Mila’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She had never seen Max react so rudely toward anyone before. Before she could say anything, the middle-aged man scoffed lightly.

"Are you sure you don’t need me?" he replied calmly. "I could hear your argument from outside. Clearly, you can’t handle her."

"None of your business," Max snapped. "Please leave."

The playful look on the man’s face disappeared instantly. "I want to speak to Miss Mila privately," he said in a serious tone. "It’s important."

Something about his voice left no room for refusal.

Max hesitated briefly and glanced toward Mila. He had tried to persuade her, to calm her, but nothing had worked.

Maybe his father could succeed where he had failed. Without another word, he finally walked out of the room.

Silence settled heavily afterward.

Mila stared cautiously at the unfamiliar man standing before her.

"I’m Luke Bellini," he introduced himself calmly. "Max’s father."

Mila remained silent, carefully observing him. She wondered why Max’s father would want to talk to her.

"Sit down," Luke said in an authoritative tone.

Mila slowly sat back on the bed, though her gaze remained guarded.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked coldly. "If you are here to tell me Dominic is dead, then leave. I don’t want to hear it."

Her voice cracked slightly. "Because I know he isn’t dead."

Tears slowly gathered in her eyes again. "He is hiding somewhere, watching me, making sure I’m safe."

Her throat tightened painfully. "Dominic would never leave Mila," she whispered shakily. "Those were his words. He won’t break his promise. He’ll come back."

She looked at him stubbornly. "So don’t try to manipulate me with lies. I won’t believe you."

Luke stared at her silently for several moments, visibly stunned. Then, unexpectedly, the corners of his lips curved slightly upward.

"Young lady," he said slowly, "I must admit... you truly love Dominic."

His expression turned serious again. "But you still need to accept reality. He is gone."

Mila’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of the mattress. Fresh tears threatened to spill over again. She wanted to scream at him, but no words came out anymore.

"Those people chasing him are dangerous," Luke continued gravely. "Powerful. Ruthless. They tried to kill him many times before. They failed every single time."

He paused briefly. "But this time, they succeeded."

A chill crawled up Mila’s spine instantly. Her breathing quickened. She had a feeling that this man also had connections to the underworld.

"How do you know all this?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you involved too?"

The question visibly caught him off guard.

Luke fell silent momentarily, clearly not expecting her sharpness.

"You are intelligent, Mila," he finally replied calmly. "So you should understand how dangerous this world truly is."

Mila’s stomach tightened. Her doubts turned into certainty.

Maybe he was Dominic’s enemy. Maybe he was connected to the attack.

She couldn’t trust him.

"Dominic’s gang has already collapsed," Luke continued. "Most of his men were either killed or arrested. Some are still missing, but the enemies are hunting them down. They won’t survive long."

Mila gasped softly, her hand flying to her mouth. She hadn’t realized the situation had become this catastrophic.

"And now the police are after them too." Luke took out his phone and held it toward her. "Watch this."

Mila looked down at the screen.

A video was playing. The footage showed chaos inside a club. Gunshots echoed everywhere. Blood covered the floor. Bodies lay motionless across the room.

Then Lucas appeared on the screen. His face was badly bruised. Blood stained his clothes as he walked out of a private room.

Mila’s heart clenched instantly. Relief washed through her upon realizing he was alive. But that relief quickly turned into fear.

"He and his men caused this massacre," Luke said heavily. "They killed the enemy gang leader and also a reputed businessman, Stephen Miller."

Mila’s eyes widened in shock. The situation was spiraling far beyond her imagination.

"Stephen Miller is not a regular guy," Luke continued. "His sudden death sparked anger among the netizens. People demanded strong action against the gangsters. The authorities are under pressure. It’s a big slap on their faces. They will not stop until they catch or kill them all."

Mila’s blood chilled in her veins.

"The police were here too to question you," he said, his tone turning thicker and deeper.

Mila felt as if her brain had exploded.

’What do they want from me?’

Before she could ask, he spoke again.

"They wanted to know about your connection with Dominic and his gang."

Her pupils shrank instantly. Panic surged through her chest.

"But I managed everything. I told them you have no connection with him at all."

"What?" Mila stared at him in disbelief. Fury exploded inside her. "Why would you say that?" Her voice trembled violently. "I am his girlfriend. I’m carrying his child. Those people attacked us, and instead of asking the police to find him, you lied to them?"

