That day marked the anniversary of Rosetta's death. She was Silvia's mother and also the person who saved Dante's life.

Years ago, she shielded him from a car crash explosion that would've killed him outright. Without her, the man known as the Don wouldn't exist.

On that day every year, regardless of where his arms business took him, he cleared his schedule. He wore a dark, formal suit and accompanied Silvia to the cemetery, where they knelt in silence.

Dante had spoken of it plainly. His biological mother died in childbirth. Rosetta, his nanny, raised him as her own and gave him the care he'd otherwise never known. She later died protecting him.

That exchange of lives became a burden he carried with him always, and he'd never dare forget it.

By 6:00 am, Silvia was already kneeling before the grave. She remained there through the slow hours, from early light to noon, until dusk settled in.

Cold had worked its way into her bones. Rain weighed down the bandage, soaked through and pulled at her skin, while the wound beneath it throbbed with a bloated, stinging ache that had gone nearly numb.

She took out her phone and placed the 33rd call.

"Sorry. The number you have dialed…"

It was the first time Dante was absent.

She was just about to text him when Lucia's update appeared without warning. The caption was all hearts, followed by a single sentence.

"Thank you, Dante, for helping me find my childhood again. This is the happiest day of my life!"

A carousel of nine photos showed none of the cold cemetery or the rain. They showed a carousel, cotton candy, and a fireworks display.

Dante wasn't wearing his usual suit. He had on a casual matching outfit that leaned almost juvenile, a pink balloon in his hand.

His eyes held no menace now. All that remained was his open affection for Lucia.

The photo in the center was taken at the highest point of the Ferris wheel. Fireworks burst across the sky behind them.

Inside the narrow car, Dante, the man everyone feared, cupped Lucia's face and kissed her deeply.

It was Rosetta's death anniversary. Silvia knelt in mud and rain for 12 hours waiting for him, and he spent the day with Lucia at an amusement park, kissing her high above the ground.

This was what "never dare forget" looked like in practice.

…

It was late at night when Silvia returned home.

Dante was seated with ointment in hand, gently working it into Lucia's ankle. "You must've had too much fun today. Your skin's rubbed raw."

The tone carried reproach, but his touch remained gentle.

Silvia entered at that moment. She brought the cold in with her and dropped her phone hard onto the coffee table.

"Do you even remember what day it is?"

Dante kept his focus on Lucia's ankle. His face stayed calm. "I do. It's Rosetta's death anniversary."

Silvia pointed at the rain streaking down the window. For the first time, she lost control and shouted at him, "Then, why weren't you there? I waited for you at the cemetery the entire day!

"My mother died saving you. She was blown to pieces for it! And on her death anniversary, you were kissing another woman on a Ferris wheel?"

Lucia looked startled. "Mi dispiace, Silvia. I wasn't feeling well today. I started thinking about my parents who passed away—"

Silvia cut her off, eyes cold, "Zitta! This isn't your place to speak!"

Dante moved Lucia behind him and finally lost his temper.

"Silvia Serra! Are you out of your mind? Lucia broke down today. She almost had a depressive episode. If I didn't stay with her, was I supposed to let her spiral?"

Silvia answered with a bleak smile, "What kind of illness gets cured by kissing someone else's husband? If you're so clear on priorities, why didn't you die in my mom's place back then?"

"Living people matter more than the dead!"

The blunt reply struck hard, breaking through everything Silvia had been holding together.

"Try to think rationally, Silvia. Rosetta's been gone for years. Whether I visit her or not, she can't feel it. That's something the living do for themselves. But Lucia's here. She's sensitive.

"She needs someone to protect her. You expect me to abandon her for some ritual meant for the dead?"

Silvia trembled, her chest rising and falling out of rhythm.

"If my mom hadn't shielded you with her own body, you'd be the one lying in the mud right now, waiting for people to perform empty rituals, Dante Valenti!"

Dante snapped like he'd heard it too many times already. "Enough! The Valenti family took you in and gave you the title of Donna Valenti. That settled that debt long ago! Stop guilt-tripping me with Rosetta's death!

