Her sobs were so loud that Donna Valente came rushing in. "Serafina! Sweetheart, are you alright?" She rushed to her side before turning her glare on me. "Bianca, have you lost your mind? How could you destroy this nursery?!"

My chest heaved. "This was my baby's room! You took everything from me. Even this—"

"Enough! Serafina's pregnant." Donna Valente cut me off, shouting. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Then Nico appeared in the doorway. "What the hell is going on here?"

Serafina was sobbing into his chest before I could even speak. "She… she came in here screaming! She ripped everything apart, Nico. Our babies' nursery!"

"That's because you all killed my son!"

"Stop," Nico said, voice flat. "You need help, Bianca. You're acting crazy."

Something in me broke completely. I pointed at the walls, at the mess, at everything I had once loved. "This was our baby's room, Nico. Ours! And you let her take it? You let her take everything!"

Nico stormed into the room, face twisted with rage. Before I could even speak, his hand came flying. The slap cracked across my face so hard I stumbled back. Warm blood ran down my nose.

"Nico—"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted. "You've completely lost it!"

Donna Valente rushed to Serafina, wrapping her arms around her like a precious doll. "My poor child. Are you alright?" she cried.

Serafina sobbed harder. "Ever since we were kids, you've hated me, Bianca. You had everything. Our parents' love, the perfect life, and I was the one always left behind! And now you're still jealous?" she screamed. "Even after losing your baby, you can't stand that I'm carrying Nico's twins. At least my children are the true Valente heirs!"

I froze, her words slicing through me. She smirked through her tears. Her fingertips drifted to the hollow of her throat, resting there, featherlight.

"You have no right to hate my babies just because your bastard child died!"

The room went silent. My blood roared in my ears.

Nico turned away from me like he couldn't even stand the sight of me. "Guards!" he barked. "Get her out of here. Now."

Two soldiers came in and grabbed my arms. I tried to fight, but they dragged me across the floor like I was nothing. My blood smeared the tiles.

Donna Valente's voice rang behind me, cold and sharp. She adjusted the pearl rosary on her left wrist, one deliberate rotation of the beads. "I don't ever want that woman stepping foot in this house again, Nico. Do you hear me? Ever."

The last thing I saw before they threw me out was Serafina clutching Nico's shirt, pretending to cry, while he held her like she was the only thing worth protecting.

Then they dumped me in the basement of the compound.

Then I heard it.

A hiss.

My eyes flew open, and I froze.

Snakes.

There were snakes all around me. Big ones, small ones, dark ones coiled in the corners, their bodies sliding over the stone floor. One of them brushed against my leg, and I bit back a scream.

The single bulb above flickered and the wire door was padlocked shut. My whole body started shaking. The compound walls were thick enough to swallow any sound I made. No soldier posted at the door. No one had been told to check.

"Nico!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "Please! Get me out! You know I can't—please!"

The door creaked open after a few seconds, and there he was, standing with his hands in his pockets, looking down at me like I was something disgusting. His right fist clenched and unclenched at his side, slow and rhythmic.

"Maybe this will teach you to stop losing your mind," he said flatly.

"Nico, please," I begged, tears burning my eyes. "You know I'm terrified of snakes. Please, I'll do anything, just get me out!"

He didn't even blink. "You should've thought of that before you ruined Serafina's nursery."

A hiss came from behind me. I turned just as one of the snakes, thick, black, and slow, slithered closer. I kicked back, screaming, but the thing lunged and sank its fangs into my ankle.

Pain exploded through me. I screamed until my throat went raw. "Nico! It bit me! Please, please, it bit me!"

But he didn't budge. He left me down there for ten hours. And when he opened the room again, I was shaking and crying. He ordered his soldiers to drag me out by my wrist and dump me in the car. I could barely breathe, my leg was burning, my skin felt like fire. Everything blurred.

I woke up again to the sound of rain hitting the windshield. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Nico was driving, his jaw clenched tight. No driver. No enforcers in the back seat. Whatever he was doing with me, he didn't want witnesses.

