Blurb：
Discover the dramatic story of Kieran Thompson’s wife in this emotional rollercoaster. After three years of a loveless arranged marriage where Kieran never touched her, everything changes when he drunkenly calls out his first love Camilla’s name. The heartbroken wife seeks revenge at a New York club, resulting in a pregnancy that may not be Kieran’s. Now seven months pregnant, she navigates Kieran’s unexpected reunion with Camilla while counting down the days until she can escape the Thompson family legacy. This compelling tale explores themes of betrayal, revenge, and the complex dynamics between Kieran, his wife, and his first love Camilla. Will the truth about the baby’s paternity be revealed? Can Kieran redeem himself after years of neglect? Dive into this gripping narrative of love, lies, and liberation.
Content：
My husband, Kieran, is the heir to the Thompson family.
In the three years of our arranged marriage, he has never once touched me.
I told myself he was just cold and guarded, that I could find a way into his heart, little by little.
Then one day he came home drunk, pinned me to the bed for the first time, and called out his first love’s name.
“Camilla, all these years… I’ve thought of you every second of every day…”
That was when I knew. All the passion and love he possessed was already spent on another woman.
I pushed him away, burned every photo of us, and went to a high-end club in New York full of handsome male models.
Nine months later, I walked into the airport with my newborn baby in my arms.
Later, Kieran searched the world for me, his eyes bloodshot.
He asked in a trembling voice why I never told him I was pregnant, why I wouldn’t let him see our baby.
I glanced at him and gave a light, breezy smile. “Who said the baby was yours?”
Chapter 1
Seven months pregnant, and Kieran brought his first love back to the estate. I felt nothing. After all, seven months ago, I had gotten pregnant with another man’s baby.
In a way, it made us even. And soon, I would be free to leave.
Today was a routine prenatal checkup. At the private clinic, the doctor held a stack of reports, his brow furrowed as he studied my barely-there belly.
“Mrs. Thompson, you’re due in about two months, but you’re too thin and barely showing. You must pay attention to your nutrition.”
“You’ve come for so many checkups, but the Underboss has never accompanied you. The baby you’re carrying is the family heir. He should…”
Even for a doctor in the underworld used to seeing irresponsible husbands from arranged marriages, it was just a casual question.
Before he could finish, I cut him off, my voice light and unbothered.
“He couldn’t make it. And the baby isn’t his. Thank you for the reminder, I’ll watch my diet.”
I left him with that, walking calmly away as he stared in shock.
Even a doctor who had seen his share of this bloody business was stunned. He stood there, wide-eyed, for a long moment.
I was, after all, the wife of the Thompson family heir, a prominent figure myself.
He didn’t snap out of it until his next patient came in. He managed a dismissive smile, thinking Mrs. Thompson must have fought with her husband and was just trying to provoke him.
After leaving the exam room, I gently stroked my small baby bump and set a countdown on my phone.
Two more months until this baby was born. Then, I could finally be free of Kieran Thompson and this damn alliance.
Watching the numbers on the screen tick down, I gripped my phone, a surge of strength flowing through me.
I was about to leave the clinic when I overheard two nurses whispering.
“Who is this Camilla, anyway? For a simple cold, the Underboss shut down an entire floor for her and had the chief physician see her personally.”
My heart tightened at the name, but I didn’t slow my pace.
Back at the estate, I came across two familiar figures at a turn in the rose garden.
Camilla was sitting on a stone bench, her cheeks slightly flushed, while Kieran knelt on one knee before her, his long, deft fingers holding her slender wrist.
His expression was intent as he carefully removed a tiny splinter from her hand.
The tender, protective way he held her was a bitter irony, considering his complete ignorance of my seven-month pregnancy.
His face, usually so stern, was now unusually gentle, a smile playing on his lips.
After removing the splinter, Kieran brought Camilla’s finger to his lips and gently kissed the insignificant wound.
His focus broke only when I approached. He quickly dropped her hand and slowly stood up.
The moment his eyes met mine, the tenderness in them vanished.
He explained coolly, “Camilla wasn’t feeling well last night, so I brought her over to get checked out. She just got a splinter, and I was helping her with it.”
Hearing this, I stroked my belly and laughed bitterly to myself.
I was seven months pregnant with a baby he knew nothing about, yet he was so worked up over a tiny splinter in Camilla’s hand.
But it didn’t matter anymore. The baby wasn’t his anyway.
I gave a slight, unconcerned smile and murmured, “I see.”
