Chapter 4

(Bianca’s POV)

The woman's face darkened with anger as she pointed directly at me.

“An Underboss? You're an Underboss in the Armani Family?” she demanded. “You're her superior, yet you treated her like this and then tried to blame her for it? How does someone like you get such a position?”

“I didn't—”

My chest felt tight, making it difficult to breathe.

I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell her the truth.

But before I could, Antonio arrived. His gaze immediately landed on Gianna sitting on the floor and the crying child nearby.

The ambience around him seemed to drop instantly.

“What happened here?”

Gianna answered before anyone else could.

She explained that I had accidentally pushed her, causing her to lose balance and crash into the woman carrying the baby.

Holding her ankle, she winced softly.

“I think I twisted it,” she said. “But I'm alright. Please don't blame Signorina Mancini. She didn't mean for any of this to happen.”

Antonio turned toward me.

His eyes were burning with anger.

“Bianca Mancini, what is wrong with you?” he snapped. “You couldn't even handle something this simple? Why would you push her?”

“I didn't push her.”

“I don't care. Apologize to Gianna. Right now.”

I stood motionless.

Of course he believed Gianna. Just like he always did.

My hand instinctively covered my stomach. This time, however, I refused to lower my head.

“I won't apologize for something I didn't do.”

My voice trembled, but I didn't look away.

I was leaving anyway. I was tired of constantly begging for understanding from a man who never gave it.

Surprise flashed across Antonio's face. He clearly hadn't expected me to defy him.

Before he could say anything else, the furious woman suddenly shoved me.

“You shameless woman!” she shouted. “No wonder you're raising trouble already. If you can't even admit your mistakes, get out of here!”

The force sent me crashing onto the floor.

A sharp pain exploded through my stomach, and everything around me suddenly blurred. The angry voices faded into the distance, replaced by a loud ringing in my ears.

Through my fading vision, I vaguely saw Antonio take a step toward me, and for one brief moment, I thought he was going to help.

But he stopped, his expression unreadable, before turning toward Gianna.

The next second, he bent down, lifted her into his arms, and carried her away, leaving me standing there alone with the pain tearing through my body.

“Think about what you've done, Bianca.”

Those were the last words he left behind.

I remained on the cold marble floor, clutching my stomach as wave after wave of pain tore through my body.

People quickly gathered around me, filling the space with whispers and accusing looks.

Some pointed at me, while others pulled out their phones to record what was happening.

A few simply stood there and watched without saying a word, as if my pain were nothing more than a spectacle. Their voices and murmurs soon blended into a distant hum that I could barely hear.

Meanwhile, the pain only grew worse. It felt as though something inside me was being ripped apart.

Eventually, someone realized the situation was serious and called an ambulance.

By the time I reached the hospital, doctors and nurses were rushing around me.

“Where are her family members?”

“Her condition is unstable.”

“Someone contact the father immediately.”

“Do we prioritize the mother or the baby if complications occur?”

A nurse grabbed my phone.

“Signora, what's the father's number?”

I bit down on my lip and recited Antonio's number.

The call connected almost immediately.

For a moment, I thought he might be worried.

I was wrong.

The moment he answered, anger exploded through the speaker.

“Bianca, have you completely lost your mind?” he shouted. “What exactly did you do to Gianna? Her ankle is badly swollen. The doctor thinks it might be fractured. All because of your jealousy.”

My body was shaking uncontrollably.

“I didn't...” I whispered. “She fell by herself.”

“Oh, stop it. You're angry because she introduced herself as my wife, aren't you? Do you seriously believe that? It was a joke.”

A joke?

Just a joke?

My fingers tightened around the hospital blanket.

Tears finally spilled down my cheeks.

“Antonio...” My voice cracked. “The baby...”

Before I could finish, the line went dead.

He had hung up.

Slowly, I turned toward the doctor standing beside my bed.

A painful smile appeared on my lips.

“Forget the baby,” I whispered. “Please save me.”

The doctor's expression softened.

“We'll do everything we can.”

***

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the emptiness.

My stomach was flat.

The baby was gone.

A nurse quietly handed me a small box. Inside was the tiny body of the child I had carried for months.

The sight shattered something inside me.

I cried until my entire body shook. The physical pain was nothing compared to the grief crushing my heart.

Then, in the middle of my sobbing, the hospital room door suddenly flew open.

A man suddenly rushed inside, tall and breathless, his familiar face immediately catching my attention.

He was the man I had always considered family, even though we shared no blood.

He had grown up beside me, protected me, and stayed close through every stage of my life. In every way that mattered, he had always been my family.

My “brother”, Sergio De Luca.

The moment he saw me, regret filled his eyes.

He crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms.

“I'm sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I should've gotten here sooner.”

I buried my face against his chest. For the first time that day, I allowed myself to stop pretending to be strong.

That afternoon, he transferred me to a private hospital owned by the Mancini Family.

Everything was arranged under his protection.

Before leaving the city, I mailed the small box containing my baby's remains to the Armani Family estate.

If the Armani Family wanted an heir so badly, they could see exactly what their greed had cost them.

After that, I sent Antonio one final message.

[We're over.]

Then I blocked his number, deleted his contact, and erased every remaining connection between us.

I didn't want his calls, his messages, or any reminder of the life I had once imagined with the Don of the Armani Family.

From that day forward, Antonio Armani became nothing more than a stranger to me, and no matter what happened in the future, I would never let him become anything else again.