"N-Nico…" I whispered, barely able to speak. "It hurts. Please, the hospital—"

He didn't answer. He didn't even look at me.

Then his phone rang.

Serafina's voice filled the car. "Nico! Please come home! The babies… something's wrong! They're not moving inside me."

Nico's hands tightened on the wheel.

"Nico…" I croaked, "please don't—"

He slammed the brakes and pulled over. The rain was coming down hard now. He didn't even look at me when he spoke.

"Get out."

I stared at him, confused. "What?"

"Get out, Bianca," he said again, his voice flat. "Serafina needs me."

"You're leaving me here? I can't even stand—"

He finally looked at me, and there was nothing in his eyes. Nothing. "You'll live. Those snakes are mildly venomous. You won't die," he said.

Then he pushed open my door and shoved me out. I fell to the wet pavement, the rain soaking through my clothes. The road was dark. No streetlights. The territory between the Valente compound and the nearest neutral ground, a stretch where anyone found alone at night was assumed to be a message left for someone else.

The car door slammed shut.

Then he was gone.

I tried to stand, but the pain in my leg was unbearable. The world tilted, my vision blurred, and before I could take another step, a gunshot rang on the air.

I winced from pain and dropped.

…

When I came back, everything was wrong.

A man in scrubs stood over me, his face careful and tired. "Mrs. Valente, you were brought in with a gunshot to the abdomen. You were in a coma for five days. We did emergency surgery. I am sorry. The damage was too bad. You won't be able to carry a child anymore."

The words hit like a door slamming. "What do you mean?" I croaked.

He looked down. "The bleeding was severe. We removed what we had to to save your life."

My hands grabbed the sheet. My thumb pressed hard against the inside of my ring finger, against the skin where my wedding band sat, pressing until the knuckle ached and the rage had somewhere to go that wasn't my voice.

Then the door opened and Serafina glided in like she was a cloud. Soft pink dress, hand over her belly.

"Oh, sister," she cooed. "I heard. How terrible about… your womb. What a tragedy. But think about it this way. Now you can focus on helping me raise my babies."

I tightened my fingers until the fabric bit my skin. "Why are you here?" I said, weak and burning. "Why are you always here?"

She laughed. "I just wanted to admire my work," she said and looked around the private clinic room like she owned the air. "I told them what needed doing. You survived the shooting, unlucky for you. But at least now you can never replace what I have."

A hot, stupid rage flared and I lunged for her hair. "You shot me!" I sobbed. "You had someone shoot me. How could you?! My baby is dead because of you."

Serafina screamed then, high and sharp. "Help! Help me! Nicooo!" she called, clutching at her belly, stumbling like I'd hurt her.

The door burst open.

"You fucking attacked her again?" he barked, shoving me away roughly. I toppled off the bed. Pain exploded along my side where the stitches tore. My blood ran warm and sticky on my gown.

"Nico! She had me shot—"

He cut me off with a cold laugh. "Stop. I caught the guy who shot you. He says you paid him to stage it. Do you hear me? You staged your own attack."

My hands went numb. "No, no, I would never—"

"Of course you would," he snapped. "You crave attention. You always have. You would do anything for it."

He leaned close, voice low and sharp. "How far will you go, Bianca? You even hurt the woman carrying my children. You are dangerous."

I tried to tell him I did not do it. I tried to tell him the truth. But he already turned away. "Serafina has a baptism celebration tonight. Be decent and help. Try to act human."

Serafina stepped forward, all sweetness. "Don't worry," she said, patting my arm like I was a stray dog. "I'll save you a piece of cake."

They left together, shoulders brushing, the family physician closing the door behind them.

I sat there while my phone buzzed on the bedside table. Salvatore Ferrante.

I opened the message with fingers that felt foreign.

Dissolution papers have been delivered.

When I got home, the compound was full of laughter. Music, clinking glasses, people talking like life was perfect. Pink and blue ribbons hung along the iron-railed balcony, and a banner stretched across the great room:

Welcome Baby Jaxton and Jayden Valente.

