It was only on our first wedding anniversary that I realized the rubbers I bought before our wedding had long expired.

No one would believe that my mafia husband, Andre Garcia, and I had never consummated our marriage.

That night, I gathered my courage and bought a suggestive nightgown. After downing three glasses of whisky, I hugged Andre tightly and whispered in his ear, "Darling, let's do it today. I want you..."

However, Andre shook my hand off indifferently as if he were handling a gun. "Danielle Lawson, do you have no shame? You've done such shameless things time and time again. If you're really that lonely, I'll order you some toys so you can play with them to your heart's content."

My face turned deathly pale as I stood there, stunned. I could not understand why a wife begging for her husband's affection was considered 'shameless' behavior.

I curled up on the couch, unable to help but ask on social media.

Danielle: [My husband has no dysfunction. Why won't he touch me after marriage?]

Someone replied: [Perhaps your husband has someone else.]

Like a dagger, that comment pierced me awake.

I suddenly realized—maybe the problem was not that I was unattractive but rather that he was never mine.

The moment I deleted my account, I also made the decision to leave.

Who could have imagined that Andre, who would usually not even glance at me, would frantically search for me after I disappeared?

"Danielle, I can't get a hard-on after you left!"

[Perhaps your husband has someone else.]

The moment I saw the comment, my fingers froze, and I felt like I had fallen into an ice pit.

I turned around to see that the bedside lamp in the bedroom was still on, but Andre Garcia was already out of bed.

The pattering sound of water came from the bathroom, accompanied by a strange noise that made my scalp tingle. My mind went blank as an ominous premonition made me stand up.

Stopping at the bathroom door, I peered in through that tiny gap.

The next second, my mind exploded!

Andre, who had shown no interest in me in the past three years, was propped up against the bathroom wall, his body as tense as a bowstring. He held his member in one hand as he vented frantically and hurriedly.

On the phone screen in front of him was a photo of my younger sister, Maya Lawson.

“Maya...” His voice was hoarse and affectionate with a tenderness and infatuation he had never shown me.

I hurriedly covered my mouth, stifling my scream, and took two steps back as if I had been struck by lightning.

Just as I fled to the living room, I heard his phone, which he had left on the coffee table, vibrate.

I had always known Andre's phone password, but I had never checked it out of respect. Trembling, I typed in the password and opened the messaging app I had never touched.

I tapped into Andre's work group chat.

[Boss, today is your first wedding anniversary with Danielle. It's also the 500th day you've remained chaste for Maya. We've prepared fine wine to celebrate your impending success.]

[You're so patient! Danielle has such a seductive figure. You wouldn't lose anything by touching her!]

[Shut up! Boss has said Danielle is a thief who stole Maya's identity. Just the thought of touching her disgusts him. If the old Don hadn't demanded that boss marry Danielle before passing the position to him, boss would never have agreed to marry her!]

[He only married her to make it easier to dump her later and avenge Maya!]

[It's different now. We've taken control of the Meditera arms line. The Lawson family is useless. Boss, when do you plan to divorce Danielle?]

A new message stopped the following messages. It was Andre's reply, which contained only one word: [Soon]. My heart ached as if pierced by needles. My fingers were icy cold as the phone slipped from my palm.

Memories from four years ago washed over me like a tidal wave. I was an orphan, adopted by a couple abroad. Though we were not related by blood, they doted on me like I was the apple of their eyes.

When I returned four years ago, I unexpectedly learned that my biological parents were actually from the Lawson family, a mafia family. I was maliciously switched at birth, and the person who took my identity was Maya.

The Lawson family could not bear to part with Maya, whom they had raised for over a decade, but I was the one with the Lawson family's bloodline. Therefore, I was the one who married Andre, the heir to the Garcia family, instead of Maya.

I had no intention of stealing Maya's fiancé, but Andre was the one who pursued me relentlessly.

