My personal maid was kneeling beside the bed crying so hard her shoulders shook.

“Oh my God! Thank God...” she sobbed. “How could Mr. Moretti treat you this way after everything? After Kyle and Cora...”

I turned my face away quietly. My head hurt. My chest hurt worse.

The entire mansion felt empty even though it was worth hundreds of millions.

My maid kept talking angrily through tears. “He’s gone too far this time. Burning their ashes? Letting that woman humiliate you? If your mother was alive, she’d be heartbroken seeing this...”

“Enough,” I whispered weakly. “Please. I just wanna be alone.”

She hesitated before finally leaving.

The room turned silent, and the second the door closed, tears started falling again. I cried quietly into my pillow because I was too exhausted to even make a sound anymore.

How pathetic had I become?

I used to be Lorraine Sinclair. Daughter of one of the most powerful families in the country. Now I was just the wife everybody pitied. The wife whose husband openly paraded his mistress around like a prize.

After a while, I slowly reached for my phone on the bedside table and stared at one particular number saved there. The emergency number my father gave me years ago.

He once told me quietly, “No matter how many decades pass, if you call this number, someone from the Sinclair family will answer.”

My fingers trembled as I pressed dial it. The call connected almost instantly.

“Miss Lorraine.”

Just hearing that voice shattered something inside me all over again.

“I wanna leave,” I whispered. My voice trembled violently. “I wanna disappear from this place.”

The man on the other end immediately went silent.

I wiped my tears slowly and forced the words out.

“Help me fake my death.”

The line became completely still for two seconds then his voice came calm and firm.

“It’ll be done.”

“How long?”

“eleven days,” he answered quietly. “Give me eleven days and everything will be ready.”

I looked toward the giant glass windows overlooking the city skyline. The moonlight looked so cold tonight just like Xander.

A broken laugh escaped my lips.

“Xander,” I whispered softly to myself, “if you stopped loving me... then I’ll leave you first.”

Because I couldn’t survive this anymore. I couldn’t survive watching him destroy me piece by piece.

...

The next morning, Xander came to my room like nothing had happened.

Several staff members followed behind him carrying expensive gift boxes from luxury brands. Diamonds. Rare jewelry. Designer bags. Limited edition watches.

The usual things he threw at me whenever he wanted to shut me up.

“Lory,” he said calmly while loosening his tie, “about yesterday... yeah, shit got messy.”

Messy? Was that what he called it now?

He waved a hand toward the gifts. “I had the guys bring you some things. Pick whatever you want.”

I stared at him silently. There was nothing left inside me anymore.

“I don’t want any of it.”

His brows pulled together immediately. “Don’t fucking start acting difficult again.”

Again?

That word hurt.

Xander sighed heavily and sat down on the couch.

“I’m busy as hell, Lorraine. I don’t have time to keep calming you down every five fucking minutes.”

My chest tightened painfully.

I remembered years ago when he canceled a billion dollar meeting in Tokyo because I got upset he came home late for our anniversary dinner.

Back then he held me all night and said, “Baby, nothing matters more than you.”

Now he couldn’t even pretend to care.

I opened my mouth to speak but suddenly loud footsteps interrupted us.

“I don’t want this crap! Xander! I hate these!”

Claudia stormed into the room carrying several expensive boxes before throwing them onto the floor dramatically.

The staff looked terrified but Xander just smiled.

“What now?” he asked gently. “You don’t like those either?”

“No,” Claudia huffed while crossing her arms. “You can’t just buy me off every time.”

There was teasing in her voice. Xander chuckled softly under his breath.

“Alright then, baby. Tell me what you want and I’ll get it.”

I stared at him quietly. So he still knew how to be patient. Still knew how to spoil someone gently.

It just wasn’t me anymore.

Then Claudia’s eyes suddenly landed on my wrist.

“Oh.” Her face lit up instantly. “That bracelet’s pretty.”

My entire body stiffened. Instinctively, I covered it with my hand.

“No.” My voice came out too fast. Too desperate.

“You can’t have this.”

The silver bracelet around my wrist was old and delicate, engraved with tiny family initials.

My mother gave it to me before she died. Before Kyle and Cora were even born. It had been passed down from mother to daughter in my family for generations. It was the only thing left that still made me feel connected to home.

Xander frowned immediately. “It’s just a bracelet.”

“No... It’s not just a bracelet.”

Claudia pouted dramatically. “But I like it. Xander, do something!”

Xander looked annoyed now. “For fuck’s sake, Lorraine. Just give it to her.”

I stared at him like he slapped me.

“I’ll buy you ten better ones,” he continued impatiently. “Custom made if you want. Diamonds, platinum, whatever.”

Tears filled my eyes instantly. He didn’t remember. Of course he didn’t.

