The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 38

The mansion was alive with tension. Guards whispered in corners, avoiding Carmen’s gaze as she passed through the halls. The estate felt colder than ever, the warmth it once held long buried beneath distrust and betrayal. Carmen moved with purpose, her steps quick and deliberate as she made her way to the study. Luca’s words still echoed in her mind—proof that Arianna’s lies were beginning to crack.

But Carmen’s fragile hope was shattered when Sergio Montini’s name hit her ears.

The news had come like a dagger: an attack.

Sergio’s warehouses—the very ones Carmen had relied on as part of her growing network—had been set ablaze in the middle of the night. Dozens of men had been killed, and witnesses reported attackers bearing Vincent Rossi’s mark.

Carmen knew better.

Her heart pounded as she pushed the door to Marco’s office open without knocking. He was seated behind his desk, a drink in his hand, but he looked up sharply at her intrusion.

“Carmen,” Marco said, his voice already hard, “what the hell is this?”

Carmen didn’t flinch at his tone. “You know damn well what it is.”

Marco’s brow furrowed as he sat forward, his free hand sweeping toward a report on the desk. “One of your allies—Sergio Montini—is dead, and Vincent’s name is all over it. You have nothing to say for yourself?”

“Vincent didn’t do this,” Carmen snapped, her voice fierce. “You know he didn’t.”

Marco’s expression darkened, a bitter smirk curling his lips. “You expect me to believe that? The same Vincent Rossi you ran to when you left me? The same man who’s been circling my empire like a vulture for years?”

“I told you before,” Carmen shot back, stepping closer, her eyes blazing. “I went to Vincent because I didn’t have a choice. Because Arianna left me with no way out. And now she’s framing him—framing me—and you’re falling for it again.”

Marco rose to his feet, his jaw tight. “And what proof do you have this time, Carmen? Another story? Another ‘gut feeling’?”

“This isn’t a story!” Carmen cried, slamming her hand on the desk, the sound echoing through the room. “This attack has Arianna’s fingerprints all over it! She orchestrated this to turn you against me—again! Don’t you see what she’s doing?”

Marco’s silence was deafening, his eyes locked onto her as the anger between them filled the space like a fire.

“She knew Sergio was one of my allies,” Carmen continued, her voice trembling with frustration. “She knew his loyalty would tip the scales in my favor, so she took him out. And instead of seeing the truth, you’re letting her use this to push me further away.”

“Do you ever stop?” Marco’s voice was quiet but dangerous, like the calm before a storm. “You’ll say anything to save yourself, won’t you?”

Carmen’s breath caught in her throat, stunned. “You don’t believe me?”

“Why should I?” Marco stepped around the desk, his gaze cold. “Everything you say comes back to Arianna. Every mistake, every failure—it’s never you, is it? It’s always someone else.”

Carmen recoiled as though he had struck her, her chest rising and falling with anger she couldn’t contain. “I have done everything I can to save you from her, Marco. I’ve risked my life. I’ve risked everything. And all you’ve done is throw it back in my face.”

Marco stared at her, his silence heavy, his eyes unreadable.