Just a moment ago, after nearly bleeding to death, I gave the Rossi family their heir.

But my husband, Carter, the Rossi's underboss, let his confidante, Sofia, film me giving birth just because she said she was bored.

She captured everything: me losing control of my body, my screams, my face twisted in agony.

Afterward, she took screenshots, turned them into memes, and passed them around a private group chat for the family's inner circle.

Through the door of my hospital room, I could hear Sofia's wild laughter.

"Carter, this is the best entertainment all year. You always know just what I want."

"But Sloane's going to throw a fit when she wakes up and sees it."

The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet. My eyelids were heavy, and through the haze, I heard Carter's usual, nonchalant tone.

"She won't get really mad. You know Sloane. She always does what I tell her."

"I'll just have to sweet-talk her a little. Besides, with the heir here now, she wouldn't leave me."

My fingers, hidden beneath the silk sheets, clenched into a fist. My mind flooded with everything I had given up for him over the years.

Carter had probably forgotten who made him the man who runs these streets.

Since you love games so much, I'll play a real one with you.

The day I walk away, you will all regret it.

Just a moment ago, after nearly bleeding to death, I gave the Rossi family their heir.

But my husband, Carter, the Rossi's underboss, let his confidante, Sofia, film me giving birth just because she said she was bored.

She captured everything: me losing control of my body, my screams, my face twisted in agony.

Afterward, she took screenshots, turned them into memes, and passed them around a private group chat for the family's inner circle.

Through the door of my hospital room, I could hear Sofia's wild laughter.

"Carter, this is the best entertainment all year. You always know just what I want."

"But Sloane's going to throw a fit when she wakes up and sees it."

The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet. My eyelids were heavy, and through the haze, I heard Carter's usual, nonchalant tone.

"She won't get really mad. You know Sloane. She always does what I tell her."

"I'll just have to sweet-talk her a little. Besides, with the heir here now, she wouldn't leave me."

My fingers, hidden beneath the silk sheets, clenched into a fist. My mind flooded with everything I had given up for him over the years.

Carter had probably forgotten who made him the man who runs these streets.

Since you love games so much, I'll play a real one with you.

The day I walk away, you will all regret it.

...

Shrill laughter echoed through the hospital room.

Sofia, swinging the latest smartphone in her hand, pointed at the maliciously zoomed-in photo and bent over with laughter.

"Carter, look at her. She's hideous."

"That twisted expression... doesn't exactly scream future Donna of the Rossi family, does she? Honestly, it's a turn-off."

At her words, Carter raised an eyebrow. He was fiddling with an expensive lighter as he looked at the meme Sofia had just sent to his phone.

"See the lengths I go to for you?"

"To be honest, I didn't want you seeing such a bloody scene. But since you wanted to film it as a memento, I let you have your way."

The casual way he spoke, with such disregard for his wife's dignity, sent Sofia into another fit of laughter.

Lying in the hospital bed, I felt an icy fluid flowing from the IV into my veins, chilling me to the bone.

My chest felt like it was being sawed open with a dull knife, a cold wind howling through the empty space inside, leaving a raw, bitter ache.

Two hours ago, my water broke and I was wheeled into the operating room.

I remembered when I first found out I was pregnant.

We had promised each other that he would hold my hand the entire time, that he would be the first person to hold our child.

Back then, Carter had held my hand and said with so much feeling, "Baby, I'll be with you the whole time. We'll welcome our little angel together."

In our five years of marriage, he had always been the picture of a perfect, doting husband in public.

I had once believed he truly loved me. I'd even felt grateful, thinking my betrayal of my own family had been worth it.

But when I was on the delivery table and the scalpel cut into my skin, I was drenched in a cold sweat from the pain, the veins in my forehead and neck bulging.

He, however, pulled his hand away to answer a FaceTime call from Sofia. He muttered, "Be a good girl, just bear with it," then turned and walked to a corner to take her call.

When the pain was at its peak and I instinctively reached for the corner of his shirt, seeking comfort, he brought another woman into the delivery room instead.

He kissed my forehead and said, "Baby, the birth of our child needs to be recorded perfectly. Sofia's a professional photographer. Leave it to her, she'll get the perfect shots."

He even deliberately stepped out of the camera's frame, so as not to disturb Sofia's "artistic" focus.

They say childbirth shows you a man's true colors. I guess they're right.

"Carter, look at this part..."

Sofia rewound the video on her phone, maliciously turning up the volume.

My eyes fluttered open stiffly.

Through my blurry vision, I saw Carter lean in. His normally charming eyes were now filled with derision.

