Chapter 1My mafia husband locked me in a freezer while I was in labor.
Why? So his sister-in-law could give birth to the heir first.
I begged him, but what I got? He pumped me drugs to keep me silent.
Thought I was dead? Sorry to disappoint.
I got saved. Went home.
And? Took my place back—as the MAFIA QUEEN.
Now, I'm chilling in my villa, enjoying Merlot.
Wait—someone's barking outside?
Oh, never mind, it's just my ex.
--
On the day I was supposed to give birth, my husband Peregrine Blackwood trapped me in a subzero freezer buried beneath the estate.
The Blackwood Dynasty has one iron-clad law: the eldest son's child inherits everything.
My sister-in-law Drusilla Montgomery and I were both expecting—our babies due just hours apart.
To guarantee his brother's heir arrived first, Peregrine made a choice that defied all reason.
"My brother Sebastian and Drusilla's kid gets born first. You owe them that much."
He turned a deaf ear to my screams and the fact that I was already in labor, shoving me into that frozen tomb without a second thought.
But even that wasn't cruel enough.
They pumped me full of drugs meant to stall the birth. I lay there on that freezing concrete, shaking uncontrollably, feeling my child's life draining away as tears blurred my vision.
I'm so sorry, baby… Mommy tried…
Lolanthe's POV
"Stop! I'm in labor!" I clung to the doorframe in the corridor, my lower abdomen twisting in violent spasms.
Vincent, Peregrine's right-hand man, peeled my fingers off the wood without so much as a flicker of emotion.
"Boss's orders," he said flatly, yanking me toward the underground storage.
"Cold slows things down. You wait till Drusilla's done."
"Wait?" I stared at him, water already pooling at my feet.
"You want me to just… hold it in?"
"Sebastian's kid comes first. That's how it works around here." Vincent hauled me toward the steel door at the end of the hall.
Sebastian was Peregrine's dead older brother—the one who was supposed to run the whole Blackwood Dynasty.
"Are you out of your mind?" I fought back, but he was too strong.
"This'll kill my baby!"
"Nah, just makes you wait a little longer." Vincent shoved the heavy door open, and an arctic blast hit me square in the chest.
The underground freezer—metal walls bouncing harsh fluorescent light everywhere. The air stank of old blood and something rotten.
This was where the Blackwood Dynasty "handled" people who crossed them.
Vincent practically threw me onto the icy cement and immediately pulled out his phone.
"She's in." He put it on speaker. "Water broke, but the cold should buy us time."
"She throwing a fit?" Peregrine's exhausted voice crackled through.
A fit? I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Peregrine!" I screamed toward the phone. "It's me! I'm having the baby!"
"Seriously? Right this second?" He sounded annoyed.
"Drusilla's about to pop any minute. Can't you just hold on for two hours?"
"Hold on? You think I can control this?"
"Funny, you seemed pretty in control when you crawled into my bed." His laugh was sharp. "What happened to that timing?"
That rainy night a year ago flashed in my mind—the news that Sebastian had been killed, Peregrine drunk out of his mind…
"I was just bringing you soup!" I shot back. "You were wasted. I didn't—"
"Soup?" Peregrine exploded.
"You put something in that soup!" His voice shook the phone. "If you hadn't drugged me that night, Sebastian wouldn't have—"
"Peregrine… it hurts… I'm scared…" Drusilla's weak voice suddenly cut in, stopping him mid-sentence.
Just like that, his tone changed completely.
"Hey, hey, I'm right here. Breathe through it. Baby's just excited to meet us…"
Drusilla gave a shaky laugh. "He's probably brave, just like his dad."
Peregrine's voice turned soft. "You're doing amazing, Dru."
Hearing him talk to her like that felt like a knife twisting in my chest. We're both about to give birth, but Drusilla gets nothing but sweetness, while I…
"Peregrine…" I begged.
"I need help too… our baby needs—"
"Our baby?" He laughed bitterly.
