Chapter 2

Vivienne’s POV

Alex never returned to my hospital room that night, and my tears never stopped.

I lay awake on the private ward's narrow bed while the pain from the surgery fought against the hollow ache inside my chest. My body throbbed from the brutal delivery, but nothing compared to the knowledge that I had lost two things in a single night.

My son.

And my ability to ever have another child.

For one terrible moment, I wished I had died on that warehouse floor.

At least then I would be with my baby.

But if I died now, my son's murder would remain unpunished.

No.

I would live.

I would endure every second of this agony if it meant seeing every person responsible for my son's death dragged into hell beside me.

By dawn, my tears had long since dried.

I lay staring at the ceiling, feeling nothing but a cold emptiness, when Dr. Rinaldi entered my room.

He smiled gently as he checked my chart and examined the bandages around my abdomen.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Valcrest?"

"When can I leave?"

He looked mildly surprised.

"You've recovered better than expected. If you wish, you may go home today. I'll prescribe medication for the pain and antibiotics for the incision."

I simply nodded.

The irony nearly made me laugh.

The man who had destroyed my womb was now complimenting my recovery.

As soon as he left, I stepped into the corridor.

One of the Valcrest guards stood outside the room.

He straightened immediately.

"Mrs. Valcrest."

"I need a favor."

I slipped the diamond bracelet from my wrist and placed it in his hand.

His eyes widened.

"Take this to Mr. Rowan Vance."

He frowned slightly.

Rowan Vance was one of the most respected attorneys in the city. He had once worked as legal counsel for the Valcrest syndicate before retiring from mafia affairs.

"Tell him I want divorce papers drawn up immediately. I also want every document necessary to renounce any claim to the Valcrest estate and family name."

The guard stared at me.

I met his gaze calmly.

"I need everything prepared within three days."

After a long moment, he closed his fingers around the bracelet.

"Understood, Mrs. Valcrest."

Three days.

That was all I needed.

Three days to sever every legal tie that bound me to Alex Valcrest.

Three days to bury my old life.

Not long at all.

A little while later, Dr. Rinaldi returned.

"Mr. Valcrest has sent a car for you," he said with a smile. "He has apparently been cooking all morning. He wanted me to tell you that he prepared your favorite meal himself."

I nearly laughed.

Instead, I smiled politely.

"Thank you, Doctor."

If only he knew.

If only he knew that the husband he praised had ordered him to make sure I would never carry another child.

But I understood.

In Alex's world, nobody refused him.

Not doctors.

Not judges.

Not police officers.

Certainly not men who owed their careers to the Valcrest family.

The drive back to the estate was silent.

The Valcrest residence sat on a hill overlooking the city, hidden behind towering iron gates and guarded by armed men twenty-four hours a day. The newspapers called it a mansion.

Those who knew the truth called it what it really was.

A fortress.

I stepped inside.

Then I froze.

Bianca sat beside the fireplace, draped in an expensive crimson dress that probably cost more than most people's annual salaries. One hand rested protectively over the gentle swell of her stomach while my mother-in-law adjusted a blanket around her shoulders with obvious affection.

She looked like the lady of the house.

Like the woman who belonged there.

The sight hurt more than I expected.

She was carrying Alex's child.

And now she sat openly in my home.

Bianca noticed me first.

She immediately lowered her eyes and put on an expression of practiced discomfort.

"Isabella," she said softly. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here. I truly didn't wish to impose."

My mother-in-law snorted.

"Impose?" she said. "This house belongs to my son. You're carrying his blood. You have every right to be here."

Her gaze shifted toward me.

"As for her…" she said with open contempt, "I don't know why Alex hasn't thrown that barren girl out already."

Once, those words would have shattered me.

Today, they barely stirred anything at all.

I turned toward the staircase.

I had barely taken two steps when my head jerked backward.

Pain exploded across my scalp.

My mother-in-law had grabbed my hair.

"You ungrateful child!" she hissed.

The slap that followed split my lip.

The metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue.