Chapter 3

Vito froze. For a moment, he couldn't speak. He stared at me in disbelief before sneering, as though he'd suddenly realized what was going on.

"Luisa, you'll even threaten me with divorce, just to drive a wedge between Sofia and me? Stop being so dramatic. Why would you want a divorce from me when you're pregnant with my child?"

His words made my hand instinctively drift to my abdomen. My eyes burned as if they'd been scorched by fire.

"The baby's gone, Vito. It died while you were taking Sofia's cat to the vet."

Vito stood in stunned silence for a moment before letting out a contemptuous snort.

"I never knew you were this kind of person, Luisa. You'd actually curse our own child just to get my attention! That's enough. I've been swamped lately. I don't have time to play these childish games with you."

I looked at him, my body trembling uncontrollably.

Of course he was swamped. He had his hands full taking Sofia's cat to the vet, establishing her as his first love to the media, and remembering all of her favorite foods.

But he couldn't spare even a few minutes for the wife he'd been married to for seven years.

Thinking about how much I'd trusted and depended on him all these years, I couldn't help but feel like a complete mockery.

I lifted my head, letting the tears run down through my cheeks unchecked.

Beside me, Vito frowned.

"Drop the act, Luisa. If you keep behaving like a lunatic, you'll bring disgrace to the Costa family! I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear what you said today—but I don't want this happening again.

"I need to settle some matters for the family. Spend some time alone to come back to your senses."

With that, he left with Sofia, the sound of the front door closing echoing through the villa.

I walked into the bedroom and began packing the things I intended to take with me. Just as I was about to zip up my suitcase, my phone lit up.

Carlo Moretti, Vito's underboss, had just posted a photo to the Costa family's group chat. In it, Vito had one arm wrapped around Sofia's waist as they stood inside an upscale boutique.

Carlo also sent a message. "Don Vito spares no expense when it comes to Sofia. She truly is the woman he has loved all along!"

My grip tightened around my phone. Just as I was about to put it down, a private message from Sofia popped up.

"Don't read too much into it, Luisa. I tore my dress by accident, and Vito didn't want me to be embarrassed. That's why he insisted on dragging me here for a new outfit."

After staring at the message for a moment, I blocked Sofia's number.

…

That afternoon, I went to Costa Group as usual, only to find that my office had been cleared out. All of my things had been replaced with Sofia's belongings.

"Who did this?" I questioned.

One of the foot soldiers stood in the doorway, his gaze evasive as he replied, "It was Don Vito's orders… He called for an organizational restructuring."

And after checking the updated organization chart, I found out that I was the only one who'd been removed.

I froze for a moment before calling Vito on the spot. When he answered, he said nonchalantly, "You're pregnant, so just stay at home. Sofia can take over your place and handle the responsibilities for you. It's not like I can't even afford to financially support my own wife."

I opened the folder on the desk labeled with Sofia's name. It was filled with documents of the trade deals I spent countless sleepless nights overseeing.

My hands began shaking uncontrollably. "I was the one who set up these deals, Vito."

Vito's voice instantly turned icy. "Even so, everything belongs to the Costa family. When did you become so petty, Luisa?

"Sofia doesn't want to be an administrative secretary anymore. She wants to get involved with the core business. Stop trying to compete with her for everything."

I closed my eyes. A memory flashed through my mind.

Last winter, I'd been in the middle of a negotiation for an arms shipment at the docks when the meeting broke down, and the situation turned hostile.

I took a bullet to the calf before I was pulled into a car.

That night, at the hospital, Vito never left my side. He had promised me, "I swear I'll never let you face that kind of danger again."

Back then, I thought it was because he loved me. Now, it dawned on me that he was just risking my life to fulfill Sofia's wishes for her.

On the other end of the line, Vito's voice became commanding.

"I'm in the middle of a family meeting right now. When I'm back later tonight, complete the handover."

I steeled my voice to stop it from trembling and replied shortly, "Fine."

Once the call ended, I opened my email account. I clicked on the job offer I'd received from a company in Newbourne, a city thousands of miles away, and typed a reply.

"I can report to work tomorrow, Mr. Vitale."