“Do you even know what this bracelet is?” I whispered.

Xander answered casually, “Your mother gave it to you before she died. Some old family heirloom shit.”

That was it.

Not the bracelet my mother kissed onto my wrist while telling me to stay strong no matter what happened. Not the bracelet she wore while raising me. Not the bracelet meant to be passed down to my daughter someday.

Just some old family heirloom shit.

Something inside me went cold. Didn’t he once hold this bracelet in his hands and tell me he’d protect it forever because it was part of me? How could someone forget love this easily?

“It’s been years, Lory,” Xander said flatly. “You need to let go of the past. Lol.”

Then before I could react, he grabbed my wrist hard and ripped the bracelet off.

“Ah!” The sharp metal scraped my skin painfully. A red mark instantly appeared around my wrist.

I gasped and clutched my arm while tears burned my eyes. “Xander!” My voice shook. “Please...”

But he already handed it to Claudia. She held the bracelet up under the light, smiling happily. “It’s actually really pretty, baby! I like it.”

Xander leaned closer to her with that low dangerous voice that used to belong only to me. “If we ever have a daughter,” he murmured softly, “I’ll buy you something even better.”

My heart stopped. For a second, I genuinely thought I heard wrong.

A daughter?

Claudia’s face turned red instantly.

“Who said I wanna have your babies?” she laughed while lightly hitting his chest.

Xander smirked and grabbed her waist. “Yeah? Keep talking shit.”

She squealed and ran out of the room laughing while he followed after her like nothing else in the world mattered.

I forced myself off the bed and stumbled after him weakly.

“Xander... you promised me.” Tears finally spilled uncontrollably down my face. “You said you’d love me forever...”

But he was already gone and I collapsed onto the floor shaking.

The next few days passed in a blur. I barely ate, barely slept and most of the time I just stared out the window feeling numb, looking at my twins album while Anna cried behind my back because she thought I couldn’t hear her.

By the fourth day, she finally forced me out of bed.

“You can’t keep rotting in this room, Mrs. Moretti,” she whispered gently while helping me walk. “Please... just get some fresh air.”

As if air could fix any of this. Still, I let her guide me outside into the private gardens behind the estate.

The Golden Lion estate was massive. Bigger than some luxury resorts. Artificial waterfalls. Imported flowers. Private roads. Everything built by Xander for me once upon a time.

Now it felt like a prison.

As we walked behind one of the stone walls near the lower gardens, I suddenly heard several maids gossiping nearby.

“I swear Mr. Moretti’s completely obsessed with Miss Claudia.”

“Obviously. Did you see the new Ducati motorcycles he bought for her? Over twenty custom bikes just because she said she wanted to learn riding.”

“That’s nothing. Mr. Moretti personally taught her himself yesterday. They were riding together all night.”

“The last woman he treated like that was Mrs. Moretti.”

My chest tightened painfully.

“I still can’t believe he let Miss Claudia burn Kyle and Cora’s ashes into fireworks. That’s actually insane.”

I gripped my sleeve tightly. So everyone was talking about it now. Everyone knew how pathetic I was. Before I could move, the loud roar of a motorcycle echoed through the garden.

My head lifted automatically… And there they were. Xander and Claudia.

She was sitting in front of him on a black Ducati, laughing loudly while the wind blew through her hair. She wore some tiny off shoulder crop top and ripped shorts that barely covered anything. The second Xander noticed it, his face darkened immediately.

“Baby,” he muttered irritably, “can you stop wearing shit like this outside?”

Claudia laughed. “Why? You jealous?”

“Damn right I am.”

She grinned teasingly. “In my hometown girls wear this all the time.”

Xander looked around coldly at the nearby staff then his voice turned deadly.

“All of you. Eyes down. Now.” Everyone instantly lowered their heads. “If I catch anyone staring at her tits again,” he said calmly, “I’ll fucking blind you.”

The maids trembled in fear.

Claudia burst out laughing. “You’re fucking insane.”

Xander pulled her closer against him and kissed her temple. “Only with you.”

My chest hurt so badly I thought I might collapse again. Because years ago, a bodyguard once looked at me for too long during a party.

Xander broke the man’s jaw with his bare hands.

Back then he told me, “Nobody looks at what belongs to me.”

Now all that possessiveness belonged to Claudia instead.

Anna squeezed my hand sadly. “Mrs. Moretti... let’s go.”

I nodded weakly and turned away.

But suddenly Claudia shouted excitedly, “Wait! I wanna try riding by myself!”

Xander sighed. “You sure?”

“Yes!”

He finally got off the Ducati reluctantly while still holding onto the handlebars.

“Fine. Slow down on the turns and don’t panic.”

Claudia rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m not a baby.”

