The Love He Killed Chapter 6

Valentina's POV

The moment I opened my eyes, my hand instinctively reached for my belly.

Flat. Empty.

"My baby..." I struggled to sit up, only to discover my body was terrifyingly weak.

"Don't move."

That familiar deep voice made me snap my head around. A man sat by the bed - in his fifties, silver-gray hair perfectly groomed, with the same piercing eyes as mine.

Giovanni Romano. One of the most powerful mafia bosses on the East Coast.

My father.

"Dad?" My voice was hoarse.

He nodded slowly, reaching out to gently stroke my forehead: "Baby, you're safe now."

Looking around, this wasn't the Torrino estate, but the Romano family's private hospital.

"How did you find me?"

"That girl Maria couldn't reach my phone, but she was smart enough to text me your location." Father's voice was steady, but pain flashed in his eyes.

My throat tightened: "Maria, she..."

"She was brave." Father held my hand. "I'll arrange her funeral, and her family will be taken care of."

Tears slid down uncontrollably. That kind woman had given her life to save me.

"When my men and I arrived, you were barely alive." Father continued, his voice trembling slightly. "Those animals... thank God we got there in time..."

"What about Matteo now..."

Father sneered: "He thinks you're dead. I had my men put a fake corpse back there. Right now he's crying his eyes out holding that fake body."

I wanted to ask for more details, but a more urgent question surfaced: "My baby? Is he okay?"

Father's expression froze instantly. He was silent for a long time, then slowly stood up and walked to the corner of the room.

When he turned back, he was holding a small bundle wrapped in sky-blue silk.

"Valentina..." His voice was trembling. "Baby, Dad couldn't save him."

The world completely collapsed in that moment.

"No... no..." I shook my head desperately. "Tell me this isn't real..."

But he still carefully placed the bundle on my lap. My hands trembled violently, yet I still lifted a corner of the silk.

A small face, blue and purple, eyes closed tight, lips black. He was so small, so fragile, like a sleeping angel.

"AHHHH—!" I let out a heart-wrenching scream, clutching that cold little body tightly.

"Those damn drugs prevented normal labor..." Father choked out. "Combined with the freezing cold, the baby was trapped in the birth canal too long. By the time we found you, he was already..."

"He must have been so scared, wasn't he?" I sobbed uncontrollably. "Mommy wasn't there, he wanted to come out and see me, but he couldn't... He must have thought Mommy didn't want him..."

Giovanni knelt down, gently stroking my hair: "Child, don't torture yourself like this. He passed peacefully, without pain."

I held the dead infant tightly, feeling my heart die along with him. This little life had been my only hope during that hellish year, the only reason I had to keep living.

Now he had left me too.

"I was firmly against you marrying that bastard from the start!" Father suddenly stood up, punching the wall hard. "I knew those animals from the Torrino family would never truly care for you!"

Memories flooded back like a tide - that charity gala three years ago, the way my heart fluttered when I first saw Matteo. He saved me from an assassin, those deep eyes made me completely fall for him.

I went home and knelt before Father, crying and begging him, begging him to help me marry that man.

"I tried to stop you then, told you those people couldn't be trusted." Father's eyes were full of pain and regret. "But you cried and said you only wanted to marry him in this lifetime, that you'd rather die than marry anyone else. I went soft..."

"It's all my fault." I held the child and wept. "If I hadn't been so stubborn, if I had listened to you..."

"NO!" He spun around, eyes blazing with fury. "Those animals are the ones at fault! They killed your child! Now it's time for them to pay!"

I don't know how long I cried until my tears finally dried up. I gently kissed the baby's cold forehead, then wrapped him up again. When I spoke again, my voice was calm as death:

"I want to learn everything about the family. Starting today."

Father stared at me for a long time, relief flashing in his eyes: "Good. I'll teach you how to be a true Romano."

---

One month later, late night at the docks.

I lay prone on top of a shipping container, watching through night-vision goggles as a cargo ship slowly approached the harbor. Twenty fully armed Romano family elites were scattered in the shadows around us, waiting for my command.

This past month, I'd thrown myself into learning everything about the family like a madwoman. Shooting, combat, interrogation, bookkeeping... I mastered the Romano family operations in the shortest time possible and began planning revenge against the Torrino family.

"Target vessel arriving on schedule." Father's voice came through my earpiece.

"Everyone in position." I ordered quietly. "Remember, take Matteo alive. Everyone else is fair game."

Under the moonlight, more than a dozen Torrino family men were unloading cargo on the ship's deck, completely unguarded.

"Begin operation."

Gunfire instantly tore through the night sky as my men surrounded them from all directions.

"Who's there?!"

"Romano family! Drop your weapons and surrender!"

Intense gunfire erupted. I crouched behind cover, coldly watching enemy after enemy fall. These people had all stood by and watched me be tortured without lifting a finger.

Five minutes later, the gunfire stopped.

"Area cleared." Alessandro reported. "But boss, Torrino's not on the ship."

I frowned. Intelligence clearly showed Matteo would personally come to receive the goods tonight...

"So you really are still alive."

That familiar voice came from behind me, making my whole body stiffen.

I slowly turned around. Matteo emerged from behind a shipping container, followed by more than a dozen armed personnel.