Rocco's ally, Principessa Bianca of the Fabbri family, was pregnant. The father's identity was unknown, a scandal that threatened to ignite a war in the Chicago underworld.

To preserve the alliance with the Fabbri family, my husband, Rocco Marchetti, the Underboss of the Marchetti family, decided to claim the child as his own.

Overnight, the true Marchetti heir in my womb became the symbol of my alleged infidelity. In this cruel world, my child and I could be executed at any moment for that crime.

"Bianca is the Principessa of the Fabbri family; she cannot afford such a scandal." With that single, casual sentence, he crushed our five years of love into dust.

Later, Marchetti family Soldati dragged me into an underground chamber to eliminate the stain in my womb, while Rocco stood by Bianca's side, shielding her like a precious jewel.

When he returned to the estate, expecting me to be waiting in a corner for his pity as usual, the child was gone, and I had vanished from his world completely.

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1

The very day I confirmed my pregnancy with the family doctor, Bianca Fabbri announced that she, too, was expecting.

I had just returned to the Marchetti estate and barely stepped through the door when I heard her delicate, arrogant voice drifting from the study.

"Rocco, what should we name our baby? I'm so scared… What if everyone finds out the truth? It would ruin the reputation of both our families."

Through the partially open door, I saw Rocco Marchetti’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, his gaze holding a rare tenderness. As they spoke in hushed tones, Rocco’s head shot up, his eyes locking with mine at the doorway.

I strode toward him, my steps deliberate. "Rocco, what does she mean?"

His arm remained tightly around Bianca as he sighed. "Seraphina, go back to our room. This isn't a conversation for you. I'll explain later."

"Explain it. Now," I demanded, though the tremor in my voice gave me away.

Rocco’s face darkened. "Seraphina, don't make a scene."

Desperation swamped my reason. I lunged forward and slapped him across the face.

"How dare you touch him?" Bianca shrieked, shoving me back violently and shielding him as if I were the threat.

She jutted out her still-flat stomach. "I am carrying Rocco's child. This is the heir to the Marchetti family. What right do you have to touch him?"

In that instant, a cold fist clenched around my heart. Tears streamed down my face.

Rocco frowned at the sight of my tears. I could see in his cold eyes that his authority as the Underboss had been challenged and his patience had evaporated.

"Seraphina, don't listen to her. The child isn't mine."

Before I could process his words, Bianca began her masterful performance. Her eyes, red-rimmed and brimming with hurt, fixed on Rocco as if he had just betrayed their entire family.

"Rocco, you promised you wouldn't tell anyone! How could you tell her?"

"Seraphina is my wife. I have no reason to hide things from her."

At his cold words, Bianca stopped crying. In its place, a cruel smirk touched her lips.

"Then shouldn't you also tell her that for my sake, and for the child in my womb—for the alliance between our families—she and her child will become the shame of the Marchetti name, forced to live forever in the shadows?"

My head snapped toward Rocco. An icy weight settled in my chest, constricting so tightly my breathing grew ragged.

Rocco, however, said nothing. His silence was the only answer I needed.

Bianca couldn't hide her smugness, proudly stroking her abdomen.

"Rocco is making such a great sacrifice for me, all to quell a potential war between our families. I'm truly touched. In the future, my child will be Rocco's firstborn, the rightful heir to the Marchetti family. As for your child… whether we keep it as an adopted son or dispose of it, we can discuss that later."

Throughout it all, Rocco never refuted a single word.

Rage surged through me. I clenched my fists and pounded on his chest. At first, he just stood there, letting me vent. Then, he seized my wrists and dragged me roughly toward our bedroom.

"Let go of me! Tell me what the hell is going on! I am your wife!"

I didn't understand. Was Bianca really that important? So important that my child and I didn't even have the right to live?

Rocco's eyes burned with undisguised annoyance, as if my resistance was a personal slight against his authority.

"Bianca is the Principessa of the Fabbri family. If this scandal gets out, it will start a war between our two families, and she will be executed by her own people," he explained coolly, as if discussing a business deal. "I need the Fabbri family's support to take the southern territories."

"So I'm taking the fall for this? You're going to let my child be called a bastard?" I demanded.

"Of course not!" Rocco shook his head. "This is only temporary. Once she gives birth and the crisis is over, I'll tell everyone the truth."

I stared at the man before me, a stranger wearing the face of the man I once loved.

Just then, the doorbell rang. One of his men stood at the door, holding a stack of custom gift boxes for Bianca.

Bianca didn't even bother to glance at me again as she rushed over, tearing open the boxes one by one.

"Rocco picked all of these out for me. He was worried I wouldn't be comfortable during my pregnancy. I swear, if he weren't afraid of being too conspicuous, he would have bought the entire jewelry store. Oh, this must be a freebie. My child won't need something so cheap. Here, Seraphina. You can have it."

Rocco’s brows furrowed. "Bianca," he warned.

But instead of backing down, she pouted and wrapped her arms around his.

"Rocco, you know how important a pregnant woman's emotions are. The doctor said stress isn't good for the baby. You'll frighten him if you keep raising your voice at me."

It was a clumsy performance, but Rocco bought it. The annoyance on his face vanished, replaced by a flicker of concern as he reached out and gently stroked her stomach.

As if a cluster of cells could feel a damn thing.

I said nothing, simply walking slowly back to my room.

And in that moment, the child I had once longed for, the baby I had cherished so deeply, felt like a fatal mistake.