It hit me then. Tonight wasn't just the baptism celebration for Serafina's twins. It was supposed to be my wedding anniversary too.

But there was no sign of it. No flowers. No card. Not even a glance from Nico that said he remembered I existed.

People turned when I walked in, voices dropping to whispers.

"There she is."

"She still lives here? Poor thing."

"I heard she can't have children anymore. No wonder Nico stays with Serafina."

I didn't say a word. Just walked past like I didn't hear them. My legs still hurt from the clinic, but I climbed the stairs anyway. I couldn't stay there another second.

When I reached the master bedroom, my hand froze on the doorknob. The door was slightly open. Inside were pink curtains, baby clothes folded on the bed, framed photos of Serafina and Nico smiling.

My room. My bed. My memories. Gone.

Serafina had taken everything.

I stood there for a long time, then turned and went down the hall. The guest room was cold and smelled of dust, but I shut the door and lay down anyway. Maybe if I closed my eyes, the noise downstairs would disappear.

A few minutes later, the door slammed open. Nico stood there, still in his dark suit, face tight with anger. He threw a folded uniform at my face.

"Wear that. One of the waitresses didn't show. You'll serve food."

I looked at him. For a moment, I almost asked why. But then I realized it didn't matter. I picked up the uniform, my hands steady even though my chest felt hollow.

"Okay," I whispered.

He hesitated. For a second, something flickered in his eyes, but he turned away before it could stay.

"Just don't cause trouble," he muttered and left.

I changed quietly. The black uniform hung loose on me. I didn't even look in the mirror before stepping out.

As I was walking toward the stairs, Serafina's voice floated up from below, all sweet and fake.

"Oh, Bianca! You're helping tonight? That's so kind of you." Then she lowered her tone. "Could you give this to Nico? I need his signature to finalize a few things… you know, the villa in the old neighborhood, the fleet of cars, the five resort properties he signed over to me, and those new storefronts the family launders through. You know how generous he is."

I took the documents from her hand, glanced at them, then slid another paper beneath them: my dissolution papers.

She blinked, surprised. "What's this? You're not even angry?"

I didn't answer. I just gave her a faint, tired smile and walked away.

In Nico's study, he was talking on the phone. Two soldiers stood near the door, eyes forward, pretending not to exist. When he saw the papers, he took them without question and started signing.

"All this for Serafina?"

He didn't look up. "Yeah. She deserves it."

His pen didn't stop moving. Not once.

And just like that, without even realizing, he signed everything. Her properties. And our dissolution.

By the time the guests arrived, the whole compound looked like something out of a magazine spread for one of the family's legitimate fronts. Lights everywhere, expensive food on every table, capos and their wives laughing like their lives were clean. Serafina was in the center of it all, glowing like she owned the entire world.

I stood at the back, in my black uniform, trying to look small.

Donna Valente walked in like the compound belonged to her alone. Pearls, perfume, and judgment filling the room. She adjusted the rosary wrapped around her left wrist, a single deliberate rotation of the beads, and surveyed the space as if taking attendance.

She saw me and her face twisted.

"Why is that woman here, Nico? I told you I don't want her stepping in this house again."

Nico didn't even look up from adjusting Serafina's shawl.

"We're short on staff, Ma."

Donna Valente laughed.

"Well, she does look better in that uniform. Go, get me my drink."

I didn't argue. I just nodded and went to fetch it. My hands shook a little, but I didn't let myself feel anything.

When I came back, Serafina suddenly slid her foot out just as I walked past. I stumbled. The tray tipped. The wine splashed right onto Donna Valente.

She screamed like I stabbed her.

"You ruined everything. Again. Just like how you ruined your own child's life. No wonder the baby died. And now look at you. Barren, useless, clumsy. You can't even carry a drink."

Her words hit harder than the fall. My throat tightened.

Serafina rushed in, acting shocked, acting worried.

"Oh Ma, please don't be angry. She's been through a lot. It's not her fault. Just forgive her. My sister is trying."

The room went quiet.

My sister.

