The moment I find out about my pregnancy, a notification from Twitter is displayed on my phone.

Apparently, it's a tweet posted by my husband, Don Romano Caliendo's childhood friend, Teresa Fiorino.

"Thanks to your sperm, I get to have a child of my own during the last stage of my life."

The accompanying photo is a pregnancy test that clearly states that the sperm donor is Romano.

I leave a question mark in the comment section. In just half a minute, my phone begins ringing loudly.

Romano's angry voice bursts from the loudspeakers immediately. I've only heard him adapt such a tone whenever he gets mad at others during family meetings.

"What did you mean by that comment, Selene Gardo? Teresa is dying from cancer! All she wants is to have a baby to keep her company before she breathes her last! Don't you have any sympathy for her at all?"

Before I can put down my phone, my Twitter homepage gets refreshed.

This time, Teresa has uploaded another photo. It features a luxurious deluxe-style apartment, where the floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the breathtaking cityscape of Brindleport at night.

The caption reads, "Thank you for giving me a home so that I don't feel lonely in my final days."

In a corner of the photo, Romano can be seen crouching on the floor while piecing a baby cot together. His side profile shows how focused he is on the task.

As I wipe my tears from the corners of my eyes, I silently caress my flat belly, which has yet to show any changes.

I'll take you far, far away from here, my dear baby.

Early the next morning, my husband, Don Romano Caliendo, returned home.

Carrying a paper bag, he pushed open the bedroom door with a sheepish, placating smile on his face.

"Amore, I made you some cream of mushroom soup myself. Give it a try."

The scent of his childhood friend Teresa Fiorino's perfume clung to him. A single whiff was enough to make my throat tighten.

"Just leave it there."

Romano didn't notice anything was wrong. He leaned in, bringing the bowl to my face. "Drink it while it's hot. I've been simmering it for two hours."

The aroma alone told me it was indeed his cooking.

Three months ago, I would have accepted it with a smile and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.

Now, my husband stood before me looking for credit while reeking of another woman.

"I'm not hungry," I said, turning my head away.

Romano's hand froze in midair. His tone was filled with displeasure as he said, "Enough, Selene Grado. You weren't like this before. I've already humbled myself to appease you. What more do you want?

"Teresa cried and begged me. She said her biggest regret in life was never getting to be a mother. She's dying, Selene. Can't I even let her have this one wish?"

"So, you got her pregnant?" My tears finally broke free.

Romano's irritation only grew. "I didn't sleep with her. It was just a sperm donation. Must you really pick a fight with a dying woman? It's downright vicious!"

Finally, he turned and slammed the door behind him, leaving me with a parting shot. "Cool off and get a grip!"

A moment later, my phone buzzed. Teresa had sent me a photo. In it, Romano was sitting on her couch, looking more relaxed than I had seen him in months.

The follow-up message came quickly. "Selene, Romano says he's much more comfortable here than at home. The truth is, he's had feelings for me for a long time. He was just too polite to say it because of you. If you have any dignity left, you'll leave on your own."

As I stared at the screen, my grip tightened until my knuckles turned white.

In the beginning, Romano told me Teresa had been diagnosed with cancer. Her parents had died for his family, so he couldn't just turn his back on her.

I nodded and told him it was the right thing to do.

Back then, he really was just looking after her. He took her to the hospital, found her doctors, and brought her the occasional meal.

Then, things changed.

On my birthday, he told me, "Teresa says she's scared to be home alone. I'll go stay with her for a bit and catch up with you later."

When I was sick, he said Teresa was at the grocery store and afraid to walk home in the dark, so he'd let the household staff look after me.

Later, Teresa's "fears" multiplied—fear of the dark, fear of thunder, and even fear of eating alone.

Every single time, Romano dropped everything to go to her.

And I went from being his top priority to being told to "wait a second".

"Wait a second. I need to go be with Teresa.

"Wait a second, her situation is special.

"Just wait a second. Why are you being so difficult?"

I waited a thousand times, and the reward for my patience was another woman carrying my husband's child.

I remembered our wedding day. Romano held my hand as we walked out of the church. The sun hit his face as he leaned in and whispered, "Selene, I'll never make you cry for as long as I live."

I believed him then.

Now…

I touched my stomach, and the tears fell again. "I'm sorry, baby. I might not be able to give you a complete family."

