Chapter 2

His eyes widened as he looked toward Alessia.

"You're pregnant?" he asked, and there was a twinge of something in his voice.

"Yes," Alessia answered, nodding her head.

Matteo's whole face lit up as he smiled broadly at Alessia, looking at her belly and placing his hand on her flat stomach.

"You're really pregnant?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"Yes."

"I can't believe it," he said, his excitement evident.

Then he looked up.

"I'm going to be a father. Finally!"

He looked at Alessia and me simultaneously.

"I am going to be a father!" he announced.

He seemed genuinely happy about this, which grated at me.

It felt like a personal insult. It painfully reminded me of my inability to get pregnant after three years of marriage. The hurt was almost unbearable, but I masked it.

"What do you plan to do about this?" I asked him, choosing to focus on my husband.

"Plan to do about this? What do you mean?" he asked, acting confused.

"You're not thinking I'm going to have an abortion, are you?" Alessia asked, then laughed. "This pregnancy was not an accident. We planned to have this baby. Sorry, big sis," she apologized sarcastically with a triumphant smile.

"Nobody is having an abortion," Matteo firmly said to both of us.

"Sorry, big sis. You and I both know Matteo should have been mine. Destiny is at work," Alessia told me while slowly patting her stomach.

I forced a smile back and told her,

"Come on, little sis. You didn't steal my man. You and your destiny were doing me a favour. You can have him."

Then I turned to my husband, who still seemed to be in his own little world. How could he sacrifice everything we had been through just so he could become a father with my own sister? Didn't they have any shame?

"I want a divorce," I told Matteo, my voice calm and composed, hiding my true feelings.

"Wait, what?" Matteo asked, surprised.

"You didn't really think I was going to stay with you after you cheated on me with my own sister and betrayed my trust, did you?"

"Of course, he is going to give you a divorce. He loves me, and I am pregnant now. We are going to be a family," Alessia interjected.

"You deserve each other," I said as I stood.

"My lawyers will contact you about the divorce."

I walked out with my head held high, not turning back even for a second.

I was so tired of being underrated and treated like a piece of trash by him. I was done trying to fix our marriage and begging for love. I needed to level up. I needed more for myself. I also intended to make him regret demeaning me by sleeping with my sister and getting her pregnant, deepening the pain I already carried over my own inability to conceive.

I went to a high-end, VIP-exclusive club in Milan to forget what had happened. I was determined to have the best fun of my life. I had been a good wife, working tirelessly in my husband's company and striking deals just to please him, but he had always demeaned me for my inability to bear children.

As I drank and enjoyed myself, I decided to get wild by dancing with some random guy, letting the alcohol fuel my reckless abandon and rule my body.

While dancing to the music and letting my body move, I spotted a handsome, dashing man in his early forties walk into the club. All eyes were on him, the women filled with lust and the men with jealousy. He had an energy around him that captured people's attention.

He looked around the club, and our eyes met. It was for a split second, but in my drunken state, I felt an immediate surge of desire toward him. I wondered what being close to him and feeling his body against mine would be like.

But then, as I looked closer, something struck me.

Wait, that face looks familiar.

A Night Out

While still dancing and thinking about the man who had just walked into the club, I felt the guy I was grinding against starting to get a little too handsy. His hands clumsily wandered towards my waist, then my butt, and soon he was trying to slip his fingers inside my dress.

I swatted at his hands, but he didn't stop. Frustrated, I decided to leave the dance floor, but he grabbed me and pulled me back.

I was too drunk and uncoordinated to fight him off effectively. As I pushed him away, telling him to leave me alone, I struggled to make myself heard over the music.

"Let go of me... let me go."

His hands continued their unwanted exploration. The music was too loud, everyone around us was lost in their own world, and no one seemed to notice or care.

Just as his hand began moving higher, dread filled me. I struggled to push him away.

Suddenly, I heard a fierce growl.

"Stay away from her! She said no."

The man was shoved away from me, and I looked towards my rescuer.

The voice sounded familiar, and as he stepped closer, I recognized him.

It was my father-in-law, Lorenzo.

Matteo's father.

The most gorgeous man I had ever seen.

He led me away from the dance floor and took me to a VIP table. With a concerned look on his face, he asked,

"Bianca, are you all right? What are you doing here all alone? Where's Matteo?"

"I'm fine. I'm okay, really," I replied, though my words felt hollow.

"Why are you in this state? Why are you so drunk? Does Matteo know you're here? I should call him."

He was about to take out his phone.

"No, please don't. Please don't call him."

"What's going on between the two of you? Did you fight?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now," I said slowly.

"Okay, but are you sure you're all right?" he asked, concern written across his face.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for being my hero," I said with a smile, trying to be as flirty as I could manage.

He smiled back.

"Okay, let me get you some water. You look like you really need it."

"Oh no, let's just drink. Let's continue drinking. I want to have whatever you're having."

"I don't think you're in a state to handle more alcohol," he said, calling for the server, who brought both of us bottles of water.

He watched me take a sip, and there was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. When I looked back and smiled, he avoided eye contact and shook his head.

There was something about him that had always called out to me. Although he was in his forties, he was in great shape.

I had to admit, I had always had a sort of crush on him. And since his wife had been out of the picture for years, I realized that maybe I should use this situation to get my revenge on Matteo.

He had slept with my sister. How would it feel if I did the same with his father?

I wondered what it would be like if I started dating him and eventually married him. If we got married, I'd become Matteo's stepmother.

Oh, the irony.

I'd have so much authority over him. Matteo and I both worked for his family's company. His father was the owner of the company. And as his wife, I would also become an owner of the company and probably become Matteo's boss.