"If Rosetta were alive and knew what Lucia's going through, she'd understand. She was loyal and kind. She wouldn't cling to old scores the way you do!"

Rosetta's life, and the last words she left Silvia with, the charge to protect Dante at all costs, were reduced to nothing but guilt-tripping.

He had broken their marriage vows, and he'd abandoned the very sense of honor the family held sacred, all for Lucia.

Silvia chose not to argue further. She studied him for a long time before saying, "You make me sick."

Dante turned a little, avoided her gaze, and said through clenched teeth, "Think whatever you want."

Silvia was pregnant. It felt like a cruel twist of fate.

The doctor gestured to the test results, his expression grave. "Donna Valenti, this isn't an optimistic case. You've been taking neuropathic pain medication long-term.

"You've also suffered multiple serious injuries during missions. I need to be clear that, given your physical condition, trying to carry the pregnancy could lead to severe bleeding.

"The risk of maternal death is extremely high."

Silvia rested a hand over her belly. It was still flat beneath her palm.

"I'm going to have the baby."

She folded the ultrasound report with care. Her eyes held a stubbornness she'd never had before.

In a world full of betrayal and killing, she only wanted something truly hers, her own flesh and blood.

Before the good news could be shared, Silvia was hit with a stack of photographs that left her stunned.

The pictures showed her in a dark alley in the slums, caught mid-struggle with several heavily tattooed men. The shots were taken from carefully chosen angles, intimate enough to suggest a hookup.

"Explain."

Silvia's expression shifted as she answered cautiously, "Those men were just—"

Dante interrupted with a sneer, "Just your affairs? I thought you were cold by nature, Silvia. I didn't realize you were this filthy underneath. You're that desperate for excitement now that even street punks will do?"

Silvia snapped her head up. "I didn't! You know exactly what kind of person I am."

Dante tossed a crumpled piece of paper at her. "I used to. Not anymore. Lucia found this ultrasound report in your trash."

He read the line aloud, his smile crooked. "Eight weeks pregnant. I was busy expanding territory then. We slept together once, and you ended up pregnant. You really expect me to believe that?"

He'd already believed Lucia's whispers and decided Silvia was sleeping around.

"This is your child! You were drunk that night—"

Dante cut her off, closing his hand around her wrist, "If it's mine, we'll confirm it. We're going to the hospital!"

"No! The fetus isn't stable. An invasive test right now could cause serious harm. Do you want the baby dead?"

Dante moved in, his presence pressing down on her. "You won't agree? Then, I'll treat it like a bastard."

"Dante, are you insane? Even animals don't kill their own young!"

His reply was flat. "If it can't make it through something this basic, then it doesn't deserve my name."

"You—"

"Take her away."

Silvia could've fought them off without breaking a sweat. But with the child inside her, she didn't risk it, and they forced her into the car.

…

"Don Valenti, there's a very high chance this test could cause a miscarriage."

"Proceed."

Dante sat on the couch at St. Marelle's Private Hospital, his legs crossed as he lit a cigar. Smoke drifted between him and the scene, and he watched without emotion.

"But…"

The doctor started to protest, then fell silent when the gun appeared.

Silvia was bound to the bed, her limbs pinned and useless.

To Dante, only his dignity mattered. He'd rather make a fatal mistake than allow even the smallest stain to remain.

Silvia turned her head, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. "Dante, you'll get what's coming to you! If the baby's hurt, you'll get what's coming to you!"

The doctor said helplessly, "Please try to relax. The more you struggle, the greater the risk—"

"Get away!"

Maternal instinct drowned out what little reason she had left.

She was Silvia Serra, with that man's blood in her veins, and she knew how to claw her way out of a dead end.

She broke free of the straps, snatched the tray, and caught the scalpel in a reverse grip. Several people went down in quick succession.

Dante heard the commotion and came back. He stopped short at the mess, his face darkening. "This is how you're protecting that bastard?"

Silvia retreated until her back hit the wall. Her voice came out hoarse. "Dante, you won't claim this baby, but I will. If you want to hurt my baby, you'll have to kill me first!"

