He asked me to donate my bone marrow to a core member of the family. I looked into his cold eyes and agreed without a second thought. It was my duty as the matriarch of the Moretti family. A year later, I was pregnant. He asked me again, because Isabella’s condition had returned. For the first time, I refused him. For my child. But he drugged my dinner. When I woke up in the family’s private clinic, my belly was empty, and my marrow had been taken. I turned over, dialed the number I swore I’d never call, and gave myself—and every secret I knew—to the federal government. He searched for me like a madman. “Catherine, where are you? We can have another child, I promise!” But behind the FBI’s firewall, no one heard his cries. … “Catherine, once you join the Eagle Project, you will be completely cut off from your past for at least ten years. Are you sure?” the FBI agent asked, his face grim. I smoothed the wrinkles on my clothes and said calmly, “I’m sure. I will dedicate the rest of my life to justice, with no regrets.” I did have one regret, but it didn’t matter anymore. The agent gave me a long, meaningful look and nodded. “This is a classified operation. We will erase all your records and create a new identity for you. Do you have any other requests?” The agent must have been wondering why the wife of a powerful family, who should have been living in luxury, would choose such a final path. No one ever expected I would turn myself over to the family’s greatest enemy. My face was blank, my gaze steady. “No requests. I will follow all arrangements.” In this city shrouded in shadows, justice needed me more than that man ever did. The agent stood up and shook my hand. “Catherine, thank you for your contribution to justice. Welcome to your new life.” As the top financial genius of our allied family, I married into the Moretti family in my prime, stepping back to manage their vast, dark empire from behind the scenes. Now, I had applied to become the blade that would destroy that empire, and the FBI had, against all odds, agreed. Only seven days left. In seven days, I would leave for a small, unknown town under a new name.
“Catherine, are you done? I’m waiting in the garage.” The text was from Leo. We hadn’t seen each other in a month. Ever since I woke up on that operating table in the private clinic and found my baby was gone, he had vanished, claiming he was “handling business on the West Coast.” His parents, the patriarch Carlo and his wife, had never liked me from the start. Our marriage was arranged by the previous Don to repay a favor. My family needed the Morettis' protection, and the Morettis needed my family’s financial skills. My grandfather had seen something in Leo’s ruthless ambition, thinking he would be a capable ruler who wouldn’t hurt me emotionally—because he had no emotions to begin with. But my grandfather was wrong. They didn’t just dislike me; they treated me like a complete outsider. Leo hadn’t realized that I was no longer the compliant Catherine he knew. It was normal for him not to contact me for a month. Today was his mother’s birthday. I knew why he was here. To play the part of a loving couple in front of all the family members and allies. Even though I never fit in, I figured I could endure their fake compliments and judging stares one last time. In seven days, I’d be gone forever. I walked out into the underground parking garage of the Moretti Tower. Leo’s black, armored sedan was parked silently. He leaned against it, tall and imposing, his tailored suit radiating power and danger. He had a chiseled face and eyes that held no emotion. There was a time I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. I had to admit, that man had carved a deep mark into my heart. “I’m done.” His voice was calm, as if the child he personally destroyed had never existed. He didn’t even offer a single “I’m sorry.” I ignored him and reached for the passenger door. A delicate doll was lying on the seat, as if claiming its territory. How ironic. A cold sneer touched my lips. I slammed the door shut, walked around, and got into the back. I knew whose doll it was. Isabella’s. For her, he had personally snuffed out the life of our first child. I lost my baby, and my heart was hollowed out. And now, a doll was here to remind me of my failure? I stared out the window, my eyes instantly welling up as I saw a mother on the street holding her daughter’s hand. “How have you… been feeling?” I snapped back to the present and answered coldly, “Fine.” It had been exactly one month since I “lost the baby.” I hadn’t taken a single day off. Work was the only thing that could numb the pain, pulling me away from my grief, even if just for a moment. Leo glanced at me several times in the rearview mirror. “Don’t drink anything cold. Get some rest. The baby… we can have another one.” A wave of nausea washed over me. He was pretending to care about me? Our relationship had always been like a cold business contract, except for that one time. He had told me to give up the baby and donate my marrow to Isabella again. For the first time, I had screamed at him. For the first time, I had lost my mind. “I… was in the West Coast for a month dealing with some difficult business. That’s why I was so busy.” He was explaining himself. But I didn’t want to hear it anymore. Before, I would have played along with these meaningless conversations. But today, I just wanted to watch the world outside the window. After all, in a few days, I would be saying goodbye to it all forever.
I still remember that day. I felt dizzy while working on the accounts in my office. My personal assistant suggested I see a doctor. The ultrasound showed I was two months pregnant. The baby already had a tiny, flickering heartbeat, like a precious gem. That day, I was ecstatic. When I got back from the clinic, I had the chef prepare a lavish dinner, ready to share the wonderful news with him. He came back from a family meeting looking grave. Before I could even speak, he placed Isabella’s latest medical report in front of me. “Catherine, Isabella has relapsed. It’s critical. She needs a bone marrow transplant immediately. You’re coming with me to the clinic tomorrow.” He said it so matter-of-factly. In our year of marriage, he had never called me “darling.” On the rare occasions he used my name, it was always my full name. But he called her “Isabella.” Before, I had always done what he said. When I donated my marrow to Isabella a year ago, he lied and told me she was a “crucially important ally to the family.” I agreed. This time, I wanted to fight for my child. I refused him firmly. “I won’t do it again.” “I’m pregnant! I’m going to have this baby. He’s the heir to the Moretti family.” Leo fell silent. He looked down, and I could have sworn I saw his eyes turn red. After a long moment, he looked up, his voice like ice. “The family can have other heirs. But the Moretti family owes Isabella her life, and she only has one.” Tears streamed down my face. In his eyes, my child, the future heir to his family, was worth less than a symbol of honor? Her life was a life, but my child’s wasn’t? My maternal instincts made me stand my ground. I slammed the door and went to our bedroom, pulling the covers over my head. I thought he would back down for the sake of the child, that he would look for another donor. I never imagined he would put drugs in my water. I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night and drank from the glass on my bedside table. The world started spinning. When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed at the clinic. An IV was stuck in my hand. Sharp pains shot through my abdomen and lower back. Oh, God, no! I instinctively reached for my belly, ignoring the searing pain in my back. A terrible feeling seized me. My baby! Mommy couldn’t protect you! He walked in, dressed in black, looking like an envoy from hell. My marrow had been extracted. The baby was gone. In that moment, a desperate wail tore from my throat, and my heart shattered into a million pieces.
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