His Ruin, Her Coronation

For five years, I was the secret lover and chief advisor to New York Mafia Don, Julian Thorne. I thought our love could transcend all rules.

Then, I found out I was pregnant. Overjoyed, I planned to tell him the news, hoping we could finally build a real family.

But when I tried to surprise him through the security monitor, I saw him kissing another woman, Isabella.

"I've waited ten years for the woman I'm destined for, but she never came," he growled. "Isabella. You will be my wife. My only wife."

Her answering moan shattered my soul.

The pain of his betrayal was so intense, a sharp, stabbing cramp tore through my abdomen.

Then, blood.

I lost our baby.

When I woke up in the hospital, I dialed an encrypted number I hadn't called in five years.

"Ronan," I choked out, my voice raw. "That marriage contract… with Cassian Valerius, the Chairman of the Council? I'll sign it."

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1

"You're very weak right now, Scarlett."

The doctor sighed, his gaze sympathetic.

I stared down at the report. The words blurred into a crimson haze.

My baby was gone.

Just like that. Vanished from my body.

"You'll need at least three months to recover."

I nodded, my voice hoarse. "I know."

A terrible emptiness hollowed me out.

I could no longer feel the flutter of anticipation. It felt as if my soul was being ripped in two, and a silent scream clawed at my throat.

But I was too tired. I just wanted to go home.

Back to the gilded cage Julian had built for me.

I had just pushed open the door to the penthouse when I heard his familiar footsteps.

He was back.

He smelled of expensive perfume—a scent that wasn't mine.

My stomach churned.

"Baby, did you miss me?"

Julian leaned in to kiss me. I instinctively recoiled.

"I did," I forced a smile, the words tasting like acid.

"What's wrong? You're so pale." He frowned, but a smile quickly returned to his face. "I booked a table at Empire Steak House. I'm taking you out to celebrate tonight."

Empire Steak House?

Confusion cut through my exhaustion.

I didn't eat steak there. He had invited me last year to celebrate annexing a rival family's territory, and I had refused.

I remembered clearly—Julian hated the steak there too.

He said the sauce was so greasy it made him want to gag.

So… who liked to eat there?

The cloying scent, mixed with the lingering weakness from my miscarriage, made my stomach heave.

I gently pushed him away. "I'm a little tired..."

"Not feeling well?" He immediately leaned closer, his hands already starting to unbutton my coat. "Let me take care of you."

Care.

The word was a dagger twisting in my heart.

I grabbed his hand with surprising strength. "Julian, if we truly love each other, when are you going to make me your wife?"

He froze.

"When will you make me your wife?"

In an instant, his expression went cold as ice.

He pushed me away, taking two steps back. "The time isn't right, Scarlett. The family needs stability."

The same damn excuse.

I stared at his distant expression, and a storm of doubt brewed inside me.

"A wedding won't change anything between us," he said, his tone becoming light and sharp. "Besides, you handle all the important family affairs. You're practically the Mamma of this family already."

A bitter smile twisted my lips, more painful than a sob.

Practically the Mamma? A shadow partner.

No one crowns a secret. They crown a queen.

"I'm going to take a shower." Julian put his fake, gentle mask back on. "I'll come back to 'take care' of you later."

I watched him disappear behind the bathroom door.

A thought took root in my mind.

Wasn't one day of screwing his little plaything enough for him?

The sound of the shower started.

Something drew me to his study, to the safe he had always forbidden me to touch.

Today, I was going to see what he was really hiding.

Inside was a dusty rosewood box.

I opened it with trembling hands. Photos scattered to the floor.

Golden hair, green eyes, and that familiar smile.

She looked... exactly like me.

I picked up a letter in Julian's familiar handwriting:

"Isabella, my love. Scarlett is just a stand-in. When you return, you will be my one and only wife."

My world collapsed.

I remembered the supposed surprise in his eyes when we first admitted our feelings for each other.

I remembered the "rewards" he gave me after every completed mission.

I remembered his "gentle" caresses for five long years.

It was all because I looked like her.

I was a substitute.

My fingers trembled so much I could barely hold the letter. I forced myself to put everything back, erasing any trace I had been there.

I had just returned to the bedroom when the bathroom door opened.

Julian walked out with a towel around his waist, exuding the raw, absolute authority of a Don.

"Come here, baby." He held out his hand, his smile full of desire. "You're the only one who can calm me down."

I watched his performance, each word a new cut in my already shattered heart.

I wanted to expose him. To scream at him.

But I was too tired. The pain was too much.

He pulled me onto the bed, only then noticing my numb expression.

"Your body is so cold." He frowned, feigning concern. "Are you really sick? Should I call a doctor?"

I opened my mouth to say something.

Suddenly, his expression changed. It was the focused look he got when reading an encrypted message.

I caught a glimpse of the notification on his screen.

A text from a woman, the words cloyingly sweet and seductive: "Julian... I miss you, my love."

It was the woman who'd been beneath him today.

It was her.

Isabella.

"There's urgent family business." Julian immediately got up and started dressing, not even sparing me a glance. "You're not feeling well, so get some rest."

He didn't even bother inventing a new lie.

The door slammed shut.

Gritting my teeth, I forced my weak body to move, hacking into the city's traffic surveillance system.

My fingertips were numb, my typing clumsy, but desperation fueled me.

I tracked his car all the way to a private pier on the Hudson River, our special place.

From a distance, I saw Julian standing by the water.

A blonde woman stepped out of the shadows and threw herself into his arms.

"Julian, my love."

Her voice, carried on the night wind, was triumphant and possessive.

"I'm ready to bear you an heir."