"Shhh, Sofia, don't be so cruel."

He chided her verbally, but his tone was full of indulgence. "She did just give birth, after all. Her body's a bit slack, like rising dough... but I guess you could call it 'happy weight.'"

As if to prove his point, he gently stroked Sofia's shoulder.

"Her figure used to be great, of course. Now the only thing worth looking at are her hips, and that's just because they got fat."

"Of course, that's nothing compared to your smoking hot figure."

As he finished, the group chat's voice channel erupted with the lewd whistles and jeers of those men.

The sound was a physical pain.

My hand, under the covers, crumpled the bedsheet, my knuckles turning white.

"Carter..."

I spoke, my voice raspy and exhausted, the words like broken shards being forced from my throat.

The two on the sofa froze.

Carter turned his head. Seeing I was awake, he immediately put on a concerned expression and hurried over.

"Sloane? Baby, you're awake?"

He gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair from my face. "You worked so hard, my princess. Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want some water?"

Looking at the tenderness in his eyes and listening to his sweet words, I was silent for a moment before turning my head away to avoid his gaze.

"Aren't you going to explain this?"

Carter's hand, which was pouring water, paused slightly. Then he gave a helpless smile, as if humoring a petulant child.

"Baby, don't be so sensitive." He even tried to reach out and stroke my hair.

I looked past him. Sofia deliberately flashed her phone screen at me.

It was still playing the video of me during labor, my legs spread wide open.

Noticing my gaze, Sofia's smile grew brighter, tinged with provocation.

In a sickly sweet voice, she cooed, "Mrs. Rossi, congratulations."

Then, her finger 'accidentally' pressed the volume key on the side of the phone.

The room was suddenly filled with my own heart-wrenching screams from the delivery room.

My body went rigid. In the small bassinet beside me, the peacefully sleeping infant was startled by the sudden noise and began to wail.

The sound pierced my heart like a thousand tiny needles.

I struggled to sit up, ignoring the tearing pain in my abdomen, and reached out to shield my child. I turned back, my face hardened as I snapped.

"Turn it off! Delete that video! Now!"

Sofia pouted, looking wronged as she turned to Carter, her eyes instantly welling up. "It wasn't on purpose, my hand slipped... Why is Sloane being so mean?"

"Carter, look at her..."

Carter frowned, but he immediately put down the water glass and gently took my hand. "Sloane, baby, don't be so loud. You're scaring Sofia, and the baby."

"A little crying is good for his lungs. Everyone's just joking around, celebrating. You're the future Donna of this family, so try to be a better sport about it, hmm?"

"Don't throw a tantrum over something so small. You're not as pretty when you frown. It makes my heart ache."

His voice was quiet, but every word was an oppressive weight that made it painful to breathe.

My hand, which had been soothing the baby, stopped abruptly.

An image flashed in my mind: his back, resolute, as he turned away from me in the delivery room to answer that call.

I looked him dead in the eye and asked, word by word.

"Carter, when our son was brought out of the delivery room, were you the first one to hold him?"

Carter was visibly stunned.

He probably never expected his wife, the one who was always so gentle and obedient, would suddenly turn on him like this.

Remembering our promise, his gaze faltered, and a rare look of guilt crossed his face.

Three years of dating, five years of marriage.

Seeing him like this, the last, laughable shred of hope in my heart shattered into dust.

I once thought his only flaw as a husband was his obsession with having fun.

Now I see he isn't fit to be a father.

Perhaps the scorn in my eyes was too obvious. Carter avoided my gaze, loosening his tie as he fumbled for an excuse.

"You know how it is, Sloane. I got an urgent call right then. Family business, it couldn't wait..."

"Oh, really?"

I looked at him coldly, then at Sofia, who stood beside him ready to jump to his defense. My voice was laced with mockery.

"What urgent business couldn't wait? The kind that involved letting her watch me at my most vulnerable, so urgent you couldn't even spare a glance for your own newborn son?"

"Carter, who gave you the right to bring her into the delivery room? And who gave you permission to film any of this?"

My words silenced the room. You could have heard a pin drop.

Carter pressed his lips together, seemingly trying to figure out how to sweet-talk his way out of this one.

It was Sofia who, seeing him silent, pouted with displeasure. Her fingers, tipped with blood-red nails, rested lightly on Carter's arm.

"Sloane, I was the one who filmed it."

Meeting my gaze, she lifted her chin arrogantly. "And don't blame Carter. I was just curious. I had no idea giving birth could be so... spectacular."