Kieran frowned, his thin lips parting slightly. Before he could speak, I beat him to it, reciting the line he always used.
“I know. Camilla’s family is in some trouble. She needs your protection.”
My calm smile seemed to unsettle him.
He narrowed his eyes, studying me sharply.
He must have found my composure strange. I used to fight with him constantly over Camilla.
But now, my indifference was absolute, extending not just to Camilla, but to Kieran himself.
His gaze made me uncomfortable. My hand trembled, and the test results in my hand scattered across the floor.
I immediately bent to pick them up, but he had already seen the corner of one. “Test results? What are these?”
“Nothing. Just a routine check-up report,” I said, stuffing them into my purse.
Kieran stared at me, searching for a flicker of panic or any other crack in my composure.
But my heart was still. I felt nothing.
Suddenly, Camilla clutched his hand, her voice soft and delicate. “Kieran, my hand still hurts a little. Will you walk me back so I can put some medicine on it?”
Kieran turned to see Camilla’s pitiful, innocent face, and his expression instantly softened. “Alright,” he agreed.
Of course. Between Camilla and me, his choice was never me.
“Scarlett. Go on ahead. I’ll find you later.”
Without another glance at me, he turned and helped Camilla walk back toward the house.
I watched them go, completely unconcerned, and headed to my room.
Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, I gazed out at the vibrant, blooming flowers. They had been replaced with roses.
Camilla’s favorite.
Memories flooded my mind.
It hadn’t always been like this between Kieran and me.
Our marriage was an alliance between the Valerio and Thompson families. Though Kieran was cold and kept everyone at a distance, he had been considerate enough after we were married.
He was an heir with status, looks, and power. He kept his distance from other women, filled the estate with my favorite flowers, and would pull me into his arms during a thunderstorm to whisper, “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
So even though it was an arranged marriage, I fell hopelessly in love.
But after three years, I had to face a harsh reality: we had never once been intimate.
I had always thought he was simply a cold person, uninterested in physical desire.
Until the night Kieran came home blind drunk, losing control for once, and held me, whispering Camilla’s name over and over.
That was when I learned he had a great love, a first love, before our marriage.
Camilla’s family had fallen on hard times, and she had moved to Italy with them, forcing the two apart.
Perhaps it was this unresolved past that made it impossible for him to forget her.
Besides, how could a latecomer ever compare to a first love?
Clearly, I was no exception.
Even though I was the Underboss’s legitimate wife, I was just a wife, a role anyone could have filled.
Later, while tidying his room, I found his diary. Every page was filled with his longing for Camilla. For years, it had never stopped.
What broke my heart the most was when I finally got a clear look at the tattoo on his chest. It was her name, Camilla.
It wasn’t that his heart was impenetrable. It was that the throne inside it had always been occupied.
Chapter 2
That night, staring at the intricate tattoo on Kieran’s chest, my heart felt like it had been ripped in two.
I could accept a husband who didn’t love me. After all, I could work, little by little, to melt his heart.
But I couldn’t make a man who was in love with someone else fall for me.
In my grief, I rushed back to the old Valerio estate, intending to ask my father to dissolve the marriage alliance.
But my father pulled a document thick with dense clauses from the old family safe.
How could I have forgotten? As the Don of the Valerio family, his daughter’s marital problems would never take precedence over the family’s survival.
The contract, signed in blood, laid out the terms of our marriage.
“The alliance can never be broken unless you produce an heir for the Thompson family,” my father’s voice was heavy.
“If you insist on leaving, the Thompsons have the right to absorb our territory or declare war.”
What a cruel consequence.
Even with the full might of the Valerio family, we couldn’t withstand the wrath of the Thompsons.
I had never realized that in this game of power, I had been sold to the Thompsons like a bargaining chip.
My father and mother stood before me, their faces etched with guilt, almost pleading. “Scarlett, we know it was wrong of us to hide this from you.”
“But at the time, the family’s finances were collapsing, and rival families were circling like vultures. The alliance with the Thompsons was the only way to survive the coming storm.”
“And now, even if you want a divorce, you must consider the family’s survival. The Valerio family cannot afford a war.”
Holding the blood-signed contract, I felt a mix of sorrow and bitter irony.
My parents were thinking of the family’s survival, and the Thompsons of their bloodline. But who was thinking of me?
With no other choice, I cast aside all dignity. I threw myself at Kieran again and again, desperate.
My only thought was to have a baby and buy my freedom.
But every time, he rejected me without hesitation.
