Angel of Darkness : A Wife's Revenge

A cold Mediterranean breeze blows through the stately Villa Caruso on the outskirts of Sicily. Elena Moretti clutched a tray of empty glasses tightly, trying to soothe her baby kicking restlessly in her seven-month-old womb. At 28, she never imagined she would be standing as a server at her own husband's wedding.

"You've ruined everything, Antonio," Elena hissed through her tears. Her heart broke when she saw the wedding ring that was still sweetly wrapped around her finger. The stabbing pain in her heart made her breathing difficult.

She suddenly felt something moving inside her stomach. The unborn baby gave a gentle kick, as if to let its mother know that it was there to encourage her. Elena smiled and stroked her belly lovingly.

Her black and white maid's dress felt suffocating, so different from the Valentino wedding dress she wore three years ago at the same venue. Elena watched the dancing guests, recognizing the faces that had been present at her own wedding. Those who used to congratulate her were now whispering mockingly the simple parlor girl who failed to keep her rich husband.

"Hey, waitress!" A sharp voice cut through the crowd. Sofia Caruso, her 59-year-old mother-in-law, stood proudly with a martini glass in hand.

From the very beginning, the mother-in-law had never hidden her dislike for the son-in-law from the orphanage, who defiled the Caruso family lineage. "Yes, you with the potbelly. Come here!"

Elena bit her lip, strolling. Every step reminded her of the hospital debt that forced her to accept this humiliation. Sofia had deliberately stopped her health insurance, knowing that Elena's pregnancy was high-risk and required expensive treatment.

"Yes, Signora Caruso?" Elena whispered, her eyes downcast.

"Why did you leave so many champagne glasses on the table empty? Hurry up and fill them up. Do your job as best you can!"

Elena nodded and moved around the table, filling the guests' glasses with champagne, trying to suppress her deep hurt. She had no choice but to stay in this marriage because of her great love for Antonio and the fate of the baby in her womb.

"Ouch," Elena squealed, clutching her stomach.

Suddenly, her stomach cramps stabbed her like a knife, making her gasp in pain. She tried to stifle her cries and pain as she strolled towards the kitchen to rest for a moment, but Sofia prevented her and continued to pressure her to serve the guests. Without caring about the pain Elena was experiencing.

"Uh, where are you going? Quickly get the champagne for our newlyweds. And don't let it fall. You know how much this champagne costs, right? It's more expensive than the cost of your future labor."

Elena could only surrender as she walked up to the wedding altar carrying champagne imported especially for the bride and groom. As she poured the golden liquid, memories of three years ago swirled in her head. How Antonio got down on one knee and proposed to her at the orphanage where she grew up. How she believed their love was pure, not knowing that the marriage was just part of the Caruso family's business plan with the owner of the orphanage.

"Look, Antonio," Sofia embraced the bride beside her, "isn't Beatrice much more deserving of your companionship? Beautiful, young, and most importantly, from a respectable family."

Elena lifted her face, her eyes meeting Antonio's, who stood beside Beatrice in a sparkling white wedding dress. Beatrice, her best friend since childhood, was now officially Antonio's second wife.

Antonio Caruso, 34, gave Elena a quick glance before looking away. Antonio took over PT Caruso Builders at the age of 29, following his father's sudden death from a heart attack five years ago. The company his father built from scratch is on the verge of collapse because of Antonio's reckless investments - something Sofia can't stop blaming on Elena's bad influence in her son's life. This is where her cunning idea came from. She forced her son to marry Beatrice Mancini, the daughter of the owner of a large property company, which had saved his business from collapse.

"Oh, dear Elena," Beatrice says in an artificially sweet tone. At 27, she was a famous model in Sicily's entertainment scene. "I still can't believe it all started when you introduced us to my home renovation project. Who would have thought Antonio would be more interested in me?"

Elena remembered that day vividly. Beatrice, who had been her roommate at the Santo Matteo Orphanage before being adopted by a wealthy family, had always envied the attention Elena got from the sisters. When Beatrice asks for a contractor reference, Elena innocently introduces her to Antonio, not realizing that behind the request for a special price for renovations, Beatrice is planning a total renovation of Elena's life.

"But yeah," Beatrice continues, stroking Antonio's chest, "maybe Antonio has finally realized he needs a wife who can help him with business, not just a clumsy wife at socialite parties."

Elena felt another powerful kick in her stomach. Her son, Antonio's flesh and blood, seemed to share his mother's pain. Antonio used to love her simplicity, fascinated by the sincerity he never found in his elite surroundings. But his mother's ambition and insistence on separating Antonio from Elena had changed everything.

"Elena," Antonio finally spoke, his voice hoarse with the guilt he was trying to hide, "go home. You've paid off half your debt by working today."

