“Family, may I have your attention?”
Tyrese's voice cut cleanly through the noise, instantly silencing the entire room.
As I stepped into the dining hall, lively laughter, the clinking of wine glasses, and the rich aroma of roasted beef and braised tomatoes washed over me. The entire Valente Family seemed to be in unusually high spirits, celebrating some accomplishment I knew nothing about.
The sight stopped me cold.
Yet no one seemed to notice my widened eyes or the shock frozen on my face. That alone felt wrong.
As the Don's wife, I was supposed to know about every important event, every announcement involving the Family, before it happened. But tonight, for the first time, I had been completely left in the dark.
I took my seat and waited for my husband to explain the reason behind the celebration.
Slowly, I sipped my wine while the room buzzed with anticipation for Tyrese's announcement. A cold unease twisted in my stomach, an instinctive warning that something was terribly wrong.
Setting down my glass, I looked toward him.
Tyrese appeared almost radiant with pride and excitement, a stark contrast to the powerful, authoritative man he usually was. The soldiers who normally watched him for orders now observed him with open curiosity instead of disciplined attention.
Every face in the room turned toward him expectantly.
My stomach tightened when I noticed that while he scanned the crowd, he deliberately avoided looking at me.
"I called for this celebratory dinner tonight for a reason," he began. "As we all know, our Family thrives on unity and strength. Tonight, we celebrate a new chapter for the Valentes."
Whispers immediately rippled through the room.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Every nerve in my body was on edge.
Whatever was coming, it wasn't good.
Before Tyrese could continue, the doors opened.
Every head turned.
The room fell silent.
My heart dropped.
Serafina walked in.
……
Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she made her way toward Tyrese. One hand rested lightly on the small swell of her stomach, barely noticeable yet impossible to miss.
The gesture was deliberate.
Every person in the room could see it.
No.
Tyrese's face lit up the moment she reached him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Rage exploded through me so violently that my vision blurred.
I gripped the edge of my chair until my knuckles turned white, forcing myself to stay seated, forcing myself not to cross the room and tear them apart in front of everyone.
How could he?
Tyrese cleared his throat.
A broad smile spread across his face as he glanced affectionately at Serafina before turning back to the Family.
"I'm thrilled to announce that Serafina and I... are expecting a child."
The words struck me like a physical blow.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
But the rest of the Family erupted into thunderous applause.
Cheers filled the room.
Soldiers pounded their fists against the table.
Capos raised their glasses high.
Congratulations echoed from every direction.
For eight years, whispers of pity had followed me because I couldn't give the Family an heir.
And now they celebrated as though the problem had finally been solved.
My husband, the man who was supposed to love and protect me, had betrayed me.
Not only had he gotten another woman pregnant, but he was proudly announcing it before the entire Family.
Serafina's eyes found mine.
A smug smile curved her lips.
She looked victorious.
Amused.
Delighted by my humiliation.
I forced myself to remain still.
Don't react.
Not here.
Tyrese raised his hand, quieting the room once again.
"This is a momentous occasion," he declared. "We finally have an heir on the way."
So that was what this was all about.
An heir.
The word cut deeper than any knife.
Eight years.
Eight years of specialists.
Eight years of prayers whispered in empty chapels.
Eight years of disappointment.
Eight years of enduring his silence every month when there was no good news to share.
"I'm honored to carry the Valente heir," Serafina said sweetly. "This is for the good of the Family. To ensure that our bloodline continues."
As she spoke, her hand drifted lovingly across her stomach once again.
The perfect picture of motherhood.
My chest burned with fury.
Yet somehow, I managed to force out two words.
"Congratulations."
Instantly, every eye in the room shifted toward me.
Serafina flashed an innocent smile that fooled no one.
"Thank you, Catalina. Your support means everything."
Tyrese looked at me.
For a fleeting second, guilt flickered across his face.
Then it disappeared.
He lifted his glass.
"To new beginnings."
The Family roared their approval.
No one seemed to care that my heart had just been shattered.
Still, I raised my own glass and smiled.
"To the Valentes."
The celebration resumed.
Moments later, I felt someone step behind me.
Serafina.
She leaned close enough for only me to hear.
"You should thank me for giving him what you couldn't," she whispered. "This is exactly what the Family needs."
I wanted to slap her.
Instead, I turned and met her gaze.
"Be careful, Serafina. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean your status has changed."
Her smile widened.
"Don't worry, Catalina. I'm simply doing what you couldn't."
"Serafina, that's enough."
Tyrese's voice cut in sharply.
Maybe he thought that would make me feel better.
It didn't.
Not even a little.
Serafina simply smiled and returned to the seat beside him.
I stood abruptly.
The movement drew attention from nearby tables, but I no longer cared.
I couldn't stay there another second.
"Excuse me. I need some air."
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked out.
The room fell strangely quiet behind me.
The guards stationed at the doors stepped aside immediately, lowering their eyes as I passed.
That small gesture told me everything.
The news had already changed my place within the Family.
Outside, I leaned heavily against the stone wall of the estate.
My breathing came in uneven bursts.
Anger, humiliation, heartbreak.
Every emotion crashed through me at once.
My entire body trembled with it.
The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.
I looked up.
Tyrese stood in the doorway.
His tie had been loosened.
The courtyard was empty.
No soldiers.
No capos.
No witnesses.
He had cleared the area.
Which meant he knew exactly how this looked.
"Catalina..." he began softly.
I raised a hand before he could continue.
"Don't."
My voice was cold.
"Not tonight."
"It's for the Family," he said, almost pleading. "Please don't make this harder than it has to be."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"The Family?"
I stared directly into his eyes.
"Or yourself?"
His jaw tightened.
A muscle twitched in his neck.
But he didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward and reached for my shoulder.
"I never wanted it to happen this way."
I immediately stepped back.
His touch felt unbearable.
"Then you shouldn't have let it happen at all."
The words had barely left my mouth when a loud crash echoed from inside the hall.
A scream followed.
Both of us froze.
Then we ran.
The dining hall was in chaos.
Men were already on their feet.
Fear filled their faces.
At the center of the room, Serafina lay on the floor.
One hand clutched her stomach.
Her face was ghostly pale.
Blood stained the marble beneath her.
"Get Alessia!" Tyrese shouted.
Panic erupted around us.
But I wasn't looking at Serafina.
I was looking at Tyrese.
For the first time that night, I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
Not just fear for the baby.
Fear for Serafina.
And as I watched him rush toward her, one question settled heavily in my chest.
Was she truly nothing more than the mother of his heir?
Or had she already become something far more?