The next second, the motorcycle suddenly jerked violently. Her hand twisted the throttle too hard. Everything happened too fast. The Ducati shot forward out of control straight toward me.

“Mrs. Moretti!”

Anna screamed and tried pulling me away but my body was still too weak. The motorcycle slammed into me hard and pain exploded through my stomach as I crashed onto the pavement.

I heard Anna screaming. Heard brakes screeching then another crushing pain hit my abdomen.

And everything went black.

…

I don’t know how long I was unconscious.

Everything felt blurry and far away, like I was trapped underwater while voices echoed around me. I heard Anna crying somewhere near me.

“Please do something! She’s bleeding so much and nobody’s helping her!” she sobbed desperately. “Call another doctor! Please!”

Another nurse answered nervously, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Moretti already called all the specialists upstairs for Miss Claudia’s checkup. There’s nobody available right now.”

My heart shattered quietly inside my chest. Even after I got hit by a motorcycle. Even after I was bleeding on the ground, he still chose her first.

Tears slid silently down my face into the pillow.

Part of me wished I’d never wake up again.

Maybe dying would hurt less than loving Xander now.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I found myself inside a small hospital room at Golden Lion Hospital. Not the luxury VIP floors owned by the Moretti family. Just an ordinary room with white walls, cheap curtains, and basic machines beside the bed.

My stomach hurt so badly I could barely breathe. Every tiny movement felt like something was tearing inside me but honestly, my heart hurt worse. Before I could even sit up properly, the hospital room door suddenly slammed open so hard it hit the wall.

Xander walked straight to my bed and ripped the blanket off me roughly.

“Get the hell up,” he ordered coldly. “You’re coming with me.”

I stared at him weakly, confused. “Xander...?”

His jaw tightened impatiently. “Go apologize to Claudia.”

I actually thought I misheard him.

“What...?”

He grabbed my arm harshly and forced me upright. Pain exploded through my stomach instantly and I cried out, almost collapsing right there.

“Xander, stop...” Tears filled my eyes immediately. “Please, it hurts... I can’t walk properly...”

But he didn’t loosen his grip. Not even a little.

His face stayed completely emotionless.

“She got scared because of you,” he said sharply. “Do you even realize what kind of panic attack she had after the accident? She’s still shaking upstairs.”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“She hit me with the motorcycle...”

“She lost control because you suddenly appeared there!” he snapped back. “Fuck, Lorraine, do you have to make everything about yourself?”

Something inside me went silent after hearing that.

I stared at the man I once loved more than my own life and suddenly started laughing softly. Not because anything was funny. Because I think my heart finally broke completely.

Xander frowned. “What the hell are you laughing at?”

Tears rolled down my cheeks while I looked at him.

“What if I don’t apologize?” I whispered painfully. “What then? Are you gonna kill me too?”

His expression changed slightly. “Stop talking crazy,” he muttered. “You know damn well I still care about you.”

Care?

What a cruel word.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead like I was exhausting him. “My feelings for you never changed, alright? Claudia’s just something new. Something exciting. Don’t force me to keep explaining the same shit over and over!” Then he grabbed my wrist again and dragged me off the bed.

I cried out from the pain immediately. “Xander please...” I begged weakly while stumbling beside him. “I’m bleeding...”

But he kept walking.

“Poor woman… look at her, she can barely stand.”

“He’s dragging her like a ragdoll. Doesn’t he see she’s hurt?”

“I feel so sorry for Miss Lorraine. He used to love her so much before that witch came.”

“Her bandages are red again… she’s losing so much blood.”

Their whispers pierced my ears, but Xander acted like he heard nothing. My hospital gown brushed against my legs while warm blood slowly soaked through the bandages around my stomach again, and still he didn’t stop..

The elevator opened directly onto the luxury VIP floor. The difference between our rooms made me feel sick. Mine looked like somewhere strangers went to die quietly.

Claudia’s private suite looked like a five star hotel with a private kitchen, luxury furniture, fresh flowers everywhere, and several doctors standing around her nervously.

And Claudia herself? She's perfectly fine. She was sitting comfortably on the couch eating strawberries while watching TV. The moment she saw me, she immediately frowned and leaned closer to Xander.

“Why does she look at me like that?” she complained softly. “I’m the one who got traumatized.”

I almost laughed again. Traumatized? I was the one lying in blood on the pavement. But suddenly I felt too tired to fight anymore... So tired.

I lowered my head quietly. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have disturbed Miss Claudia.”

Anna looked devastated behind me but Claudia still looked unhappy.

“Pff! That apology doesn’t sound sincere at all,” she huffed while crossing her arms. “You’re acting like I bullied you or something.”

I clenched my fists silently.

“In my hometown,” Claudia continued proudly, “people apologize properly when they hurt someone. Not like this cold rich people nonsense.”

