Chapter 2

Without another glance at them, I turned and went upstairs to the bedroom, the one with photos of me from medical school all the way to the present, and started packing my few personal belongings.

If I was going to leave, I would leave cleanly, without a single trace.

From downstairs, the sound of their cheerful laughter drifted up again. My hands paused over an old trench coat I was folding.

"Luca, could you give the baby my last name as his middle name? That way, even if he calls another woman 'Mama,' he'll always have a part of his real mother with him."

Even through the floor, I could imagine the pained, deeply emotional look on Luca's face as he heard those words.

The last ember of love I once felt for him twisted into a dull ache in my chest.

My mind flashed back to the day I returned, my heart full of joy.

My suitcase was filled with rare medicine I had pulled strings to get for his chronic headaches, thinking that his old problem could finally be eased.

But at the estate's gate, I ran into Luca and Bianca returning from a walk.

Unlike the flicker of panic on Luca's face, Bianca simply looked me over, her expression detached as she sized up an unexpected visitor.

"Who are you? Are you lost? This is the Lupo family's private estate."

I didn't answer, my gaze fixed on her high, round belly.

I had been gone only ten months, and my husband had brazenly moved his old flame into our home and gotten her pregnant.

No explanation was needed for what had happened in those ten months.

As if waking from a dream, Luca finally reacted, stammering out a reply, his body instinctively moving to partially shield Bianca.

"This is Stella, my wife."

I had expected Bianca to show some sign of discomfort, but she showed none. Instead, she played the part of the lady of the house, offering me tea with a false welcome.

As she passed me, she hissed in a voice only I could hear, her words dripping with smug provocation.

"A substitute is just a substitute, Doctor. You were just a tool. The real thing is back, and with the family's heir, so you'd better get out of my way."

In that instant, ten months of longing and the sharp humiliation of betrayal constricted my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I stood frozen, staring straight at her.

Bianca's eyes were filled with unconcealed triumph. "You're in my way," she hissed, then suddenly raised her hand as if to slap me.

I instinctively sidestepped, taking a step back.

Her hand hit nothing but air. She used the momentum to throw herself backward down the stone steps with theatrical flair.

She tumbled down three steps before clutching her stomach and letting out a sharp cry.

"Stella! Why did you push me?! My baby!"

The surrounding guards and servants rushed over, separating us.

The Don and Donna arrived, drawn by the commotion. They didn't listen to a word of my defense, instead pointing at me and screaming accusations.

They accused me of having sinister motives and returning only to stir up trouble, calling me an uncultured, jealous shrew.

The Donna stepped forward, her elegant face twisted with rage.

"Don't stand there playing innocent. We've known about Luca and Bianca for months. Let me be clear, we gave him our blessing to do this!"

"Did you really think we would let the Lupo legacy die out because of a barren woman like you?"

"The family needs a pure-blooded heir to secure the throne. We don't care what methods are used to get one!"

In less than a year, Bianca had become the hero who would continue their glorious legacy.

And I, the legal wife, had been made a fool, played by everyone.

The bitterness spread through my body. I fought back tears, refusing to let them fall.

Just then, Luca walked toward me, his eyes red, and reached for my hand.

"Stella, I never meant to betray you. It's just… Bianca's health is failing. The doctors say six months, max. Her only wish was to have a child of her own."

"She took a bullet for me. I can't just watch her die on a hospital bed filled with regret... It's a blood debt. I had to repay it."

"I thought about telling you, but you were so busy with your conference. I didn't want to distract you. I planned to explain everything when you got back, to ease you into it."

"If you're willing, after she's gone, we can raise this child together. He'll be like our own, okay?"