Everything After Survival

After Dante left for the De Luca estate, I forced my weak body to endure the pain and began packing.

There were still six hours before Professor Shaw’s team came to take me to the closed research facility.

I looked through the window at the Russo guards stationed outside the villa and called Professor Shaw.

“There are Russo men outside the villa,” I said. “Dante left them here to watch me.”

Professor Shaw’s voice remained steady.

“Pack your documents and medical records. Do not confront anyone. Our legal team and security detail are already on the way.”

Just after I hung up, the door to my room was pushed open.

Lucia De Luca walked in with Don De Luca, a private doctor, a sealed consent file, and two De Luca guards.

Don De Luca looked at me as if I were a stain on his daughter’s wedding dress.

“My daughter will stand at the altar in six hours. No woman hidden in this house will ruin that.”

Lucia placed the consent form on the table.

“Sign it. The doctor will finish the procedure here.”

I gripped the edge of the table.

“This child is Dante’s.”

Lucia’s expression did not change.

“Dante has already chosen which child he will acknowledge.”

“Serena’s child is not his.”

Don De Luca gave a cold smile.

“Truth does not matter today. Silence does.”

Two guards grabbed my arms.

Panic rose through me so sharply I could barely breathe.

“No. Let go of me.”

The maid tried to stop them, crying.

“Miss Aria is very weak. If you force this procedure, she may die.”

“No one asked you,” Lucia snapped.

I struggled with what little strength I had left.

“The child in my belly is Dante’s. Serena’s child is not his.”

No one listened.

One of the men taped my mouth shut before I could say more. The doctor opened his case, and someone pressed my hand against the consent form. My body was too weak to fight them, and the pain in my abdomen grew sharper as they dragged me toward the old medical room.

Tears slid down my face.

I had once thought about giving up this child when Dante chose Serena’s reputation over us.

But when they truly tried to take the baby from me, I finally understood how much I wanted to keep him.

My vision began to blur. A hot rush spilled between my legs.

Just as they dragged me toward the door, the sound of cars broke through the villa grounds.

A moment later, Dante stepped out of the lead car in his black wedding suit. He was smiling faintly as he turned back to Serena.

“There’s still time before the ceremony,” he said. “I’ll find the ring I left behind and come right back. I won’t delay anything.”

Then he turned toward the doorway and saw me collapsed in a pool of blood.

His face went white.