Stefan's gaze fell onto my box, and he looked at it curiously. "What did you buy?"

I paused in my footsteps. As the Don of a Mafia family, Stefan was very cautious, even when it came to his wife. Fortunately, I was prepared. I opened up the box to show him a small mound of jewelry. "I was getting my jewelry maintained at the jeweler's."

Stefan's expression relaxed when he saw the box's contents. He put his hand around my waist and said domineeringly, "Those things aren't worth your time and money to maintain. I can buy you better ones." He was so close to me that I caught the scent of roses on him. It was a scent that did not match him at all, and I guessed Trixie must have started using a new perfume.

I pushed Stefan away gently. He was taken aback when he realized I was rejecting his advances. He looked at the box of jewelry and asked, "Where's your sapphire ring?"

When I heard his question, I replied stoically, "It's in the drawer. That ring is new, so it doesn't require any maintenance." Stefan grunted a reply and did not pursue it further, but I smiled and asked, "Why are you asking about it?"

Stefan was indifferent and replied calmly, "Isn't that a ring you've always wanted? Besides, you always wear what I give you until I replace it." He rubbed my finger and acted like he was interrogating a subordinate. "So, why aren't you wearing the ring?"

As I wondered how to answer his question, his phone pinged with a notification. Stefan glanced at the message and released my hand as he grabbed his coat to head out the door. "I have something to attend to tonight. You should have an early night." With that, he turned to leave.

"Stefan."

He stopped and turned back to look at me. "What is it?"

"Will you be home tonight?"

Stefan was taken aback for a while before laughing softly. He strode toward me and leaned down to kiss the corner of my eye. "What a clingy little kitty you are! Don't worry. I'll make sure I'm home tonight to satisfy you." He left right after that.

The moment he closed the door, I wiped my eyes in disgust. It felt horrible to be kissed by lips that had just been on another woman. However, I had gotten the information I needed. I instantly packed up the rest of my expensive jewelry and clothes to pass to my friends, so they could help me sell them for gold as well.

To avoid catching Stefan's attention, I kept several cheaper items with me, as well as the wedding dress I had worn when I got married. It was luxurious and eye-catching, once the envy of many women, but it had now lost all its glory after being locked in the closet for years.

That night, I got everything done within an hour for fear that Stefan would suddenly return home. However, he did not come home in the end. The only sign of him was a cold message on my phone.

Stafan: [Family meeting. Have an early night.]

It still hurt to see the message, but I did feel very relieved. I walked numbly to the bathroom to brush my teeth, only to see condoms in the dustbin. Seven or eight of them had been thrown in the bin, and I stared at them before finally putting on a face mask with indifference and returning to my room. I had decided to leave, so it did not matter to me how many women he slept with or how many times he slept with them.

I slept so well that night that I did not notice Stefan had returned. When I woke up, I found a muscled arm on my waist. I tried to push him away, but he pulled me into his arms right away. Stefan whispered huskily into my ear, "Are you awake?" I grunted an affirmative, and he laughed softly.

He slowly removed my robe as he kissed me gently on the neck. "We didn't get to do it last night, so let's not waste any time today." It felt extremely uncomfortable, but all I could do was allow him to caress my body. I could feel his fingers move from my abdomen to my lips, then finally land beside my teary eyes.

He laughed softly. "You're so beautiful, just like a baby deer." I lowered my eyes, hoping that time would pass quickly. That was when Stefan's phone rang. He frowned with annoyance from being interrupted, but when he saw the caller ID, he headed to the balcony to pick up the call.

I could see his expression gradually soften as the call went on, which made the hickies he left on me seem like a joke. I laughed self-depracatingly as I stared at the empty ceiling.

When Stefan returned to the room, I was already sitting by the side of the bed, fully clothed. He frowned. "It was just a call. Why did you put on your clothes so fast?"

"I'm not feeling good today. Let's do this another day."

Stefan agreed and put on his clothes to head to the study. "All right. Get some rest. We have an important dinner to attend tonight."

It was supposed to be a lie I made up to reject his advances, but I ended up with a fever that night, which must have been caused by being drenched in the rain. I leaned exhaustedly against the car window on our way to the dinner venue.

Through the reflection of the window, I could see Stefan looking out of his side of the window. He had a sharp nose, and he looked much colder and more distant than before. The aura about him was intimidating, so different from the young boy I had once saved from the hands of a junkie in an underground casino.

I laughed at myself as I pulled over a blanket from beside me to cover my body. That was when a pair of black, lacey underwear slipped out from the folded blanket. It fell out of the blanket softly, but it hit me hard in the heart. My fingers stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Stefan's tone was calm with a tinge of nonchalant concern.

