That thought crystalized in my mind, clearer than ever. I blinked, fighting back the sting in my eyes, my face a mask of despair.
"Let's get rid of our child, then," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"No!" Rocco immediately rejected the idea, his tone almost accusatory. "Don't say that. Bianca and her child are innocent in this. Why are you being so selfish?"
"But my child and I are innocent, too! Have you ever thought about what they'll do to the child of an unfaithful woman, according to our code, once this rumor spreads?"
"I will handle everything. How many times do I have to repeat myself? Seraphina, you always disappoint me." With that, Rocco slammed the door and left.
The next day, I woke up to find a dozen armed Soldati surrounding my room.
My phone and computer were gone, and all my connections to the outside world were severed. I wasn't even allowed to leave the house.
Rocco was afraid I would get an abortion. The irony was that he already had his supposed heir.
I was trapped, a lamb for the slaughter, until my belly began to show and the so-called "safe period" of three months had passed.
That day, a commotion erupted downstairs. Bianca's parents had moved into the estate with a large entourage.
The moment Donatella saw me, she shot me a look of disdain. "To think you have the nerve to stay here, carrying a bastard. Such a filthy bloodline."
"Bianca is just too kind. You've already caused her enough grief," Don Silvio added, toying with a cigar, his gaze filled with contempt.
"Enough. Don't waste your breath on a woman who would stain the Marchetti bloodline. Go help Bianca get settled."
I found it laughable. The Fabbri family claimed to be so noble, prattling on about honor. But now, with Bianca acting as the mistress of a married man, shame seemed worthless in the face of profit.
Meanwhile, servants were carrying suitcases upstairs, box after box.
Bianca hovered near me, a triumphant smirk on her face. "So what if you're Rocco's wife? It's just an empty title. You and that bastard in your womb are nothing compared to me. Soon, it will be just me, Rocco, and our child. We'll be the ones running this district."
Her words were venom, seeping into my heart. I couldn't take it anymore and slapped her hard across the face.
"Shut up, you bitch!"
But it wasn't enough. I grabbed her hair, yanked it hard, and slapped her again and again.
Bianca screamed in pain until Rocco rushed in and tore me away.
I wanted to kill her. A woman with nothing left to lose is capable of anything.
Bianca's uncontrollable sobs brought Donatella and Silvio running.
Donatella's hand cracked across my face. Rocco seemed to want to stop her, but after seeing Bianca's swollen, tear-streaked face, he chose to pull Bianca into his arms instead.
"Rocco, this woman is getting more and more out of control! She's pregnant with another man's child, and you still won't annul the marriage. Now she even dares to hit Bianca! If you don't dispose of her, I'm taking Bianca home. Then the Marchetti family will have no legitimate heir! Our alliance will be null and void!"
Bianca looked up and shot me a victorious smile.
Rocco, however, didn't completely yield. He released Bianca and stepped in front of me, shielding me from Donatella's venomous glare.
"Seraphina is my wife. I won't let her leave. Bianca can live here, but I don't want to hear any more talk of 'disposing' of anyone. I am the master of this house," he said.
Rocco hadn't abandoned me, but he hadn't told the truth either. He let me carry the brand of infidelity, let them humiliate me.
For Bianca's so-called "peace of mind," Rocco wanted me to compromise.
And so, my bright, sun-filled master bedroom was taken from me. I was moved to a storage room in the attic.
"It's just a change of rooms. Nothing else will change. You'll still get everything you're entitled to," Rocco said.
But none of that mattered to me anymore.
To Rocco, this child and I were simply his private property, not his family. I had already made my decision—I would never keep this child. I would not bring him into this world to suffer this fate.
