Marcus had managed to pull a combat knife during the struggle and embedded it deep into Victor's abdomen.

Victor had hidden the fatal wound just long enough to ensure the women were safe.

He collapsed onto the cold concrete floor, his breathing shallow and erratic.

Chloe screamed his name, dropping to her knees beside him and pressing her hands over the wound.

Blood seeped rapidly through her fingers, completely soaking her ruined clothes.

She told Lily to call an ambulance, but Victor weakly shook his head.

He told them that the regular hospitals were owned by corrupt politicians loyal to the Donati syndicate.

If he went there, Isabella's remaining loyalists would easily finish the job.

He gave Chloe the address of a secret underground clinic run by a disgraced mafia surgeon.

Chloe and Lily dragged Victor's heavy body to the stolen car and shoved him into the backseat.

Chloe drove through the city like a demon, running every red light and swerving past late-night traffic.

She kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached backward with the other to keep pressure on his stomach.

She begged him to keep his eyes open, promising him that she would never leave his side.

Victor looked at her through half-closed eyes and smiled a weak, beautiful smile.

He whispered that she was the only queen he would ever bow to.

They finally crashed through the metal gates of the underground clinic in the slums of the city.

An older man in a bloody apron ran out, immediately recognizing the dying mafia boss.

He pulled Victor onto a gurney and wheeled him into a makeshift operating room.

The heavy plastic curtains closed, leaving Chloe and Lily alone in the sterile, terrifying waiting area.

For six agonizing hours, Chloe sat on a plastic chair, covered in the blood of the man she loved.

She prayed to a God she hadn't spoken to in years, offering her own life in exchange for his.

Just as the sun began to rise over the Chicago skyline, the surgeon finally walked out of the room.

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The old man pulled down his surgical mask, his face entirely unreadable and exhausted.

He looked directly at Chloe and let out a long, heavy sigh.