"I'm scheduling the C-section for tomorrow. The doctor will extract her bone marrow during the procedure."

Those were the words that shattered Selena's world. Her husband, Ellis Winston, the most ruthless Mafia Don in New York, was going to force her to deliver their baby at twenty-seven weeks.

To him, her pregnant body was just a blood farm to cure Jennifer, the manipulative half-sister who supposedly saved his life.

So, Selena ran. She left behind a pool of blood, a crushed ultrasound photo, and a destroyed wedding ring. The world thought she was dead.

Six years later, Ellis is a walking corpse. He rules the global underworld, but he is tormented by the ghost of the wife he pushed to the grave. During his company's grand anniversary banquet, the heavy ballroom doors burst open.

Selena is back.

But she isn't the weak, obedient housewife in a cheap housewife anymore. She is the untouchable heiress of the Merrick billionaire empire. She strides down the red carpet, a signed divorce agreement in hand, ready to crush the man who ruined her.

Ellis refuses to let her go. He is willing to go to war with Wall Street to drag her back. But what will the arrogant Don do when he comes face-to-face with a genius six-year-old boy who looks exactly like him?

He will pay any price to win her back. Even if it costs him his empire, his organs, and his life.

Selena POV

"Your uterine wall is dangerously thin, Mrs. Winston. If you insist on going full term, you will bleed out on the delivery table."

Dr. Lawrence's words rang in my ears, completely drowning out the steady beep of the hospital machines.

I sat frozen on the cold exam table. My hands dropped instinctively to cradle my belly.

I was only twenty-seven weeks pregnant. My baby was still so small. I felt a tiny heel press against my palm. A faint flutter of life. He was trying to comfort me, entirely unaware of the death sentence hanging over us.

"But doctor," I whispered. My voice shook violently. "If we do a C-section now, won't it hurt him? His lungs aren't ready."

Dr. Lawrence looked at me over her glasses. I saw a flash of deep pity in her eyes. "I understand your concern, Selena. But you have to weigh the risks. Your life is on the line. You need to discuss this with your husband."

I nodded numbly. I slid off the table and left the office.

The VIP wing of the hospital was dead quiet. The air smelled of sharp antiseptic and lemon floor wax.

I pulled out my phone. The screen lit up: Ellis Winston – Calling...

It rang and rang. Then, voicemail.

A hard knot of anxiety twisted in my chest.

Where was Ellis? He was the Don of the most powerful Mafia family in the state. I knew his world was filled with violence and endless business.

But he promised he would come to the ultrasound today.

I had spent hours picking out the perfect little blue socks, imagining the moment his cold exterior would melt when he finally saw his son's heartbeat on the screen.

For once, I just wanted him to be a father. I just wanted him to care.

I dragged my feet down the long corridor. The weight of my belly made my lower back ache with every step.

I wrapped my beige cardigan tighter around my shoulders.

As I passed the corner suite at the end of the hall, a familiar voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

"You're too good to me, Ellis."

I froze. My breath hitched in my throat. I knew that sweet, sickening voice anywhere.

Jennifer. My half-sister.

She claimed she had leukemia months ago. Only my bone marrow matched hers.

I told her I would gladly help her out, but only after I safely delivered my baby. Dr. Lawrence had warned me that my body couldn't handle the trauma before then.

Why was Ellis in Jennifer's room now?

I crept closer to the heavy wooden door. The blinds covering the small glass window were parted just a fraction. I held my breath and peeked through the gap.

Jennifer was sitting up in her hospital bed. She didn't look like a dying woman. Her hair fell in perfect, bouncy waves. She wore a sheer, lace-trimmed silk nightgown that dipped way too low. Her lips were glossy pink.

Beside her bed stood Ellis. My husband.

He was the ruthless Mafia Don who terrified the entire city. Men bowed to him. Enemies feared his name. Yet here he was, standing quietly by her side.

He wore his custom black suit, but his broad shoulders were relaxed. His attention was fixed entirely on her.

Suddenly, Jennifer's eyes shifted. They locked straight onto the window.

She saw me.

I gasped and stepped back, but it was too late.

A vicious, triumphant smirk spread across Jennifer's perfectly painted lips. She leaned forward, raising her voice just enough. She wanted me to hear this.

"But Ellis," Jennifer said. Her tone dripped with fake concern. "Selena is only twenty-seven weeks pregnant. Look at her when she visits. She always wears those cheap clothes. She doesn't even look strong enough. Are you sure she'll agree to a C-section tomorrow? Just for me?"

