That was how Domenico and I met. He claimed it was love at first sight, pursued me relentlessly, and Patrizia pushed us together at every turn.
I didn't say yes just because he was powerful and magnetic. I said yes because from the very beginning, Patrizia treated me like her own daughter.
I was an orphan. A no-name. Without bloodline, without Family. A home was the one thing I'd wanted my whole life.
After the second time I saved her, after I lost my fertility shielding her from the assassin's blade, Patrizia wept until she nearly passed out. She held my hands and told me I was her daughter-in-law, her daughter, her savior.
She swore that as long as she drew breath, she would never let anyone hurt me.
She even spread the rumor that Domenico was the one with the problem, so no one in the Family would whisper about why the Don still had no heir.
But now, the only thing left in her eyes when she looked at me was disgust.
"What are you glaring at? I never asked you to save me! If I hadn't been afraid of a relapse, if I hadn't needed to keep the only surgeon who could operate on me close, do you think a no-name orphan like you could've set foot in the Corsetti family? Seven years, and I'm fully recovered. Meanwhile you squat in the wife's seat and can't even produce an heir. The Corsettis have no room for a dead weight like you!"
So every ounce of love Patrizia had shown me was a mirage.
So I had never, not once, truly had a family.
I pulled myself upright with the medical assistant's help, barely steady on my feet. "A two-faced mother-in-law. A husband crawling with disease. His dirty little comare. You're right. I don't belong in a family like this."
"What disease?" Patrizia's eyes went wide, her voice pitching into a shriek. Her hand found the rosary at her throat, the beads pressing hard between her thumb and forefinger, but this time there was nothing to calculate. Only fear.
But a calculating light flickered through Domenico's gaze. He turned to me. "Fine. I'll take the blood test. But let's raise the stakes. If I come back clean, you're the liar, and you leave this marriage with nothing. The Blood Oath Compact is void. Do you have the guts to take that bet?"
As a doctor, I knew perfectly well that with Domenico and Giuliana tangled up in each other day and night, the odds of him carrying the sickness were overwhelming.
But there was always that sliver of a chance.
My hesitation was all he needed. He declared it like a man who'd already won. "Silence is consent. The bet takes effect immediately."
He handed the vial of drawn blood to one of his soldiers and ordered him to oversee the testing personally at the clinic.
Everyone waited, curious about the result. But Giuliana couldn't sit still.
"Ow, it hurts!"
She clutched her stomach, her voice cracking into a whimper. "When that old hag examined me earlier, she pressed on my belly a couple of times. I felt off right then, and now the pain's getting worse!"
"That's a lie!" The medical assistant cut in before she could finish. "You started provoking everyone the second you walked in. Dr. Valente never even touched you!"
Giuliana rolled her eyes. Her fingers drifted to her collarbone, tracing it lightly. "You work for the old hag, of course you'd cover for her. Careful though. Liars get what's coming to them. Watch your back when you walk out of here. Wouldn't want a car to fix that problem for you."
The blatant lie, the casual viciousness of the threat, left the assistant shaking with anger. In this world, a threat like that from a woman carrying the Don's supposed heir was not idle. Cars did fix problems. People vanished.
I patted her hand to calm her, then spoke, my voice level. "Since it's your word against hers, let's check the security footage."
I pointed to the camera in the corner, still running.
Three years ago, a patient had given me trouble and Domenico had stepped in immediately. He'd not only handled the situation but insisted on having the camera installed in my examination room at the clinic.
He'd said it would make sure I never again found myself in a situation where the truth couldn't be proven.
Domenico clearly remembered. Something wavered behind his eyes.
"Then let's check—"
"Sure! Go ahead and check!"
Giuliana's shriek cut him off, raw and piercing.
"I get accused of having some filthy disease. My stomach's killing me and somehow I'm the one being attacked. And you don't even believe me?"
"Domenico, I've taken so much abuse, and all I wanted was one apology. Is that really so hard? Forget it. I was blind. I loved the wrong person. I deserve this. I don't want to live anymore!"
She clutched her belly and lunged toward the wall.
Patrizia grabbed her, panicked, and turned on Domenico, her voice like a blade. "What are you still hesitating for? A worthless woman or your own flesh and blood. How is that even a choice?"
