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!”

The glass medicine cup in Xander’s hand shattered onto the floor instantly.

He stood up so fast the chair behind him slammed backward. “What the fuck do you mean disappeared?”

“She left the mansion this morning and nobody’s been able to find her.”

Xander looked genuinely terrified.

I watched him grab his gun and coat immediately. “Search the entire damn city!" he barked furiously. “Check every hotel, every airport, every fucking highway. I want updates every ten minutes.” then he ran out.

I stared at the empty doorway after he left. A bitter smile slowly formed on my lips. So this was what panic looked like when he truly loved someone.

...

The entire Golden Lion estate became tense for the next few days. Nobody dared breathe too loudly around Xander.

Everyone was terrified of setting him off.

Late one night, I finally heard chaos downstairs and I saw Xander carrying Claudia into the mansion himself.

She looked completely fine. I followed slowly behind them despite the pain in my body. Xander placed her gently onto the bed like she was made of glass.

“Why the hell would you run away like that?” he asked quietly while brushing hair from her face. “Do you know what you did to me? I thought something fucking happened to you.”

Claudia’s eyes turned red immediately. “I got scared,” she whispered. “I thought you blamed me for the baby.”

Xander looked stunned then he immediately pulled her into his arms. “How could I ever blame you for that?”

His voice was so gentle it made my chest ache.

“You were scared too,” he continued softly. “And I wasn’t there for you enough. That’s on me.”

Claudia sniffled dramatically. “But you looked so worried about Lorraine that day...”

Xander sighed and kissed her forehead. “Yeah. I fucked up. I’m sorry, baby.”

He apologized to her?

Claudia suddenly smiled through her tears. “Then write me an apology letter.”

Xander blinked. “What?”

“A real one,” she laughed. “And I wanna dictate it while you write.”

Any other person speaking to Xander Moretti like that would’ve disappeared by morning. But him?

He actually smiled helplessly. “You’re unbelievable.”

Still, he sat down at the desk anyway and started writing exactly what she told him to. I stood outside the room gripping the doorway so hard my nails dug into my palms.

How much did he love her? Enough to throw away his pride? His power? His marriage? Me?

Was this still just a game to him?

...

After that night, I stopped leaving my room.

I just waited quietly for my family’s guards to come get me. I only needed to survive eleven days.

Then the Golden Lion anniversary arrived.

The biggest event of the year.

Every mafia family attended. Politicians. CEOs. Arms dealers. Crime syndicates from overseas.

The ballroom looked disgusting in its luxury.

Champagne towers. Diamonds dripping from every woman’s neck. Men laughing over billion dollar deals while blood money paid for the music playing in the background.

And Claudia sat beside Xander at the center table like she already owned everything.

I sat silently nearby wearing a red dress Anna helped me into because refusing wasn’t an option anymore.

Claudia suddenly sighed dramatically. “This party’s boring.”

Xander glanced at her immediately. “What do you wanna do instead?”

She looked around lazily and her eyes landed on me. She smiled. That smile made my stomach twist instantly.

“What if we do a live auction?”

The room grew quieter.

Xander frowned slightly. “Auction what?”

Claudia pointed directly at me. “Her.”

The entire ballroom froze.

Even I stopped breathing.

“She’s gorgeous,” Claudia continued casually while sipping wine. “All these mafia bosses are already staring at her anyway. Make Lorraine the bidding item tonight.”

I looked at Xander in disbelief. Surely even he wouldn’t allow this.

Right?

But Claudia leaned against his shoulder sweetly. “Come on. It’s just for fun.”

Xander stayed silent for a long moment. Then his cold eyes slowly turned toward me. “Lory... Do it.”

My chest tightened painfully. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s just entertainment,” he replied flatly. “Nobody’s touching you.”

Humiliation burned through me so badly I thought I might throw up. “I’m your wife.”

Xander’s expression darkened slightly. “And you’re embarrassing me by refusing.”

Claudia pouted immediately. “She won’t even dance? Then nobody’s gonna bid high.”

I stared at Xander desperately. “Please don’t do this to me.”

His voice dropped dangerously low. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Lorraine.” Then quietly enough that only I could hear, he added, “You still have family alive. Don’t forget that.”

The threat hit me like a punch to the stomach.

I went cold instantly. He really was threatening me now. The same man who once killed for me, protected me, and loved me... Now he was the one destroying me.

“Okay,” I whispered brokenly. “I’ll do it.”

The music started moments later.

I walked onto the stage feeling completely numb while rich powerful men stared at me like hungry wolves and the bidding began.

“Five million.”

“Ten.”

“Twenty.”

The numbers kept rising while Claudia laughed happily beside Xander. “See?” she giggled. “I told you she’d sell well.”

I wanted to die.

Still, it wasn’t enough for Claudia.

“Make her dance too,” she said excitedly. “The bids will go even higher.”

Xander looked at me silently and didn’t stop her.

So I danced.

While men watched. While mafia bosses bid money over my body like I was property. While my husband sat beside another woman and allowed it all to happen.

Then suddenly everything exploded into chaos and gunshots rang through the ballroom. Several masked men burst through the entrance with rifles raised.

“ASSASSINS!” someone screamed.

And the entire ballroom erupted.

The guards surrounded Xander instantly the second the gunshots started. Everything became chaos. People screaming. Tables flipping over, and blood everywhere. I tried stepping back but suddenly something slammed into my shoulder hard.

Bang!

The pain exploded through my body so violently I collapsed immediately. Someone shot me.

I heard Anna scream my name somewhere nearby. “Mrs. Moretti!”

My vision blurred badly as blood started soaking through my dress. The ballroom spun around me and through the haze, I saw Claudia not far away clutching her arm while crying dramatically.

She’d been shot too.

And Xander?

Xander rushed straight to her. “Fuck!” he shouted while grabbing her tightly. “Claudia! Look at me, baby. Stay awake.”

I stared at him from the floor while blood pooled beneath me. Not me. Never me first anymore.

“Get the doctors now!” Xander roared furiously. “Move your asses!”

His men immediately carried Claudia away while I stayed lying there barely conscious as people ran past me.

At some point Anna dropped beside me crying hysterically. “She’s bleeding too! Please somebody help her!”

One of the staff looked nervous. “Boss said all surgeons are needed for Miss Claudia first.”

I actually laughed weakly after hearing that.

Even dying wasn’t enough to make him choose me.

The pain became unbearable after that and everything slowly faded black.

...

When I woke up again, I was already back inside Golden Lion Hospital.

The room smelled like blood and medicine. My shoulder burned horribly and I could barely move.

Outside the room, I suddenly heard Xander screaming. “If neither of them fucking survives, I’ll shut this hospital down myself!”

Doctors apologized nervously while chaos echoed through the hallway. They said the bullets had poison and it was already spreading inside the body.

Then another doctor spoke carefully. “Mr. Moretti... there’s a problem.”

Silence followed.

“The antidote medication arrived late and we only have enough prepared for one patient right now. The second dose needs another three hours.”

The room became terrifyingly quiet.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Through the partially opened door, I saw Xander standing there holding Claudia tightly against his chest while she looked pale and unconscious.

The doctor swallowed nervously. “Who should receive treatment first?”

I stared at Xander silently.

“Save Claudia first.”