As a mafia boss, countless women wanted to sleep with him. However, he only showed tenderness to me.

Knowing I could not get used to the local food, Andre personally flew his private jet back to Itol to buy me my favorite handmade pizza. When I was awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, he would gently tell me bedtime stories to lull me back to sleep.

Later, I was kidnapped by rival forces due to family conflicts while my parents were busy celebrating Maya's birthday. Andre and his men rescued me amidst a bullet storm. He even took a bullet for me.

I thought I had found true love and insisted on marrying him, ignoring my adoptive parents' advice. On our wedding night, Andre moved into the study. He did not even… show the slightest desire to be intimate with me.

I thought I had not done enough, but only now did I realize he had desires, but he was simply remaining celibate for the woman he desired.

My chest ached as if a hammer had knocked on it. Tears streamed down my face.

Just then, my phone rang again.

I answered the phone as if my soul had been ripped out. Enzo Romano's deep voice rang out. "My darling, how have you been? Your mother and I miss you terribly. We'd like to visit you, but are you free?"

After my identity was confirmed, my adoptive parents supported my return to my biological family, even though they were reluctant to let me leave.

I was also reluctant to leave my adoptive parents, who had cherished me since I was little, but I decided to for Andre's sake. I never imagined that this decision would bring me to tears now.

Hearing my adoptive father's concerned voice, I stopped pretending and sobbed, "Dad, I want to go home."

"My darling, why are you crying? Who bullied you?" His voice was filled with worry and anger.

My adoptive parents were the leaders of Pirate Group, which controlled cargo transportation in almost all of North Ameria's ports.

"You're the sole heiress of Pirate Group and our princess. I'll avenge tenfold and even a hundredfold for every grievance you suffer!"

It was already noon when I woke up the next day.

When I went downstairs, I found two people already sitting at the dining table.

Andre sat upright in the main seat, indifferent and silent. Andre's mother, Elaina Bianchi, joined him. She was stirring her coffee with an exquisite silver teaspoon.

Hearing my footsteps, Elaina looked up. Her eyes locked on my waist as she said meaningfully, "Danielle, you must be exhausted from last night. Come and sit down."

I stopped in my tracks and subconsciously looked at Andre. He did not even glance at me. A trace of bitterness flickered in my eyes.

Before I could explain, Elaina pressed again, "Danielle, you've been married to Andre for a year. How come there's no sign of pregnancy at all? I'm waiting to have my grandchild."

"I've made efforts—" I answered dryly when Andre interrupted me indifferently.

"Mom, don't worry about this. You'll have your grandchild... soon. Be patient."

Having received Andre's assurance, Elaina instantly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She gave me a few words of advice and then left.

The door closed, and the living room immediately fell silent except for the ticking of the clock.

I looked blankly at Andre, wondering, 'Why did he say that? We haven't been intimate... How would we conceive a baby?'

Perhaps my gaze had lingered on him for too long. Andre finally looked up with a sneer. "Just because I didn't satisfy you yesterday, you deliberately put on an act in front of my mother?"

My face turned ghastly pale. "I didn't..."

"You didn't?" He violently pressed me against the edge of the dining table. His body leaned close, making it hard for me to breathe. "Then why didn't you change out of your outfit? Are you so horny that you want to seduce me even during the day?"

It was then that I realized that I was still wearing the suggestive nightgown from last night. I awkwardly covered my chest, yet the straps slipped down, revealing my fair shoulders.

With just a slight tilt of his head, he could see even more of what lay beneath.

Andre's throat bobbed involuntarily.

Just then, the message his subordinate had texted him came to mind.

[Danielle has such a seductive figure. You wouldn't lose anything by touching her!]

Andre shoved me abruptly as if he had been doused with ice water, sobering him. When he looked at me again, his gaze had returned to its usual indifference and aloofness. "Don't overthink it. I've already made arrangements for our child."

I froze in place, wondering, 'What kind of arrangements could he possibly make?'

