Inicio / He Protected My Double, I Chose His Rival / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos los capítulos de He Protected My Double, I Chose His Rival: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

11 Capítulos

Chapter 1

For once, Julian came home before nine.He noticed the cancellation notice from the family clinic and frowned."We booked that fertility consultation together. You should have told me before canceling it.""We don't need it anymore," I said calmly.He put down his phone and looked at me. "Because of Mia's photo? Vivian, don't take this out on me. She's pregnant. Taking care of her is basic decency."I was about to tell him that I was pregnant too, but he raised a hand and cut me off.Then he handed me a black gift box."This is from Mia. She knows you're upset. She wanted to apologize in person, but she was afraid you wouldn't see her."He opened the box, revealing a fitted black Chanel dress.It had clearly been worn. The waist was stretched out."She can't fit into it now that she's pregnant. You're about the same size, so she thought it would suit you. It's her favorite dress. Giving it to you is her way of making peace. Take it."I couldn't help but laugh.Half an hour before Julia

Chapter 2

Julian never came home that night, and I didn't wait for him.I took the marriage certificate and family agreements out of the safe, photographed everything for my lawyer, then turned off the bedroom light.A message woke me at one in the morning.I reached across the cold, empty side of the bed and picked up my phone.Mia had sent me a photo.Julian stood at a sink with his sleeves rolled up, washing a pair of pale lace underwear.In the mirror behind him, Mia held up her phone, her eyes crinkling with laughter."I wasn't feeling well earlier and got my underwear dirty. He wouldn't let me wash it myself and insisted on doing it for me. The great Mr. Moretti, washing underwear for the first time in his life."A few moments later, she deleted the photo and sent another message."I'm so sorry, Vivian! Wrong chat! I shouldn't have sent that to you."I stared at the wedding ring on his finger, and my stomach turned.I blocked her, lay back down, and slowly pulled the blanket over my stomac

Chapter 3

I waited ten minutes before Lewis stepped out of the elevator.At the same time, the banquet hall doors opened.Julian walked into the corridor with Mia on his arm just as Harrison arrived.Lewis spotted the pin and went over to greet them. "Mr. and Mrs. Moretti, good evening. Ms. Bennett is grading my next parcel tonight. Since we're all here, why don't we sit together?"He clearly wasn't about to pass up a chance to win Julian's favor.Julian glanced at me but said nothing. He led Mia into the restaurant and pulled out the chair across from me for her.Lewis had already assumed she was Julian's wife, and I couldn't correct him without exposing the truth.If he found out I was the real wife, the past six months of using Mia as my double would be for nothing.When we finished discussing the diamonds, Lewis asked a waiter to open a bottle of champagne."To Mrs. Moretti. And to Ms. Bennett, who identified that parcel of treated stones for us."Mia picked up two glasses and placed one in

Chapter 4

I stayed in the hospital until noon the next day.After the ultrasound, the doctor told me my baby was safe for now but warned me, "This is a threatened miscarriage. The bleeding has stopped, but given your history, you need to avoid any further stress or strenuous activity over the next few days."It took me a long time to place a hand over my stomach.Last night, when Julian hit the gas, he almost cost me another child.While I was in the hospital, I gave my phone to my lawyer.The Moretti family's head of security called twice to make sure I was safe.My lawyer told him my condition wasn't life-threatening but refused to tell him where I was.Julian never called. Not once.Once the doctor cleared me, I returned to the estate to collect my passport and luggage.When I reached the estate gate, I rolled down the window and tapped my keycard on the reader.The light flashed red.I tried again.The heavy black gates stayed shut.The guard in the booth recognized me and came out."One mom

Chapter 5

He clutched the paper and looked at me, his voice suddenly hoarse. "You're pregnant? Since when?"The entire hall fell silent. Everyone turned to look at us.Julian raised a hand, and the manager immediately led the guests out to the lounge.The heavy doors shut behind them, leaving only Julian, Mia, Luke, the family doctor, and me in the hall.Mia seemed to think we were arguing again. Forcing a smile, she walked around the long table toward us and lightly touched Julian's arm."Don't be so serious. We're in the middle of a baby shower. Vivian, whatever it is, it can wait until the guests leave."I stepped back, putting some distance between us."No. I came today because Julian owes me a favor."I pulled the divorce agreement out of my bag and threw it at him."Sign it. That's the favor."He caught the falling pages, flipped to the last one, and ripped it in half."We're not discussing this now. You went to the emergency room. Why didn't you tell me?"I looked at him."Do you remember

