A Tainted Bloodline

Eight months pregnant, a contraction tore through me like a blade.

But my husband, the Mafia boss Darren, refused to take me to the hospital.

His sister-in-law, Angelina, his late brother's widow, was also due.

To ensure she gave birth before me, she produced so-called proof of my infidelity, insisting the child I carried was no true Falcone.

Because the heir to the Falcone family had to be the firstborn grandson.

Darren believed her. He locked me in an abandoned wine cellar.

“Don't think for a second I don't know what you've been up to.”

“Let me tell you, you're not giving birth to that bastard until I've verified its bloodline myself.”

“Angelina’s boy is of pure blood. I have to make sure her boy is the family's firstborn grandson.”

I tried desperately to explain.

“My water is about to break! Please, take me to the hospital! He’s your son, I swear on my life!”

“I’ll never fight for the position of heir! I just want my baby to be safe!”

Darren simply kicked me and shot me a glance.

“Who knows if you’ll change your mind later? Don’t worry. I’ll come for you after Angelina gives birth. When the baby is born, I’ll see for myself whose it is.”

Later, as he gazed at the crying infant in Angelina's arms, he finally thought of me. But one of his men informed him, his voice trembling:

“Boss, the Madam… and the child… they're both dead.”

I had burned every bridge for Darren, only for him to inject me with a dangerous labor suppressant over a baseless rumor.

I promised myself that when the truth was revealed, he would kneel and repent.

Right now, I was pressed against the cellar door, pounding desperately on the heavy oak.

"Darren! Take me to the hospital! The baby is coming!"

Heavy footsteps approached from outside.

The sound of the lock turning ignited a spark of hope in me. When the door swung open, I saw Darren’s face, as cold and unforgiving as marble.

"Now?" he scoffed, his eyes on my sweat-soaked nightgown. "You really know how to pick your moments."

"Darren..." I gasped for breath. "I can’t hold on much longer..."

He grabbed my hair, forcing my head up to look at him.

The rough motion sent a searing pain across my scalp.

"That bastard in your belly isn't coming out until I know who its real father is."

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Are you insane? This is your child!"

Darren seized my chin, his nails digging into my flesh.

The pain made me suck in a sharp breath.

"Don't play innocent with me, Scarlett. You think I don't know about the filthy things you've been doing behind my back?"

"I have never betrayed you!" I shook my head desperately, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He let go, and I nearly collapsed.

The weight of my pregnant belly made it difficult to keep my balance.

"Dr. Russo," he called into the hall.

A thin, middle-aged man entered the room, carrying a black medical bag.

I knew him. He was the family's private doctor, the one who handled our... discreet problems.

A cold dread washed over me.

"No..." I backed away, my back hitting the wall. The agony of the contractions made it impossible to escape.

"Boss, the delaying agent is ready. It's a custom compound," Dr. Russo said as he opened his medical bag and took out a syringe filled with a milky white liquid.

The fluid gleamed under the light.

"The dosage?"

"Enough to halt the labor for several hours." The doctor's tone was flat, as if this were all routine. "But the side effects may include..."

"I don't care about the side effects," Darren cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Begin."

Two bodyguards in black suits rushed into the room. They were Darren’s most trusted enforcers.

"Let go of me!" I struggled wildly, my nails leaving bloody scratches on their arms.

One of them cursed and gripped my arm tighter.

I could feel my bones groaning under the pressure.

"You can't do this!" I screamed at Darren. "I'm your wife! This is your blood! The baby will die!"

"Then let it die," Darren said, looking down at me. "A bastard with tainted blood doesn't deserve to live in this world."

The moment the needle pierced my skin, a burning pain spread through my veins.

The drug felt like liquid fire coursing through my body.

The pain of the contractions suddenly vanished, replaced by a strange, creeping numbness.

My limbs grew as heavy as lead. I could barely lift a finger.

"Good," Darren nodded, satisfied. "She’s more cooperative now."

The click of high heels echoed from the hall.

Silvana walked in, a twisted look of triumph on her face.

"You should have taught her this lesson a long time ago, brother," she said, nudging my limp hand with the toe of her shoe. "A whore like her brings nothing but shame to the Falcone name."

I tried to speak, to fight back, but all that came out was a faint whimper.