The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 44

The heavy rain continued to lash against the windows of Marco’s office, streaking the glass like countless tears. Inside, Marco sat slouched at his desk, the quiet weight of his own guilt pressing against his chest like an iron hand. Papers lay scattered across the surface—maps of lost territories, lists of fallen men—but his gaze wasn’t on any of them.

It was on the empty glass in front of him.

He hadn’t been able to sleep. Not for days. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Carmen—her face tight with anger and hurt, her voice breaking as she told him about their child. “I will not let you jeopardize our future.”

Luca’s voice broke the silence, pulling Marco from his spiraling thoughts. “You’re not doing yourself any favors sitting here in the dark.”

Marco glanced up, his eyes bloodshot. Luca stood at the door, arms crossed, his face marked with something between concern and frustration.

“I don’t need a lecture,” Marco muttered, rubbing a hand across his face.

“You don’t need a lecture, but you need a reality check,” Luca replied, stepping further into the room. “The men are shaken. Your outposts are under attack, Carmen’s rallying the allies you’re losing, and you’re in here staring at your desk like the answers are going to appear in a whiskey glass.”

Marco’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue.

Luca sighed, softening slightly as he sat down in the chair across from Marco. “Look, I know this is eating at you. I know you’re wrestling with what you did to Carmen—what you said, what you believed. But this empire won’t survive if you keep second-guessing yourself.”

Marco looked at him sharply. “You think I don’t know that?”

“Then act like it,” Luca shot back. “You’re not just fighting Arianna; you’re fighting yourself. And every minute you spend doubting Carmen, you’re giving Arianna more ground to exploit.”

Marco fell silent, his hand clenching into a fist on the desk.

Luca leaned forward, his voice quieter now. “You need to fix things with her, Marco. Not just for her sake or for the baby, but for you. For the family. This whole thing falls apart unless the two of you are united, and you know it.”

Marco didn’t respond right away, his mind a storm of conflicting thoughts. “She doesn’t trust me.”

“Then earn it back,” Luca said simply. “Before it’s too late.”

Marco stared at the desk for a long moment, the weight of Luca’s words settling heavily on his shoulders. He knew Luca was right. He had let Arianna’s lies pull Carmen away, and now she was holding the pieces of the empire together better than he was. He had to face the truth: they couldn’t fight Arianna fractured.

They had to fight as equals.

________________

The next morning, an unmarked package arrived at the Venetti estate. It was Luca who brought it to Marco, his face pale and his voice tight as he set it on the desk. “You need to see this.”

Marco frowned as he opened the box, his brow furrowing when he found nothing but a videotape inside.

“No note?” Marco asked, though his gut already twisted with dread.

Luca shook his head. “Just the tape.”

Wordlessly, Marco slid the tape into the small player beneath the TV in the corner of the room. The screen flickered to life, static giving way to a dark, concrete room illuminated by a single hanging bulb. A man knelt in the center, his hands tied behind his back, his face bloodied and bruised.

Marco’s stomach dropped. It was Antonio—one of his top lieutenants. Loyal, steadfast Antonio, who had served the Venettis for nearly a decade.

The camera panned to the side, and Arianna stepped into view, dressed in black and wearing a faint smile. Her cool, elegant demeanor made the brutality of the scene all the more chilling.

“Marco,” she purred, as though addressing him personally. “By now, you’ve felt the cracks forming beneath your empire. This is just the beginning.”