Chapter 5: Marked for Death

"In your words, wife," Dario said coldly, a twisted smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice dripped with threat.

"N-No," Elena stammered, her voice barely a whisper, trembling with fear.

"That's right," Dario drawled, his icy gaze slicing through her. "That’s the only answer I expect from you."

Then Contessa Valentina stepped forward, her eyes flashing with disdain. "Then whose child is this?" she blurted, before quickly covering her slip-up with a forced expression of concern. "I... I didn’t mean to say that."

But it was too late.

Those words ignited something wild in Dario something violent.

In a flash, his hand gripped Elena’s face, his fingers digging into her cheeks with brutal force. Her heart slammed in her chest as she stared into his blazing blue eyes. There was no love. No trust. Only suspicion and fury.

"If I find out you're carrying another man's child..." he hissed, his voice a deadly whisper, "I won’t hesitate to kill you and that bastard baby."

Elena’s breath stopped. Her chest tightened with horror. She wanted to scream that he was wrong, that the child was his, their child but she knew he wouldn’t believe her.

So, she said nothing.

Dario finally released her and turned away in disgust. He grabbed his suit jacket and briefcase, walking out without a word or a glance back.

The door slammed.

Elena sagged to the floor, her knees weak with relief but only for a moment. The fear came rushing back, heavier than ever. She didn’t know how much longer she could hide this truth.

She prayed for a miracle. For something. Anything that would open Dario’s eyes to the truth.

---

That evening, as the sky dimmed, Elena moved around the mansion, quietly finishing her chores. She had no appetite, no strength, but she forced herself to keep going. The kitchen smelled of garlic and herbs as she prepared dinner alone. Every movement felt heavier than the last.

Contessa Valentina strolled into the kitchen with her usual fake concern.

“Elena, dear,” she said with a pitiful smile, “we’ll be heading out soon. Dario insisted we attend tonight’s party. You know how furious he gets when things don’t go exactly his way.”

Elena said nothing, just kept her eyes on the meal.

Valentina tilted her head, voice turning sharper. “And you won’t believe why we’re celebrating tonight,” she added, bitterness slipping into her tone. “It’s for Arissa, Dario’s darling girlfriend. She’s finally returned after three years. She’s been chasing fame, acting and modeling. Now she’s back… and he’s throwing a party for her.”

Elena froze.

Arissa.

The name twisted like a knife in her chest.

Valentina gave her a mocking smile, gently patting her hand before leaving. “Take care, sweetheart.”

Once alone, Elena couldn’t breathe. Her hands trembled. She barely managed to plate the food before she quietly slipped away to her room, shutting the door behind her.

She tried to sleep, but her phone buzzed.

One notification.

She opened it.

A breaking news headline filled the screen and there they were. Dario and Arissa, locked in a passionate kiss, front and center at the event.

They looked so perfect and happy.

Elena’s heart shattered all over again.

Her hands instinctively curled around her belly. She was carrying his child. And yet, he had already moved on… or perhaps, never truly belonged to her in the first place.

Whatever hope she had left crumbled in that moment.

She would never be the woman he loved.

---

Suddenly, the lights went out.

The mansion was plunged into darkness.

Elena quickly turned on her phone flashlight. The hallway seemed longer now. Colder.

She called for the guards. The maids. No answer.

Then there were many footsteps.

She turned toward the sound, and her light caught masked men entering through the side doors their faces hidden, their hands gripping knives and guns.

Her breath hitched.

She turned off the light and ran.

Heart pounding, she navigated through the dark hallways of the mansion she knew better than anyone. Her bare feet made no sound as she ducked behind the kitchen counter, trying not to breathe too loud.

One of the intruders stepped closer.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he sang, voice twisted with cruelty.

“We need to kill that bitch tonight or the Boss will kill us,” another snapped.

Boss.

The word rang in her ears like a gunshot.

There was only one man they could be referring to.

Dario Moretti.

Her husband.

Her child's father.

He wanted her dead.

Tears burned her eyes, but she bit her lip to stay silent. Not now. She couldn’t afford to feel. Not with danger inches away. Not with her baby depending on her.

She squeezed into the kitchen cabinet and curled into herself, silent, still.

She waited.

Minutes passed like hours.

The men moved deeper into the house. Their voices faded.

Carefully, Elena pushed open the cabinet door and crawled out.

She didn’t stop.

She ran.

Down the corridor. Through the hallway. Out the front door.

The night air hit her face. Cold and sharp.

She looked back once… and everything made sense.

Dario had planned this.

He had ordered the staff and guards to vanish. He had created this moment left her vulnerable, alone. So they could finish her off.

And he could walk away clean.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she kept running.

This time, she wouldn’t beg.

This time, she’d survive.

---

Elena sold her wedding ring the next morning a cold, diamond band worth ten million dollars. Enough to disappear.

With that money, she bought a one-way ticket to New York.

A new life.

A new identity.

A future where she would never have to kneel again.

She held her belly gently and whispered, “Don’t worry, baby. Your father may not want us… but I will protect you with everything I have. I will love you until my last breath.”

As the plane began boarding, she looked back one final time.

Toward the city she once thought would be her forever.

“Goodbye, Dario Moretti,” she whispered. “You’re finally free to live as you please.”