It would be the ultimate revenge.

"You are very handsome," I said, my voice tinged with flirtation. "Are you seeing anyone?"

He looked at me with concern.

"I think you're too drunk. It's time I take you home. Come on."

He helped me up from my seat and started guiding me outside the club with a hand on my back.

When we got inside the car, he helped me in and then fastened my seatbelt. He kept shaking his head, clearly amused, but I was too drunk to care.

He got into the driver's seat, and just before he started the car, he turned to me and said,

"What is this about? I've never seen you like this, drunk and acting this way. What's going on? Did you have a fight with Matteo?"

"Matteo is cheating on me," I said, my voice flat as I stared ahead.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, I didn't expect that."

"Neither did I," I replied, laughing bitterly. "But the last thing I want to think about is him."

"I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need to talk or anything."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, but since you're already here, maybe you can help me with something else."

"Something else? Like what?" he asked cautiously as I traced my hand over his jacket.

There was something about the way he carried himself and the way he dressed, not trying to look young, but not looking old either. He was perfectly in the middle, so captivating.

"Stop it, Bianca. You're not thinking straight," he said firmly.

"Maybe tonight I'm thinking straighter than I ever have in my entire life."

"Okay, that's enough. I'm taking you home now," he said, starting the car and heading out of the parking lot.

"No, you can't take me there. I'm not going back," I protested.

"Why? Where should I take you? Do you want me to take you to your parents' house?"

"My parents' house?" I echoed, my mind flashing to Alessia and her pregnancy, and then to my parents.

"No, that's the last place I want to be. Just get me a hotel or something."

He took me to a nearby hotel in Milan, and as he checked me in, I sat in the lobby, feeling the room spin slightly. When he was done, he handed me the key card.

"Here. Can you make it up there?"

"I'm so woozy. I don't think I can do it by myself," I replied, feeling a little helpless.

He sighed, took my hand, and led me towards the elevator.

"No, I don't think it's a great idea. I think I'm just going to go. You're already here, and you're fine," he responded, clearly uncomfortable.

"What if something happens to me?" I asked.

"Nothing's going to happen to you," he said.

"How do you know that?"

"What do you want from me now?"

"Come inside. We can stay on the couch or something. Don't leave me alone. I really don't want to be alone tonight."

He looked at me, weighing his options, before finally relenting.

"All right, fine," he said, closing the door behind him and stepping into the room.

He went and took a seat on the sofa, and I sat down next to him.

"Do you want some coffee?" he asked. "Maybe I could order it or something."

"No, just a glass of water, maybe," I said softly.

He poured water into a glass from a bottle and handed it to me. Our eyes met, and there was tension in the air as we both struggled to find the right words, searching for something to say to each other.

Then, all of a sudden, I kissed him.

He responded with equal intensity, and the moment quickly became something neither of us had expected. Before long, we found ourselves in the bedroom, carried away by emotions, alcohol, and the complicated feelings that had been building between us.

When it was over, I lay there in silence, realizing that something inside me had changed. For the first time in years, I felt wanted, desired, and completely free from the pain that had followed me throughout my marriage.

When the morning sunlight filtered into the room, I was groggy from the alcohol and the late night, but then I saw him, my hero from the night before.

"Here, take this. It'll help," he said, handing me a pill and some water.

I took the pill and drank the water, feeling the headache slowly begin to dissipate.

"I'm so sorry," he kept saying, his voice filled with regret. "I don't know what I was thinking. I never meant to take advantage of you. I really don't know how or what to do about this. I just..."

I frowned, confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm really sorry. I never meant for it to happen. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, if Matteo finds out about this..."

"Matteo is the last person I'm thinking about," I cut him off. "Last night was the best night of my life. I can't believe you finally gave me something I've been dreaming about for so long. You fulfilled all the fantasies I had been too afraid to admit."

He shook his head, clearly distressed.

"No, you're not thinking straight. This isn't right. I'm your father-in-law."

"Soon-to-be father-in-law. Matteo and I are getting a divorce."

His expression softened.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"He cheated on me," I continued, my voice trembling. "With Alessia, my sister."

His eyes widened.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Alessia, your younger sister? He didn't do that."

"He did," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. "They've been seeing each other for the past three months. She's pregnant. She's expecting his baby."

He listened as I told him everything that had happened when I confronted Matteo. His expression became increasingly furious.

"I can't believe Matteo would do this. After everything... After his mother left me and I had to raise him by myself, he knows how much I hate cheating. He knows how much his mother's betrayal hurt me. How could he do the same thing? I can't believe he would stoop so low. I'm so disappointed in him right now."

"Yes," I replied, my voice steady. "And that's why I'm going to get a divorce."

He nodded.

"Of course. You deserve nothing but the best. Your father asked me to take care of you, and I was very happy when you and Matteo got married. I thought he was going to treat you right. But after this betrayal, you are completely justified in asking for a divorce."

"I never imagined it would end like this," I admitted.

"I know," he said gently. "But sometimes things don't work out the way we hoped. You have to think about your future and what's best for you."

I looked at him.

"You know," I began, "I'm not as hurt by Matteo's betrayal as I thought I'd be."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Maybe... maybe it happened for the best. Maybe it was what I needed to finally realize what I really want in life."

He watched me closely, waiting for me to continue.

"For a long time," I confessed, "I've had feelings for someone else. Someone who's always been there, someone I've admired since I was a little girl. Back when you were just my father's friend, I had the biggest crush on you. And that feeling never really went away."

His eyes widened slightly as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

I took a deep breath, gathering my courage.

"So, I need to ask you something. Would you marry me?"

He didn't say anything. He simply stared at me, shock written all over his face.