All Chapters of The Marriage That Never Was Real: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stumbled out of the hospital in a daze.The doctor had been smiling just moments ago, congratulating me on how healthy the baby was. Then, she casually asked, "When are you planning to register your marriage with the father?"I froze. I told her we had been married for five years. The doctor frowned and checked the system again. Finally, she turned the screen toward me.[Marriage Registration: None.]Five years ago, Enrico Salvatore slipped a ring onto my finger himself and told me all the paperwork had been taken care of. He said his position in the mafia made it inconvenient to go public.I believed him. For five whole years, I thought I was his wife. Now, I discovered that according to official records, I was just an unmarried woman—an unmarried woman carrying a child.I did not know how I made it home.As I reached the study door, I heard Enrico talking to his right-hand man, Viktor Russo. "Don Salvatore, are you really not planning to give Isabella any official status?"

The next morning, I woke to the sound of voices downstairs. I dragged my aching body downstairs. The first thing I saw was the scene at the dining table.Luisa sat beside Enrico with Cinzia between them. The three of them were chatting and laughing, looking every bit like a real family.The moment Luisa saw me, she stood up with an enthusiastic smile plastered on her face. "Isabella, you're awake? I made breakfast especially for you."She brought over a bowl of oatmeal.I looked at her without taking it. "I'm not used to eating food made by others."Enrico frowned. "Luisa's just being kind. Don't be like this."I took the bowl and sat down at the table. I forced myself to eat a few spoonfuls despite the discomfort churning in my chest.There was something in the food. Not long after I swallowed it, my stomach began to ache. The pain came in waves, growing sharper and sharper. I set the bowl down and pressed a hand to my abdomen. My face turned pale. "What did you put in this?"

When Enrico returned to the estate carrying Luisa, his mind was filled with the sound of my weak voice on the phone. He settled Luisa in a guest room and strode quickly toward my bedroom. When he found I was not there, a piece of paper on the desk immediately caught his eye.The header read boldly—'Miscarriage Certificate'.His heart seized in his chest. His breathing stopped instantly.He rushed forward and picked up the certificate with trembling hands. "Isabella Moretti, eight weeks pregnant. Due to severe emotional distress and external trauma, she miscarried.""No... That's impossible!" Enrico let out a low roar, his eyes bloodshot, unable to believe what he was seeing.He remembered my pale face that morning. He remembered my voice on the phone, so weak he could barely hear it. A wave of intense regret drowned him instantly."Where is she? Where did Isabella go?" Enrico rushed out of the bedroom and grabbed a passing maid by the arm, his voice hoarse with fury. The madness

After a month of rest, my health gradually improved, and the baby in my belly stabilized.One afternoon, I was admiring the roses Papa had recently planted in the courtyard when he walked over, his expression serious. "Isabella, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."My heart sank. I had a vague sense of what he was about to say."Papa, go ahead."Papa sighed and guided me to sit on a nearby stone bench. "As you know, Enrico won't give up searching for you easily. He's the Don of a mafia family. His methods are ruthless, his influence vast. We can protect you for now, but it's not a long-term solution."To give you and the child a more solid foundation, and to make Enrico give up completely, I've arranged a marriage alliance for you."I stayed silent, my emotions tangled.After experiencing a relationship full of deception and betrayal, I no longer held any expectations for love. But a marriage alliance meant binding my life to another unfamiliar man.Papa saw my hesi

News of Luisa's imprisonment by the Moretti family reached Enrico. On top of that, he learned I had not miscarried at all and was about to enter a marriage alliance with Matteo.He had always believed I had only left in a fit of anger, and that as long as he found me and apologized sincerely, he could win me back. But now, I was going to marry someone else. This was a reality he absolutely could not accept."Impossible! Isabella can't marry someone else! She's my woman!" Enrico violently swept the documents off his desk. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression crazed. He could not accept that the woman he treasured was about to fall into another man's arms, or that he had lost so much because of a lie.From that day on, Enrico abandoned all the dignity of a mafia Don and began camping outside the Moretti family estate every single day.He wore the black trench coat I used to love, clutching a large bouquet of red roses. Ignoring the guards trying to block him, he shouted my name at