"You should be thanking God you're pregnant, or you'd be at the bottom of the harbor by now. Vincent, give her the shot."
The line went dead.
Vincent pulled out a syringe from a medical pouch—filled with something that looked like milk.
"What the hell is that?" I stared at the needle, my heart pounding.
"Something to slow things down," he said without emotion. "To keep you from making this harder than it needs to be."
"NO!" I scrambled backward. "That'll kill my baby!"
"It won't kill it. Just delays it." Vincent grabbed my arm.
"You don't get what Sebastian meant to this family. If the old man hadn't insisted Peregrine marry some random nobody like you right before he croaked…"
The needle sank into my vein, cold flooding through me.
"Sebastian would still be alive!" Vincent yanked the needle out, his eyes full of disgust.
"The Blackwood Dynasty wouldn't be falling apart. You're nothing but bad luck."
The drug kicked in fast.
My contractions—steady before—turned chaotic, the pain almost unbearable.
Worse, I could feel the baby's movements slowing down.
"I didn't hurt him…" I whispered. "Vincent, please…"
"You got what you deserved." He stood up and walked out without another word.
I lay there curled up on the frozen ground, the drug creeping through my bloodstream like poison.
Every breath felt like it might be my last.
"Baby…" I touched my belly gently, tears streaming. "Don't stop fighting… Mommy's still here…"
The baby's kicks grew fainter.
I could feel that tiny life slipping through my fingers.
Just when I thought it was over, the door swung open again.
A woman in heels clicked her way in—Celeste Blackwood, Peregrine's sister. She was holding a leather whip.
"Heard you were causing problems." She tilted her head, smiling coldly.
"My brother sent me down here to teach you what 'shutting up' actually means."
Chapter 2
Lolanthe's POV
The whip cracked through the air.
"Fuck!" I screamed, curling around my stomach. "Celeste… please… this baby's your family too…"
"Family?" She laughed, raising the whip again.
"You murdered my oldest brother and got your claws into the other one, you conniving SLUT. You don't get to carry his kid."
The second strike tore across my shoulder blade, the searing pain almost knocking me out cold.
"I never touched Sebastian…" I sobbed, trying to explain.
"Save it!" She aimed a kick straight at my belly.
I threw my arms up just in time. "You think I'm stupid? Hooking Peregrine, getting knocked up, then using that baby to climb the ladder?"
She drove her knee into my ribs. I doubled over, blood spilling from my lips onto the frozen concrete.
"Peregrine never gave a damn about anyone growing up," she hissed, grinding her heel down on my fingers. "Then you waltzed in, you cheap little—"
"Stop… please…"
"What kind of tricks did you pull to make Grandpa force Peregrine into marrying you?" She twisted her foot harder.
"Some nobody whore actually weaseling her way into the Blackwood Dynasty?"
Another wave of contractions hit. I could feel the baby fighting for survival inside me.
"And you had the nerve to get pregnant!" She lifted her boot and slammed it toward my stomach.
"After Sebastian died, Peregrine should've been rebuilding this empire, not stuck dragging around dead weight like YOU!"
I threw everything I had into shielding my belly, my back crashing into the steel wall so hard my spine went numb.
"Celeste… I'm begging you…" I barely whispered. "I'll disappear… I swear…"
"Disappear?" She exploded, grabbing a fistful of my hair and smashing my skull against the wall.
"You wrecked everything we had, and now you think you can just walk away?"
My vision went fuzzy as something warm trickled down my face.
She let go, and I crumpled to the floor like a broken doll.
Still breathing hard, she walked over to the temperature gauge and cranked it down.
"There we go. Minus ten to minus forty. Can't have Peregrine seeing you all busted up—he might actually feel sorry for you."
The cold turned vicious, ripping through me until my whole body started shaking violently.
"Vincent!" she yelled toward the door. "Get someone in here to mop this up. Don't want my brother seeing blood and getting all emotional!"
"Got it, Miss Blackwood."