His heart belonged only to Camilla. He was like a devout pilgrim on a sacred quest.
Not long after, Camilla returned from abroad, newly divorced. Kieran brought her directly to the Thompson estate, claiming she had nowhere else to go.
He let her live in our home, in the guest room just a few steps from our own bedroom.
On Camilla’s first night at the estate, she walked in on me trying to seduce Kieran.
When she saw me in a sexy silk nightgown, her eyes welled with tears, and she ran off as if she had been deeply wronged.
Kieran, his eyes filled with worry and concern, rushed after her.
I clung to the hem of his shirt, refusing to let him go. “Kieran, my father is pressuring us for an heir. Just once. Just give me one chance…”
In that moment, he angrily shoved my hand away, so forcefully that I nearly fell.
“I’ve told you countless times, I’m not interested! Scarlett, if you want an heir that badly, go have one with someone else!”
“This is the last time I’m warning you. Don’t try this again.”
I stared at him, my last line of defense shattered.
Watching him hurry after Camilla, my heart turned to ash.
I didn’t sleep at all that night. I had no tears left to cry.
After a long night of contemplation, I finally understood. The blood pact only stated that I had to produce a baby to end the alliance.
It never said whose baby it had to be.
So I went to a high-end club in lower Manhattan, known for its absolute discretion.
I randomly picked a man who looked decent enough and went to bed with him. And, quite smoothly, I became pregnant.
I would take Kieran at his word. I would have a baby with another man, and then I would leave. We would both get what we wanted.
Now, seven months later, I put away the test results and began to cover my tracks.
I had to act fast, while my pregnancy was not yet obvious.
I lit a fire in the fireplace and began burning documents: copies of the contracts detailing my marriage to Kieran, private letters, and some medical records.
The firelight danced on my face. With every piece of paper that burned, I felt more liberated.
Kieran pushed the door open and saw me.
He frowned at my crouched figure before the fireplace. “What are you burning?”
“Old legal documents. The lawyer said to destroy them periodically to protect our privacy.”
I didn’t turn around, continuing to feed paper into the fire.
He sensed something was off and was about to approach when the butler knocked and entered.
“Sir, for the Romano family’s reconciliation dinner tomorrow night, will you be wearing the family signet ring?”
Kieran nodded. “Have my grandfather’s ring brought from the vault.”
Soon, the butler returned with a black velvet box.
Inside lay the Thompson family’s heirloom signet rings, passed down through generations: a matching pair, for the heir and his wife. Both were platinum, set with enormous black diamonds.
Kieran picked up the woman’s ring and walked toward me. “Tomorrow’s dinner is important. As my wife, you must attend with me.”
The ring glittered with a cold light in the fire’s glow.
It was magnificent, but wearing it now would only draw attention to my slightly swollen fingers in late pregnancy.
I was about to refuse when Kieran suddenly knelt, grabbing my wrist. “Have you… put on weight recently?”
His sharp eyes scanned my hand. “Your fingers seem thicker than before.”
“Yes, I’ve been eating more lately,” I said, quickly pulling my hand back and trying to change the subject.
Just then, Camilla pushed the door open, clearly looking for Kieran.
Her eyes immediately fell on the pair of rings on the table.
“Oh my God, are those the legendary Thompson family signet rings? I heard they’re the masterpiece of an 18th-century Italian artisan. The woman who gets to wear one is truly honored…”
Seeing the undisguised longing in her eyes, I didn’t wait for Kieran to speak. I simply handed her the woman’s ring.
“Since you know so much about its history, you should wear it to the dinner.”
“Really? Can I?” Camilla’s voice trembled with excitement. “But this symbolizes the Lady of the Thompson family. Is it appropriate for an outsider like me to wear it?”
She said that, but she was already eagerly sliding the ring onto her finger.
I watched her hypocritical performance with a cold, indifferent heart.
“It suits you.”
I had already surrendered his heart. What was a ring?
With that, I looked at Kieran. “I have other plans tomorrow, so I won’t be attending. Let Camilla accompany you as the Lady of the Thompson family.”
Kieran remained silent, his deep eyes fixed on me, as if trying to read my true intentions.
He seemed shocked by my unusual behavior, clearly not expecting me to so easily surrender a symbol of my position as lady of the house.
“Kieran? Kieran!”
“Can I wear the ring and go to the dinner with you tomorrow? Please?”
Camilla’s coaxing voice finally brought him back to his senses. He slowly nodded.
“Fine. You’ll come with me tomorrow.”
Chapter 3
The next evening, I had planned to stay in my bedroom.
