The Mafia King Begged On His Knees When His Pregnant Wife Handed Him Divorce Papers

Instinct took over. I stepped backward until my back hit the wooden shelves of the display case, my arms wrapping defensively around my stomach.

""Get out,"" I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound steady. ""Get out of here, Alexander, or I will scream. The sheriff’s office is two blocks away.""

Alexander didn't advance. He raised both hands in the air, open-palmed, looking more fragile than I had ever thought possible.

""I won't touch you, Claire. I swear to God, I won't come near you,"" he begged, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. ""Please don't run. Please. You have no idea what it was like... four months thinking you were dead, thinking someone took you, thinking you got hurt...""

""I wasn't hurt until I was around you,"" I spat back, the fury finally burning through my initial shock. ""How did you find me?""

Alexander swallowed hard. ""A private prenatal clinic in Bangor. You had a routine scan last week under the name Claire Miller, but you used your mother’s real birthdate on the medical intake form. My tracking algorithm flagged the name combination yesterday morning.""

Of course. The reach of a monster was endless.

""Well, you found me,"" I said, lifting my chin. ""Now you can take your divorce papers, sign them, and go back to your sweetheart. Did you bring Sophia with you to inspect your heir?""

At the mention of Sophia's name, Alexander flinched as if I had struck him with a whip.

""There is no Sophia, Claire,"" he said, his voice raw. ""I kicked her out of my house the very night you left. I threw her out on the street with her bags.""

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. ""Oh, how noble of you! After months of parading her around Chicago like your legitimate wife, after putting my life in danger with seafood you knew could kill me, after letting your mother insult me in front of your entire family—you threw her out after I walked away? Do you want an award, Alexander?""

""I was an idiot!"" he shouted, taking half a step forward before stopping himself instantly when he saw me flinch. He ran both hands through his disheveled hair, tears finally spilling over his hollow cheeks. ""I was an arrogant, blind, stupid bastard! I thought... I thought you were invincible. I thought you would always be there in the background, keeping the house warm while I dealt with old debts.""

""I wasn't your background, Alexander! I was your wife!""

""I know! God help me, I know!"" He choked on his words, his chest heaving violently. ""I let my guilt over Sophia’s ruined family blind me. Her father took a bullet for my father twenty years ago, Claire! That was the debt! I felt obligated to fix her life! But I swear on my life, I never touched her! I never loved her! The dinner... I was so distracted by a looming cartel hit that week that I didn't even read the catering menu. That’s no excuse, I know it’s no excuse! But when you pulled out those divorce papers... when you walked out that door... I realized that without you, my entire empire is completely worthless.""

""It's too late,"" I said, my voice cold and unyielding. ""The papers are already filed in Cook County through an anonymous proxy. Sign them, Alexander. Let me raise my daughter in peace.""