Chapter 6

Julian refused to sign the divorce agreement.I didn't fight him over it. I left the divorce proceedings to the Commission and my lawyer.My resignation was already on his desk, but he kept delaying the transition.So I left without telling him.Since taking charge of diamond grading, I'd barely had a day off.I took my luggage to my mother's house in Boston. I stood outside for a moment, but before I could knock, the door opened.My mother walked out carrying shopping bags.She stopped when she saw me, then glanced at the cab behind me."Just you? Where's Julian?"When I didn't answer, her expression hardened."Don't tell me you've had another fight. Vivian, Julian is the Don. Did you even think about the kind of danger you could bring down on us by showing up here with a suitcase?"She noticed the dark circles under my eyes and the bruise still on my forehead, but all she did was shove the shopping bags into my hands."I put you through gemology school and sent you to the big city to

Chapter 7

I didn't want to return to New York, so I booked a nearby hotel.Only after I opened the door did I realize Julian and I had stayed here before.It was the winter before I graduated, when we'd just started dating.On Christmas Eve, I'd refused to hand over my internship paycheck to my brother, so my mother smashed my suitcase and hit me.When Julian called, I was hiding in the bathroom, trying hard to sound cheerful.The next morning, my mother took one look at me and said my miserable face would ruin everyone's mood.She took my father and brother to a family gathering, leaving me home alone.I was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing, when my phone lit up."Come to the window."I walked over and saw Julian standing on the street below.He'd heard something was wrong in my voice the night before and driven up from New York before dawn. He was still wearing the same coat he'd worn during our video call.When he spotted me at the window, he held out his hand."Come down, V

Chapter 8

I looked down and started closing the door. Julian blocked it with one hand and slipped inside.Before I could step back, he pinned me against the wall and wrapped his arms around me."Vivi, give me one more chance."His familiar scent surrounded me, but all I wanted was to get away.I pushed against his chest."Don't touch me. I'll call for help. The FBI would love to hear what I know about you."He caught my hands and said in a low voice, "Don't, Vivi. Whenever you were upset, you used to hold me like this."Ignoring my struggles, he reached up and touched my face."The baby is still here. We can start again. I'll take care of both of you."I turned my face away from his touch."I don't need you to. The doctor told me to go home and rest. Let me go. You're hurting me."He loosened his grip but still wouldn't release me."I know you're frightened. After the last crash, you wouldn't let me touch you for a long time, but we got through it together."I looked at him and stopped strugglin

Chapter 9

After he slapped me, Julian never returned to the hotel.He agreed to let me leave the family business.I waited until he was gone, then returned to the lab to pack my things.Before I left, I went into his office and pulled our framed wedding photo from his desk drawer.When we first moved in, Julian had placed it on his desk himself.Then Mia came along, and the items on his desk were replaced one by one with things she liked.Our wedding photo ended up in a drawer, replaced by a cartoon figurine she'd given him.I stood by the tall window one last time, my case of tools packed and waiting at my feet.Below, traffic flowed through the intersection.When I first came to New York, Julian and I had stood on that same street, looking up at this building.His father still wouldn't let him take over the business, and I'd just received my first paycheck as an appraiser.Barely able to contain my excitement, I'd pointed at the building and said, "One day, I'm going to have my own lab up ther

Chapter 10

The divorce still wasn't final when I moved to Chicago.Before I started my new job, Alexander brought in a neutral representative from the Five Families to help our families reach an agreement.I wouldn't take any of the Morettis' suppliers or routes or use any of their intelligence, and the Vitales wouldn't use me to investigate the Morettis' business.In exchange, the Morettis couldn't stop me from working in the industry or pressure any clients who chose to follow me.The Vitale jewelry company gave me my own lab, bought every piece of equipment I'd asked for, and let me build my own team.A former colleague told me Mia was still showing up outside the building every day, refusing to leave Julian alone.After the video leaked, his uncles started openly questioning his judgment in meetings. They were saying things to his face that no one had dared say before.My departure also hit the diamond business hard. Several longtime clients chose not to renew their contracts and contacted me

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