But the dinner the staff prepared was seafood.
The strong fishy smell made my stomach churn. My morning sickness was more intense than ever.
I barely ate anything and was feeling hungry in the middle of the night.
As I went downstairs to the kitchen, I heard a loud argument.
The sound came from Kieran’s private study, a sanctuary no one but him and the Don of the Thompson family was permitted to enter.
I tiptoed down the stairs, following the voices.
The door was ajar, and Camilla’s sobbing drifted out.
“Why? Kieran, why do you torture both of us like this?”
I peeked through the crack in the door. Kieran was sitting on the sofa, a bottle of whiskey in hand, clearly having had a lot to drink.
Camilla stood before him, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.
“If you don’t love her, why maintain this marriage? You let me suffer in the shadows, while she never even gets your love!”
Kieran rubbed his temples in agony. “This is my responsibility as heir to the Thompson family. It’s not something I can escape. A blood alliance isn’t a game, Camilla.”
“Responsibility?” Camilla laughed bitterly. “So I’m doomed to be your mistress forever, someone who can never step into the light?”
Kieran was silent, just kept drinking his whiskey.
“Camilla…” After a long pause, Kieran closed his eyes in pain. “You know what you mean to me.”
“No, I don’t!” She turned to leave. “If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t make me watch you share a bed with another woman!”
Heartbroken, Camilla turned to leave.
“I’m tired, Kieran. Maybe we should just end this for good.”
Just as Camilla reached the door, Kieran suddenly dropped the bottle and grabbed her from behind, holding her tight.
“Do you want to know how much I’ve missed you?” his voice trembled. “It’s not just a moment. It’s every moment. Every second of every day, I’m thinking of you!”
“Every night is torture, imagining what would have happened if I had stopped you from leaving back then…”
Camilla trembled in his arms, her tears flowing even faster. “Then why… why can’t you give me a proper title?”
Kieran took her hand and pressed it against his heart.
Through his white shirt, I could see his heartbeat so violently that the fabric trembled.
He gazed into Camilla’s eyes and made a solemn promise in a voice only they could hear.
“The day I officially become Don, I will change the family rules.”
“Then, this so-called blood pact will no longer exist.”
Those words were a dagger straight through my heart.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, stifling a gasp.
Kieran wanted out of this alliance even more than I did.
With a few simple words, he had negated my identity, our marriage, and the alliance itself.
I backed away silently, step by step, and returned to my room.
After closing the door, I opened a box from the back of my closet.
Inside were all the photos of Kieran and me from the past three years, and every gift he had ever given me.
I took them out, one by one, and threw them into the fireplace, lighting them on fire.
The photos curled, yellowed, and turned to ash in the flames.
The necklaces, watches, and brooches that once brought me so much joy were all consumed by the fire.
“Scarlett?”
Kieran’s voice came from the doorway. He had obviously noticed the firelight from under the door.
He smelled of whiskey and her perfume.
When he saw the smoldering ashes in the fireplace, his face changed instantly.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice sharp with alarm.
I calmly stirred the embers. “Just clearing out some old things.”
Kieran walked over and saw that what I had thrown into the fire was a pink photo album. The flames had devoured the pictures, making them almost unrecognizable.
But he still recognized it instantly. It was our wedding album.
From the engagement party to the wedding, from daily life to formal events.
Beneath each photo, I had written little notes.
“He took me to try on wedding dresses today. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. Does that mean I’m a little different to him?”
“Our first formal family gathering. He took my hand on his own.”
“Scarlett loves Kieran. So, so much.”
All my feelings were recorded in that album, a testament to my love.
He had flipped through it once. I had been shy, but I never tried to hide my love.
And now, I was burning it all.
Kieran lunged forward, the alcohol instantly wearing off. “Why did you burn this?”
I looked up at him and gave a faint, calm smile. “No reason. It was getting moldy, so I burned it.”
I watched as the flames died down, leaving only ashes in the fireplace, which I then began to clean up without hurry.
He watched my movements, silent for a long time. I glanced at him. “It’s late. Time to rest.”
With that, I lay down on my side of the bed, turned off the bedside lamp, and closed my eyes.
In the darkness, I felt him lie down behind me.
He reached for me instinctively, as he always did.
But I shifted away, evading his touch and curling into a ball at the edge of the bed.
Kieran opened his eyes in the dark, staring at his empty arms.
A knot formed in his chest. For the first time, he realized something was quietly changing.