Xander nodded immediately like everything she said made perfect sense.

“She’s right.”

Then Claudia suddenly smiled sweetly.

“You know what? I’ll forgive you if you cook for me.”

I looked up slowly.

“What?”

“I’m hungry,” she said casually. “And I heard you’re good at cooking. I want a full dinner. Like... a really huge one. Make it yourself.”

Anna looked horrified. “Mrs. Moretti can barely stand!”

Claudia shrugged. “Then don’t force her. I guess she just doesn’t feel sorry.”

Xander looked at me coldly.

“Go cook.”

My stomach twisted painfully. “Xander...” My voice shook badly. “I’m injured.”

“You’ll survive,” he answered indifferently. “Doctors are right here if something happens.”

Something happens.

Like I wasn’t already falling apart in front of him.

I stopped arguing after that because what was the point anymore? I dragged my weak body toward the private kitchen inside Claudia’s suite while trying not to cry from the pain every time I moved. The floor felt cold under my feet and my hands shook so badly I could barely hold the knife properly.

Still, I cooked.

Soup. Steak. Pasta. Seafood.

Dish after dish while sweat and tears mixed together down my face. Several times I had to grip the counter because the pain in my stomach got so bad my vision blurred, but every time I slowed down, Claudia found another problem.

“This steak’s overcooked.”

“The soup’s too salty.”

“I wanted truffle pasta, not cream pasta! Xander, why can't she cook properly? I'm starting to get annoyed.”

Xander sat beside her the whole time saying nothing. Not once did he tell her to stop. Not once did he look at me with concern.

Hours passed.

By the time I finished the last dish, my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stay standing. I carried the tray toward Claudia with numb hands.

Then one of the nurses suddenly gasped loudly.

“Oh my God! Mrs. Moretti!”

I looked down slowly.

Blood was dripping heavily from beneath my hospital gown onto the white floor tiles. Anna screamed my name and rushed toward me.

I tried opening my mouth. I tried saying something but the room suddenly spun around me and everything went black again.

…

When I woke up again, the doctor was already standing beside my bed with his head lowered. Anna was crying quietly in the corner.

The second I saw their faces, I already knew. Still, my voice came out shaking. “What happened...?”

The doctor hesitated before speaking carefully. “Mrs. Moretti... you were pregnant.”

My entire body froze. Pregnant?

My hand slowly moved to my stomach without thinking. “No...” I whispered weakly.

The doctor looked devastated. “The injury and blood loss were too severe. We couldn’t save the baby.”

The room went completely silent... I stared blankly at the ceiling. Another baby. Another child gone.

And suddenly all I could remember was Xander years ago when I got pregnant with Kyle and Cora.

He was insane with happiness back then.

The terrifying mafia boss the whole country feared had cried while kneeling beside me in our bathroom because the pregnancy test came back positive.

He canceled meetings. Canceled shipments. Canceled negotiations with mafia families overseas.

Nothing mattered except me and the babies.

Every night he came home early just to touch my stomach and talk to them.

“Daddy’s here,” he’d whisper softly.

God.

What happened to us? What happened to him?

Anna broke down crying harder. “This is all because of them,” she sobbed angrily. “They destroyed you...”

I slowly rubbed my flat stomach.

There had been a tiny life there. And now there was nothing. Just emptiness. Just like my marriage.

The hospital room door suddenly opened hard.

Xander walked in quickly. For the first time in months, he actually looked shaken.

His hair was messy like he’d been running his hands through it for hours. His shirt sleeves were rolled up unevenly and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Lory...” His voice sounded rough.

I turned my face away immediately. He walked over fast and sat beside my bed, then tried reaching for my hand but I pulled away.

The movement hurt my body badly but I still did it.

Xander froze for a second before sighing heavily. “We’ll have another baby, you can get pregnant again."

I laughed quietly. Hearing those words from him felt cruel.

Another baby?

“No,” I whispered weakly while staring at the ceiling. “We won’t.”

He frowned immediately. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I didn’t answer.

Xander adjusted my blanket carefully. “You need rest,” he muttered quietly. “I’ll stay here with you for a few days.”

I closed my eyes. I didn’t wanna look at him anymore and somehow, he actually stayed.

...

For the next several days, Xander barely left my side. He fed me medicine himself. Helped me sit up. Even brushed my hair once when he thought I was asleep. It almost felt like the old Xander again.

Almost.

But every time I looked at him, all I saw was the man who stood beside Claudia while our children’s ashes exploded in the sky. Nothing could erase that anymore.

I kept asking him to leave and every single time he refused.

Then on the fifth day, everything changed again.

One of his men suddenly burst into the hospital suite looking panicked. “Boss! Miss Claudia disappeared!”