"Nothing." I bent over to pick up the underwear to slip it into my purse. I did it quickly, as if nothing had happened, and I did not question him about it. It was pointless to question him, as he was the Don of the family. If he wanted to, he had a million ways of shutting me up, but if he were in a good mood, he might reward me with a white lie to comfort me.

"Don Gallo, Donna Gallo, we're here."

Someone opened the door. The night breeze blew into my face, but I still felt suffocated. My legs felt weak as I got out of the car in my heels. When I looked up, I was blinded by the bright lights of a car in the distance. It was dizzying.

"Why is there a celebrity here? Everyone attending tonight prefers anonymity. What if she attracts the media over?"

The guests started frowning unhappily, especially several big shots who had long-standing business ties to the Mafia. They started berating the security personnel and demanding that they remove the woman in the luxurious dress in front of them.

Trixie looked extremely upset. She backed several steps away and turned to grab the car's door handle, but Stefan stopped her. "She's not going anywhere. She's my guest."

Everyone looked up in disbelief as I burst out with a laugh and watched coldly by the side.

"This is a private event, Don Gallo! It would be disastrous if the guest list tonight and our internal meeting got leaked!"

"He's right, Don Gallo. We didn't come all the way to attend this dinner just to risk unnecessary danger."

Stefan remained stoic while everyone continued objecting to this, but he shielded Trixie behind him and swept a glance over everyone present. "Don't worry, everyone. I guarantee you all that nothing from this event will be divulged. You might not trust her, but don't you trust me?"

He did not speak loudly, but his words were warning enough to everyone. The guests decided to let it be in the end, and they entered the venue without another word. They could only whisper their unhappiness in a very low voice, as no one dared to offend Stefan, the host of the dinner.

Soon, only three of us were left standing outside. When Trixie noticed me, she quickly pulled her hand away and turned to thank Stefan. He grunted a reply and said nothing else except for her to enjoy the dinner.

Stefan put his arm around mine the next second and said softly, "Let's go inside." He acted as if nothing had happened and that he and Trixie were ordinary friends, but I knew the truth. Witnessing this was even more chilling than my discovery of her underwear.

However, it was all right. I would be gone after three months, and once I was, it did not matter whether they wanted to make love in the car or in the house.

Trixie chatted with the guests in the event hall with ease. The public figures attending the event took a liking to her and wanted to get to know her better. She was a very beautiful woman, after all. A wealthy bachelor approached Trixie to ask her for a dance, and she agreed with a smile.

Stefan stood where he was, gripping the wine glass in his hand so hard that I could hear it squeaking under the pressure. He stared at the dance floor like a wild beast eyeing its prey, and he suddenly turned to look at me. "It's been a while since we danced."

I felt my throat clench. I could hardly stand at this point because of my fever. I wanted to reject him, but Stefan had already grabbed my wrist. His grip on me was tight, as if he had nowhere else to vent his frustrations.

He pulled me onto the dance floor as he twirled me with precision, composure, and grace. We were the perfect couple in the eyes of others, but I was the only one who knew that his eyes were looking past my shoulders at Trixie.

The lights were dizzying, and my knees went weak as I fell to the ground. Everyone stopped dancing to look at me while Stefan quickly helped me up, asking in a grim voice, "Are you all right?" He did not sound worried, but unhappy, as if I had ruined his mood or failed him in his attempt to show off to Trixie.

I shook my head as I listened to everyone discussing the mishap.

"She fell? That should have been an easy dance, right?"

"Donna Gallo doesn't seem too happy. She was all right just a while ago…"

My fingers dug into the flesh of my palms as I leaned against the wall to slowly leave the dance floor. I could hear Trixie's voice from behind me. "Is Donna Gallo all right? Shouldn't you check on her, Don Gallo?" She sounded so soft and gentle.

Stefan replied in a low voice, "Do you really want me to?"

There was a moment of silence. "I…" She sounded hesitant.

My footsteps paused. My heart clenched painfully, and tears welled in my eyes. It has been quite a while since I last felt this way. Cold wind gusted into the corridor, and it chilled me to the bone through my thin dress. It suddenly hit me that it was not my fever that was making me feel cold. It was because I finally knew there had never been a place for me in this world.

I did not return to the event hall but walked deep into the gardens until I could no longer hear the guests' laughter. Then, finally, I slowed down. It was not long before I heard footsteps behind me, and Stefan appeared by my side.