Once I composed myself, I called my father, Erico Grado. "Papa, I want to leave."

…

The next morning, I went alone to a private hospital in Brindleport.

The moment the elevator doors opened, I saw them. At the end of the hall, right outside the ultrasound room, Romano was carefully guiding Teresa out.

Teresa was cradling her slightly rounded belly with a soft smile on her face.

They looked like a real husband and wife.

I stood frozen. My nails were digging into my palms.

"Selene?" Romano spotted me first. He looked stunned.

"What are you doing here? Are you sick?"

His brow furrowed as he let go of Teresa and strode toward me.

"Where does it hurt? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"

His concern seemed genuine, but seeing Teresa clutching her stomach over his shoulder made my chest ache.

"It's nothing. Just a routine checkup," I replied.

Romano let out a sigh of relief, which quickly turned back into a frown.

"Selene, I know you're upset, but was it really necessary to come here? Teresa was so nervous about her prenatal check-up that she didn't sleep all night. Can you please not cause trouble?"

"I'm causing trouble?" I looked up at him. "Romano, do you own this hospital? You're allowed to be here, but I'm not?"

"You—"

Teresa looked disgruntled. "Romano, does Selene hate the fact that I'm carrying your baby that much? She actually followed us here…"

She didn't raise her voice, but it was just loud enough for the nurses and patients' families to hear.

Several gazes landed on me at once—curious, sympathetic, and eager for the spectacle.

"Never mind," Teresa said suddenly. Her face was a mask of anguish. "Don't blame Selene. It's all my fault.

"I shouldn't have posted that photo on Twitter, and I shouldn't have asked you to come with me… I'll just go home by myself so I don't cause any more misunderstandings."

As she said that, she made a show of clutching her stomach as if she were about to leave.

Romano immediately grabbed her arm. His voice was sharp with worry. "Where do you think you're going? No one is blaming you."

Then, he turned back to me with a cold gaze. "Selene, if you have a shred of decency, you'll go home. I'll talk to you after Teresa finishes her appointment."

Looking at his self-righteous expression, I suddenly laughed. "Romano, I'm here at the obstetrics department."

I spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "Don't you want to know why I'm here?"

His eyes grew wide. Instinctively, his gaze dropped to my stomach.

Teresa's face paled, but she was quicker to react.

She grabbed Romano's arm and said in a trembling voice, "Romano… my stomach hurts…"

His attention was instantly pulled back to her.

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

He supported her anxiously and shouted toward the nurses' station, "Someone! Help! We have a pregnant woman in distress over here!"

Teresa leaned into his chest, shaking her head weakly. "It's okay… I think I've just been standing too long… Romano, just help me over to the bench…"

Behind his back, I saw Teresa sitting down and flashing me a smirk of pure provocation.

However, Romano was blind to it.

I spoke up. "Romano, you believe her. But let me ask you this. If I told you I was pregnant, would you stay here with me?"

The hallway fell dead silent.

Romano froze.

Before he could speak, Teresa cut in. "Selene, I know you're desperate because you've never been able to conceive, but I'm carrying the Caliendo family's heir.

"There's no need to lie out of jealousy. You couldn't get pregnant for five years. Are you really claiming you conceived the exact same time I did?"

Romano's face darkened with disapproval at Teresa's words. "Selene, I know your body. Getting pregnant isn't that easy for you. Stop pretending."

Right then, Teresa let out a sharp gasp, then doubled over and clutched her stomach, keeping me from getting a word in.

"Romano… it hurts so much… the baby… Is something happening to the baby?"

Romano turned to her immediately.

"Selene," he murmured, "I know you're angry. Just go home. Once I get Teresa settled, I'll come explain everything."

Teresa leaned against his shoulder, stealing a glance at me. In her eyes, there was no pain—only triumph.

My voice was shaking now. "Romano, if you walk away with her right now, you're never going to see me again."

His back stiffened for a split second.

However, it was only a second.

"Stop being dramatic, Selene. I'll find you after I take care of Teresa."

With that, he carried Teresa toward the elevator.

"Romano!" I screamed after him.

The elevator doors slid shut.

I was left standing in the hallway alone, and finally, the tears began to fall.

…

It didn't take long for Teresa to update her Twitter.

It was a selfie of her leaning into Romano's arms in the elevator. The caption read, "Baby, it's okay. Papa will protect us."

