The Dons Forbidden Wife

na's

deposit, we'll have to

ozen in the narrow hospital corridor, t

oks at me with that careful, practiced sympathy,the kind people reserve for someone they've already wr

deposit by this evening, the hospital administration will have n

trembling as I fumble for my phone. Antonio will fix this. He always does. He has to, he's my husband, my partner. The man I built my entire life around. I dial his nu

s, powerful people, the Romano family finally r

the hospital lobby, my thoughts spinning, when a familiar voice echoe

tonio's face. My Antonio. Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, he exuded confidence with every contour of his figure Cameras go of

nt. Quitting my job because he asked me to focus on our home, on him. Believing in him when even his own family dismissed him as weak. And now he's finally at the top. He can pay for my mother's surgery. Everything i

s slide shut. I rush forward, but it's too late. I watch the numbers climb, my reflection staring back at me in the mirrored doors...hopeful, anxious, devoted. I press the call button for the next elevator, my pulse racing. When the doors open,

amused by my existence. My eyes burn as I gesture weakly between them. "Who is she?" Antonio exhales, then takes my arm, guiding me a few steps away. His grip is gentle but firm. "Lower your voice," he murmurs. Lower my voice? My heart pounds painfully. "Antonio, please. Just tell me the truth." He looks at me then , he really looks at me and suddenly smiles. The smile he uses when he wants something from me. "Don't overthink this," he says softly. "She's Isabella Black. The hidden heiress everyone's been talking about." I blink. "The... Black family?" "Yes," he says smoothly. "I was assigned to assist her. That's all. It's work, Serena." My gaze flicks back to her whose hand still rests on Antonio's chest like it belongs there. "And the baby?" I whisper. His eyes soften. "Part of the arrangement. It's complicated. You wouldn't understand." The words sting more than I expect.

pregnant belly as if it's something precious She giggles quietly in his ear, her fingers weaving through his

les. Slow. Cruel. Victorious. Antonio straightens, adjusting his suit like I'm nothing more than an