Rocco followed close behind, slamming the door shut. He looked down at me, his gaze sharp.

"Seraphina, you know the rules. If I don't help her, she dies. You're my wife. You should understand me. If there was anything between Bianca and me, I wouldn't have married you in the first place."

I remembered the day Bianca discovered she was pregnant. She had stormed into the estate, shivering in Rocco’s arms, looking so fragile and helpless.

Rocco’s heart had softened instantly. He had soothed her in a low voice, promising that everything would be sorted out.

Then, her parents, Don Silvio and Donna Donatella Fabbri, arrived with a group of their men. They were roaring with fury, ready to execute their own daughter for dishonoring the family name.

Bianca was terrified. She buried herself deeper into Rocco’s arms, her body trembling so violently it seemed she might shatter at any moment.

The Fabbri family was known for its iron fist and ruthless cruelty. Such a scandal was utterly intolerable.

And so, in her terror, Bianca had claimed the child was Rocco's. And to protect her, for the sake of their alliance, he had taken responsibility.

"Seraphina, as long as I know you're carrying my child, that's all that matters. In our world, reputation is for show. Power is what's real."

Something inside me shattered completely, but I still asked the question that had been stuck in my throat.

"Why can't she just face the consequences herself?"

"Bianca wants to keep this child. You and I are having a child, too. But she's afraid people will call her child a bastard, so..."

"So now her child is the rightful heir, and our child becomes proof of my infidelity. Is that what you're saying?" I was no longer crying. I just stared at him, a bitter, mocking smile on my face.

Rocco’s jaw tightened. A storm was brewing in his eyes.

"No matter what anyone says, this is still my child. And you are my wife. That will never change. Seraphina, can't you think about what's best for the family for once?"

"Bianca is delicate and from a good family. She shouldn't have to suffer humiliation because of rumors," Rocco said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

In that moment, I understood. She was a delicate piece of glass that couldn't be tarnished, while I was a wild weed to be trampled without a second thought.

That thought crystalized in my mind, clearer than ever. I blinked, fighting back the sting in my eyes, my face a mask of despair.

"Let's get rid of our child, then," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"No!" Rocco immediately rejected the idea, his tone almost accusatory. "Don't say that. Bianca and her child are innocent in this. Why are you being so selfish?"

"But my child and I are innocent, too! Have you ever thought about what they'll do to the child of an unfaithful woman, according to our code, once this rumor spreads?"

"I will handle everything. How many times do I have to repeat myself? Seraphina, you always disappoint me." With that, Rocco slammed the door and left.

The next day, I woke up to find a dozen armed Soldati surrounding my room.

My phone and computer were gone, and all my connections to the outside world were severed. I wasn't even allowed to leave the house.

Rocco was afraid I would get an abortion. The irony was that he already had his supposed heir.

I was trapped, a lamb for the slaughter, until my belly began to show and the so-called "safe period" of three months had passed.

That day, a commotion erupted downstairs. Bianca's parents had moved into the estate with a large entourage.

The moment Donatella saw me, she shot me a look of disdain. "To think you have the nerve to stay here, carrying a bastard. Such a filthy bloodline."

"Bianca is just too kind. You've already caused her enough grief," Don Silvio added, toying with a cigar, his gaze filled with contempt.

"Enough. Don't waste your breath on a woman who would stain the Marchetti bloodline. Go help Bianca get settled."

I found it laughable. The Fabbri family claimed to be so noble, prattling on about honor. But now, with Bianca acting as the mistress of a married man, shame seemed worthless in the face of profit.

Meanwhile, servants were carrying suitcases upstairs, box after box.

Bianca hovered near me, a triumphant smirk on her face. "So what if you're Rocco's wife? It's just an empty title. You and that bastard in your womb are nothing compared to me. Soon, it will be just me, Rocco, and our child. We'll be the ones running this district."

Her words were venom, seeping into my heart. I couldn't take it anymore and slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut up, you bitch!"

But it wasn't enough. I grabbed her hair, yanked it hard, and slapped her again and again.

Bianca screamed in pain until Rocco rushed in and tore me away.

I wanted to kill her. A woman with nothing left to lose is capable of anything.

Bianca's uncontrollable sobs brought Donatella and Silvio running.

Donatella's hand cracked across my face. Rocco seemed to want to stop her, but after seeing Bianca's swollen, tear-streaked face, he chose to pull Bianca into his arms instead.

"Rocco, this woman is getting more and more out of control! She's pregnant with another man's child, and you still won't annul the marriage. Now she even dares to hit Bianca! If you don't dispose of her, I'm taking Bianca home. Then the Marchetti family will have no legitimate heir! Our alliance will be null and void!"

Bianca looked up and shot me a victorious smile.

Rocco, however, didn't completely yield. He released Bianca and stepped in front of me, shielding me from Donatella's venomous glare.

"Seraphina is my wife. I won't let her leave. Bianca can live here, but I don't want to hear any more talk of 'disposing' of anyone. I am the master of this house," he said.

Rocco hadn't abandoned me, but he hadn't told the truth either. He let me carry the brand of infidelity, let them humiliate me.

For Bianca's so-called "peace of mind," Rocco wanted me to compromise.

And so, my bright, sun-filled master bedroom was taken from me. I was moved to a storage room in the attic.

"It's just a change of rooms. Nothing else will change. You'll still get everything you're entitled to," Rocco said.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

To Rocco, this child and I were simply his private property, not his family. I had already made my decision—I would never keep this child. I would not bring him into this world to suffer this fate.