Chapter 1

For seven years, I had been the secret of Enzo Gallo, the new Don of the Gallo family.

When I went to register our son Lucas's birth, I discovered Enzo had already married his sister-in-law, Camilla, and claimed her child as his own.

Her child became the heir to the family, with all the privileges that entailed.

My child became a shameful bastard.

Years ago, after Enzo's brother died, the family elders gave Enzo one condition to become Don: he had to have an heir with his sister-in-law to secure the Gallo bloodline.

That night, Enzo held me close and swore I was his only true wife.

He promised that once Camilla gave birth, he would give me the wedding I deserved.

But he missed Lucas's birthday the day Camilla went into labor.

Instead of the wedding he promised me, all I got was the news of his marriage to his sister-in-law.

My son gently wiped away my tears with his small hand:

"Mamma, don't be sad. I changed my birthday wish. I don't want a Papa anymore."

"I don't care about being an heir. Having you is enough."

I pulled Lucas into my arms, swallowing the bitterness that rose in my throat.

"Who says you aren't an heir? Baby, Mamma is taking you home. To our family."

What Enzo doesn't know is that I am the only daughter of the most powerful Mafia family in Sicily. I never cared about being the Donna of the Gallo family.

...

"Franco, I'm giving notice. My last day will be in one month."

The Gallo family's Consigliere looked up in surprise, his cigar pausing mid-air.

"So suddenly? Does the Don know?"

I gave him the excuse I had prepared long ago.

"I have a family emergency back in Italy. A... medical crisis I need to handle."

Franco nodded thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.

"Fair enough. In our world, being the private physician for a man like Enzo means living on a knife's edge."

"And it's not easy raising a child alone."

I managed a smile. He wasn't wrong. I was, after all, about to become a single mother.

Yesterday, I went to City Hall to file for Lucas's birth certificate and social security number.

The clerk rejected me with a practiced smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bianchi. Mr. Gallo's records show he's already married. Furthermore, just the day before yesterday, they registered a newborn."

I froze, staring at the photocopy.

Enzo and Camilla's names were listed side by side, and the infant labeled "Heir" had stolen everything that should have belonged to Lucas.

My child had officially become illegitimate, a shameful secret.

As I walked out of the conference room, I came face to face with Enzo and Camilla.

Enzo Gallo, my...

What was he to me? My employer of seven years. The father of my son.

Seven years ago, I was a young medical student. Our son was conceived on a single drunken, rainy night.

I became his deepest secret, his hidden lover.

That same year, his older brother was killed in a gang war.

To inherit the title of Don, the family elders demanded he marry his sister-in-law, Camilla, and produce an heir with a pure Gallo bloodline.

And so, for seven years, we've maintained this clandestine relationship within the walls of this estate.

It's also the seventh year he has forbidden our son from calling him Papa.

Enzo walked slowly, his attention devoted to the woman beside him and the bundle in her arms.

Camilla wore expensive, custom-made flats, holding a newborn baby with gentle movements, one hand linked intimately with Enzo's arm.

Her face was a mixture of arrogance and the smug satisfaction of a woman who was already the Gallo family matriarch.

As we passed each other, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't stop myself from speaking.

"Enzo..."

He stopped short. Those dark eyes, usually filled with lust and possession when they looked at me, were now icy. "Dr. Bianchi."

Polite, distant, and professional.

He was reminding me of my place: here on the estate, we were nothing more than employer and employee.

And the woman beside him was his one and only Donna, recognized by all Five Families.

I understood the warning in his eyes and swallowed the words I couldn't say.

"Don Gallo."

Enzo's Adam's apple bobbed. He gave a low "Mm" and kept walking, shielding Camilla and their child, as if the person he'd just passed was a complete stranger.

I gave a self-deprecating smile and swallowed the news of my immediate resignation.

It's not like he would care anyway.

A vibration from my pocket pulled me from my thoughts. It was a message from Lucas on his GPS watch.

[Mamma, is Papa coming home for my birthday?]

I froze for a second and instinctively glanced back.

I saw Enzo lean down, cooing at the infant in Camilla's arms, reveling in his new role as a father.

When a family member walked by, he reflexively pulled Camilla and the baby closer, the affection in his eyes impossible to miss.

Suppressing the ache in my chest, I sent a message to Enzo's private, encrypted number.

[Today is Lucas's sixth birthday. Are you free tonight?]

From fifty feet away, I saw Enzo glance at his phone, then set it down less than three seconds later without a change in his expression.

He went back to listening to Camilla's whispers.

Staring at the unanswered message, I laughed at my own foolishness.

Aurora, when are you going to wake up?

In moments of passion, he'd sworn that once Camilla gave birth to the Gallo heir, he would make me his true Donna.

But now the heir was born and legally registered, and I felt like a monumental joke.

And to think I had actually believed him.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket, took a deep breath, and turned to leave.

Enzo, you're going to be free very soon.

Back in the secluded annex where we lived, I pushed open the door to find Lucas's small form perched on the windowsill.

When he saw me, his eyes lit up.

"Mamma, it's my birthday."

His next words were:

"Mamma, is Papa going to celebrate with me?"

"He said a man only marries the woman he loves most. Why hasn't he married you yet?"

Looking at the little face so much like Enzo's, I thought of the marriage certificate bearing Camilla's name, and my eyes began to sting.

"Lucas, your papa, he..."

Before I could finish, my phone rang.

Enzo had finally replied.

[I have time. I'll be home.]

A surge of joy washed over me, and I nodded eagerly.

"Don't worry, Lucas. Papa is coming home."

My son clapped his hands and threw himself into my arms with excitement.

For seven years, this was the first time Enzo had ever promised to be with his son on his birthday.

That evening, I prepared a table of exquisite dishes. Lucas, dressed in his neatest little shirt, sat obediently in his chair.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

The candles had burned halfway down. The steak was completely cold.

I sent him message after message, asking where he was.

Just like countless times before, they went unanswered, sinking like stones in the sea.

Lucas seemed to understand. He looked up at me, his voice soft and hesitant.

"Mamma, does Papa have family business to take care of again?"

A sharp pain shot through my heart. I wanted to make an excuse for him, but the words wouldn't come.

All I could manage to say was, "It's okay. Mamma will always be with you."

Lucas didn't ask again and quietly picked up his birthday hat.

"Mamma, will you help me put it on?"

I nodded. As I reached for it, a notification on my phone caught my eye. It was a new social media post from Camilla.

[The Little Prince of the Gallo family has arrived. The greatest gift God could give us.]