Tomorrow?

My blood ran ice cold. The floor dropped out from under me.

"Don't worry," Ellis replied. His voice was perfectly calm. It was that chilling, deadpan tone he used right before ordering a hit.

"I've already scheduled the C-section. The surgical team is on standby. The doctor will extract her bone marrow during the procedure."

Extract my bone marrow. During a forced, premature C-section.

I covered my mouth with both hands to trap my scream. My stomach cramped violently.

He viewed my pregnant body as nothing more than a blood farm to cure my half-sister.

Every gentle touch, every time he rested his hand on my belly at night, it was all a lie. He was just checking on his harvest. He was willing to sacrifice our son's health just to pay off his debt to her.

Through the glass, Jennifer placed a hand delicately over her chest. She played the tragic victim perfectly.

"Oh, poor baby... sacrificing so much for a useless aunt like me. If her bone marrow doesn't cure my leukemia, I suppose Selena's kid might be my only hope in the future. They say infant stem cells work wonders."

"Don't overthink it," Ellis said softly. He remained completely blind to her toxic venom. "It's just a little bone marrow, Jennifer. Everything is prepared. You will live."

Jennifer reached out. She grabbed Ellis's silk tie and pulled him down into a tight hug. She buried her face in his broad chest. Her arms curled around his neck.

Over his shoulder, her sharp eyes stared right into mine through the glass. The smirk returned, colder and more mocking than before.

"I know," Jennifer whispered loudly. "I know you only made her get pregnant so you could use the baby's cord blood and her marrow for me. You are so devoted to me, Ellis. She is just a tool for us."

A wave of pure nausea hit me. My vision blurred with hot tears. I stumbled backward, completely disoriented. I couldn't see where I was going. My shoulder slammed hard into something solid.

"Oh! Watch out, Mrs. Winston!"

Crash.

I collided with Nurse Daisy. A metal tray of surgical instruments slipped from her hands. It hit the floor violently. The noise was deafening, echoing like a gunshot in the silent hallway.

Inside the room, Ellis whipped around.

His deep blue eyes widened in shock. He saw me standing there.

I was trembling, tears streaming down my pale face, clutching my stomach as if trying to shield my baby from him.

I didn't think. I just turned and ran.

"Selena!" Ellis roared. His deep voice tore through the corridor, filled with a sudden, dark panic.

I held my heavy belly and pushed myself as fast as I could. The heavy double doors of the stairwell were just ahead. I shoved them open. The metal hinges whined loudly, protesting the force.

"Selena, stop right there!"

Heavy, rapid footsteps thundered behind me. I could smell the faint trace of his cedar and tobacco cologne cutting through the hospital air.

I barely made it down the first flight of concrete stairs. My lungs burned.

A massive hand clamped down on my shoulder. His grip was like a steel vice, burning through the thin fabric of my cardigan.

He spun me around roughly, pinning me against the cold concrete wall.

"Where do you think you are going?" Ellis demanded. His chest heaved as his dark, furious eyes locked onto mine, completely trapping me in the shadows.

Selena POV

I looked up into his handsome, furious face. I was panting heavily, cornered like prey. The stairwell door slammed shut above us, plunging us into dim, flickering fluorescent light.

There was nowhere left to run.

His grip on my shoulder burned through the thin fabric of my cardigan.

Ellis grabbed my arm in silence, his long strides forcing me to stumble after him as he dragged me off the landing.

He shoved open the heavy metal door of an abandoned hospital supply room and pushed me inside.

The door clicked shut behind us. It sounded exactly like a prison cell locking.

The room was cramped and dark, smelling of dust and stale rubbing alcohol. Ellis let go of my arm and took a deliberate step back, planting himself right in front of the only exit. His massive frame swallowed all the oxygen in the tiny space.

I pressed my back flat against the cold metal shelves.

My heart hammered against my ribs, loud and frantic.

I glared at him.

This was the man I secretly loved for years. This was the man who was supposed to protect me and our child from the rest of the world.

"I heard everything," I said. My voice shook, but I forced the words out with pure venom. "I am not agreeing to a C-section tomorrow."

Ellis exhaled sharply. He ran a hand through his dark hair, displacing a few strands. His jaw ticked with clear annoyance.

He stepped closer, invading my personal space until I had to tilt my head up to look at him.

