Across the hall, Luke introduced Max and Mila to Mathias.

"This is my son, Max. And this is Mila, my daughter-in-law."

Max and Mila smiled at Mathias cordially.

Then Luke gestured to Mathias. "And this is Mathias, my friend and business partner."

"Hello," Max said, stretching his hand toward him.

Mathias shook hands with him. "I’ve heard a lot about you. And finally, I’m meeting you. Your father is very proud of you, young man."

Max laughed softly.

Mathias pulled his hand back. "You are lucky. You married such a beautiful wife."

He grinned, his eyes locking on Mila. "I am curious about your love story. How did you meet? And when did you fall for each other?"

Max’s smile faltered a bit. He turned to Mila, who stared at him blankly.

"We went to the same school," Max started. "Then we studied at the same medical college. We were good friends. And I liked her because of her talent and confidence. But I never knew it was love."

Mila smiled. She agreed that they were good friends. Max had respected her and never crossed the boundary. He kept his promise, and it made him admire her more.

"Besides, she loved someone back then."

"Really?" Mathias grew curious. He thought Max might be talking about Dominic.

"Max, please. Don’t mention him," Mila snapped back. "I don’t want to talk about him."

Seeing the discomfort in her eyes, Mathias grew even more curious.

"Fine, I won’t say anything," Max chuckled.

"But I am curious to know," Mathias insisted. "Who is that guy that upsets you?"

"That bastard never deserved her," Max said coldly. "He cheated on her."

"Really?" Marcus narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Max was speaking about Dominic. But that didn’t quite sound like Dominic.

That man was cruel, ruthless, and dangerous, but he was a man of his word. He hated cheating. How could he betray the woman he loved?

"Don’t mention that Ethan Shaw," Luke muttered. "The Shaw empire is already collapsing. Mentioning that trash, we are only insulting Mila."

Mathias was surprised. He never knew Mila’s ex-boyfriend was Ethan Shaw, not Dominic Russo.

"Come on. Time to introduce both of you to the guests." Luke ushered both of them to the center of the hall.

"Everyone, please pay attention."

All eyes turned to them. Add briefly how he introduced Mila and Max to the public and announced their marriage.

Everyone clapped and blessed them.

Even Mathias clapped. The smiles on the couple’s faces chased the doubts from his heart.

But in the corner of the hall, Dominic watched everything silently. His heart was aching. But there was a faint smile on his face.

"She is better without me," he whispered. "I should never go in front of her. To her, I am already dead. And she is now happy in her life."

He turned to walk away, but something caught his attention, and he paused.

Not very far from him was Celeste speaking with a waitress in a hushed tone. The snippet of their conversation reached his ear.

"I don’t want that bastard child to be born," Celeste said. "That child should be killed."

Bastard child

Those words echoed in his ears. Dominic’s mind went blank for a moment. A question emerged.

’Could the child be mine?’

His heart raced. He wished he could rush over to Mila and ask if the baby was his or Max’s. But he paused when he noticed Celeste giving a small vial to the waitress.

"This is an abortion drug," Celeste said. "Mix it in her drink. She will miscarry."

Dominic clenched his fists tightly. His blood boiled.

He had thought of never bothering her in this life because he believed she was safe with Max. But it turned out that Luke Bellini’s wife hated her.

’She is not safe in the Bellini family. I’ll never let anyone hurt her.’

He would protect her and her child, no matter whose baby it was.

As the waitress walked away, he silently followed her. He found her in a secluded corner, mixing a few drops of clear liquid from the vial into a glass of juice.

He moved quickly toward her and put a gun behind her back.

The woman froze, horror flashing in her eyes.

"Don’t make a noise," he said coldly. "Give me the vial, or I’ll shoot you here."

"I’m sorry," she said fearfully. "Please don’t hurt me. Take it. It’s all yours."

She handed him the vial shakily.

"Now step out of this hall quietly. Don’t make a sound." He pushed her with the gun.

The woman moved silently out of the hall, her eyes filling with tears. Dominic led her into the utility room and shoved her down.

"What are you doing? Don’t kill me, please."

"Shut up," he hissed. "Stay here quietly."

He tied her hand and sealed her mouth. Then he walked out of the room and locked the door from outside before heading back to the hall. But his steps faltered the moment he saw Mila coming out of the hall and walking down the corridor.

’Where is she going? Why is she alone?’ His chest tightened with worry. Before he could stop himself, he followed her.

He saw her heading into the restroom. Dominic looked around. There was no one. He thought it was the right time; he should talk to her and tell her that he was alive.

He stepped toward the restroom. Before he could take another step, a voice stopped him from behind.

"Roman..."