He looked to be in a good mood as he passed me a glass of wine. "All you did was trip. Don't worry. No one will remember what happened with me around," Stefan said gently, as if trying to cajole a child that was making a scene.

I stared at the glass but did not take it from him. He was slightly taken aback, and his brows furrowed. He touched me on the shoulder, but his expression changed the moment his fingers came in contact with my body. "You're burning up."

Stefan should have noticed this when we were dancing, but his attention was not on me then. He took out his phone and said sharply to the person on the other end, "Get Dr. Dickson here within ten minutes." He hung up and grabbed my arm. "We should go inside. It's cold out here. What if your condition gets even more serious?"

He sounded anxious, but his concern had come too late. I pulled my arm away from him and replied in a calm voice, "It's fine. I'd like to stay here." He frowned even deeper and was about to say something when someone suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.

Trixie was standing there with red eyes. She took a step backward and turned to run off. Stefan released me almost immediately without hesitation. "Wait here for the doctor. I need to attend to something."

The sounds of their footsteps eventually disappeared into the distance, and the garden was quiet once more. All that was left was the sound of the gusting wind. I lowered my head to look at where he had grabbed my arm. I could still feel the warmth of his hand, but it no longer warmed my heart.

I picked up the glass of wine from the table and guzzled it down without hesitation. When the burning alcohol flowed down my throat, I finally felt a real sense of warmth.

It was not long before Corey arrived. He was surprised to see my eyes so red. "Donna Gallo…"

"Just give me a prescription." I avoided his eyes.

Corey was silent for a while as he gave me a simple checkup by taking my temperature and checking my breathing. He was gentle as always during the process. Before we left, he reminded me in a low voice, "It's better if you take an IV drip. You have to make sure you get better quickly, or it will increase your risk in the surgery later on."

I grunted affirmatively and followed him to the infirmary. When we walked past a resting lounge with its door slightly ajar, we heard a woman's low laughter coming from inside. "Don Gallo… Someone will discover us if we do it here…" Her voice was sultry and sickly sweet. I knew it was Trixie. Corey and I stopped in our tracks.

Stefan's voice came next. It was husky and tinged with jealousy. "Now you're worried? Why weren't you worried when you had your arms around another man when dancing with him?"

The sound of rustling clothes could be heard, accompanied by Trixie softly begging Stefan to be gentle. I could have left, but my feet were somehow rooted to the ground, and I could not budge an inch. "What if Donna Gallo hears us?" There was a brief silence that hung in the air.

Stefan chuckled. "Don't worry. She isn't around here. She's at the infirmary." He paused before continuing condescendingly, "It doesn't matter if she hears us. Even if she saw what we're doing, she'd pretend nothing happened. She's just a lost puppy I rescued. Without me, she'd turn back into the homeless puppy her gambling father sold to the underworld."

My eyes widened at that point. Even Corey's expression changed. It took him some effort to keep his emotions in check before saying to me in a low voice, "How could Don Gallo say something like that?! He made a vow never to let you back into that hell when you got married—" He stopped himself when he saw the stoic look on my face.

I stared silently at the door and took out my phone to record audio of what they were doing. The movements inside got increasingly chaotic as I recorded laughter, breathless panting, and things being knocked over. I did not budge until I heard the man grunt in low satisfaction, then I stopped the recording.

Finally, I looked up at Corey to give him a small smile. "Let's go. If we wait any longer, my fever won't ever subside."

Corey stared at me silently but said nothing as he followed obediently behind me. The lights at the end of the corridor cast long shadows on us as we walked. It was not until we stepped into the infirmary that I finally let myself go and fell unconscious to the ground.

"Donna Gallo! Donna Gallo! Wake up!" Someone was shaking my shoulder, but I could not muster the strength to reply. My sight became blurry, and it sounded like everything was miles away from me. My last memory was of Stefan slamming the door open and rushing into the infirmary to carry me in his arms.

He kept calling out to me in a panic, and he looked extremely worried, but all I saw were the fresh hickies on the side of Stefan's neck, and all I could feel was my heart splitting in two.

If I had a choice back then, I would never have allowed Stefan to take me away from the underground casino. My life would have turned out the same either way—living in misery. The only thing I had to look forward to now was that this time, I could walk away with my own two feet.

Stefan was sitting right by my side when I woke up. He had taken off his tailor-made suit and changed into a black turtleneck. "You're finally awake, Elena."

For some reason, he sounded joyful while Corey looked grim. He gave me a troubled look before saying, "Congratulations, Donna Gallo. You're three months pregnant."

