Chapter 2

When I left the hospital, dawn was just beginning to break. I stopped at a 24-hour pharmacy on the corner and bought a pregnancy test.

It had been more than 50 days since my last period. With Antonino's condition fluctuating so much lately, I hadn't had the time or energy to give it my attention.

When I returned to the Moretti estate, I locked myself in the bathroom.

Three minutes later, two clear red lines slowly appeared. As I stared at them, tears suddenly streamed down my face.

I was 36 years old. After all these years, I was finally going to have a child of my own. And yet, it happened on the very day I discovered that my husband already had a son.

My phone suddenly lit up.

It was a photo from Adriano. Antonino was sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed, with the oxygen mask he'd been using still lying beside him.

Beneath the photo was a message that read, "Stop overthinking things. Once Antonino is discharged, we'll go back to our usual lives."

I lowered my head and touched my stomach that was still flat. Inside me was the child Adriano and I had created together.

Early the next morning, I went to a private clinic in the southern part of the city that had no ties to the Moretti famiglia. The examination showed that I was nine weeks pregnant.

The doctor's expression became increasingly grim as she looked over my results. "Have you ever suffered a serious abdominal injury?"

I nodded. It was an old injury from my days running smuggling operations.

She then asked, "Have you experienced any bleeding recently?"

I replied, "A little. A few days ago."

She handed me the report and said, "You suffered significant abdominal trauma in the past, and your uterus was damaged. You're also having your first baby at an advanced maternal age, so you're at higher risk of bleeding during pregnancy. You need to be extremely careful.

"If you have any more bleeding or persistent abdominal pain, go to the hospital immediately. Don't wait, and don't stay home alone."

I tightened my grip on the report and asked, "Is the baby okay?"

The doctor's expression finally softened as she replied, "Based on the ultrasound, everything looks normal so far. We can already see the fetal pole and heartbeat."

My nose stung, and tears welled in my eyes.

It wasn't as if I had never wanted a child of my own.

Back when Antonino first came to the estate, Adriano had told me that he felt insecure. And if we had a child of our own at that time, he would think we were going to abandon him all over again.

So, I waited two years.

After Antonino had started school, Adriano had questioned me, "If you get pregnant, who will take him to school every day? Who will go to his training sessions with him? And who will protect him when I'm not at the estate?"

Later, an old injury suddenly flared up while I was traveling somewhere for one of the family's smuggling deals.

The night before my surgery, Adriano had held me in his arms and said, "I don't care whether you can have children. All I care about is that you get through this safely, Lucrezia."

I had been so moved that I couldn't sleep that night. I even thought I must have been blessed by God to have married a man like him.

Now, I finally understood. Of course, he didn't care whether I could have children—he already had a son.

At noon, I carried the meal the housekeeper had prepared into the hospital room.

The moment I opened the door, I saw a woman sitting beside Antonino's bed. That woman was a stranger, but she was still kind of familiar to me in a way.

It was Elena Gallo.

Over the years, she had occasionally sent Antonino gifts through someone else on Christmas. On his birthdays, she would mail him an unsigned card.

Vittoria had always forbidden her from getting near the child. She said Elena was unpredictable and might suddenly show up one day and take Luca's only son away from the Moretti famiglia.

I had even helped Vittoria guard against her.

Looking back, I found it all quite laughable.

I set the food on the table and asked, "Why are you here?"

Elena reached out and stroked Antonino's hair. "I heard he had an asthma attack and almost didn't make it."

The moment Antonino saw me, he sat up and said, "Mama, I'm hungry."

Elena's hand stopped in midair as a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes. I said nothing and just lowered my head to pour Antonino a bowl of soup.

Adriano soon hurried over from the family's meeting.

The moment he saw Elena, his expression darkened. "Who gave you permission to come here?"

Elena stood up and defended herself. "My son nearly died. Can't I come and see him?"

Adriano pulled open the hospital room door and demanded, "Let's talk outside."

Elena followed him out.

I set down the spoon, waited a few seconds, and then quietly left the room as well.

In the stairwell, I heard Elena's voice, which was laced with restrained anger. "It's been seven years, Adriano. Back then, I listened to Vittoria and didn't fight for Antonino. Later, you told me Lucrezia was taking good care of him, so I kept my distance.

"Now, my son has had an asthma attack, and I can't even come and see how he's doing?"

Adriano's voice was cold. "You were the one who didn't want him back then."

Elena gave a bitter laugh and said, "Yes, I was scared back then. I had no job, no place to live, and I'd had a child with a married man. Your mother paid me to leave and told me that if Antonino stayed with the Moretti famiglia, at least he'd grow up safe.

"But what right do you have to put all the blame on me? When you slept with me, did you ever think about what would happen to this child after he was born?"

A buzzing ring filled my ears.

Adriano's infidelity hadn't been some reckless mistake from before our marriage. It had happened after we were already married.

Elena spoke again. "You let your dead brother play the role of Antonino's father for seven years. Aren't you afraid he'll curse you from heaven?"

Adriano's voice dropped sharply. "Enough. Don't ever bring this up again. Lucrezia treats Antonino like her own son! Are you so determined to destroy our family?"

Elena was silent for several seconds. "Then what am I?"

Adriano sighed and replied, "You'll get everything I promised you—every last bit of it."

I turned around and went back to the hospital room. Antonino was holding his bowl and drinking his soup.

He looked up at me with a smile and said, "Mama, it's really good."

I pulled out a tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth. My movements were no different from the past seven years. The only difference was that my fingers wouldn't stop trembling.

That afternoon, Adriano saw Elena off. When he returned, he sat beside me as if nothing had happened.

He asked, "She didn't say anything to you, did she?"

I looked at him and responded, "Are you afraid she'll say something to me?"

He froze for half a second before smiling. "Nothing. I was just worried she'd suddenly decide to take Antonino away."

He reached for my hand and said, "Lucrezia, I know you've sacrificed a lot for Antonino all these years. Once he's discharged, I'll make it up to you."

I looked up at him. "What if I want a child of my own?"

Adriano stared at me for several seconds. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

My voice was quiet. "Suddenly? I've been asking you for seven years."

Adriano frowned and said, "Antonino just came out of danger. Don't talk about having children in front of him."

Antonino again. It was always Antonino.

That night, I fell asleep in the car on the way back to the estate. When I woke up, Adriano's jacket was draped over me.

He had always been like this.

He remembered that I drank my coffee without sugar. He knew that thunderstorms gave me headaches.

That was why I couldn't understand him. How could he love me while deceiving me for seven years and giving me absolutely nothing but lies?