Dante stubbed out the cigar, his mood tangled. "You think you're getting out? The whole building is locked down."

"Then try me!"

Silvia seized the fire extinguisher at her side and smashed it into the window. The glass shattered instantly.

Cries rang out, and she leapt from the third floor without a second thought.

"Silvia!"

Dante stared, then ran to the window.

Below, a lone figure cut across the grass before disappearing into the trees. For reasons he couldn't explain, the sight of her resolute escape sent a heavy pain through his chest.

Something was slipping out of his control.

Silvia never thought she'd cross paths with Lucia while she was fleeing.

"Silvia! Help me!"

Lucia's conspicuous appearance drew masked attackers.

Silvia reacted without thinking, stepping in to protect the woman Dante held closest. She was forced into a fight before she dropped when a gun butt struck the back of her head.

She woke up in a freezer. Her wrists were bound behind her. The surgical gown she wore offered no protection against the -4°F.

Her teeth rattled. Frost gathered along her lashes. Pain bloomed in her lower abdomen, steady and alarming, a warning from the life inside her.

Lucia sat next to her in a heavy down jacket, cradling a cup of hot coffee for warmth.

"You… planned this?"

Lucia turned to her. "I did. And what about it? Dante pressured you into the test, but he was wavering. I couldn't let a risk sit there. How long do you think that bastard can survive inside you?"

Silvia breathed out a cloud of white. "You're insane! That's his child!"

Lucia let out a soft laugh, her gaze sharp and poisonous. "If you're dead or the baby's gone, who's going to care whose it was? Your enemies did this. What does that have to do with me? I'm a victim, too."

With a bang, a shaped charge blew a hole in the freezer door, and the air filled with the stink of explosives.

"Don Valenti, their firepower's overwhelming. They've got a sniper suppressing us. We can only cover you long enough to go in and extract one person! If we delay, the police will arrive, and they'll kill the hostages!"

Dante charged in with his gun raised. He wore a ballistic vest, his presence hard and lethal. As soon as he saw what was inside, the master tactician lost his composure. Alarm crossed his face.

Lucia had taken off her down jacket. She coughed and crawled toward the exit, feigning weakness. "Dante, save me!"

"Don't be scared! I'm here."

Dante picked her up and headed out, soothing her as he moved.

Silvia lay there with her eyes half closed, her lips blue with cold, completely ignored.

Something stirred in Dante, and he turned back. "Sil—"

A soldato rushed up. "They've thrown incendiaries! The ventilation system's about to explode. Don Valenti, move! We can only carry one. We have to take one now!"

Firelight turned the freezer doors red as heat met the cold head-on. Life or death came down to Dante's call.

"Take Lucia first."

As he crossed the threshold, Dante looked back and called out, "Silvia! You've been trained for extreme cold survival. You once lay in the snow for three days and nights! Hold on for ten minutes.

"Reinforcements are coming!"

Then, he went, leaving Silvia behind in the dead end.

She braced herself against the steel shelving and gave a quiet, hollow laugh.

She'd gone through polar training for him. To be fit to protect him, she'd stayed prone on the Glacera ice fields for three full days and nearly lost two toes to frostbite.

But had Dante forgotten? She wasn't the younger version of herself in peak condition anymore. She was a pregnant woman, still weak from jumping off a building to survive.

A sudden warmth spread beneath Silvia, jolting her awake from her thoughts.

"My baby!"

She'd never known fear in the face of knives or fire. But the loss of that fragile life terrified her beyond anything else.

"Don't go! Please… Don't leave your mom!"

Silvia felt something separating from her body. Blood streamed down her thighs and froze quickly, staining the floor red.

This was the child she'd protected with her life!

The baby hadn't died during the hospital test. It hadn't died from the fall. It was dying because of its biological father's rational decision!

Silvia curled in on herself, trying to warm her belly, but nothing stopped the life from slipping away.

"Dante… You win."

She had no tears left. Frost clung to her cheeks.

In that moment, the Silvia who'd loved Dante for 20 years was gone, along with the child she'd never get to meet.