Chapter 2

Cruel.

I had never thought that would be Dante’s word for me.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and took a slow breath.

“Then get rid of the child in my belly.”

The car lurched as Dante hit the brakes and pulled to the curb. He turned back to me, eyes dark with anger.

“Are you insane? Don’t ever say that again. I won’t lose your child, and I won’t let Serena lose hers either.”

I looked at him and suddenly found it almost funny.

He wanted both children kept, but only one of them was allowed to have a name.

The next morning, Russo men appeared around the villa. Dante took my phone and locked the outer gates, saying I needed rest and could not be allowed to act emotionally while pregnant.

I understood what he really meant.

He was afraid I would ruin Serena’s fake wedding.

Two days later, I woke to noise downstairs. When I walked out, Serena and her mother, Lucia De Luca, were standing in the entrance hall, directing servants to carry luggage, garment trunks, and sealed De Luca security cases into the house.

Lucia looked me over and gave a cold laugh.

“So this is the woman Dante keeps hidden. Pregnant with a child no one can acknowledge, yet still shameless enough to stay in his house.”

She wrapped an arm around Serena’s shoulders.

“My poor daughter. You’re carrying Dante’s child in public, yet he still keeps this woman under the same roof.”

Serena lowered her head, her lashes trembling just enough to look wounded.

“Mother, please don’t say that. Aria has been with Dante for years. If she hates me, I can understand. I only hope she won’t take it out on the baby.”

When Lucia went upstairs with the servants, Serena looked at me and smiled.

“So what if he says he loves you? My child is the one he’ll claim. My wedding is the one he’ll stand in. You’re the one he has to hide.”

I did not want to argue with her. I swallowed the pain and tried to walk past.

Serena suddenly caught my wrist and leaned close.

“You still don’t understand, do you? As long as this child exists, Dante will keep choosing me.”

Before I could pull away, she let herself fall against the staircase.

“Aria, why would you push me? I know you hate me, but my baby is innocent.”

Dante’s voice came from behind me.

“Aria, what did you do?”

I turned and saw him standing at the foot of the stairs, his face already dark.

Serena cried harder and reached toward him. Lucia rushed down from the second floor, furious.

“Dante, this is exactly what I warned you about. As long as she stays here, my daughter will never be safe. Either you send her away, or I take Serena back to her father and this wedding ends today.”

Serena buried her face against Dante’s chest, but over his shoulder, she looked at me and smiled.

Dante stayed silent for a long time. Just when Serena thought she had won, he gently pushed her back and walked to my side.

“If you want to leave, you can take Serena home,” he said to Lucia. “But I won’t throw Aria out.”

Serena’s expression froze.

For one brief second, something in my chest moved.

Then Lucia’s face hardened.

“You hurt my daughter, Dante. If you insist on keeping this woman here, then at least make Serena feel respected. She is carrying the child everyone believes is yours. She should not be treated like a guest.”

Dante looked at me.

He did not ask directly, but I understood.

Another sacrifice.

By that afternoon, I was moved out of the upstairs bedroom and into the old medical observation room on the first floor. Years ago, when I was still undergoing treatment, Dante had kept it prepared for emergencies. Now the monitors were gone, but the room still smelled faintly of alcohol wipes and closed windows.

Serena took the master bedroom for her pregnancy, the adjoining room for the nursery, and the east salon for her wedding gowns and De Luca gifts.

Dante came to me that evening.

“It’s only temporary,” he said. “I’m trying to calm Lucia down. Once the wedding is over, I’ll make it up to you.”

I did not argue.

Where I slept no longer mattered. I was already thinking about how to leave.

Every day, I watched the guards change shifts and memorized which servants still dared to speak to me. I even considered asking Serena for help. After all, she wanted me gone more than anyone.

But when I found her alone in the garden and asked whether she would help me leave, she only laughed softly.

“Aria, if Dante doesn’t want you to go, how could I help you? You still don’t understand us. Dante and I grew up in the same world. He may love you, but he trusts me in ways you’ll never understand.”

For once, she was not pretending.

That was when I realized she was right.

There was an understanding between them that had nothing to do with love, yet it was strong enough to crush me.

After that, the villa became Serena’s stage.

Dante came home every night and went to her room first. He listened while she spoke about the wedding guest list, De Luca protocol, the chapel flowers, and the baby. Sometimes he read to the child in her belly because Serena said the baby liked his voice.

By the time he came to my room, it was usually close to midnight.

I would lie with my back to the door and pretend to be asleep.

One night, he stood beside my bed for a long time before touching my shoulder.

“Are you asleep?”

I did not answer.

“I know you’re awake.”

I turned slightly, still facing the wall.

“What do you want?”

His voice was lower than usual.

“Do you hate me that much now? Do you really not believe I love you?”

For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered the pregnancy report, Serena’s smile, Lucia’s insults, and the room he had moved me into.

How could he still expect belief from me?

I kept my voice calm.

“I’ll carry the child to term. But locking me here is bad for the baby. I need fresh air, my phone, and internet access. I have medical records to review and research files I still need to finish.”

Dante slipped onto the bed behind me and carefully pulled me into his arms.

“All right,” he said, sounding almost relieved. “As long as you rest and don’t upset yourself, I’ll give you whatever you need.”

I closed my eyes.

He thought I was finally becoming obedient.

He did not know I had only stopped wasting strength on him.