I hid my identity and lived as an ordinary wife with Cesare Delgado.
The day I learned I was pregnant, he spoke without warning: "The Counselor's eldest daughter and I are to be married in three days."
"I'm actually the heir to the Delgado Family. She and I are a proper match in standing. The terms of the alliance have already been delivered to the Marchetti estate, and... she and I have already consummated our union."
When he saw me frozen in place, he added, "I'll set you up in a residence. You and the child will want for nothing."
I stared at him in disbelief. "So I'm to be your kept woman, hidden away for the rest of my life. Is that it?"
Cesare turned his face away. "She's a proper and virtuous wife. As long as you don't cause a scene in front of her, I can give you and the child everything except the name."
A sharp sting hit the bridge of my nose. I never imagined I meant so little to him.
"What if I told you my status could match yours?"
——
Cesare went still for a moment. Somewhere outside, a car engine idled. One of his soldiers shifted his weight on the gravel. A long silence passed before he spoke.
"Serafina Valente, I know it was wrong of me to hide my identity and take another wife. But there are no what-ifs in this world. The only woman in all the city who matches my standing is the Counselor's eldest daughter."
"You and I lived as husband and wife at the foot of this mountain for three years. I know exactly who you are."
But he had hidden his identity. How could he be so certain I hadn't done the same?
I looked around. The cottage we'd built with our own hands. The garden we'd tilled together. I wanted so desperately to believe all of it had been real.
"Cesare, I'm carrying your child. Can't we go back to the way things were? Please don't marry her."
My eyes locked onto the man before me. If he would just say yes, I was willing to forgive everything.
But all he did was press his lips together and say, his voice flat, "She and I have already consummated our union. I have a duty to her."
My eyes burned red. My body wouldn't stop shaking. "And what about me? You don't owe me anything? You don't owe this child anything?"
Cesare reached out and brushed the tears from my cheek, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Serafina, listen. I'm only taking a wife. I'm not abandoning you."
"There's a property on the outskirts of the Hudson Valley. I've already purchased it. If you like the country life, I'll have someone plant a garden for you. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen. Trust me."
I stepped back, shaking my head over and over.
"I won't be locked away in some back house as your mistress. I won't let my child and me live in the shadows for the rest of our lives."
But Cesare simply walked toward me, his expression unchanged, his tone calm.
"I've never thought of you as a mistress. As long as you don't make trouble in front of the lady of the house, you'll still be my wife there. Isn't that enough?"
I kept shaking my head. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here."
This place held every tender moment Cesare and I had shared over three years. I wanted to wait here for our child to be born.
"Serafina, you know this. My alliance ceremony cannot have a single flaw. I have to erase every trace of our past. It's the only way you and the child will be safe."
Before the shock had even left my face, he raised his hand. The soldiers behind him stepped forward with fuel cans and set the courtyard ablaze.
In an instant the fire roared to life, swallowing the cottage, the fence, the entire yard.
I clutched my belly and screamed. "No! Stop! Make them stop!"
Cesare pulled me to him and pressed my trembling body against his chest.
He held me there and let me pound my fists against him.
"Be good. When the time is right, I'll make you my equal wife. The child can carry the name of a legitimate heir. Everything will be the way it was before."
But Cesare, I am the daughter of the Don. The Boss of Bosses. How could I ever be your equal wife?
The courtyard was gone. And we could never go back.