She said it like she was some saint.

Donna Valente softened immediately, her gaze melting as she turned to Serafina.

"See, this is why I adore you. You're kind, pure, patient. Why can't you be like her, Bianca?"

My chest tightened so hard I could barely breathe.

I wiped my face, stood up slowly, and looked straight at Serafina.

"Kind?" I said, my voice shaking. "You want me to be like her? The same woman who took my husband, my home, and my baby? The same woman who lied about being sick so Nico would take my son's stem cells? The same woman who let my child die so she could get better?"

Gasps exploded around us. A capo's wife set her glass down too hard. One of the soldiers near the doorway shifted his weight.

Serafina blinked, her smile cracking just enough for me to see the truth under it.

Donna Valente glared at me, furious.

"Stop lying. Serafina would never harm a child!"

"She already did," I said. "Mine."

Nico stepped in then, jaw tight, eyes cold.

"What the fuck are you doing? This is Serafina's day. Don't ruin it with your nonsense."

My hands shook, but I didn't look away.

"You don't even remember what today is, do you."

He frowned.

"What now."

"Our anniversary."

Laughter broke out from the guests. Donna Valente smirked proudly. Serafina hid behind Nico's arm like she was scared.

Serafina suddenly grabbed her belly and let out a piercing scream that echoed through the whole hall.

"Ah! My stomach—" she cried, doubling over. "Nico! It hurts! My babies, oh my god—"

People froze. Music stopped. Every head turned.

Nico rushed toward her instantly.

"Seri! What's wrong? What happened?!"

"I… I just remembered… earlier… I saw Bianca standing near my drink. I—I thought she was just fixing the glasses but… what if she put something in it? I don't know but oh god, what if she wanted to hurt my babies?"

The room exploded.

"Oh my god! Poison?"

"Maybe something to cause a miscarriage!"

"She hates Serafina and everyone knows that!"

"She's jealous!"

"She's sick!"

I stared at Serafina, speechless, because she looked so damn believable.

"That's not true," I said quietly. "I didn't touch her—"

Before I could finish, Nico grabbed my arm and shoved me so hard I fell onto the floor, my knees slamming into the marble tiles. The sound cracked through the dining hall of the Valente compound like a gunshot, and every conversation stopped.

"You think this is fucking funny?!" he roared. "If anything happens to her or my kids, I swear your life will be the price!"

I didn't even try to stand. I just sat there on the cold marble, feeling the last piece of me crumble.

The murmurs around us were venom. Wives of capos, associates, soldiers' girlfriends in cocktail dresses. Every one of them knew whose house this was, whose word was law within these walls, and whose side to take.

"That's her? She's disgusting."

"She wants Serafina dead because she can't have kids anymore."

"Jealous women are dangerous."

"She's evil."

Donna Valente adjusted the pearl rosary on her left wrist, a single deliberate rotation of the beads, and the room stilled even further.

"Nico, take Serafina to the clinic. NOW. We don't know what this woman did."

Nico didn't hesitate. He scooped Serafina into his arms and ran toward the exit while she whimpered and held onto him like her life depended on it. The moment they disappeared through the compound's front door, soldiers falling in behind them, the guests turned on me like a pack of wolves.

Someone threw a glass. It shattered near my leg.

"That's for hurting your pregnant sister!"

A splash of wine hit my face.

"That's for being jealous!"

A plate of food slammed into my shoulder.

"You monster!"

Someone actually threw a sandal that hit my face and it bled.

"You don't deserve to breathe the same air as her!"

I didn't shield myself. I didn't scream. I didn't defend anything.

I just sat there, letting them hit me, throw things at me, spit their words like poison. Because for the first time…

I finally accepted it.

…

The night finally died down, the compound dark and silent, but my ears were still ringing with every insult, every broken plate, every splash of wine against my skin.

I locked myself inside the upstairs bathroom and leaned over the sink. The mirror showed a woman I barely recognized — hair tangled, cheeks streaked with dried tears, and a thin line of blood dripping from where the sandal hit my forehead.

