Chapter 3
Gary Marino had always scared me.
Not because he shouted.
Because he never had to.
He walked into that hospital room, and even the air seemed to move out of his way.
Preston’s face drained.
“Dad, this is family.”
Gary looked at me in the bed.
Then at the monitor wrapped around my belly.
Then at Rocco, who had planted himself between me and his own father.
“No,” Gary said. “This is evidence.”
One of the attorneys closed the door.
The other placed a recorder on the small table.
Preston stared at it.
“What the hell is this?”
Gary held up the envelope.
“This is what your mother gave my old lawyer three days ago.”
Preston said nothing.
Gary opened it and pulled out a stack of papers.
I saw my name.
Then my baby’s.
Then the words emergency guardianship.
My throat closed.
“What is that?”
Gary looked at Preston.
“Tell her.”
Preston’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Gary threw the papers onto the bed.
I grabbed them with shaking hands.
The first page claimed I was unstable.
The second claimed I had married Preston for money.
The third claimed I had threatened to leave the state with an unborn Marino heir.
There were statements.
All signed.
All lies.
One signature belonged to Brenda.
One belonged to Preston.
I looked up at my husband.
“You signed this?”
He took one step toward me.
“Audrey, listen—”
“You signed this?”
His silence answered.
Rocco whispered, “Dad.”
Preston turned on him.
“You think you’re protecting her? She’s not your mother.”
Rocco flinched.
I felt something inside me tear open.
“No,” I said. “But he protected me when you didn’t.”
Gary’s jaw tightened.
“The plan was simple,” he said. “Brenda would create an incident. If Audrey survived, you’d use these papers to claim she was reckless and mentally unfit. If the child didn’t…”
He stopped.
My hands went numb.
“If the child didn’t?” I whispered.
Gary’s eyes moved to Preston.
Preston looked at the floor.
I covered my mouth.
The baby moved again under the monitor.
Alive.
Still fighting.
Gary’s voice dropped.
“Your mother wanted the unborn child removed from the trust. You wanted control of the estate before the company audit exposed your debts.”
Preston snapped his head up.
“That’s not true.”
Gary opened another folder.
Casino records.
Loan documents.
Transfers.
Photographs.
My husband’s entire secret life spread across a hospital tray.
Rocco backed into the wall.
“How much?” he asked.
Preston didn’t answer.
Gary did.
“Eighteen million.”
I almost laughed because the number sounded fake.
Like something from a movie.
But the shame on Preston’s face was real.
“The baby’s protected share would have locked the assets,” Gary said. “Audrey’s pregnancy ruined your timeline.”
I stared at Preston.
“All those nights you said you were at meetings…”
He rubbed his face.
“I was trying to fix it.”
“By helping your mother hurt me?”
“She wasn’t supposed to touch you like that.”
The room went silent.
Even the monitor seemed louder.
I looked at him and saw the man I had slept beside, prayed for, defended, loved.
Then I saw the man who had weighed my baby against money.
“Get out,” I said.
“Audrey—”
“Get out before I rip these wires off and scream until every police officer in this hospital hears what you did.”
Gary nodded to one of his men.
Preston laughed bitterly.
“You’re choosing her?”
Gary stepped close to him.
“I’m choosing the child you tried to erase.”
Preston looked at Rocco.
“Come with me.”
Rocco’s eyes filled.
“No.”
Preston’s face changed.
“You’ll regret that.”
Gary’s hand moved fast.
He grabbed Preston by the collar and shoved him into the wall.
“You threaten my grandson again, and the police will be the least of your problems.”
For a second, the old Gary showed.
The dangerous one.
Then he let go.
Preston walked out, but before the door closed, he looked back at me.
May you like
His voice was quiet.
“You have no idea what my mother will do now.”