His back stiffened. Roman was the new identity Luke had given him.

He turned and saw Luke’s assistant.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked. "Mr. Bellini is looking for you."

Dominic clenched his fists. "I was heading to the restroom. I’ll be back in a while."

"No... He wants you right away."

Dominic stared at him coldly. Then he relented. His stiff muscles relaxed. He followed the man into the hall.

Luke approached him the moment he saw him. "Where have you been?" he asked in a hushed tone. "I told you to keep an eye on Mathias. And you disappeared all of a sudden."

"I only went to use the restroom," Dominic replied. "But your assistant stopped me."

"Alright." Luke waved dismissively. "Don’t make a mistake. Stay alert." With that, he walked away.

Dominic had no choice but to stay there. But his mind was with Mila.

’I’ll always protect her, no matter what.’

Inside the restroom...

Mila braced both hands against the counter. Tears gathered in her eyes before spilling down her cheeks.

When she had come to the banquet hall tonight, she carried a foolish hope in her heart. She believed Dominic would come for her somehow, even if he had to hide among the crowd and approach her secretly.

But he never did.

She had waited, convincing herself he was somewhere nearby, watching her. She thought he would grow jealous seeing her beside another man. That was why she kept forcing those smiles, hoping it would torment him enough to step out and claim her.

But nothing happened.

There was no sign of Dominic anywhere. And Mila was exhausted from pretending.

The moment she entered the restroom, all the emotions she had been suppressing burst free. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the counter.

’Where are you, Dominic?’ she cried silently. ’Don’t you miss me at all? Have you really forgotten me?’

Her knees weakened, as though all strength had drained from her body. She felt unbearably heavy, like she might collapse at any second.

Footsteps echoed outside the restroom door, followed by women’s voices.

Mila hurriedly wiped away her tears and splashed cold water onto her face, forcing herself to calm down.

Three women entered, laughing amongst themselves. But the instant they noticed Mila, their conversation stopped.

"Oh, isn’t that Mila, Mr. Bellini’s daughter-in-law?" one woman said in surprise.

Mila turned toward them, droplets of water still clinging to her face.

Another woman gasped softly. "Are you alright? You look so pale." She walked closer with concern. "Do you need any help?"

"It’s nothing," Mila answered coldly. "Just morning sickness. Excuse me."

Without waiting for another word, she quickly walked out of the restroom. Her steps were unsteady as she moved down the corridor, tears threatening to fall again.

Dominic saw her the moment she stepped into the hall. The sight of her pale, distressed face made his chest tighten painfully. Without thinking, he started walking toward her.

"Mila..."

Before Dominic could take another step, Max reached her first.

Dominic stopped abruptly, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. Jealousy and resentment burned through him. Every instinct inside him screamed to drag her away and remind the world that she belonged to him.

Yet he remained frozen in place, as though invisible chains held him back. He could only stand there and watch Max speak to her gently.

"What happened?" Max asked worriedly. "You don’t look well."

"Please take me home," Mila whispered, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I don’t want to stay here another minute."

She had agreed to attend the banquet only because she hoped Dominic would come and take her away. But that hope had shattered completely.

Now the party felt meaningless to her.

"Alright, alright," Max soothed immediately. "I’ll take you home. But first, let’s say goodbye to Dad. He’ll be upset if we suddenly disappear."

Mila wanted nothing more than to leave immediately, but she could not ignore his words. In the end, she gave a small nod.

"Fine. Let’s say goodbye to him first."

Together, they went to look for Luke.

Dominic watched silently from afar. He wanted to follow Mila, but instead, he stepped back and grabbed another glass of wine, emptying it in one gulp.

That was when he noticed Celeste speaking quietly with her two sons in a secluded corner of the hall. Suspicion flickered through his eyes.

Moving soundlessly, Dominic approached and hid behind a nearby pillar. He pulled out his phone and began recording as their hushed voices drifted into his ears.

"That bastard should’ve died long ago," Matteo spat venomously. "He should never have been born."

"I still don’t understand why Father brought him back after all these years," Felix muttered bitterly. "And not only that, he made that bitch the daughter-in-law of the family. She lived with that mafia lord for months. She is a disgrace to the family. Who knows if the child in her belly even belongs to Max?"

Dominic’s jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to smash Felix’s skull for insulting Mila.

"That child won’t survive anyway," Celeste said calmly, confidence lacing her voice.

Matteo and Felix immediately turned toward her, excitement flashing across their faces.

Celeste smiled faintly. "Very soon, you’ll hear good news."

Both brothers grinned in satisfaction.

Dominic’s expression darkened dangerously. ’You dare plot against Mila. Then prepare yourselves for the consequences.’