Celeste shot me one last look, smirking.
"Have fun freezing. That's what you get for trying to steal what's mine."
The door slammed shut with a metallic clang.
I lay there in a puddle of my own blood, every inch of me screaming. I tried to move, but I couldn't even twitch a finger.
Time became meaningless. Eventually, the door opened again.
Elena, one of the housekeepers, walked in carrying cleaning supplies.
"Sweet Jesus… ma'am…" Her voice cracked when she saw me, and she dropped everything.
"Elena…" I barely lifted my head.
She knelt beside me, tears streaming. "Ma'am, you're hurt so bad… oh God…"
"I'm not gonna make it much longer…" My voice was fading.
Elena bit her lip, hesitation flickering in her eyes. "Ma'am… what… what can I do?"
A tiny spark of hope flared in my chest. "Elena… can you call someone for me?"
She wavered, then finally nodded.
I whispered a number, and she pulled out her phone with shaking hands.
Footsteps echoed outside.
"Elena! You done in there yet? Boss wants to check!" Vincent's irritated voice cut through the air.
"Al… almost!" Elena shoved her phone away and frantically wiped at the blood.
Vincent stuck his head in, eyes sweeping the room coldly. "Hurry it up. I got other shit to deal with."
Once his footsteps faded, Elena exhaled shakily. "Ma'am… I'll try… just hold on…"
"Thank you, Elena…" I choked out.
She grabbed her stuff and bolted. The door locked behind her with a heavy click.
Minutes dragged by. Cold and pain chewed through what was left of my strength.
I wrapped my arms around my belly, feeling the baby's movements getting weaker and weaker.
I shut my eyes, trying to save energy, counting each breath.
Time stretched out endlessly. Despair started creeping in.
Did the call even go through? Or did Elena chicken out?
My mind started slipping.
Then I heard it—a faint scraping sound overhead. Something moving in the air vent.
I forced my swollen eyes open and saw the metal panel in the ceiling shift.
Elena's face appeared in the gap.
"Ma'am! Quick! Grab the rope!"
She hauled me up into the duct, every pull tearing my wounds wider.
"Elena…" I gasped. "Did you… call…"
"No answer!" she panted, crawling ahead of me. "Tried three times. Nothing. But I couldn't just leave you down there to die!"
My heart sank, but there wasn't time to fall apart.
I had to survive.
"Almost there. Keep going." Elena urged from up front.
Moonlight leaked in from the end of the shaft.
We finally tumbled out, stumbling toward the back gate of the estate.
Night air hit my face, smelling like wet grass and freedom.
"There! Go!" Elena pointed toward the gate in the darkness.
We ran—twenty yards, ten, five…
"Well, well. Two little rats, scurrying pretty fast."
Celeste's lazy voice drifted from behind us.
Chapter 3
Lolanthe's POV
I went completely still.
When I turned around, Celeste was standing there with five or six guys backing her up.
"What happened? Legs give out?" She cocked her head, eyes dripping with mockery. "You were doing such a great job crawling a minute ago."
Elena stood frozen behind me, pale as a sheet, shaking like a leaf.
"Honestly, I thought you'd make it farther." Celeste strolled over like she had all the time in the world.
"Guess I overestimated you."
"How… how'd you…" I could barely get the words out.
"How'd I know? That this little rat was helping you?" She jabbed a finger at Elena, laughing coldly.
"You think I'm blind? Every vent in this place has cameras."
My stomach dropped. This whole thing had been a setup from the start.
Celeste pulled out her phone and hit a number, putting it on speaker.
"Hey, big brother. Got some juicy news for you." Her voice turned syrupy.
"What now? I'm at the hospital. Drusilla's in active labor." Peregrine sounded exhausted.
"Your precious wife just made a run for it," Celeste dragged the words out, savoring them. "And guess who caught her?"
Dead silence on the other end.
"She tried to bail?" Peregrine's voice went arctic. "Right now? Seriously?"
