Chapter 1

Lina’s POV

I twisted my hands against the ropes. My body trembled as I hit the signal phone strapped to my thigh.

“Please come, Kane. I'm scared,” I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes.

I had been shoved into the back of a van while on my way to tell Kane I was finally pregnant again. It wasn't my first time being kidnapped, but this time, my heart was pounding like it would break out of my chest.

I had to protect my baby.

“Kane, please. What's taking you so long?”

My heart stopped when the van did.

“Make sure you give the right dose,” a gruff voice ordered.

My eyes grew wide. What dose?

The door opened, and two men stepped in. One carried a green liquid.

I tried to shrink backward, but they grabbed me.

“Open up,” one growled.

I shook my head, my face stained with tears.

“I said open up.”

I kicked and screamed, but they overpowered me. My mouth was forced open, and the bitter liquid crawled its way down my throat. The men opened the door, threw me onto the hard concrete road, and sped off.

My hands clutched my stomach as pain rippled through my body.

Blue and red lights filled my vision, alongside a distant echo of sirens.

“My baby,” my voice cracked as I screamed. “Please save my baby.”

***

“Miss, I am so sorry. We tried all we could, but you ingested a high dose of the poison. The baby didn't make it,” the doctor said, looking at me with pity.

I sat numb. Just days ago, I had gotten the good news of my pregnancy.

Sobs, loud and ugly, broke from my throat as I clutched my now-empty abdomen.

When I left the hospital, my mind raced with just one question: why didn't Kane come for me like he always did?

My heart thudded in my chest as I walked to the private room where I could access all cameras in the Mafia headquarters and the city.

If something had happened to Kane, this was the best place to see.

As I turned on the monitor and glanced through the cameras, my eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

In Kane's office, my cousin Cara was sitting on his desk, her legs wrapped around his waist as their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

I gasped, clutching my chest as my heart beat louder than normal.

She had one hand in his hair, the other slowly undoing his shirt buttons.

My throat tightened, and a tear slipped from my eyes.

They stopped kissing, and Cara said, “Kane, I am worried. If she dies, won't that cause problems for us?”

He chuckled. “Don't worry, darling. The dose given was only lethal to the baby. And I also ordered the men to get her to the hospital. She'll be fine.”

My knees buckled. What?

“But what if she suspects us? Lina is extremely smart. I am scared.”

“Stop worrying, sweetheart.” He kissed her nose. “She didn't suspect when I gave her the poisonous drink that killed the first baby. She won't suspect this one.”

My head felt light. I gripped the table to prevent myself from falling.

My baby. Kane and Cara had been responsible? No. That couldn't be possible. Cara had been there for me every day after I lost my baby. She…

The door opened, and Kane’s underboss walked in. “Don, it's been confirmed. Your wife lost the baby.”

I shook my head. This had to be a dream.

“Good,” Kane smirked.

Cara squealed like her favorite team had just scored a goal.

“I told you it'll work. Now prepare to move in under the guise of comforting her,” Kane said.

“But I don't want to,” Cara whined. “I don't want to share our home with her. She's an intruder. Can't you just divorce her?”

He sighed and mumbled, “It is complicated.”

“How complicated?” she fumed, stepping back from him. “I want us to get married.”

He quickly pulled her back into his arms. “Hear me out. Our anniversary is coming up soon. It'll be five years of marriage. Then I can get ownership of both mine and her dad's Mafia according to the contract. After that, I'll dump her. And then…”

“I get to be your Mafia queen,” Cara beamed.

“Yes, and not only that.”

My mouth dropped as Kane leaned down and kissed her stomach.

“Our little boy will be the rightful heir of the most powerful Mafia in the world.”

I slipped out of the chair, hitting the floor with my knees. My body shook as I leaned on the chair for support and kept watching.

“Is that why you killed her children? So our baby can be the heir?” she asked, pouting and rubbing her stomach.

“Yes, baby. If she has kids, they'll automatically become heirs. But without kids, the Mafia is mine.”

Bile rose to my throat. My heart felt constricted, like a heavy weight was pressing on it.

For months after my first miscarriage, I thought I was just a terrible parent. I blamed myself, not knowing my only fault was trusting my husband.

I ran out of the room, my breathing ragged. I found a bench in a nearby park and sat still as the rain drenched me. Once it stopped raining, I took out my phone.

“Lina, are you okay?” Daniel Reed's voice came through.

I sucked in a breath. “Daniel… Do you still love me?”

“Lina. I will never stop loving you. I swear on my life. Even if you won't return the feelings, I—”

“Let's get married.”