"Besides, I just wanted to record this important moment. When the child is older, you'll have something to look back on, right? Making a scene over something so trivial doesn't look good on the Underboss's wife."

I turned my head to look at Carter.

He didn't object. In fact, his expression softened slightly when he heard Sofia defending his honor.

"Curious..."

I savored the word.

"If you're so curious, Sofia, why don't you find a man and have one yourself?"

My voice wasn't loud, and my tone was calm, but the arrogance on Sofia's face instantly cracked.

Carter sighed softly, his tone a gentle reprimand.

"Baby, that's not a nice thing to say."

I watched him quietly, saying nothing.

As he turned to comfort Sofia, I spoke again.

"Oh, I forgot."

"You're just the bastard daughter of some nobody family."

"Even if you wanted to have a child, Carter's father, the Don, would never allow a child with tainted blood through the doors of the Rossi family."

After all, everyone who knew Sofia knew about the sordid things she'd done in her past.

The words were barely out of my mouth when two sounds rang out at once.

"Sloane!"

A sharp smack.

Sofia stood before me, her hand, now lowered, having struck me hard across the face.

Still weak from the C-section, I didn't even have the strength to lift a hand. I took the full force of the slap.

My cheek burned, and the violent jolt sent a fresh wave of agony through the incision in my abdomen.

The pain made my vision go dark, and a cold sweat instantly soaked through my hospital gown.

Sofia glared at me, her chest heaving. "If it weren't for Carter, I'd rip that mouth of yours to shreds! You think you're some high-born princess?"

My face was pale. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out, my eyes fixed on Carter.

When Sofia had lunged at me, he was right there. I don't believe for a second he couldn't have stopped her.

Unless he never intended to.

Carter looked at the red handprint rapidly forming on my cheek. His body tensed, and he instinctively started to reach for me.

But after seeing Sofia trembling with rage, his hand froze in mid-air.

"Sofia, don't be impulsive."

He sighed and turned back to me, his tone now carrying a hint of weary blame, as if I were the one who had started the trouble.

"Sloane, that was out of line."

"You know how sensitive Sofia is about her background. Why would you provoke her with words like that?"

My heart plummeted. I was out of line?

Compared to the disgusting things he and Sofia had done while I was in excruciating pain, my single, truthful sentence wasn't even a tenth as hurtful.

I had risked my life to give him an heir, and he hadn't even acknowledged the child's cries moments ago.

And now, he was worried that the person who'd just assaulted me had her feelings hurt.

"Carter Rossi."

I took a deep breath, my voice trembling but firm.

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Sloane, you're being way too serious."

Sofia, having composed herself, crossed her arms and cut in with a look of disdain.

"Your body got all misshapen and ugly during the pregnancy, and Carter never said a word. So what if we share a little joy with the family and watch a video of you giving birth?"

"Don't act like some great martyr. We're all family here. It was just a joke."

My body tensed.

"What do you mean? Tell me exactly who else saw the video."

A terrible premonition crept over me.

Sure enough, seeing my reaction, Sofia couldn't help but laugh as she shoved the phone screen in my face.

The group chat was flooded with memes of my face.

The same Capos who usually called me "Mrs. Rossi" with respect were now spewing filth.

"That face, one minute she's grimacing, the next her eyes are rolling back. And she's so red... hard to believe she's giving birth, haha."

"Sofia knows how to have fun, always finds a good time for the boys."

"That screaming... got me hard..."

I closed my eyes. A wave of nausea washed over me, and the pain from my wound was so intense I could barely breathe.

"Carter, explain."

I didn't look at Sofia. My eyes were locked on my husband.

I had originally thought this was just some private, twisted amusement between him and Sofia.

I never imagined he would take screenshots, turn them into animated memes, and send them, along with the video, to the group chat he used with his Capos and Soldatos.

Carter frowned, clearly annoyed by my confrontational tone.

He glanced at the phone, then back at me.

Finally, as if he'd lost all patience for humoring me, he threw his hands up. "Fine, Sloane."

His face was a mask of indifference. "There's nothing to explain. It's just the guys having some fun, livening things up."

"You know my inner circle. It's a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously? You're being a real buzzkill."

My breath caught in my throat.

I looked at the man I had loved for eight years and repeated quietly,

"You call this a joke?"

My hand trembled as I pointed to the most vicious comment on the phone screen.

Someone had even put a screenshot of my face during labor next to a photo of one of the family's enemies moments before their execution.

"Carter, that is your wife, the mother of your son. You let other men use my most vulnerable moment for their entertainment, for their humiliation, and you think it's just a joke?"