"And missed the chance to see you happy, Antonio?" Elena smiled bitterly.

"Elena! Watch your words!" Sofia shouted in a loud voice.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her stomach. Elena staggered, the champagne bottle slipping from her hand. The sound of breaking glass filled the room, followed by the screams of Sofia, who was more concerned about her expensive champagne than her dying daughter-in-law.

"You useless servant!" Sofia screamed with both hands holding her ears as she widened her eyes to stare at the broken pieces of her expensive champagne bottle on the marble floor.

Elena didn't hear anymore. Her vision blurred as she saw blood running down her leg. In her fading consciousness, Elena sees Antonio move hesitantly to help her, but Beatrice holds him back, afraid of getting her wedding dress dirty.

Sofia's screams and the broken bottle instantly became the center of attention of the guests present. Seeing the chaos, the wedding organizer dismissed the guests. They decided to end the party earlier than they had planned. Now, the Villa, which was filled with guests and music, became empty.

"Please, take me to the hospital, Antonio," Elena pleaded to Antonio who stood in front of her but did not move an inch of his heart seeing Elena lying on the cold marble floor of Villa Caruso, he fell for Sofia's incitement who accused Elena of only pretending to ruin her wedding party.

In her dwindling consciousness, Elena remembered her time at the orphanage, how she learned to survive after losing her parents when she was only five years old.

"Forgive Mama, dear", Elena whispered silently before the darkness swallowed her. "Survive, child. Mama will take care of you."

Elena's face grew paler and paler, blood continued to flow between her thighs. She was now unconscious.

Marco, Antonio's personal driver, who had just delivered Beatrice's luggage from the evil woman's house, immediately felt shocked and his eyes widened when he saw Elena lying on the floor in a pathetic condition. Still dressed as a maid with a knee-length skirt, Marco could clearly see the blood flowing through Elena's inner legs and dripping onto the floor.

"Oh, my! Mistress Elena!" With a quick movement, Marco approached the unconscious Elena. He carried her to Antonio's black car that Marco had used to pick up Beatrice's belongings at the woman's house.

"Signora Elena, I'll take you to the hospital. Just hang on."

"Thank you, Marco," Elena replied in a weak voice with half consciousness.

All the way to the hospital, Elena continued to whimper in pain, making Marco even more panicked. When they arrived, Marco immediately carried Elena out of the car and rushed into the hospital building.

The administration officer immediately gave Marco a form to fill in to get a referral for medical treatment. However, because Marco forgot to bring cash and could not use his debit card to pay for Elena's medical expenses, the receptionist immediately said firmly, "Sorry, sir, we cannot provide services without prior payment. We have rules that we must follow, and if I break them, then I will be held responsible for your hospital fees."

Elena looked at the wedding ring on her finger with teary eyes. Her fingers trembled as she had to decide whether to use the ring as collateral for her hospitalization. With what was left of her strength against the pain that was increasingly piercing her womb, she finally removed the jeweled ring that was the only precious possession she had.

"Marco, use this," Elena said in a hoarse voice due to the unbearable pain.

Marco accepted the ring with a look of shock and sadness. He knew how much the ring meant to Elena, remembering how Antonio had so lovingly chosen it to symbolize their eternal promise. Now, fate had brought that love to guarantee the lives of a mother and her unborn child.

"But Signora, this ring..." Marco said hesitantly as he reached for the ring.

Elena blinked her eyes weakly, trying to keep the tears from falling before Marco.

"Please, this is all she has. I will pay for everything later. Please help me save her pregnancy," Marco pleaded hoarsely.

"I'm sorry, sir. We cannot accept payment in this way. The rules of this hospital are very strict," the receptionist said as she clasped her hands in front of her chest in apology.

Elena was increasingly unable to stand due to the worsening pain. She finally fell down and sat huddled in front of the reception desk clutching her stomach which felt like it was being pressed by something hard, while blood flowed more and more between her thighs. Her breathing was ragged from the panic that enveloped her.

Marco immediately sat next to Elena's body lying on the hospital floor. With hands shaking with panic Marco tried to contact Sofia and Antonio using a cell phone. But his calls were not answered making him even more anxious about the current situation.

"Signora, you should leave here immediately. You can find the nearest clinic to get treatment for your pregnancy. Please don't complicate my work," the receptionist told Elena.

"Signora, but her condition is very weak," Marco said in response to the receptionist's words.

The argument between Marco and the receptionist immediately drew the attention of a man in a fancy black suit who had just entered the hospital building. The man stopped his steps followed by several bodyguards and hospital officials who followed him. Of course, this man was not just any man.

