Liquid.
Warm. Fast.
My water had broken.
It soaked through my dress in an instant, trailing down my legs and pooling onto the stone beneath me.
Clear. Steady.
I gasped, hands flying to my stomach as my body stiffened in shock.
“Vincenzo—” My voice broke, rising in panic. “My water just broke.”
For a split second—
Silence.
Then—
“Guards!” Ciro barked.
Three men emerged from the shadows almost instantly, their movements sharp, trained.
No hesitation. No questions.
They closed in on me in seconds.
Rough hands gripped my arms.
Another pair seized my legs.
“No—wait!” I struggled instinctively, panic surging through me. “Let go—!”
But they didn’t.
They lifted me.
Like I weighed nothing.
“Vincenzo!” My voice cracked into a scream as I twisted in their grip, desperation clawing its way up my throat. “My water just broke! The baby’s coming—now!”
No response.
He didn’t turn.
Didn’t look at me.
His back remained rigid.
Unmoving.
“Please!” I cried, thrashing harder now. “I’m in labor! Don’t do this—please!”
My voice broke completely.
“You can’t lock me in there—not like this—not with your child inside me!”
For a moment—