As soon as Andre finished speaking, a group of strangers in white coats with medical badges hanging around their necks filed in. They pushed gleaming medical kits as they lined up.

A bad premonition welled up inside me.

The doctor leading the group respectfully asked, "Don Garcia, shall we begin now?"

A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively took two steps back. Two burly bodyguards immediately stepped forward, grabbing my arms and pinning me down.

"Let me go! What are you doing?"

I was dragged to the villa's private medical room, and my limbs were firmly strapped to the operating table.

The doctors began skillfully operating the instruments. The cold lights came on, making me shiver.

"Andre! Have you lost your mind? What are you trying to do to me?"

Andre had no intention of explaining. He did not even look at me, his gaze fixed only on the leading doctor as he nodded simply.

The doctor immediately straightened his back and respectfully walked toward me, who had been forcibly pressed onto the operating table. "Mrs. Garcia, this is an ovulation induction drug. It might hurt a little, but please cooperate."

I was taken aback. Recalling what Andre had just said, my face paled. "Are you trying to have a baby through IVF?"

Andre finally turned around and gave me a cold gaze. "Haven't you always wanted to give me a baby? I'm giving you this chance now."

My lips trembled, but I could not say a word.

The needle in the doctor's hand, which was thicker than I imagined, reflected coldly as it slowly approached like some kind of torture device.

I could not help asking hoarsely, "Andre, why do you have to do it this way?"

If he were just willing to touch me once, I would not have to suffer such humiliation under the cold operating light.

Andre frowned and answered icily, "It's for the common interest of the Garcia family and the Lawson family, of course. We must have a child."

It turned out... it was just about interests. The last bit of hope I had for him in my heart shattered instantly.

Children should be the continuation of love, not victims born out of necessity.

I clenched my hands tightly, my nails sinking into my palms. "I refuse."

Andre froze. It was the first time I had refused his request. I had always obediently done whatever he asked. Now, I was not even willing to have his child.

He could sense the change.

A feeling of loss of control and displeasure instantly welled up in Andre. He frowned, gripping my chin tightly and forcing me to look up. "Repeat that."

The pain in my chin made my eyes redden, but I insisted, "I said, I refuse!"

Andre's eyes flickered with impatience and confusion for a second. He never needed to guess what others were thinking as everyone was afraid of him. I was the exception. However, he instantly extinguished that emotion.

He scoffed. "Danielle, do you think I'd touch you for the sake of conceiving a child? Let me tell you, I have absolutely no desire for you."

His remark instantly shattered my mind. He flung me away and turned around as if discarding a worthless object. “Danielle, you have no right to disobey my orders. You must give me a child.”

With a wave of his hand, the group of people bound me firmly to the bed, ignoring my fierce struggles.

I desperately reached out to grab Andre, but I could not even touch the hem of his clothes. I could only watch him leave without looking back.

The intense pain as the needle pierced my skin made me curl up involuntarily. The tears that had been welling up in my eyes finally rolled down. The anesthesia gradually took effect, and my consciousness began to blur.

In the last second before I lost consciousness, I could not help but wonder, 'Why? Why did Andre, who had held my hand at our wedding and spoken so gently to me... become this way?'

…

The next day, I woke up with an intense headache.

The doctor stood by my bedside, pushing an incubator toward me. "Mrs. Garcia, the fertilized eggs are being cultivated. Look."

Neatly arranged petri dishes filled the transparent incubator.

I was stunned. "Are these my children? They're completely different from the warm and adorable little angel I imagined."

Even more ironically... Andre had refused to touch me till the very end. He must have been looking at Maya's picture when giving them his sperm sample.

It was disgusting. I covered my mouth and gagged violently, almost unable to breathe.

The doctor beside me was startled. "Are you alright? You need to be in good health so that we can put the fertilized eggs back into your body... Mrs. Garcia, what are you doing?"