"Don’t ever mention this again."

His interruption was sharp and cold. Warning flashed dangerously in his eyes.

Mila froze at once.

"If Dominic’s enemies find out you are pregnant with his child, they will come after you," Luke continued grimly. "They will never allow his bloodline to survive."

Another wave of terror swept through her body. Instinctively, her trembling hand moved protectively over her stomach.

She had just learned about her pregnancy. But the thought of losing the tiny life growing inside her made her chest tighten painfully.

"And the police?" Luke continued. "They will drag you to the station, question you endlessly, and keep you under surveillance. Stress like that is dangerous for both you and the baby. So listen carefully—never tell anyone that you had any relationship with Dominic."

Mila remained frozen in shock. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

"I told them Dominic kidnapped you," Luke said. "That he forced you to stay beside him against your will."

Mila’s eyes widened in outrage.

"And now," he continued calmly, "you are under my protection. You are my son’s girlfriend."

"What?" Mila nearly shouted. "Max and I are just friends."

Shock and anger crashed through her at once. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"Miss Mila Vega," Luke thundered suddenly. The gentleness vanished from his face completely. "You still don’t understand the gravity of this situation."

His patience snapped visibly. "I am trying to keep you and the child alive," he barked. "But instead of thinking rationally, you are clinging to fantasies."

He stood up slowly, his imposing figure casting a shadow over her.

"If you want protection, marry my son," he said bluntly. "Once you become a Bellini, nobody—not Dominic’s enemies, not even the authorities—will dare touch you."

Mila’s mind reeled.

"What?" she whispered in horror. "Marry Max?"

Emotion overwhelmed her instantly.

"That’s insane," she cried. "I’ll never do that. Never. I can protect myself and my baby."

Luke laughed coldly.

"Protect yourself?" His eyes sharpened dangerously. "Tell me, how exactly are you going to do that? Dominic’s enemies are powerful enough to erase people overnight. The police are already suspicious. The moment I withdraw my protection, you will become prey."

Mila’s breathing grew uneven. "Dominic will protect me," she argued stubbornly. "He is alive. I know he is. He won’t let anything happen to me."

"That man is dead."

Luke reached into his coat and pulled out several folded papers before thrusting them into her hands.

"This is the postmortem report. Read it yourself."

Mila’s fingers shook violently as she unfolded the papers. Her vision blurred from tears. Every word stabbed into her chest.

The report clearly stated Dominic Russo’s name. Cause of death. Bullet wound. Time of death. Above all, the DNA report, which claimed that the body was his.

Her heart felt as if it were being ripped apart. But she still refused to accept it.

"No..." she muttered weakly, shaking her head over and over again. "No, this is fake. It has to be fake."

Her emotions spiraled out of control. "You are lying," she cried. "All of you are lying to me."

The next second, she tore the papers apart violently and threw the pieces across the room.

"You can’t force me to marry your son."

Luke’s expression darkened instantly. Rage flickered in his eyes.

No one dared defy him like this. For one dangerous second, his fingers twitched at his side as if restraining himself from pulling out a gun. But then he remembered Max.

After years of distance, his son had finally begun accepting him again.

Luke couldn’t destroy that fragile bond.

"If you weren’t Max’s friend," he muttered coldly, "I wouldn’t have bothered saving you at all."

His eyes lingered on her. "When you calm down, think carefully about what I said."

Then he stormed out of the room.

The moment the door shut behind him, Mila collapsed back onto the bed and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"Dominic..." Her voice broke completely.

"You liar..." she cried bitterly. "You promised you would never leave me."

Her body trembled violently as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I’m pregnant..." she whispered through broken sobs, clutching her stomach tightly. "Do you hear me? We are having a baby."

Dominic didn’t even know he was going to become a father. Fresh pain tore through her chest.

"Where are you?" she cried helplessly. "Why aren’t you coming back to me?"

Her breathing turned ragged. "Have you stopped loving me?"

She curled into herself on the bed, hugging her knees.

"I can’t do this alone," she sobbed. "I’m scared... I’m so scared."

Her hand trembled over her belly. "What if something happens to our baby? What if I can’t protect him?"

Tears soaked the pillow beneath her.

"Please come back," she begged weakly into the emptiness. "I need you, Dominic. I need you so badly."