Chapter 3 - The Pregnancy Announcement Turned Dante’s Family Against Elena—and His Mother Revealed the Secret She Had Kept for Fifteen YearsThe pregnancy changed the family.
Some celebrated.
Others became nervous.
Victor became silent.
Dante's mother, Sophia, arrived unexpectedly.
She took Elena's hands.
“You need to leave.”
Elena frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you're in danger.”
Dante stepped forward.
“From who?”
Sophia looked at him.
“Your uncle.”
“I already know.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You don't know the half of it.”
Sophia revealed that Victor had been behind the financial network for fifteen years.
He had used the family.
He had manipulated Dante's father.
He had arranged several deaths.
Including Sophia's attempted murder.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wanted you to survive.”
Dante's face hardened.
“And now?”
“Now I think Elena is the only person who can expose him.”
Elena stared.
“Me?”
Sophia nodded.
“You found the money trail.”
“I only followed the numbers.”
“You followed what everyone else ignored.”
That night, Sophia gave Elena a key.
“The final records are hidden in the old house.”
Dante recognized it.
His childhood home.
He hadn't entered in years.
They went together.
Inside the library, they found a hidden compartment.
Letters.
Photographs.
Bank records.
And a diary.
Not Elena's.
Sophia's.
Dante read it.
His mother had documented everything.
Victor's betrayal.
His father's corruption.
The identities of people involved.
And one name that made Dante freeze.
His own.
A payment made in his name.
From an account used by Victor.
Dante stared.
“I was twenty.”
Elena looked at him.
“They used your identity.”
“Yes.”
“Then you're a victim too.”
He looked at her.
The sentence broke something inside him.
For years, Dante had believed he was responsible for every dark thing associated with the Marino name.
Now someone was telling him he had inherited some of it.
The investigation became federal.
Victor disappeared.
The family estate was placed under surveillance.
Dante moved Elena to a secure house.
She hated it.
“I can't breathe in here.”
“You're safe.”
“I'm trapped.”
He paused.
Then removed the guards.
“You want freedom?”
“Yes.”
“You have it.”
She looked at him.
He walked away.
An hour later, she found him downstairs.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to choose to come back.”
She stared.
Then sat beside him.
“I already did.”
He smiled.
She leaned against him.
“We'll get through this.”
“Yes.”
But neither knew the worst threat was still coming.
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Because someone inside the hospital had been paid to poison Elena.
And the first symptom would look exactly like ordinary pregnancy sickness.
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