As if she knew I'd be watching, a direct message popped up immediately after. "Selene, are you really pregnant?"

I didn't reply.

A second message followed. "So what if you are? Do you think Romano will believe you? I told him you're just making it up to compete with me for affection, and he already bought it."

Then came a third. "By the way, guess where Romano is sleeping tonight? On a hospital cot, or in that cold, empty house of yours?"

I stopped reading and muted all notifications.

True to her word, Romano didn't come home that night.

The next morning, I hadn't even opened my bedroom door before I heard Teresa's laughter drifting up from the dining room.

I walked downstairs to find her holding a piece of toast, smiling as she tried to feed it to Romano.

He gently dodged her hand and looked up at me. "Teresa's pregnancy is unstable, and I'm not comfortable with her living alone. I've moved her in so she can rest here. You don't mind, do you?"

He was asking if I minded after moving her in? What was the point?

I sat down across from them and replied calmly, "I don't mind."

Romano looked surprised by my easy compliance. However, in front of Teresa, he maintained the dignity expected of a Don.

He nodded curtly. "I'm glad you're being reasonable. You're older than Teresa. You should look out for her. Make sure you keep an eye on her daily needs and well-being…"

Romano was still giving orders, and the constant chatter made me so irritated that I couldn't eat a single bite.

Teresa's eyes darted between us before she suddenly burst into tears. "Selene, you haven't touched your food. Are you still angry that I'm carrying Romano's baby? If you are, you can hit me or yell at me. Just please don't bottle it up…"

"I'm not angry," I said flatly.

"I know people have been calling you a barren woman behind your back, but I really hope you don't take it to heart…"

Before I could even react, Romano slammed his cutlery onto the table with a deafening clang. "Where did you hear that? Who said it? How dare they spread filth about the Caliendo family's Donna? They must have a death wish!"

Teresa flinched. A flicker of panic crossed her face. "I-It was a long time ago. I don't even remember where I heard it from… Romano, why are you being so scary? You're making me feel sick."

She hung her head, and her shoulders heaved with practiced sobs.

After a sigh, Romano patted her shoulder. "Stop crying. It's not good for the baby."

Teresa looked up at him. "Romano… Maybe I shouldn't have come here."

"Don't be silly," Romano said gently. "I brought you here, and here you'll stay. Just focus on resting."

As I watched the two of them, a wave of nausea rolled over me. I pushed my chair back to stand up.

At that exact moment, Teresa stood up. Clutching her stomach, she wobbled toward me. "Selene… I know you hate me… I'll get on my knees. Just please don't be mad at Romano."

As she spoke, she actually started to sink toward the floor.

I didn't reach out to catch her. I knew that the second I touched her, she would fall.

Sure enough, before her knees even hit the ground, she tilted to the side with a sharp cry. "Ah!"

"Teresa!" Romano rushed over. He shoved me aside and pulled Teresa into his arms.

The force of the shove was so strong that I staggered backward several steps. My side hit the corner of the table. The pain made me gasp, and a dull ache pulsed in my lower abdomen.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

My baby…

"Teresa, are you okay?" Romano's voice was thick with panic.

Teresa clung to him. Her face was pale as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Romano… my stomach… it hurts…"

Romano turned ghostly white. He scooped her up in his arms and roared toward the hallway, "Call a doctor! Get a doctor here now!"

He sprinted out of the dining room with her in his arms. Not once did he look back at me.

…

After an examination, the doctor confirmed my baby was fine.

Papa was coming to get me tonight, so I carefully packed my things.

My phone buzzed. It was another message from Teresa.

"Selene, did you know? Romano's hands were shaking when he held me. He's terrified of losing my baby and me, but he isn't afraid of losing you.

"You hit the table pretty hard, didn't you? Does it hurt? It's a shame, really. There's only room for one woman by Romano's side, and that's me."

As I stared at the words, my fingers tightened around the phone.

I opened my chat with Romano. The last message was from him yesterday. "Selene, wait for me to come home."

I didn't reply.

Instead, I pulled the divorce papers from my bag, signed my name, and left them on the nightstand. I left a note beside it.

"Romano, I've signed the divorce papers. Don't come looking for me."

I changed into something comfortable, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the bedroom.

Addio, Brindleport.

Addio, Romano.