"Jennifer's condition is getting worse," he said, his tone urgent and commanding. "The bone marrow transplant has to happen now. The doctor said it is safe to deliver at twenty-seven weeks. And your life..."

"Safe?" I let out a broken, crazy laugh, cutting him off completely.

"But our baby's lungs aren't ready!" I shouted, the raw panic bleeding into my voice. "He needs more time in my womb!"

"The hospital has the best incubators in the state," Ellis snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"The boy will survive. But Jennifer doesn't have time. I owe her my life, Selena. I am paying that debt tomorrow."

The sheer coldness in his deep blue eyes snapped something deep inside me. The years of playing the quiet, obedient wife.

The years of swallowing Jennifer's insults while she paraded his affection right in my face.

The years of making excuses for a man who would gladly cut me open to save another woman.

It all exploded.

I swung my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Smack.

The sound echoed sharply in the small room. Ellis's head jerked to the side. A red mark instantly bloomed on his sharp, aristocratic cheekbone.

"I am your wife!" I screamed. Hot tears finally spilled over my cheeks, burning my skin. "I am the mother of your child! How could you be so cruel to me, just for her?"

Ellis turned his head back. The deep blue in his eyes turned completely black in the shadows.

In a flash, he grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them hard against the metal shelving above my head.

I gasped. His hard chest crashed against mine. He was pure heat and solid muscle.

I felt the heavy, angry thud of his heart against my ribs. His face leaned in, his nose brushing mine.

"Cruel?" Ellis hissed.

His voice was a low, biting growl that sent a shiver straight down my spine.

"Selena, let's not pretend this marriage was anything but a business deal. You signed the papers to save your bankrupt father."

I struggled, kicking my legs wildly. He shifted his weight seamlessly, pressing his thick thigh firmly between my knees.

He forced my legs apart and completely trapped my lower body. The friction and the absolute dominance of his posture made my breath hitch.

"You are my wife," Ellis whispered harshly. His gaze dropped to my trembling lips, then snapped back to my eyes.

"Are you looking for love, Selena? Love is a pathetic joke to a Mafia Don. It gets people killed. You were brought in to be my wife, and to pay the debt I owe Jennifer with your marrow. That was the deal."

His words sliced my heart into tiny pieces. My face twisted in sheer agony.

But I refused to let him break me completely.

I used every ounce of adrenaline in my veins and yanked my right wrist free from his hold.

"A year ago!" I shouted, my chest heaving against his. "The person who saved your life in that freezing lake... that was me!"

Ellis froze. His heavy body stilled completely against mine.

A memory flashed behind my eyes.

Last autumn, during a supposedly safe vacation, Ellis was ambushed by a rival gang.

They drove his car off the cliff. The icy water of the lake swallowed him. He was floating facedown.

I jumped in without a second thought.

My lungs burned as the freezing water dragged me down. I pulled his heavy, unconscious body to the rocky shore.

I scraped my knees bloody on the sharp stones. I ran barefoot to the main road to scream for help until a passing car stopped.

But when I got back, shivering and half-dead, Jennifer was there.

She was kneeling on the grass, holding his hand. She cried pretty tears as he woke up, flawlessly stealing my rescue.

I stared into his eyes now, begging him to see the truth. I needed him to know I wasn't just a business deal.

I was the woman who bled for him.

Instead, Ellis let out a dark, mocking laugh. He let go of my other wrist and stepped back. He looked at me like I was a piece of garbage on his shoe.

"You saved me?" Ellis sneered. His eyes were icy and unforgiving.

"You can't even swim, Selena. I've seen you panic in a shallow pool. What kind of lie is this? Is this just another cheap trick to get out of the surgery? You are sick. You would slander your dying sister just to save yourself."

He completely dismissed my words.

Something inside me died right then. The love, the foolish hope, the desperation. It all burned away, turning to cold ash.

I stood up straight. I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand. My voice stopped shaking.

"Think whatever you want," I said smoothly. I looked him dead in the eye, shielding my broken heart behind a wall of ice. "I want a divorce."

Ellis's fists clenched at his sides. The muscles in his jaw bulged. He stared at me, searching my face for a bluff. He found nothing but resolve.

"Fine," Ellis said coldly, adjusting his cuffs. "But we will only discuss it after you agree to the C-section."

"I won't let you, or anyone, hurt my baby and me," I said.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. My hands were perfectly steady now. I dialed the only number I had kept hidden for years. I put the phone to my ear.

