Chapter 1

To force me to apologize to Serena, his most trusted subordinate, Don Marco De Luca froze every account under my name.

In the hospital corridor, I braced one hand against my seven-month pregnant belly and knelt before a video call, begging him to pay the three-thousand-dollar deposit first—to save our baby, who was slipping away.

It wasn't long before a screen recording of me kneeling and sobbing appeared on Serena's livestream.

She looked into the camera, her tone gentle and assured.

"See, everyone? This is textbook playing-the-victim emotional manipulation."

"To guilt a man into caving, these women will weaponize even the baby in their belly."

"When you encounter this, the most important thing is not to respond. The more you respond, the more she'll think the tactic works."

The stream shot to number one on the tipping charts.

Serena's "Emotional Manipulation Recognition Course" sold a hundred thousand copies overnight.

She pocketed five million.

Marco sent me a message.

"Since your little case study helped Serena make money, I'll let you off the hook for the apology this time."

I lay on a freezing gurney, listening to the doctor tell me the baby was gone.

I closed my eyes and laughed—a bitter, hollow laugh.

Almost simultaneously, my phone buzzed again with an e-ticket for a flight to the States three days from now.

"Three days. I'll go with you to the States for the delivery."

"Stop making a scene."

...

"Serena is so clear-headed!"

"The other woman is obviously a master manipulator—she actually got on her knees with a pregnant belly. Any normal man would've fallen for it."

"Serena is incredible!"

Serena gave a light smile on the livestream.

"Well, I've been studying these emotional manipulation patterns for a long time. Most of the tricks are easy to spot once you know what to look for."

"Today's case was on the extreme end."

She sighed.

"A normal person, even if they wanted to control their partner, would know the baby is off-limits."

"But this woman used even her unborn child as a bargaining chip. Honestly, her situation is already very dangerous."

Within hours, "Serena exposes emotional manipulation" and "Serena teaches you to escape emotional blackmail" were trending.

The evening news even brought her on for a live segment.

Ratings hit the highest of the night.

I turned off my phone, wrapped Leo's urn in a piece of soft fleece, and lowered it into the small grave I'd just dug by the river.

Beside it were a few tiny outfits I'd just finished knitting.

He never got to wear them.

"Baby, it's cold out there. Put your clothes on before you go."

I knelt before the little headstone and finally broke down, burying my face in my hands, sobbing out loud.

Dawn was breaking when my phone rang, shrill and insistent.

It was Serena.

"Ava, Boss has been calling you. Why aren't you picking up?"

"You're only a month or two from your due date. This isn't the time to throw a tantrum, is it?"

I pushed open the front door.

Serena was standing in the living room, phone in hand.

The moment she saw me, she brightened and tugged Marco's sleeve.

"Boss, Ava's back!"

Marco strode toward me.

His eyes were threaded with red, his tone urgent.

"I told you I'd go with you to the States for the delivery. You couldn't get money out of me, so you pull a disappearing act?"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a pregnant woman to leave home in the middle of the night?"

Serena glanced at him—at the worry written all over his face—and the smile on her lips dimmed for just a moment.

The next second, she turned to me with a sweet look.

"She's right, Ava. Even if you're upset with Boss, you shouldn't be putting the baby at risk too."

Marco gave me a push.

"Go pack your things. I'm taking you to a hotel near the airport tonight."

I was wearing an oversized maternity dress, the loose fabric hiding my entire frame.

So he hadn't noticed that my belly was flat.

"No need."

I pressed a hand to my lower abdomen.

The wide hem of the dress collapsed instantly.

"There's no point anymore."

Marco whipped around.

His breathing stopped for a beat.

Serena clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes reddening at once.

"Ava! Just because Boss didn't fall for your act—"

"How could you go and abort the baby out of spite?"

Tears welling, she turned to Marco.

"Boss, how could she do this?"