Chapter 1

(Bianca’s POV)

I had been in a secret relationship with Antonio Armani, the heir to the powerful Armani Family, for three years when I discovered I was pregnant.

At first, I saw genuine happiness on his face, and not long after, the future Don slipped a ring onto my finger.

I thought all the years I had spent waiting for him had finally meant something. I thought Antonio had finally chosen me, not as a woman kept in the shadows, but as the woman who would stand beside him when he took his father's place.

But five months into my pregnancy, I went to the Armani Family headquarters to deliver a set of confidential documents.

The compound was heavily guarded as usual, with armed soldiers stationed at the entrance and capos moving through the marble halls.

I made my way toward Antonio's private room, expecting to find him handling family business.

Instead, when I opened the door, I found the future Don sitting behind his desk with another woman comfortably perched on his lap.

His hand rested possessively on her waist while his lips brushed against her neck.

The sight shattered everything I believed we were building together.

“Gianna, once she gives birth, we'll have our wedding, alright?” he murmured. “You're the only woman I want beside me for the rest of my life.”

That woman was Gianna Caruso, his former lover.

The woman who had left him years ago because she never wanted children. She preferred becoming a stepmother rather than carrying a child herself.

Only then did I realize the truth.

Antonio had dated me and even proposed to me, but not because he loved me. He did it because I was the fool who would give him anything he wanted, even an heir to carry on the Armani bloodline.

To him, I was simply the easiest way to get everything he wanted: a child from me and a future with the woman he had never stopped loving.

The man I had loved for ten years had never once returned my feelings. All those years had not softened his heart toward me. They had only given him enough time to learn how to use mine.

In the end, he had never truly wanted me. He wanted what I could give him.

My womb.

Nothing more.

If Antonio wanted to break my heart, then so be it.

But before I walked away, I had two decisions to make.

First, I would terminate this pregnancy. I refused to bring a child into the world simply to serve as an heir for a man like him or become another piece in the Armani Family’s bloodline.

Second, I would disappear completely. I would leave his world, his family, and everything that had tied me to him, and I would make sure Antonio Armani regretted losing me for the rest of his life.

I pulled out my phone and booked the procedure without a second thought. Then I dialed the one number I had never managed to forget.

“You once said you'd marry me,” I said quietly. “Does that offer still stand?”

“Always,” the man replied without hesitation.

***

By the time the call ended, the sounds coming from the capo's office had finally gone silent.

My hands felt numb as I returned to the conference room.

Forcing myself into a chair, I buried myself in paperwork and discussed business matters with my assistant while fighting the nausea twisting inside my stomach.

I had no idea how much time passed before the office door finally opened.

Antonio and Gianna emerged one after another.

He had changed into a fresh suit jacket, but not a new shirt. A faint lipstick mark still lingered near his collar.

Gianna had fixed her makeup, yet the blush on her face remained impossible to hide.

I immediately stood, ready to leave.

But before I could, Gianna approached with a bright smile.

“Woah, Signora Mancini! I didn't expect to see you here. Today's actually my first day working for the Armani Family. What a coincidence.”

I had no interest in speaking with her.

But as she walked toward me carrying a cup of hot water, she suddenly stumbled.

“Ah!”

The glass shattered across the floor.

I stepped aside in time, but Gianna collapsed dramatically against the conference table. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

“Bianca, did I do something wrong?” she asked pitifully. “Why would you trip me?”

The performance was so obvious that I couldn't even bring myself to answer.

Unfortunately, Antonio was already beside her. He helped her up immediately, looking at her full of concern.

“Gianna, are you hurt?”

Then he looked at me. His expression hardened.

“Bianca Mancini,” he said coldly, “you're pregnant. You should be taking care of yourself instead of causing trouble around headquarters. Being pregnant doesn't give you the right to attack new staff members.”

He didn't ask a single question. He didn't wait for an explanation. The moment Gianna accused me, he had already decided I was guilty.

“I didn't trip her,” I said softly.

Antonio's eyes narrowed.

“So you're claiming she fell on her own?”

Every word pierced straight through my chest, and as I watched Antonio and Gianna standing so close together, a deep exhaustion settled over me.

I no longer had the strength to argue or defend myself, so I covered my mouth and hurried toward the restroom.

The moment I reached the sink, I could no longer hold it back. I gripped the counter tightly and vomited until tears blurred my vision, my body shaking from the strain. Then a loud sound echoed behind me as the restroom door was suddenly pushed open.

I looked up in the mirror.

Antonio had walked inside.

He frowned.

“Amore, I didn't mean to speak so harshly earlier. There were soldiers and staff outside. I couldn't make things obvious. Besides, even if you didn't mean it, Gianna got hurt because of what happened.”

His voice softened.

He even reached out to support me.

“Go home and get some rest. Don't work too hard. The baby needs you healthy. I'll come home tonight and spend time with you, alright?”

I slowly straightened.

Then I forced a faint smile.

“Understood, Don Armani.”

His hand stopped halfway.

I had never called him that before. I had always been the clingy one, calling him Antonio or sometimes even husband when we were alone.

I hated calling him Don Armani because the title felt so distant and formal, as if I were no longer the woman he loved but simply another person standing before the head of the Armani Family. It sounded like there was a wall between us, one I had never wanted to exist.

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across his face.

Then the sound of high heels echoed from outside.

A second later, another employee entered the restroom area.

Antonio immediately released me. The warmth vanished from his expression.

“Bianca Mancini,” he said sharply, “please remember where you are. This is family headquarters, not your home. Whatever relationship you have with your husband is your private matter. Do not behave inappropriately with me during work hours.”

Your husband.

Behave inappropriately.

His words felt like ice water poured over my head.

Without another glance in my direction, Antonio turned and walked away.

He was eager to put distance between us. Eager to make sure everyone knew there was nothing special between us.

I stood there alone, gently resting a hand on my stomach.

For a very long time, no tears came.

I simply stared at my reflection in silence.