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I bring my fist to my chest, punching myself as hard as I can, feeling an incoming attack.

I wanted to do the right thing for once. Become a worthy man for her. But it seems I'm bound to be the villain anyway, because there's nothing in Hell or any infernal dimension stopping me from taking her back.

Even if she'll hate me even more.

My blood is pounding in my veins, and I feel myself slipping again.

Fuck, but just the thought of her with another man is enough to make me want to raze the village to the ground.

I need to get a grip on myself.

I know that if I let myself go, if I give in to this murderous rage inside of me, then I'm never going to make it in time for that fucking wedding.

And I'll lose her forever.

"Where are you, V? I need you," I whisper and for the first time, nothing answers back.

Even as I battle with my own self for control over my body, one thing is for certain. Nothing is more important than Sisi.

And for her, I'll prevail.

7

SISI

"Did you get it?" I usher Raf inside the house, already restless with anxiety.

Since Marcello is at his speech therapy today, I'd invited Raf to come over, asking him for a huge favor.

Blushing deeply, he nods slowly, handing me the bag.

"God, you're a sweetheart." I give him a big hug before I reach inside the bag to find the package.

"Are you sure?" he asks me as I all but drag him to my room.

"I don't know, Raf. I've been reading up on the internet about the symptoms and they fit. Besides," I add, dropping my head low, "it's not entirely improbable. He did…" I trail off when I see him blush even further. "Doesn't matter now. We'll see what the test says," I declare.

I unpack the test with hurried movements, almost afraid to find out.

For a few weeks now I've been feeling off. Weakness and nausea in the morning and just an overall state of tiredness that was inexplicable. It had all come crashing down when I'd realized that my period was late.

It was never late.

Since I'd first gotten my period, it hadalwayscome right on time, so I'd known when to expect it. When the day had come and passed and still no period, I'd started getting worried. And so I'd turned to the internet.

Pregnant.

The possibility that I might get pregnant hadn't even crossed my mind. After Maxim had dropped me off at homethat day,I'd just shut down. Mentallyandphysically.

My body had taken the brunt of it, and I'd spent a week in bed just recuperating from the various injuries he'd inflicted on me. Two of them had even scarred pretty badly, the one on my neck and the one on my breast.

I don't even want to know what had happened down there because it had been excruciating to sit down, move around, or even go to the bathroom for the first few days.

Luckily, with Marcello in the hospital and Lina and Claudia gone, I didn't have to explain my sorry state to anyone. I'd put a scarf around my neck and some make-up on for Venezia's benefit, and she hadn't realized anything was wrong.

Slowly, my body had started to heal, but my mind was just lagging behind. There wasn't a moment where I wasn't thinking about him or trying to understand why he'd done that to me when I would haveneverleft him.

Regardless of the damage to my body, I would have stuck by him. Because I knew it wasn't him. I knew he wasn't in control.