Carter's brow furrowed in annoyance as he took the phone from Sofia.

He casually sent an "Alright, don't take it too far" sticker into the group chat, then turned back to me.

"That's enough, Sloane. Don't be so dramatic."

"You gave me an heir. I'm happy, and I wanted to share the joy with my men. If you don't like it, don't look. Now be good."

I went rigid, unable to believe those words had come from his mouth.

But then I realized, perhaps I had never truly known him at all.

The affection I thought I saw was just the cheapest kind of mask, hiding the callous playboy underneath.

The thought that I had spent five years of my life with a man who would so casually expose my privacy to others sent a chill down my spine.

Looking at his face now, I couldn't help it. I leaned over the side of the bed and gagged.

"Is there..."

I gasped for air, unable to suppress the sickening feeling of humiliation rising in my chest.

"have you sent out anything else?"

Carter raised an eyebrow, seeming to give the question serious thought. He was silent for a few seconds.

"No. I promise."

I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he had at least retained some final shred of decency as a husband.

But then he continued, "I wanted to, though."

"But back then, we were just married, and we didn't have a child yet. How could I bear to show you off to others? "

"If I did that, what if the financial genius I worked so hard to woo decided to leave me?"

"You're disgusting!"

I was shaking with rage, my hands, braced against the bed, trembling uncontrollably.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, and finally, unable to stop myself, I used every last bit of strength I had to swing my hand at Carter's face.

He saw it coming, catching my wrist in mid-air with ease.

"Shhh, Sloane."

He tightened his grip, his thumb tracing my pulse point as a smirk played on his lips. "No violence now. You just gave birth. Save your strength."

I struggled pathetically, but he held me fast.

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

Several of Carter's Capos swaggered in, laughing, carrying expensive cigars and bottles of red wine.

They walked right past my bed and piled their gifts in Sofia's arms.

"Hey Sofia, heard you were the one who captured the sacred moment! We came to see the little boss!"

"Boss, c'mon, let us see if the kid's got the right equipment."

One of them, a brutish man with a fleshy face, was the same one who had bet in the group chat that I would have a girl.

As I watched Sofia preen and lead them toward the bassinet, alarm bells screamed in my head.

"Carter."

With my wrist still in his grip, I could only turn a pleading gaze to him.

Carter paused. Seeing my pale face and disheveled hair, a flicker of pity crossed his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice softening.

"Make them leave. Please. The baby just fell asleep. Don't let them near him."

At my words, the warmth that had just entered Carter's tone instantly vanished.

"Sloane, they came to see the baby out of kindness. Why do you always have to be so judgmental?"

"They mean no harm. Relax."

"Sigh, Sofia's right. You women are all the same, so high-strung, petty, and always keeping score."

My nails dug into my palm. I fought through the pain, about to say more.

But over by the bassinet, the drunk Capo was already leaning over.

"Well now, the little guy's sleeping soundly."

He pulled a freshly cut, thick cigar from his pocket and grinned, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Here, let your uncle give you a proper baptism. This is what a real man smells like."

As he spoke, the hand holding the stinking cigar moved toward my newborn son's mouth.

His other filthy hand was even reaching to undo the baby's swaddle, to touch his body.

I screamed. A mother's instinct took over.

I lunged, sinking my teeth hard into the soft flesh of his hand between the thumb and forefinger.

The taste of his blood filled my mouth.

Carter yelped in pain, his grip instinctively loosening.

Ignoring the tearing agony in my own wound, I threw myself forward like a madwoman, using my body to block the space between that filthy hand and the bassinet.

"Get away! Don't touch him!"

Tears I could no longer hold back streamed down my face as I looked at my son's peaceful, sleeping face.

The violent movement tore my incision open. Bright red blood bloomed across my white hospital gown, spreading in an alarming stain over my abdomen.

The searing pain nearly made me pass out, but I held my ground, shielding my son with everything I had.

"All of you, get out!"

The men looked to Carter. They had always looked down on me, so they paid my order no mind.

Carter clutched his bleeding hand, his expression dark.

But when his eyes landed on the blood spreading across my stomach, he finally frowned and waved the others away.

"Alright, everyone out."

Once the room was empty, even Sofia had retreated sullenly to the doorway.

Carter looked at me, and there seemed to be some heartache in his eyes.

"I'll go get a doctor right now. Hang in there, baby."

As I watched his retreating back, I took a ragged breath, wiped a tear from my eye, and said in a cold voice, "All of you, just wait. You will pay for this."