I pressed a towel to it, but the bleeding didn't stop right away.

"Happy anniversary, Nico," I whispered at my broken reflection. "You finally destroyed everything… and somehow, you set me free."

My phone buzzed on the counter.

I didn't want to answer it but when I saw the name, my heart stopped.

Dominic.

I picked up with a trembling thumb. "Hello…?"

"I'll be there tomorrow night. You're leaving that house. And tell me… Is the dissolution done?"

My throat tightened. I stared at myself in the mirror… at the bruises forming, at the dead look in my eyes.

"Yes," I whispered. "It's done."

"Good. I want our union settled the moment I arrive. I don't wait, Bianca."

The line went dead. His voice had been low, controlled, carrying the weight of a man who gave orders that moved entire families. Not a question in it. Not a single syllable that left room for negotiation.

I stared at my reflection again. At the bruises.

The cut… The emptiness.

…

The next morning.

I woke up to heavy footsteps pounding outside my room. Before I could even sit up, the door slammed open. Nico stormed in, flanked by two enforcers, his face cold as ice. His right fist clenched and unclenched at his side.

"Grab her," he barked.

"Wait — Nico, what are you doing?!" My voice cracked, panic clawing at me.

He didn't answer. The soldiers were on me in seconds, yanking me off the bed. I screamed, tried to fight, begged him, but he just stood there, unmoved.

"Stop! She's faking!" I yelled.

"Silence," he said flatly. "You've put my babies in danger. That's enough."

I realized in a sickening moment what he meant — Serafina, his precious twins, were somehow "at risk," and I was the villain. I didn't even touch them, didn't even step near Serafina's drinks last night but it didn't matter. In Nico's eyes, I was the threat.

The soldiers threw me into the back of a black SUV, my limbs banging against the cold leather seats. Rain streaked the windows as the car roared through streets that cut across Valente territory.

"Serafina… it's all fake!" I screamed, my voice raw. "She's faking! She's fine! You're being cruel!"

Nico didn't even glance at me. He sat rigid, hands clenched on the wheel. "Shut up. You're coming with me. Now."

At the private clinic, the scene was already set. Nurses stepped back, eyes wide, as Nico's voice boomed through the sterile corridor. Even here, on the family's payroll, his authority was absolute.

"Draw her blood. NOW. Serafina's twins are in danger. She's the reason."

"Mr. Valente! She's barely stable—"

"I don't care! Do it!" Nico snapped.

"I can't! If we take more, she could collapse—"

"DO IT!" he shouted, deaf to reason.

My body shook violently as the nurse restrained me, straps digging into my wrists and arms. I clawed at them, thrashing, screaming, every word guttural.

"No! Stop! Serafina, you're faking this! It's all lies! She's fine!"

But Nico didn't listen. He stood back, arms crossed, watching me as if I were nothing. His jaw was tight, his eyes hard, his voice sharp when he barked at the doctors.

"Take her blood. She's the reason my babies might be hurt."

I screamed louder, struggling against the straps, my lungs burning.

"Silence, monster," Donna Valente's voice cut through behind me, mocking. "Look at you. The woman who killed her own child. Do you think your jealousy will ever end? My Nico is smart to keep you tied down. You'll never touch my grandchildren."

I froze, my chest tightening as the nurses forced the needle into my arm. Cold metal, sharp pain, the red creeping into the transparent bag — it was stealing pieces of me. Every gasp, every twitch, every drop of blood was another part of my life leaving.

Serafina, or at least the twins she carried, were safe but only because I suffered. And Nico… he held her hand, stroked her hair, murmuring soft comforts that should have been mine once.

"I'm sorry, Nico… this is all my fault," Serafina cried. "It's not your fault, Bianca is just being dramatic as always," Nico said coldly.

I shook violently, whispering through the tears and the pain: "Nico… please… make it stop…"

He didn't turn. He didn't care. The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me was Donna Valente smirking from the corner, the pearl rosary motionless on her wrist, nodding toward Nico, as if she had orchestrated my torment all along.

And then I let go.