All Chapters of His Secret Wife and Son: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Jo POVThe night I decided to end my marriage, New York slept outside our penthouse windows.Only the cursor on my laptop stayed awake—blinking beside the words Divorce Agreement.I was about to type my name when the door slammed open.Giovanni Romano—heir to New York’s most feared Mafia family—stumbled in, smelling of whiskey and someone else’s perfume.But for once, he was smiling.And not at me.At our son.“Come here, kid,” he said, his voice rough, uneven.Leo froze, clutching the little airplane I’d found at a thrift store last week.Then he ran to him—because children always run toward the people who hurt them most.Giovanni lifted him up.It was the first time in seven years I’d ever seen him hold his own child.Leo’s voice trembled. “Mom… why’s Uncle Gio smiling?”Uncle. Always Uncle. Never Dad.I forced a smile that stung my lips.“Because, sweetheart,” I said softly, “the woman he loves just came back.”He blinked, confused. “Then… we should leave, right? So we don’t bother

Chapter 2

When I walked into the Romano Group’s marble lobby that morning, I didn’t expect to see him with her.Giovanni Romano — my husband, my son’s father — stood by the glass elevator, gently brushing a strand of hair from Elena Duval’s face.She was all soft laughter and pale perfume, the kind of woman who looked like she belonged in champagne ads, not in the same world as me.And the way he looked at her — like she was the air he hadn’t breathed in years — burned straight through me.Someone beside me whispered, “Guess the boss finally found his heart.”I smiled back like it didn’t hurt. But inside, it felt like something inside me cracked open.Seven years ago, Giovanni and Elena were the golden couple—a Mafia prince and the diplomat’s daughter who supposedly left him to save her family.People said her father was threatened, that she ran to France for safety.But people who run for their lives don’t send postcards from Paris.He called it betrayal. She called it sacrifice.Maybe both wer

Chapter 3

He said he’d come.For the first time in seven years, Giovanni promised to show up.When his message appeared on my phone — [I’ll be there] — I read it twice just to be sure. Then I showed it to Leo like it was a miracle.“See, baby? Daddy’s coming tonight.”His whole face lit up.He spent the entire afternoon telling me about the awards he’d won, the compliments from his teachers, how he’d been elected class leader.“He’ll be proud of me, right, Mom? Maybe he’ll finally like me.”I smiled, even as something heavy pressed against my chest. “Of course, sweetheart. He’ll see how amazing you are.”By six o’clock, the clock on our wall had chimed more times than I could count.The meeting started at seven.Giovanni still hadn’t shown.I told myself he might be stuck in traffic. That maybe his phone had died.Anything but the truth I already knew.Then my phone lit up.Not from him.From her.A public post on Instagram — Elena Duval, his long-lost love, smiling for the camera.Behind her, G

Chapter 4

I spotted him the moment we walked into the classroom.Giovanni Romano — my husband, my son’s father — sitting by the window like he belonged there.Next to him was a small boy I didn’t recognize.For a second, I couldn’t breathe.Leo’s class had only been open for half a year. Giovanni didn’t even know which grade he was in.Before I could stop him, Leo’s face lit up.He ran forward, his little backpack bouncing with every step.“Dad, you—”Giovanni’s eyes snapped toward him. Cold. Cautious.“What did you just call me?”The color drained from Leo’s face.He hesitated, then whispered the word that broke me a little more each time.“Uncle. Sorry, Uncle Gio. I think you’re sitting in my seat.”Giovanni looked away. “No. This is where I’m supposed to be.”Before Leo could ask what he meant, another voice cut through the chatter.“Move! That’s my dad.”A little boy darted between them, grabbing Giovanni’s hand like he’d done it a thousand times.My instinct kicked in. I stepped forward, sh

