“Run a hundred more tests—here in Lombardy, anywhere in Italy—and they’ll all say the same thing. That’s how powerful I am, Elena. I will never let him know the truth.”
“I won’t allow him to see you differently. I won’t allow you to fully ensnare him.”
I froze, my chest tightening as the weight of her words sank in.
A storm of emotions roared inside me—rage, betrayal, fear, and a bitter, unspoken relief that at least I hadn’t been imagining things.
Violet stepped closer, until our bodies were almost touching.
Our heavily pregnant bellies were separated by mere inches.
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
“You want to know why I can’t let you keep this child? Because when your baby starts to resemble him—eyes, jaw, mouth—Vincenzo will see it. He’ll question it. And if he finds out I’ve been behind the false DNA results... everything I’ve done could be ruined. I won’t allow it. So, Elena, one last time... terminate the pregnancy, and you live.”
Something inside me snapped.
Rage surged—hot, blinding, uncontrollable.
I glanced down at her stomach—large, stretched tight, so close to mine it felt almost obscene—and then lifted my gaze back to her face.
“The only reason you’re still conscious is because you’re carrying a child. Say one more word about terminating mine, and I’ll make sure you never speak again.”
“And if you have any more tricks up your sleeve—especially after getting this close to me,” I said, my voice dropping slightly, “you’d do well to reconsider them.”
Violet’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were measuring me again—testing the edges of my resolve, searching for cracks she could exploit.
For a heartbeat, she didn’t move.
Then—deliberately—
Her lips curved.
Not in fear. Not in submission.
But in something far darker.
Almost... mocking.
Then, without warning, she moved.
Sudden. Unpredictable.
She lurched forward in a full-bodied collapse, like a tree being felled.
A performance.
Instinct took over before thought could follow.
I stepped forward immediately, arms snapping up to catch her, hands gripping her shoulders to steady her weight before she could hit the ground.
“—Violet!”
Her body pressed into mine, heavy and unbalanced.
Something sharp brushed against my chest.
A sting.
