I Faked My Death to Destroy My Husband
He chose his mistress on our anniversary. He didn't know I was already planning my funeral.
For three years, I was the perfect wife. I swallowed the insults from his family. I bore the guilt of our daughter’s death. Everyone blamed me. Yet, I loved Mateo Santiago with everything I had.
Until the day I found out the truth.
On the same day I discovered I was pregnant again, I learned my husband was expecting a child with another woman: my own step-aunt, Valentina. And worse? I finally discovered that he was the one responsible for our first daughter's death, not me.
I didn't scream. I didn't fight. I simply texted him: "Your birthday is in three months. I’ll prepare a gift you’ll never forget."
Ninety days later, Mateo Santiago watched my car burn at the bottom of a cliff. He buried an empty casket and cried for a wife he thought he loved.
But Isabella Romano didn't die that day. She just disappeared.
Five years later, I’m back. I’m no longer the weak, broken woman he married. I am Alessia, the face of a rival empire, and I have a son who looks just like him. Standing beside me is Dante. He is the man who raised me from the ashes and showed me what real love looks like.
Mateo wants his wife back. He wants to know if the boy is his.
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Chapter: SecretIsabella’s POVI came to the dining room at 8:00 PM. Dante was waiting in his chair. He didn't start eating until I sat down.We ate in silence for ten minutes. I waited for him to speak, to answer the questions I wasn't asking. But he didn't. He just ate quietly, without bothering about my existence or even asking about the breach.I finally set my fork down. I couldn't take the silence anymore. "Why?" I asked.Dante grabbed the glass and took a slow sip of wine. "Why what, Alessia?""Why did you come to the café?" I leaned forward, my hands flat on the table. "You fired me. You made it clear you didn't want me in your building."Dante set his glass down. He leaned back, his eyes darkening. "I told you. I have a breach. And locating you was easy.""Liar." I uttered even before I realized. "The 'L’Oscuro' doesn't leave his office and drive for two hours for a minor breach. You have a whole department for that. You went for a specific reason."Silence followed. Dante’s gaze dropped to
Last Updated: 2025-12-31
Chapter: Was I a test?Isabella’s POVAfter taking shower, I wore one of the few clean dresses I owned. It was a simple dark green wrap dress.Exactly at 8:00 PM, a knock sounded at the door. It was an older woman in maid uniform. She came in and smiled. "Signorina Moretti? I am Maria. Dinner is served in the formal dining room. Please, follow me." She said in Italian.I followed her down the stair and reached the dining room. Dante was already there. He was sitting at the head of a long wooden table. He wore a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up, showing his muscular veiny arms.When he noticed me, he pointed to the chair opposite of him.“Sit.”I did. Another servant came almost immediately and placed a plate in front of me. Seared salmon, vegetables, and grains.“You’re not going to eat?” I asked as I noticed his plate only had a small piece of steak and a glass of red wine.“I already ate.” He said. Nodding, I picked up my fork. “You haven’t asked me how I ended up working in that café.”“I don’t
Last Updated: 2025-12-31
Chapter: No promisesIsabella’s POVI walked into the back room of the café and shoved my few belongings into my bag. My laptop. A few changes of clothes that I managed to buy from thrift market. And the ultrasound photo, which I tucked deep inside a book. When I came out, Dante was waiting by the door."I am ready.” I said, lifting my chin.He took the bag from my hand without asking.Outside, a sleek black car was waiting. It was polished, dark, and dangerous just like him.He opened the passenger door for me. I hesitated. Getting into this car meant leaving "Alessia" the free woman behind. It meant walking into the lion’s den. I touched my stomach instinctively.For the baby, I reminded myself. I need food. I need a roof. I need safety.I slid into the leather seat. Dante got in the driver's seat. He didn't call his chauffeur. He drove himself while his two ‘associates’ followed us in another car.The silence was awkward. So I pulled my phone out to text Irene.Me: I’m coming back to Rome. I got a job
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: The devil’s offerIsabella’s POVI could feel his gaze on my pale skin, the dark circles under my eyes, and the way my hands were still shaking near my midsection.I tried to summon my pride. I tried to stand tall, but my legs felt like water. "What are you doing here, Signore Galante? Did you drive two hours to fire me from the cafe, too?"A muscle leaped in his jaw."I told you.” He paused as he took a step closer, crowding me against the counter. "I like watching people fail. But I am not sure I liked this one."“What do you expect?” I snapped. “You fired me. You didn’t even give me a reason.”“You want a reason?” Dante stepped closer, filling the space. “Fine. First reason: You walked into a high-pressure job knowing your body couldn’t handle it.”His eyes dropped to my stomach. My breath caught.“Second reason: I don't keep distractions in my SOC. And you, Alessia, are a very loud distraction.”“A distraction?” I laughed bitterly, gripping the table to stay upright. “I sat in a corner and did my
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: AccusedIsabella’s POV I didn't go back to the apartment that night. I couldn't face Irene and tell her I had failed again. Instead, I took a bus as far away from the center of Rome and ended up in a small seaside town. It was a place for tourists who couldn't afford the Amalfi Coast and locals who had nowhere else to go. I found work at Caffè del Mare and a tiny place to stay. The owner, a man named Bruno didn't ask for papers. "You work twelve hours, you get fifty Euros, a meal and a bed to sleep on. Take it or leave it." He had told me. I took it. ~Two Weeks Later~ My strength was draining. My back was screaming. Every time I carried a heavy tray of seafood pasta, my stomach turned. I hadn't eaten a real meal in three days. I was saving my money for the prenatal vitamins I had managed to find at a local pharmacy. "Table four is waiting, Moretti! Move!" Bruno barked. "Coming, Bruno," I whispered as I moved through the crowded tables. “Check, please.” A man at table
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
Chapter: Quattro MinutiIsabella’s POVI thought I had misheard him. The man who had just saved me from hitting the floor, the man who had fired my bully with a single word, was now firing me. What kind of sick joke was this?“Fired?” I repeated. I thought of the empty Bitcoin wallet. I thought of the rent in Rome. I thought of the ultrasound tucked into my bag.Dante didn't explain. He simply turned his back on me, already leaving.“Wait!” I called out.The other analysts gasped. Nobody shouted at Dante Galante. He stopped and turned his head just enough to look at me over his shoulder.“You saw what happened.” I said, my voice gaining strength from pure desperation. “He shoved me. I didn't break the protocol. I have worked sixteen hours a day for a month. I am the most efficient analyst on this floor.”Dante turned fully now. He took a slow, predatory step toward me. He was so tall I had to lift my neck to see him.“Miss. Moretti. You heard me. You are fired. I decide who leaves and who stays in my comp
Last Updated: 2025-12-30
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