Francine and her mom’s face right now."

Mom frowned. "But mija, that's your home. Where else would you go?"

"I'll stay in a hotel for the night," I replied. "But I'd like to go to Marcelo's place first. I need to grab some of my things."

Her brow furrowed, but she didn't argue, simply nodding and ushering me into the car. The drive to Marcelo's extravagant mansion was silent, except my occasional sniffling here and there as I fought to keep my emotions in check.

When we arrived at the mansion, I told her to wait outside while I went in to collect my belongings. I was determined to pack every single thing that belonged to me.

As I walked towards the entrance, Marcelo's guards looked hesitant to let me in. I glared at them. "Get out of my way."

They stepped aside, and I stormed into the house.

I spotted Marcelo and Francine sitting at the dining table, having a grand feast.

Marcelo was laughing and chatting with her, completely carefree. He didn't even remember our anniversary, but he was celebrating with my half-sister?

As I listened in, he praised her, calling her a "bad ass" who had outsmarted some guys and secured a great deal. He said she was meant to be a mafia queen. I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Francine's annoying laughter rang out, and I had to resist the urge to go drag her by her stupid red hair.

And then the final blow - Francine casually mentioned that she might be pregnant.

I felt the blood draining from my face as I watched Marcelo's face light up with pride, pulling Francine close and kissing her forehead. This was the same man who had forced me to terminate every single one of our pregnancies. But here he was, overjoyed at the prospect of having a child with her.

I had to clench my fists to keep from losing it right then and there.

I carefully stepped into the dining room, striving to look calm.

Marcelo sprang to his feet, a look of surprise on his face. "Wow, Lena, when did you get discharged?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

I scoffed. "How would you know hmm? You were too busy with dear Francine to even bother visiting me in the hospital."

Francine, who was watching the exchange with a sly smile on her face, raised an eyebrow. Marcelo, however, looked taken aback. "Oh no, it's not like that, darling," he said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "We're just celebrating because we landed a major business deal worth millions."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked not hiding the sarcasm in my voice.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, and you should come sit with us and celebrate. Francine is your sister, after all, and her win is yours too."

I laughed harshly. "Francine is not my sister," I spat. "She's a product of a mistress, a woman who destroyed our family with her selfishness and greed. And now, it looks like she wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a mistress herself."

Francine's face turned red with anger, and she dramatically clutched at her chest. "How could you be so mean, Lena?"

Marcelo shot me a stern look. "Come on, you need to apologize to Francine,"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have time for this," I said, turning to walk away.

Francine kicked the chair back noisily and rose to her feet. "I'm leaving," she said with a huff. "I won't be disrespected by this little twig."

Marcelo rushed after her, calling out apologies and reassurances. I watched them go, shaking my head.

Walking to my room, I grabbed my suitcase and started loading my things in it. I was leaving this pathetic excuse of a man right now.