Chapter 5

He was waiting by the school gates when we came out.Giovanni Romano — immaculate as always, one hand in his coat pocket, the other holding a stick of cotton candy.The sunset caught in his hair, softening the sharp lines of his face.For a heartbeat, he looked almost like the man I used to love.“You’re late,” he said, voice low, almost gentle. “Come on. Let’s go home.”Home.Once, that word meant everything to me.Now, it just sounded like a memory that didn’t belong to us anymore.Leo’s eyes lit up when Giovanni handed him the cotton candy.He hadn’t smiled all night.For a heartbeat, I let myself believe things might go back to the way they were.Giovanni ruined it with his next sentence.“Elena’s boy just transferred here,” he said casually, watching Leo twirl the candy. “He didn’t get a chance to be part of the class election. Maybe… let him take your spot as class leader. It would help him fit in.”Leo froze, his small fingers tightening around the paper stick.The world seemed

Chapter 6

Giovanni POVHer last message was only three words.Wish you happiness.I stared at the screen until it dimmed, until the little typing bubble never came back.My thumb hovered over the power button, but I couldn’t turn it off.Maybe part of me was still waiting for her to change her mind.Across the room, Elena’s voice broke the silence.“Giovanni? We should go. The partners are waiting.”I blinked, dragging myself back to the present.She was standing in the doorway of my office, wearing a tight black dress and too much perfume.The scent hit me before her words did — roses and alcohol, sharp enough to sting.I sneezed once, twice.Allergic.I used to think I hated the smell itself, but now I realize it’s because I was used to something softer —green tea and soap.Jo used to smell like that.By the time we walked into the conference room, the chatter stopped.Romano family investors, partners, lawyers — all waiting.I took my seat, opened the folder in front of me… and frowned.Ever

Chapter 7

Giovanni POVHer message still burned on my screen.Wish you happiness.I’d read it a hundred times, and somehow it hurt worse each time.For a long moment, I just sat there — motionless in the leather chair of my office at Romano Holdings, the empire people said I ruled.But right then, I couldn’t even control a single heartbeat.Images started to blur together in my mind — her voice, her hands, her calm.Seven years ago, Jo wasn’t supposed to make it past her interview.No family name. No connections. Nothing impressive, except the way she looked me in the eye and said, “Give me a chance, Mr. Romano. I’ll make you proud.”And she did.She stayed late, learned every language my clients spoke, remembered who drank bourbon and who hated cigars.She made the impossible effortless.I used to think she was my shadow.Turns out, she was my balance.Until the night I destroyed everything.The phone buzzed in my hand, snapping me back to the present.For a second, I thought it might be her.I

Chapter 8

Giovanni POVI thought it was them.It wasn’t.When I opened the door, it was Elena — in a polished dress, eyes rimmed with red — with her son half-hidden behind her.The boy’s gaze went straight to the take-out bags on the table.The smell of fried chicken filled the air — still warm, still waiting.“I brought him to apologize,” Elena said softly, voice trembling in a way that was meant to sound fragile. “He really feels bad about what happened.”I said nothing, just stepped aside.The neighbors across the hall were already staring.I didn’t want an audience.Evan shuffled forward, wiping his nose with his sleeve.“I’m sorry, Mr. Romano. I shouldn’t have drawn on your papers.”His eyes were swollen from crying.And for one brief, stupid moment, I saw Leo in them.The same innocence. The same hope that I used to crush without thinking.Where were they?Why weren’t they home yet?I walked into the kitchen and called Jo.Voicemail. Again. And again.Then a loud crash shook the apartment.

Chapter 9

Jo POVI saw him before he saw me.Giovanni Romano — heir to one of New York’s most powerful mafia families — was standing by the preschool gates like a man who hadn’t slept in days.He’d been there since sunrise.Waiting.Watching every mother who came to drop off her child, hoping one of them might be me.When a little boy with dark curls came running toward the gate, Giovanni froze.He stepped forward, whispering hoarsely, “Leo?”But when the child turned, Giovanni’s breath caught.It wasn’t my son.Just another boy in the same blue uniform.He stayed there until the last bell rang.But Leo and I never came.Evan — Elena’s son — spotted the black Rolls-Royce and ran up with his usual arrogance.Before he could open the door, Giovanni caught his arm.“Where’s Leo? Did you see him today?”Evan twisted free, rolling his eyes.“No. Maybe he’s too embarrassed to show up. Everyone knows he’s just the kid of—”He didn’t finish. Giovanni’s glare stopped him cold.Elena arrived a moment late

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