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Chapter 11
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From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 11
Two weeks without Giovanni felt like finally breathing again.Didn't last.After seeing Helena's true colors, his regret only made him worse. My phone blew up nonstop. Random gifts piled at my door.He hacked his way into Bella's school records as her "emergency contact."The Don bought the damn mansion next door. At night, I'd catch him in the garden with binoculars."Mom, that bastard's here again!" Bella yelled, pointing out the window. Giovanni was halfway over the wall.I'd had enough.The very next day, their scandal broke worldwide.That shady message I'd gotten? Totally Helena. She kept receipts like trophies, so I pulled them all and dropped the whole mess online.Headlines screamed: [Young Don Busted With Stepmom—Old Don Barely Cold in the Ground While Widow and Stepson Hook Up]. The Corleones had never been so humiliated.Giovanni drowned in damage control, scrambling to save both the Family and the business.Still, he wouldn't let me breathe.One afternoon, my p
From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 10
I hadn't planned on going, but curiosity won. Plus, I still had to shove the divorce papers in his face.When I opened the door, Giovanni was sprawled on the bed.One look, and I laughed.Bathrobe, hair slicked perfect, the cologne I used to like heavy in the air. The robe hung loose, chest and abs on full display.He caught me staring, rose slow, belt sliding undone, robe sinking low on his hips."Lili..." His voice went husky, eyes burning. "After tonight, let's start over, okay?""Sure." I dropped my bag on the couch, smirking.His eyes lit up. He dropped to one knee, slipping off my shoes, fingers tracing my ankle like worship."Let me serve you, Lili. Just like... when we first married."Only now, the roles were flipped.Back then, I was the one at his mercy. Tonight, he was the one begging.He kissed my foot, tongue brushing my ankle, then moved higher, unfastening my buttons with practiced hands.Kneeling between my legs, the same mouth that once degraded me now wors
From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 9
In the days after, Giovanni kicked off his so-called "pursuit."No clue where he got that kind of confidence, but my cold shoulder didn't even scratch him.At my book signing, 9,999 roses showed up with a card: [Come home, Lili.]I told the staff to dump them.Weird thing? The more I brushed him off, the more hyped he got.When Bella walked out of school, a limited-edition Ferrari was waiting. Giovanni stood there in a suit, holding an ice cream cone.She rolled her eyes and yanked her friend the other way.When that bombed, he switched to threats.He tried to strong-arm my publisher into canceling my release, thinking he could cut me off financially.Bad move. The guy picking me up that day was Lorenzo—CEO of the biggest publishing group in the world.I didn't even have to speak. Lorenzo instantly cut every media and business tie with Giovanni's Family.Giovanni stormed in, furious, eyes black as night."Liliana, what the hell do you want from me? We're not even divorced!"
From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 8
Giovanni's face twisted.He glared at me, stunned. "Liliana! This is how you raised her?"I squeezed Bella's hand, smiling. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?""Of course I do!" he snapped, rage simmering—he'd never been humiliated by a kid before.The second he blamed me, Bella bristled."My mom's the best mom ever!" Her cheeks burned red, voice carrying. "She gave me love, respect, freedom—all the stuff you losers don't even get!"His face went black, but Bella didn't stop. She went in for the kill."And your mom's trash. She taught you to sleep with her. That's sick!"The room went still. Not a whisper, just the sound of phones tapping—some filming."Lili... how did you—""How did I know?" I cut him off. "Because you never hid it. Or maybe I was just invisible to you.""That's not true, I—"His phone buzzed. Helena's shriek blasted through the speaker. "Gio! What is that kid saying? STOP HER! That video's everywhere—FIX IT!"He hung up with a snarl, scrolling through the f
From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 7
I held Bella's hand as we stepped off the stage, flashes popping all around us."Ms. Bettini! What does winning the Nobel Prize mean to you?""It means sci-fi finally gets respect," I said with a grin. "And it means women who were underestimated can rewrite their lives."Bella stood next to me in her leather jacket and ripped jeans—zero interest in playing the perfect society kid. Her chin was up, eyes sharp, like a baby leopard about to pounce.When someone asked if she felt bad about not having a dad, she rolled her eyes."My mom's a Nobel Prize winner. What's there to regret?" Her voice was ice. "Maybe worry about asking better questions."I laughed, light and easy.I'd never dumped my past on Bella. She was wild and free, exactly how she wanted to be.We slid into our seats in the front row—too close to Giovanni.He raked a hand through his hair, then stood and strutted over with that fake confident smile."Lili." He stopped in front of me, hand out. "Drink later?"I bli
From Betrayed Wife to Nobel Queen Chapter 6
Giovanni sat frozen, nailed to his seat.The host's voice boomed with excitement."Ms. Bettini is the first female author in sci-fi history to win the Nobel Prize in Literature! Her masterpiece, The Ring Nebula, shattered the wall keeping sci-fi writers at the edge of nominations, breaking long-held prejudice against women in the genre!"The words barely registered.Sci-fi? A Nobel Prize?The wife he'd written off as a pampered girl scribbling nonsense now stood at the peak of world literature.The crowd buzzed."I heard she's a single mom. Raised her daughter on her own.""Yeah, she even said in an interview the book was a gift from her and her kid to all women: 'May we always belong to ourselves.'"Giovanni's chest tightened.With him, she'd never been allowed to belong to herself.Her voice came back to him, small, almost afraid:"Gio, I wrote some stories back in college... do you think I could keep writing?"He hadn't even looked up from his papers. "Don't waste your
