His greatest love.

Chapter 25.

Diana looked down at her daughter, the tiny bundle breathing softly against her chest. A smile broke across her lips despite the dull ache that throbbed inside her body.

Even without asking, Gio had been her anchor through this storm. He held the baby when she freshened up, spoke confidently to the nurses as though he'd done this a thousand times, and—most unexpectedly—he made her laugh.

He was there.

And it felt different.

The pain still lanced through her body, but her pain tolerance was high. She refused to make a scene. Instead, she cradled her child and traced her delicate arm with trembling fingers. She had imagined this moment so many times—Santos at her side, Ashley waiting with tears in her eyes. Santos was supposed to cut the cord. Ashley was supposed to be the godmother.

But instead?

Instead, reality had handed her a crueler truth: Santos in another woman's bed, Ashley's betrayal still stinking in the air, and her "mother" a demon straight from hell. She had this experience with her patient's son just because the bastard couldn't keep his dick in his pants and the slut couldn't keep her legs shut.

She kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I'm enough, baby. We'll build our own life. And I swear you will never feel the absence of love—not from a father, not from anybody."

Then—

A knock.

When you speak of the devil.

He will appear.

Santos walks in with a bouquet of roses a big smile on his face followed by Ashley who has carried a basket and the mother of all demons, her broken excuse of a mother. They were all acting excited as if nothing had happened.

"I trust you all know," she said quietly, stroking her baby's arm, "that you weren't invited."

Santos forced a laugh. "Babe, don't start. I just wanted to—"

"Don't," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

"How are my girls?!" Santos beamed changing the topic, setting the roses on her table as if he belonged there.

"Congratulations, my darling daughter!" her mother gushed, rushing forward.

Diana raised her palm sharply, halting her mid-step. Her eyes locked coldly on Santos.

"Did you get my message yesterday?" Diana said coldly and Santos cleared his throat.

"Don't ruin this mom–" Diana's mother said.

"You mind your own business," Diana cut her mother off, voice low but slicing like a knife.

The room went still.

"Babe, I was working a case late," Santos tried again, "and you can be mad at me, but don't talk to your mother like that."

"She's not my mother," Diana's voice dropped darker, "and you're the last person who gets to ask anything of me."

Ashley jumped in too quickly. "Can we just enjoy this moment? Diana, we came to meet baby Teresa—"

Diana's chuckle was a blade. "The nerve...Teresa? Why the hell would I call my daughter that?"

Santos blinked. "Baby, that's the name we all agreed—"

"First, I am not your baby," she hissed. "Second, I will not brand my child with the name of an abusive curse of a woman, just because the backstabbing demons in this room decided. My daughter is not Teresa. My daughter will never inherit sick twisted behavior just because delusional people think they can decide her name."

Ashley flinched. Her mother's smile froze. Santos swallowed hard.

Santos swallowed. "Can I hold her?"

"You will. When I leave this hospital."

Ashley tried to sound bold. "You can't keep him from his child."

Diana's eyes sliced to her. "Why are you here?"

"I asked her to come," her mother answered.

"Who asked you?" Diana's tone was venom.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Santos snapped.

"Like how?? Like she didn't give birth to me?"

"Like she's not you're mother! I told them both to come because I thought that the birth of our daughter will strengthen our bon–"

"You need a therapist," Diana said flatly. "And a reality check. The only bridge you should be building is with your daughter instead of trying to fix bridges that were burnt ages ago."

"Diana I–" Ashley started but the baby suddenly started crying and Diana hushed the baby silently.

"Can I carry her?" Santos said pleading as the baby stopped crying.

"I told you when I leave you will carry her."

"You can't do that to me!"

"You were with Ashley while I delivered so I think I can," Diana said coldly as she looked at her baby and again they were dumbfounded nervousness stricking both of them.

"I didn't say–" Santos started but Diana looked at him coldly.

"You didn't have to. I just happened not to be stupid. But I kid you not your audacity is mesmerizing and totally out of this world. You snub my calls and text of me informing you am going to the hospital and just went straight between Ashley's legs while am in active labor. Despite that fact, you still chose not to come see your daughter and when you did... You bring the girl you were with calling me baby like some sick twisted piece of garbage."

"You don't want to get back together with me so who I choose to fuck shouldn't bother you!"

Diana's smile was cold, merciless. "I don't care who you fuck. But you don't get to play house here. You don't get to act like a father when you failed the first responsibility of one. You missed her first cry because you were busy between thighs. And if that's your starting point, why the hell should I believe you won't fail her every time some woman spreads her legs for you again?"

Her mother made a weak sound, fake tears welling. "Diana my child yo—"

Diana's voice cut her off like a blade. "Don't you ever call me that again. Don't you ever show your face to me again. Stay dead. You're better off as a ghost than a parasite."

The silence was crushing.

"If you ever bring them—" Diana jabbed her finger toward her mother and Ashley "—anywhere near me, I will file a lawsuit so fast you'll forget what visitation even means. And it will be the last time you see your daughter."

Her mother broke, stumbling out of the room. Ashley followed, head bowed. Santos lingered, gutted, humiliated.

"Are you happy now? That you ruined this moment for us?" he asked bitterly.

Diana chuckled, cruel and quiet. Then her eyes went black with rage again. "Bring her near me one more time, and you'll find out just how far I can go to ruin you for everything you've done."

"Why are you so cruel?"

"Because people like you exist. People who mistake betrayal for love, who mistake cowardice for sacrifice. People who can look a woman in the eye while she's sleeping with another and still dare to speak of family. You're the reason kindness curdles into steel, the reason hearts like mine have to turn cold just to survive. If cruelty is what you see in me, then understand this— it is nothing more than the reflection of the ugliness you brought into my life. " Diana said coldly and he remained silent.

"I won't stop fighting for you. I love you too much!" Santos said before leaving and she chuckled cradling her baby.

"I told you baby... These are lunatics we're dealing with."Diana said to her baby kissing her suddenly she felt a sharp cramp and suddenly blood started flowing from between her legs. She carefully placed the baby back in the baby bed and pressed on the emergency bell as her eyes became heavy till it's pitch dark.