He was Lorenzo Ricci, a handsome and charismatic 32-year-old, the most respected man in the city of Sicily. At the age of 32, Lorenzo Ricci has achieved a lot of success in the business world. He was known to be a socially conscious person who was often involved in charity work.

"What's going on here?" he asked, staring intently at the Administration.

Lorenzo was the largest contributor to the hospital's construction and had complete control over its operations and management. Lorenzo also had wealth, political influence, and strong relationships with government officials and important figures in the health sector. With Lorenzo's relationships and power, it was easy for him to close the hospital. Therefore, the higher-ups at the hospital tried to maintain good relations with Lorenzo to keep the hospital's operations running smoothly.

"Sir, the charity event is about to begin. We'd better go inside right away, considering you're an important guest of our hospital as a regular donor." The hospital chief tried to distract Lorenzo, who had come as a special guest at the hospital's charity event.

However, Lorenzo ignored the chief's words, his eyes now fixed on Elena, who was curled up and whimpering softly with a very pale and cold sweaty face. Suddenly, a flash of his dead sister's face flashed in his mind.

"Why are you letting this pregnant woman moan in pain here?" asked Lorenzo in a stern tone.

The receptionist looked down in fear of facing the head of the hospital, as well as Lorenzo Ricci. No one dared to answer him, including the head of the hospital, who also looked very nervous and frightened as he tried to cover up the hospital rules he had made from Lorenzo.

Until Marco finally spoke up, "Sir, we have no money and would like to use this ring as collateral for the payment. However, the receptionist refused."

Lorenzo's sharp gaze immediately fell on the receptionist, making her tremble in fear. "Gentlemen, it's a rule in this hospital that the administrative fees must be settled first, and then we will provide treatment. We also cannot accept any form of payment other than money. If I dare to violate, then I will be held responsible for the patient's hospital fees."

Lorenzo's eyes rounded perfectly in surprise. "How dare you make rules like this," he scolded all the hospital officials accompanying him at this time. "If this woman and the baby she's carrying are in danger, do you dare take responsibility for their lives?"

The hospital chief panicked and immediately contacted the nurse to refer Elena to the medical team immediately. "So-Sorry, Mr. Lorenzo, this is a mistake that will not be repeated."

"Sir, thank you. It turns out that there are still people with angelic hearts like you," Marco praised before he finally followed the nurse to take Elena to the emergency room.

Lorenzo gazed at the head of the hospital, who was currently bowing his head with his hands shaking with fear. "Make sure that no other patient has to experience a situation like this again," he warned in a threatening tone that made the sweat pour even more profusely down the head of the hospital's forehead.

Meanwhile, Elena was already lying on the hospital bed accompanied by doctors and nurses who were currently busy checking the monitors and medical instruments on the transvaginal ultrasound.

"We need to go into labor immediately for the safety of the mother and the baby," the doctor told Marco.

"Labor? I'm only seven months along," Elena replied with anxiety as she heard the doctor's words to her husband's personal driver.

"Signora, you currently have placenta previa and we have detected that your baby has a heart defect that could threaten your baby's safety. This is because you are working too hard and are too stressed."

The fear haunting Elena at this time resulted in the pressure on her abdomen becoming more intense. Elena whimpered in pain as tears welling up.

The doctor, who was currently standing in front of Marco, immediately continued his words, "Mr. Marco, please bring Mrs. Elena's husband here. Maybe the presence of her husband can reduce the anxiety that Mrs. Elena feels. I'm afraid Ms. Elena's panic has caused her blood pressure to rise. That could be fatal to the safety of her womb."

Elena sat upright in the hospital bed, her face pale and her breathing ragged. She bit her lip, feeling the sharp pain in her stomach. She knew she had to be strong, even if she had to give birth without Antonio reluctantly by her side, even if she signed the hospital documents alone. Placenta Previa made her vulnerable to heavy bleeding, and the baby's heart defect required quick action. She could not wait any longer for the delivery.

"Keep breathing, Elena. You're doing well," the nurse said as she took her hand.

The cry of the baby reached the hearts of everyone in the room after what seemed like an eternity. It touched the hearts of everyone in the room. The doctor removed the baby from Elena's womb.

"Congratulations; it's a boy," said the doctor.

Hearing the doctor's words, Elena slowly opened her eyes. Elena slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the doctor's words, and a faint smile appeared on her lips as tears of joy unconsciously streamed down her face when she saw the little face of her long-awaited baby.

"My baby," Elena said weakly, with a tired smile on her lips.on her lips.

But suddenly the atmosphere turned tense. The doctor noticed unusual signs of the baby.

"Mrs. Elena, your baby is having difficulty breathing," the doctor said in a calm but concerned voice. "We need to take him to the neonatal intensive care unit immediately."