My mind went blank as I slowly looked up to stare back at Stefan, who misunderstood my reaction. He pulled me gently into his arms and tightened his embrace around me, unable to suppress the happiness in his voice. "This is wonderful! I can't believe I'm going to be a father. You've given me such a beautiful surprise, Elena."

I had never seen him express his happiness this way before, but I found it difficult to smile.

That day, Stefan accompanied me for a long time at the hospital. It was only when he had 30 minutes left before his meeting that he finally left in a hurry. Before leaving, he said to Corey, "Increase the budget for the medical team. From now onward, your main focus is guaranteeing Elena's safety."

Corey agreed in a low voice, and Stefan failed to notice his chilly tone. Stefan turned back to look at me with tenderness in his eyes, just like he did when we first met. "I'll visit you again later tonight, Elena. Have a good rest." I nodded as I watched him leave.

When the door closed behind him, the room turned silent once more. It was so quiet that I could hear our breathing. I clenched my fists and remained silent for a long time before looking up at Corey. "Dr. Dickson, please help me abort this baby."

This time, Corey did not ask any questions because he had witnessed what Stefan had done that day. He nodded and replied with determination, "Don't worry about it. I'll help you." He paused before continuing, "But it's best that you take medication to cause the miscarriage before you leave, so you won't attract any attention.

"But…" He glanced at me and looked like he could not bear to imagine what I would go through. "Getting the abortion and having the plastic surgery afterward will cause you a lot of pain, and it has its risks."

I smiled softly as if I had just heard something that had nothing to do with me. "It's all right. I'll do anything to leave this place."

This baby had come at the wrong time, but to me, it was just an extra obstacle to remove in the process of my escape.

Since that day, I started to focus on nurturing myself and keeping my body healthy as I prepared for the surgery in accordance with the doctor's orders. In Stefan's eyes, I was being protective of our baby. He treated me lovingly during this time and would personally join me for all checkups conducted by the medical team.

Stefan would caress my belly when he came home at night, and he even customized a few precious toys for the baby before it was even born. He acted as if our baby were everything he wanted in life.

Unbeknownst to Stefan, I threw all those toys into a metal box after he left. Right at the very bottom of the box was the black, lacey underwear I found in his car. Whenever I saw it, the warm feeling I had when I received those toys would vanish. Once I was gone, I would return everything in the box to him. I wanted him to witness how dirty his love was.

Time passed quickly, and only two months were left until my surgery. That was when I suddenly received a call from the family elders. They sounded grim as they talked about what happened after the dinner event.

Trixie had posted a picture on her social media that revealed half of Stefan's face. The lighting on his side profile showcased his aloof yet handsome charisma, which instantly garnered millions of likes. This was causing distress within the core members of the family.

"Don Gallo has never revealed himself publicly."

"The high exposure will disrupt the family's discreet organization."

One of the elders paused before lowering his voice to say, "Besides, there has been a recent problem with the underground casino. If public opinion continues to spread, it's going to cause greater trouble."

They were silent before softening their tones. "Donna Gallo, we have no idea how to talk to Don Gallo about this. Do you think you'd be able to talk to him about keeping his distance from Trixie Carter?"

I laughed bitterly after listening to their request. "You should know how the Don can be. No one can interfere with his decisions."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. An elder lowered his voice. "But Donna Gallo, you're pregnant now. If…"

"That's enough," I interrupted him. "I won't involve myself with any of the family's internal affairs." I hung up after that.

All I wanted was to spend the rest of my time here quietly. Whatever happened within the family no longer had anything to do with me.

However, the matter eventually blew up. Reporters had snapped photographs of Trixie and Stefan getting into a car together outside the casino, and Stefan's face was clearly visible. News of this spread rapidly, and even though the media was quickly silenced and most of the pictures removed, it was still a fact that they had been exposed to the public from outside the casino.

Another family meeting was called under intense pressure.

"Why were there so many reporters around the casino? Our family's security has never made such a mistake before."

"We should focus on public opinion now that the situation has escalated. Sigh! If this continues, and the casino list is leaked, we'll be in big trouble. Plenty of politicians and public figures connected to our family have expressed their utmost concern."

"If this continues to escalate, it might affect our political ties…"

As the disagreements in the meeting room became louder, Stefan frowned with his hand against his forehead, as if trying to figure out a solution. That was when someone slammed the table and said, "We can get Trixie Carter to admit that she's been gambling and issue a public apology to pacify the public."

Everyone looked at each other when this idea was presented. It was a great idea that was both effective and minimized the risks. It would even pacify the public. They looked at Stefan, but he shook his head. "I can't sacrifice her."