Victoria was utterly stunned by the horrifying scene unfolding before her eyes. Alondra, in a burst of desperation, screamed and ran away, fearing she would be next. Meanwhile, the men who had just been congratulating Eder left the place as if nothing had happened.

Disgusted, Salvatore pulled a cloth from his pocket and cleaned his weapon. Then, raising his hand, he addressed his trusted man.

"Jordano! Tell the club’s security guards to clean up this mess and set everything straight; the important clients will be arriving soon."

"Yes, sir."

Victoria’s lips barely trembled; she was so terrified she couldn’t form a single word. Her face, stained with her husband’s blood, reflected the horror of the moment while the coldness of the scene seeped into her bones.

"Go back to the car," Salvatore ordered, but she could barely move. Gently, he took her hand and led her back, getting in after her. He took a deep breath and then looked into her eyes.

"Anyone who dares to challenge me, betray me, or conspire against me will suffer the same fate."

Victoria blinked rapidly, fighting to hold back the tears that had been stuck inside since the beginning, but it was impossible. The tears escaped, mixing with the bloodstains on her face.

Salvatore turned toward the window with indifference and continued,

"The best thing you can do right now, Victoria, is to obey everything I ask; otherwise, you’ll end up the same or worse than Eder."

Salvatore’s sentence lacked any trace of compassion.

Victoria felt a chill run through her being; she was more afraid than ever. She didn’t want to end up like her husband, with two bullets in her head. Just thinking about it terrified her. And although she had expressed her desire to abort her child, she did not want that horrible man to be its father. She understood that no matter what, she had to escape the clutches of that Machiavellian mafioso.

Jordano returned to the car and immediately started it, taking the direct route to the mansion.

The vehicle was silent, allowing Victoria to contemplate how to get rid of that nightmare. Just as they were only a few kilometers away, she began to feel ill. Waves of nausea overwhelmed her, and she brought her hand to her mouth as if about to vomit.

Salvatore turned toward her and, with indifference, looked her up and down. It seemed that those nausea were not entirely natural, but she vomited again, as if she were about to burst.

"Oh, please, I need to vomit," she expressed with a broken voice.

Salvatore, unmoved, turned back toward the window and ignored her. Victoria brought one hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth, releasing a guttural sound, as if she was truly about to vomit.

"Oh… I want to…! Gwo…!"

Salvatore looked at her with contempt and raised his voice.

"If you want to vomit, then do it already. Stop wasting time!"

Victoria straightened up and shook her head, trying to ease the discomfort.

"I’m sorry, it’s just that... ever since I got pregnant, I’ve been feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit a lot. I don’t want to stain your car or make a mess."

Salvatore, exasperated, shook his head.

"I don’t care, vomit once and for all."

Victoria leaned her body toward the car seat and again brought her hand to her mouth. She thought about all the terrible memories of what had happened and let out a little bit of liquid from her stomach.

"Shit! " Salvatore spat angrily, seeing how the little liquid stained the car floor. She lifted her gaze, struggling to breathe.

"I’m sorry, I’m trying to control it, " she said, but the nausea returned, and she emitted sounds from her throat. "I have to get out for a moment, get some air, and finish vomiting, please! "

Salvatore, angry at the spectacle, furrowed his brow and looked at Jordano through the rearview mirror.

"Stop, " he ordered, then turned toward Victoria. "Get out of my damn car and do what you have to do already. Don’t do anything stupid. "

She shook her head and opened the door, looking around and taking a deep breath.

"Jordano, watch her closely," Salvatore ordered without getting out of the car. In the few seconds Jordano took to step out, Victoria mentally traced an improvised plan and ran.

Jordano, realizing it, ran after her, but Victoria took advantage of her slender body to hide among the bushes and ran with all her might.

«Run, Victoria, run for your life,» she repeated to herself as she disappeared into the thick grass without looking back. Jordano chased her but couldn’t catch her. He pulled out his gun and fired to try to stop her, but not even that slowed her down. Hearing the noise, Salvatore got out of the car and realized she had escaped.

"Damn it, Victoria!" he exclaimed, looking toward where she had run. He quickly pulled out his phone and began giving orders to his men to find her. Then he disappeared into the thick grass in pursuit, but only came across Jordano, who stood still, looking around, sweating and flushed.

"You’re an idiot, Jordano! How did she manage to escape?" Salvatore shouted at him in frustration.

Jordano panted, broke his breath, and shook his head.

"Sir, I swear, she escaped in a matter of seconds. That woman is too fast. I don’t know where she could have gone; the grass is thick, she can’t be far."

"Idiot, how did a pregnant woman manage to escape?" Salvatore snorted angrily while starting to kick a pile of leaves on the ground. "Shit, Jordano, you better find her, or I’ll cut your damn throat."

"Sir, I swear, I’m doing the best I can."

Salvatore placed his hands on his hips and looked around, searching for her, but there was not a single trace of Victoria; it was as if the earth had swallowed her whole.

"Where are you, Victoria?" he wondered inwardly, feeling frustration invade his being.

He continued retracing the same path through the thick grass, but it felt like walking in circles—there was no sign of Victoria. Where had she gone?

A dozen men arrived to help with the search, and Salvatore gave them orders.

"I want that woman and my heir back, even if we have to move heaven and earth to find them!" he commanded desperately.