Chapter 1 - The Smile After Goodbye
A woman in a burgundy dress touched my arm and whispered: "Roman, she’s gone. You need to accept that."
When mafia boss Roman D’Angelo arrived, he found Naomi’s hospital bracelet torn beside her medical file.
Three words were written on the back: "Protect my babies."
Roman finally realized Naomi left him a message.
Roman D’Angelo had faced enemies who pointed guns at his head, men who betrayed him after years of loyalty, and rivals who believed they could destroy everything he built.
But nothing prepared him for standing inside a hospital hallway, watching the woman he loved being taken away from him.
The sound of the wheels beneath Naomi’s hospital bed echoed through the corridor.
Slow.
Cold.
Final.
Roman walked beside her, wearing the same black suit he had worn to meetings with the most dangerous men in the city. But today, he wasn’t a feared businessman. He wasn’t the head of a powerful organization.
He was just a husband who had lost his wife.
Naomi D’Angelo had always been the only person who could make him forget who he was.
She never cared about his money.
She never feared his reputation.
She was the one person who looked at Roman and saw the man beneath the name.
And now she was gone.
Doctors moved quietly around them.
Nurses lowered their voices.
Everyone avoided Roman’s eyes.
Everyone except Sabrina Voss.
Sabrina stood beside him wearing an expensive burgundy dress, her hand wrapped around his arm as if she already belonged there.
She had been Naomi’s closest friend.
At least, that was what Roman believed.
For months, Sabrina had been around their family.
Helping Naomi.
Visiting their home.
Comforting Roman whenever Naomi’s health became worse.
Roman thought she was loyal.
He thought she cared.
But as Naomi’s body was moved through the hallway, Roman saw something that made his blood run cold.
A smile.
Only for a second.
A tiny movement at the corner of Sabrina’s lips.
She looked at Naomi’s empty hospital bed.
And she smiled.
Roman stopped walking.
"Sabrina."
She immediately turned.
"What?"
Roman stared at her.
For the first time, Sabrina looked nervous.
"Why did you smile?"
Her face changed instantly.
A perfect expression of sadness appeared.
"I didn’t."
Roman said nothing.
He had spent his entire life reading people.
A person could lie with words.
But their eyes always told the truth.
And Sabrina’s eyes were not mourning.
They were celebrating.
Before Roman could question her again, a doctor approached.
"Mr. D’Angelo?"
Roman looked over.
The doctor held a folder tightly against her chest.
Her expression was serious.
"Your wife left something behind."
Roman frowned.
"What?"
The doctor hesitated.
Then she looked at Sabrina.
And Sabrina looked away.
Roman noticed.
"What is it?"
The doctor slowly opened the folder.
Inside was Naomi’s medical report.
Roman scanned the pages.
Then he froze.
The words on the paper made no sense.
He looked at the doctor.
"Explain this."
The doctor took a breath.
"Naomi was pregnant."
The hallway became silent.
Roman stared at her.
"No."
The doctor looked down.
"Yes."
Roman’s hands tightened.
He remembered every conversation with Naomi.
Every moment.
Every night.
She never told him.
Why?
Then the doctor continued.
"But there is something else."
Roman looked up.
The doctor’s voice became softer.
"She wasn’t carrying one baby."
Sabrina’s face suddenly changed.
Roman noticed.
"She was carrying twins."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Roman felt like the entire world had stopped.
Twins.
His wife had been carrying his children.
And nobody told him.
Not Naomi.
Not the doctors.
Not Sabrina.
Someone had hidden this from him.
The doctor handed him another document.
"Naomi discovered the pregnancy shortly before her condition became worse."
Roman looked at the paper.
His wife’s handwriting was there.
A small note.
Only a few words.
"Roman, if something happens to me, don’t trust everyone around you."
His heart dropped.
He looked toward Sabrina.
She was no longer smiling.
She looked afraid.
Roman stepped closer.
"How long did you know?"
Sabrina swallowed.
"Roman..."
"How long?"
She looked away.
And that was the answer.
Roman slowly folded the paper.
The woman who stood beside him during his wife’s final moments had known the truth.
The woman who smiled after Naomi died had been hiding something.
And Roman was about to discover how deep the betrayal went.
The doctor reached into the folder and pulled out one more item.
A small hospital envelope.
She handed it to Roman.
"Your wife asked us to give this to you only if she didn’t survive."
Roman opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
His hands froze.
Because the picture showed Naomi holding two tiny newborn blankets.
And written on the back were the words:
"Find the person who tried to erase our family."
Roman looked up.
Sabrina was already walking toward the exit.
He followed her with his eyes.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
Roman answered.
A woman’s frightened voice whispered:
"Mr. D’Angelo... Sabrina was never trying to replace your wife."
Roman stayed silent.
The woman continued:
"She was trying to make sure Naomi’s children never existed."
Roman looked at Sabrina disappearing down the hallway.
May you like
Then he heard the next words.
"Because the person who ordered it was someone standing beside you the entire time..."