"Yup. And she sweet-talked one of our housekeepers into helping her. Pretty slick, right?" Celeste glanced at me, smirking.
"Now she's on her knees right in front of me. What do you want me to do with her?"
"No! Peregrine! That's not—" I tried to explain.
"Shut your mouth!" One of the guys kicked me in the ribs, and I doubled over, gasping.
"She's still running her mouth?" Peregrine let out a bitter laugh. "Perfect. Just perfect. Celeste, make sure she understands what happens when she cross us."
"Consider it done." Celeste hung up, her eyes lighting up like it was Christmas morning.
"On your knees!" The men kicked Elena's legs out from under her.
She hit the stone path hard, sobbing. "Please, Miss Blackwood… I've got a little girl… she's only six…"
"A little girl?" Celeste crouched down, running her fingers along Elena's cheek.
"How adorable. Wonder how tragic it'll be when she loses her mommy."
"Please don't kill me!" Elena broke down completely. "I'll do anything you want!"
"Anything?" Celeste stood back up, grinning like a psychopath.
"Then drop dead."
She nodded at the guy holding a spiked club. He raised it high.
"STOP!" I screamed.
A sickening thud echoed through the night.
Elena's skull caved in instantly, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere. Her body jerked a few times, then went completely limp.
Moonlight lit up the expanding pool of blood—a nightmare made real.
"No… no… no…" I crawled toward Elena's corpse like I'd lost my mind.
"Elena!"
Her eyes were still wide open, pupils already lifeless.
"So?" Celeste said. "Still feel like running?"
I cradled Elena's body, my sanity completely shattered.
"Bring her back." Celeste waved at her crew. "Time for a little lesson."
They hauled me back to the freezer, Elena's blood still soaking through my clothes, that coppery stench everywhere.
The steel door slammed shut again.
Celeste pulled a syringe from a medical pouch.
"Round two." She licked her lips. "This time, I'm handling it personally."
"Don't…" I barely shook my head. "Please… the baby can't handle—"
"Can't handle it?" Celeste knelt down, waving the needle in front of my face.
"Then let's make sure it doesn't have to worry about anything anymore."
The needle sank into my vein, and this drug hit way harder than before. Pain crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I felt the baby thrashing violently inside me, then slowly… going quiet.
Too quiet.
"No…" I pressed my hands to my stomach in panic. "Move… baby, please move…"
No movement. Nothing.
Blood started gushing out from between my legs—more and more, faster and faster.
"Shit!" Celeste saw the blood flooding out and her face went ghostly white. "Why is there so much?"
My vision started tunneling, everything going blurry. Blood pooled across the frozen floor, ice-cold.
"Get Vincent! Now!" Celeste screamed.
"She can't die! Peregrine will fucking murder me!"
But it was already too late.
I felt myself slipping into a dark pit, falling deeper and deeper, until the blackness swallowed me whole.
Peregrine's POV
"Come on, Dru. One more push." I held her hand tight, watching her face contort in agony.
"I can see the head!" the doctor said, sounding thrilled. "One more big push!"
Drusilla let out one final scream, then the whole room went silent.
A few seconds later, a baby's sharp cry filled the air.
"It's a boy!" the doctor announced, grinning. "A perfectly healthy baby boy!"
I stared at that tiny, wrinkled thing, a mess of emotions churning inside me.
Sebastian's son. The Blackwood Dynasty's rightful heir.
"He looks just like Sebastian." Drusilla smiled weakly. "Look at that little nose…"
He really did. That nose, the shape of his chin—it was like seeing my dead brother all over again.
I let out a long breath and grabbed my phone to call the estate.
Now that Drusilla had given birth, it was time to have someone bring Lolanthe to the hospital.
The second the call connected, Vincent's panicked voice came through.
"Boss…"
"Bring her over." I said flatly. "Drusilla just had the baby."
Silence.
"Lolanthe…" Vincent's voice was shaking.
"She's… she's dead."
