**You can't have children**

### Author's POV 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dragons, but you can't have children." 

The doctor's words had felt like a bullet to Luciano's chest, each syllable reverberating in his mind long after they were spoken. 

"Why can't I have children?" he asked, his voice hollow at first, then rising into a sharp, furious tone. 

"You have abnormal sperm movement," the doctor explained cautiously, almost as if bracing for the storm he knew would come. "Male infertility can stem from many factors-trauma, unhealthy habits, or even hereditary issues." 

Luciano's throat tightened as the doctor continued, "I'm afraid your chances of fathering a child are slim to none." 

Those words had become a mantra in his nightmares. Every night, they repeated in a haunting echo: *"Slim to none... slim to none."* 

Now, standing on the terrace with the cold night air brushing against his skin, Luciano leaned heavily on the railing. He tried to shake off the memories, but they clung to him like chains, dragging him back to the day his hope had died. 

He had wanted a family-a real one, unlike the broken, loveless home he had grown up in. He had imagined children running through sunlit halls, laughter filling the spaces that once echoed with his father's harsh reprimands. 

But that dream was gone now. 

And with its loss, something inside him had shattered. He'd numbed himself with alcohol, violence, and a life of recklessness. If he couldn't have love or family, he would make sure no one else got close enough to hurt him again. 

He exhaled sharply, his thoughts shifting to Emma. She was the only one he had left, the only thing that anchored him to what little humanity remained in his soul. For her, he would endure. 

---

"Why are you so evil, Dragons?!" Crystal's voice broke through his thoughts like shards of glass.bringing him bag to those hopeful but darkest moment of his life. Crystal's words cut through his thoughts like glass, dragging him back to the moment when everything between them had shattered.

"I'm pregnant with your child."

Those five words had destroyed him. He remembered the way his blood had turned cold, the way his heart had pounded so loudly it drowned out everything else. He had wanted to believe her, to hold onto the idea that maybe-just maybe-he could have the family he'd once dreamed of.

But the doubts crept in, like poison dripping into his veins.

"I love you, Luciano."

Luciano turned to face her, his expression cold and unfeeling, even as her tears fell like rain. 

Her tear-streaked face flashed in his memory, but it wasn't love he saw-it was betrayal. A cruel reminder of his father's words: "Women are deceitful. Never trust their tears. Never trust their love."

He had pushed her away. He could still feel the impact of her body hitting the cold marble floor, the echo of her sobs filling the room. It had taken everything in him not to turn back, not to pull her into his arms and let himself hope.

"You're a cheap girl, Crystal. You don't deserve to touch me."

"Why are you so wicked? So inhuman?" she cried, gripping his shirt as though trying to tether him to some version of himself that no longer existed. 

Luciano turned to the man standing in the shadows. "She's your mess now, Wilson." He grabbed Crystal by the arm and threw her at the man's feet.

Crystal lay there, humiliated, her silk dress torn and her dignity shattered as the maids and guards looked on silently,

"Please, don't leave me, Dragons," she sobbed. "You're all I have." Bearing the humiliation, she crawled to him. 

His fists clenched against the metal railing, his knuckles turning white.

She was the fourth... The fourth woman to walk out of my life, proving that love was nothing but a lie.

Luciano's jaw tightened, his father's words ringing in his ears: *"Women are weak, deceitful. They'll betray you the moment you show them mercy."* 

He smirked bitterly. "Women are dogs who only respond to the belt, Crystal. And you're no exception." 

Her face crumpled in disbelief. "No... You're lying. You told me you loved me. We've been together for years! We were supposed to get married, Luciano!" 

Luciano's chest constricted as she spoke, but he buried the feeling deep. Love? Marriage? He didn't deserve those things. They were illusions, fleeting promises that only ended in heartbreak. 

Crystal's voice broke through his turmoil. "Luciano," she whispered, her voice trembling, "I'm really pregnant with your child." 

For a moment, the world stood still. He stared at her, his blood running cold. 

"I wanted to keep your lies buried," he said, his voice low and menacing. "But you're determined to test me, aren't you?" 

Her tears fell faster, and she reached for him again, but he shoved her away with a force that sent her sprawling to the floor. 

"Don't push me past my limits, Crystal," he warned, his fists clenching at his sides. "I hate liars. And I hate people who think I won't act on my threats." 

He turned to leave, his mind swirling with anger and pain. But her voice stopped him. 

"I love you, Luciano. Please, don't abandon me like this," she cried, her desperation piercing through the coldness he'd wrapped around himself. 

He paused, his back to her, his hands trembling slightly. For a brief moment, the boy he used to be-the one who dreamed of love, of family-fought to surface. 

But that boy was long gone. 

"A cheap girl like you has no right to touch me," he said without turning around, his words like a dagger to her heart. 

As he walked away, he felt the weight of her gaze on his back, but he didn't look back. He couldn't. 

---

### Later That Night 

Luciano leaned against the terrace railing once more, the cold metal biting into his palms. The crescent moon hung low in the sky, its light casting shadows that danced across the ground. 

Emma's voice broke through his solitude. "Luciano..." 

He turned to see her standing there, her pale face framed by the moonlight. 

"Not sleeping again?" she asked softly, drawing closer. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, her warmth cutting through the chill that had settled over him. 

"Why are you awake, Emma?" he asked, his voice softer than before. 

Her smile was faint but genuine. "I couldn't sleep knowing you were out here, all alone." 

Luciano reached out, his fingers brushing the faint scar on her cheek. He hated that scar. It was a reminder of his failure to protect her, just like he'd failed to protect their mother. 

"Don't worry about me, Luca," Emma said, covering his hand with hers. "I'm okay. Really." 

He nodded, but the guilt didn't fade. 

"Do you miss Mom?" Emma asked, tilting her head to look at the stars. "If she became a star, do you think she'd be the biggest and brightest one up there?" 

Luciano stared at the sky, his throat tightening. "Yeah, Emma. She'd be the brightest. Just like your smile." 

Emma giggled softly and wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug. "Goodnight, brother. And stop blaming yourself for what happened to Mom. It wasn't your fault." 

As she disappeared inside, Luciano let out a shaky breath, his chest heavy with emotions he didn't know how to express. 

He looked up at the stars again, his thoughts d

rifting to his mother's face, her laughter, her warmth. 

"I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered into the night. 

---