Elena felt her heartbeat quicken and worried about her baby's condition. Tears of joy turned into tears of deep sorrow. She was now overwhelmed with fear for the fate of her baby.

She wanted to accompany her son in the intensive care unit, but the doctors and nurses wouldn't let her because she still needed postpartum care.

A few hours later, still weak, Elena tried to contact her husband to let Antonio know how their baby was doing. However, his calls went unanswered.

"Antonio, our son is born; he needs you," she said softly and desperately.

Meanwhile, on the beautiful beachfront, Antonio was lying with his new wife with their merry laughter. He ignores Elena's phone calls, busy with the romantic moments with Beatrice that are currently his focus.

***

That morning, baby Elena's condition deteriorated suddenly. Doctors and nurses worked hard to stabilize her, trying their best to save her. However, her heart defect and body weakness made it impossible for her to survive any longer. The baby's heartbeat grew weaker and weaker until it stopped altogether.

The doctor came out of the baby's room with a sad face. "Sorry, Mrs. Elena. We've done everything. Your baby is gone."

Elena felt like the world had suddenly collapsed in front of her. She rushed inside and grabbed her baby in her arms.

"No, it's impossible. Please give him back to me." Elena was like a madman who could not accept the harsh reality.

Her heart shattered into pieces as she embraced the lifeless body of her tiny baby. All hopes and dreams for a future with her baby vanished without a trace. She felt a great emptiness in her chest, something indescribable with mere words.

Despair began to creep into Elena's heart as she gazed at her baby's innocent face for the last time.

"She has to live," Elena hissed softly as she kissed her little baby's cheek lovingly. Heavy tears continuously flowed from her eyes, which were glazed over.

Throughout Elena's admission until now, the doctors and nurses who accompanied her expressed sympathy for her plight.

Antonio, who had just arrived in Sicily after his honeymoon, went straight to the hospital with a folder in his hand. He has prepared a plan to divorce Elena after giving birth and will take the child from Elena. When Marco told him that Elena was about to give birth one week ago, Antonio couldn't delay his honeymoon with his new wife. He thinks going on a honeymoon is more fun than having to accompany Elena in labor.

However, how surprised he was when he got the news of his son's death from the nurse he met in Elena's delivery room. With hasty and emotional steps, Antonio rushed to the mortuary without hesitation.

As the door to the mortuary opened, the smell of formalin immediately pierced Antonio's nose as he stepped into the cold room. He saw Elena sobbing next to her son's body, lying lifeless on the autopsy table.

"You are a useless woman, Elena. You can't be a wife; look at you; you can't be a wonderful mother to my son!" Antonio hissed in a cynical and hateful tone.

Elena turned her head slowly, her eyes still glazed over from the tears that never stopped flowing. A look of emotion was clear in her eyes when she saw her husband in front of her. A figure so cruel.

"Antonio, what are you saying? Do you think I wanted all this?" Elena glared at her husband.

"Don't talk so much! Hurry up and sign the divorce papers; we're getting divorced right now!" urged Antonio mercilessly as he handed her a piece of paper.

"Antonio, you are a heartless man. Our baby just died, and you're divorcing me. Don't you have a shred of compassion for me?" asked Elena in a hoarse voice.

At this, Antonio just laughed sarcastically and replied coldly, "Mercy? I've lost everything because of you! Our son died because of your negligence as a mother."

Elena felt like she was being stabbed by those scathing words. With a heavy and trembling heart, she finally signed the divorce papers.

"Very good," Antonio said, with no pity on his face. "From now on, you will no longer come to my house. The death of our child is the result of your fault and your negligence of your womb," Antonio continued in a cold voice. "Then take care of things yourself. I won't give you a penny for his funeral expenses." Antonio quickly left Elena's presence.

Desperate, Elena could only bow her head as Antonio left her alone in the mortuary. Tears began to well up in her eyes as her heart ached so deeply. At this moment, she really felt very down. Luckily, the hospital offered her a free funeral for her baby in the backyard of the hospital.

After the funeral of her baby, Elena's mind was blank, not knowing where to go and what she was going to do now. Her footsteps were shaky as she hobbled down the hospital hallway. The milk in her chest was still full, but her son had already left her.

Suddenly, from behind the wall, a hand came up and smothered Elena from behind. Without being able to fight back, Elena lost consciousness. As the world began to blur before her eyes, she vaguely saw two figures wearing masks-one male and one female nurse-approaching. They sat the unconscious Elena in a wheelchair, then quickly and silently pushed her out of the hospital. In the corner of a darkened hallway, mysterious shadows watched, making sure that no one noticed them. And then they vanished into the deep night.