Chapter 4

Nerissa's POV

"You're lying!" I screamed, grabbing the doctor's collar. "My sister is going to be fine! She has to be!"

The doctor only sighed, freed himself gently, and walked out.

From that day on, I locked myself in my room under the guise of bed rest, refusing to see anyone.

Silvano sent flowers and jewelry daily. I had the maids throw them directly into the trash.

"Tell him I don't want to see his face."

On the eighth day, a young servant rushed into my room, pale and sweating. "Miss Nerissa... Arcuri’s men sent word. Carmine Torrisi has been caught selling secrets to a rival family. Don Silvano said... Carmine won't survive the night."

My heart stopped. I bolted upright, a sharp pain shooting through my abdomen. "What?"

"They have him at the Arcuri estate, Miss."

Carmine. I didn't care if it was a trap. I grabbed my coat and drove straight into the heart of the Arcuri territory.

Don Silvano's butler, Damiano, escorted me to the heavy oak doors of the study and bowed out. I pushed the door open, but the room was empty.

Suddenly, the door slammed behind me. Silvano emerged from the shadows, shoving me against the hard wood.

"Seven days of rejection," he rasped, his fingers digging into my jaw. "But the moment you hear Carmine's name, you run straight into my arms."

"You lied to me. He isn't here."

"If I didn't lie, would you have come?"

"Let me go, Silvano!"

Jealousy rolled off him in toxic waves. "You look at me with disgust, yet you'd bleed for him. You're carrying my child, Nerissa, but your mind is still dirty with thoughts of another man!"

He lunged for my neck, but I twisted away, his lips brushing my ear. Infuriated, he lifted me off my feet and slammed me onto the massive mahogany desk.

"You can't run from me!"

He ripped open my coat, tearing the silk buttons of my dress. I gripped the edge of the desk, kicking blindly.

My fingers brushed against a heavy bronze paperweight. Without thinking, I hurled it at his skull. He dodged, the bronze crashing loudly against the floor. I tried to scramble off the desk, but he slammed his weight down on my wrists.

"You'd fight me like a wild animal for him?" he spat. "But you won't even let me touch you?"

"Because I despise you!" I screamed.

The study doors clicked open. A soldier stood there, sweating. "Don... Carmine Torrisi is here."

Silvano didn't let go of my wrists. He simply looked over his shoulder. "Bring him in."

Carmine walked into the room, his posture rigid. His eyes swept across Silvano's disheveled state, then locked onto my torn dress. The color drained from his face.

Silvano slowly stood up, fixing his collar with a smirk. "Ah, apologies, Torrisi. You caught us at an intimate moment."

Carmine stared at me, his voice colder than winter. "It seems I chose a poor time to deliver the reports."

"Indeed," Silvano stepped in front of me, blocking his view. "This is family business."

"I see." Carmine's eyes were dead. "I'll leave you to your... family."

He turned and walked out, his steps firm, never looking back. I collapsed behind the desk, shaking violently, waiting until his car sped away before dragging myself out of the mansion.

But as soon as I stepped onto the dark street, a hand grabbed my wrist and dragged me into a black sedan.

"Get off me!"

The doors locked instantly. Carmine sat in the dark seat beside me, his eyes wild and bloodshot as he stared at my stomach.

"So it's true," he whispered, his voice trembling. "You're having Silvano's baby."

I looked out the window. "It doesn't concern you."

"You laid with your sister's fiancé," he laughed, a sound so broken it made me want to die. "How could you do this to me, Nerissa? How could you be so vile?"

"Stop it!" I cried.

I unlocked the door and ran into the night. He didn't chase me. Through the glass, he watched me go like I was a monster he had finally stopped loving.

When I stumbled back into the Vespucci manor, my father was waiting in the grand hall.

SLAP!

"Kneel!" Ottavio roared.

"Father, what did I do?"

"I said kneel, you pathetic whore!" he boomed, stepping into my space. "You ruined Renata! You seduced Silvano, and now she's dying because of your filth!"