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.

Selena POV

Rough hands grabbed my arms and hair. I kicked and thrashed, but a heavy hand clamped over my mouth.

They shoved me hard into the dark, suffocating back of the van. The doors slammed shut. The tires squealed, and everything went black.

My head throbbed.

I blinked against the harsh, flickering light of a single bulb. I was tied to a wooden chair.

The thick rope bit painfully into my wrists and ankles. The air smelled of motor oil and stale beer. An abandoned garage.

A heavy, scarred man loomed over me. He wore a dirty leather jacket and a cruel sneer. He tapped a hunting knife against his palm.

"Wake up, princess," the Kidnapper growled. "Time to call your Mafia husband. Tell Ellis Winston to pay one million dollars, or we start mailing him pieces of you."

I kept my spine straight. I forced my voice to stay dead flat. "He won't pay a dime for me. Let me go right now. When my uncle arrives, I will give you double."

The Kidnapper scoffed loudly. He raised his heavy hand and slapped me hard across the face.

My head snapped to the side. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. My lower lip split open.

"Liar!" he spat, wiping his hand on his jeans. "You don't have a rich uncle. You don't have shit. That Jenny bitch told us everything. She said the Lancaster family is completely bankrupt. You and her are the only ones left, and you don't even own the cheap clothes on your back."

My eyes widened.

"Jennifer?" I gasped, the shock freezing my blood. "Jennifer told you to kidnap me?"

The Kidnapper let out a cold, ugly laugh. "She wanted you dead. Plain and simple. But once the boys found out you were actually the Mafia Don Ellis Winston's wife, I figured you were worth way more alive."

He stepped closer. The smell of cheap liquor rolled off his breath. He lowered the hunting knife. He pressed the cold, flat edge of the blade directly against my swollen pregnant belly.

My breath caught in my throat. Terror finally broke through my calm facade.

"Please," I whispered, my voice trembling violently. "Please... don't hurt my baby."

The Kidnapper narrowed his dark eyes. He leaned in, his voice menacing. "Then call him. Now."

He reached into my cardigan pocket and ripped out my phone. He grabbed my hair, pulling my head back, and pressed the cold blade right against the pulsing vein in my neck.

With his other hand, he dialed Ellis's number and held the phone to my ear.

It rang. And rang.

Pick up. Please, Ellis, pick up. Then, the line went dead. The screen flashed CALL REJECTED.

My heart completely stopped. The line went dead. He hung up on me.

Little did I know, in the hospital suite miles away, Jennifer smiled sweetly and handed the ringing phone back to Ellis as he stepped out of the bathroom. "You should head back to work, Ellis. I'll be fine here on my own."

Ellis took the phone. He glanced at the screen. He noticed a missed call from me.

He stared at it for a second. "Alright. Call me if you need anything." He walked out without a second backward glance.

Jennifer smirked. She must believe her dear half-sister and the baby in my belly should be gone by now.

But she would be disappointed.

In the dirty garage, the Kidnapper stared at the CALL FAILED screen in pure disbelief. He pulled off his ski mask, his face twisting in agitation.

"No fucking way!" he yelled, pacing heavily in front of me. "Why didn't he answer his own wife's call? You're carrying his kid!"

I took a deep, shaky breath. The tears I refused to shed finally dried up. The last agonizing shred of hope I had for Ellis Winston completely vanished.

"Because he doesn't love me," I said. My voice was eerily calm. "I told you. He wants me dead just as much as Jennifer does. Let me go. I will wire you twenty grand right now. My uncle is tracking my phone's GPS. He is coming, and he won't be as nice as I am."

The Kidnapper stopped pacing. He looked at my calm face, then down at his knife. He hesitated.

Suddenly, the dead phone in his hand lit up.

A sharp, loud ringtone pierced the damp, silent air of the garage. It made both of us jump. The Kidnapper stared at the glowing screen.

The caller ID flashed in bold letters: Ellis Winston.

The Kidnapper's eyes widened with sudden greed. He quickly hit the answer button, turned on the speaker, and shoved the phone right next to my face.