"Kingsley," I said clearly. My voice echoed in the tiny room. "It's Selena. Can you come pick me up? I'm sending you my location."

"I didn't want Ellis anymore!"

I lowered the phone and slid it back into my pocket. Ellis's eyes narrowed into deadly slits. The air in the room turned freezing cold.

"Who the hell is Kingsley?" Ellis demanded, taking a slow step toward me.

Selena POV

"Who the hell is Kingsley?"

Ellis's voice dropped an octave. It vibrated with a dark, territorial rage.

His large hands clamped down on my shoulders. His fingers dug painfully into my skin. He yanked me forward, forcing me to look up into his furious eyes.

"So it's true, huh?" he demanded. His chest heaved against mine. "Jennifer was right. You've been sneaking around with some guy? Tell me, Selena. Who is this Kingsley?"

Before I could answer, his grip tightened. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you out there?" he hissed, his voice laced with a lethal warning.

"You think some random bastard can protect you in my city? You are carrying my heir. Every rival gang, every lowlife with a grudge against the Winston family would love to rip you off the streets just to get to me. You are a walking target!"

I stared back at him. My heart pounded against my ribs, but my voice came out ice-cold. "Go ahead and keep listening to your sweet savior, Ellis. You never believed me anyway. Who Kingsley is has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me?" Ellis let out a harsh, dangerous laugh. He let go of my shoulder and grabbed my chin.

He tilted my face up. His grip was bruising. His eyes burned with a toxic mix of rage and raw possessiveness.

"As long as I haven't signed those divorce papers, you are still my wife. You wear my ring. You carry my child. I won't let you walk out that door and get yourself killed just to spite me. And I do not allow my wife to humiliate me by calling another man right to my face."

Before I could spit out a retort, his head dipped down.

He kissed me.

It was a violent, punishing collision of lips and teeth. He forced my mouth open, his tongue sweeping inside with absolute dominance.

The taste of his dark espresso and the faint, bitter tang of tobacco flooded my senses. His large hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me completely still.

I struggled. My hands pushed hard against his solid chest, but he didn't budge an inch.

The heat radiating from his body was suffocating. Panic and anger boiled in my veins.

I bit down hard.

Ellis flinched. He tore his mouth away with a sharp hiss.

A bright drop of blood welled up at the corner of his lower lip. He reached up, his thumb wiping the blood away.

He stared at the red smear on his skin, his eyes going completely dark.

I didn't wait for him to react. I shoved him with everything I had.

He stumbled back half a step.

It was just enough. I ducked under his arm, threw open the heavy metal door, and bolted out of the supply room.

I rushed down the hallway, my chest heaving.

But before I could reach the elevators, a soft, weak voice echoed behind me.

"Stop, Ellis. Please."

I froze and turned around.

Jennifer was leaning weakly against the doorframe. She looked pale and fragile, clutching her chest. But the look in her eyes was pure poison.

"Don't fight with Selena because of me," Jennifer said, her voice trembling perfectly. "My sister has never liked me. Look at her, Ellis. She looks completely unhinged. I knew her promise to donate bone marrow was just a lie. I don't want to ruin your family's happiness. Let her go to her... new man."

I glared at her. My hands balled into fists. "How could you..."

"Enough!" Ellis snapped. He strode past me, completely ignoring my presence.

He walked straight to Jennifer and gently caught her arm as she swayed on her feet.

"Don't lose hope, Jennifer," Ellis said. His voice was firm, completely devoid of the rage he just aimed at me. "I will save you. No matter what it takes."

Jennifer lowered her head. She pretended to wipe away a tear.

But from my angle, I saw the small, triumphant smirk flicker across her perfectly glossed lips. She won again.

I turned on my heel and practically ran toward the exit.

Behind me, Ellis pulled out his phone.

"Jack," he barked into the receiver. "Send a team to the house right now. Lock it down. I want eyes on her the second she steps out of this hospital."

There was a brief pause.

"I don't care if she throws a fit," Ellis growled. "Keep her from going anywhere near that Kingsley guy. Make sure she isn't hurt or scared, but she doesn't leave the estate. The doctor needs her on the operating table within a week."

I pushed through the hospital's revolving glass doors. The cold New York air hit my face. I was trembling all over.

I just needed to get to a taxi. I just needed to hold out until Uncle Kingsley arrived.

A rusted, black van suddenly screeched to a halt right at the curb. The side door slid open with a violent clang.

Before I could scream, two massive, masked men jumped out.

"Got her," one of the men grunted.