Chapter 4
The weekend brought the Thompson family’s monthly council meeting.
Early in the morning, Kieran stood at the bedroom door, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Get ready. We’re leaving.”
I put down my cup. “I’m not feeling well.”
“That wasn’t a request, Scarlett,” his voice was hard. “As a member of the Thompson family, you are obligated to attend.”
Half an hour later, I was in the passenger seat as Kieran drove, focused on the road.
I, who was usually so talkative, now leaned against the window in silence.
Ever since I had avoided his embrace that night, he had been watching me thoughtfully, as if trying to decipher something.
“Scarlett,” he began suddenly. “Last night you…”
His phone rang, cutting him off.
The moment he answered, Camilla’s terrified sobs filled the car.
“Kieran, there are people making trouble outside my apartment. I’m so scared…”
“I’m hiding in the bedroom, I don’t dare to come out. They keep banging on the door…”
Kieran’s face changed in an instant.
His usually cold, calm eyes were now filled with panic.
“Don’t go out. Lock the doors and windows and wait for me. I’m on my way!”
“Kieran,” I tried to stop him. “Today’s meeting is important…”
“Camilla is in danger,” he cut me off coldly. “The old estate is only a few miles from here. I have an emergency to handle. You can walk.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
He knew how important the family meeting was. How could he abandon everything, abandon me, for her?
I gripped the door handle, refusing to get out.
“This is an important meeting. The family Capos will all be there. I don’t care what you do on any other day, but today, you need to show some respect.”
“If Camilla is being harassed, she should call her bodyguards, not you. I can send some of our soldati to protect her. You don’t need to rush off like this, regardless of your feelings for her.”
The atmosphere in the car froze. “Are you questioning my decision? We’re just friends. There’s no ‘caring’ involved.”
“I have to go. You can handle things at the old estate.”
With that, he got out of the car and walked around to my side.
“Get out.”
In the end, I was forced out of the car.
The black sedan sped off, leaving me alone at a desolate intersection under the scorching sun.
I pulled out my phone and saw there was no signal.
Only two months left. Why couldn’t he just endure it for a little while longer?
I gave a self-mocking laugh, imagining how the people at the old estate would humiliate me.
The Thompson family estate occupied an entire mountain, with the old family home situated on the mountainside.
The road was deserted.
The July sun was brutal. My high heels made every step on the uneven gravel road a struggle.
I hadn’t even gone a mile before a heel snapped.
I had no choice but to take off my shoes and walk barefoot on the hot, sharp stones.
Every step was like walking on knives, and my feet were soon raw and bleeding.
Sweat mixed with blood, soaking through my dress.
I don’t know how long it took, but I finally arrived at the old estate, a complete mess.
I was drenched in sweat, my feet were caked with blood, and my hair was plastered to my face.
All the Capos turned to look at me, their expressions a mix of emotions.
Some were sympathetic, some gloating, but most were disdainful.
Kieran’s mother, the current Donna of the Thompson family, walked over and frowned at me.
“Scarlett, what happened to you? Where is Kieran?”
I wrapped myself in the towel a servant handed me and said nothing.
Kieran’s mother took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. “Alright, alright, just go clean yourself up. Don’t stand here embarrassing the Thompson family.”
A servant led me away to tend to my wounds and wash off the blood.
When I returned, Kieran’s mother glanced at the main gate, then shot me a look of pure exasperation.
“I don’t care what you two do in private, but this is a family meeting. The Capos of every branch are here. By showing up alone, are you trying to announce to everyone that your marriage is a disaster? That you can’t even hold on to your husband? ”
“Are you trying to humiliate the Thompson family in front of the other Five Families?”
I just lowered my head in silence, listening to the scolding.
I endured the scornful gazes and whispers of the Capos around me.
“The Valerio girl can’t even keep her husband on a leash. How amusing.”
“I heard that Russo woman is back… she’s Kieran’s true love…”
“Look at the state of her. I almost feel sorry for her.”
This ordeal lasted for over an hour before Kieran finally arrived.
With Camilla.
He was carefully supporting her as she clung to his arm, pressing close.
“Sorry I’m late,” Kieran said without a hint of apology, seating Camilla in the chair on his other side.
Everyone’s position at a family meeting is determined by bloodline and status. This was a direct slap in the face.
He never once looked at me, nor did he notice my blood-stained feet.
Once the meeting began, Kieran focused on discussing family business with the other Capos.
Camilla, meanwhile, would periodically show a frightened expression, and each time, Kieran would gently pat her hand to comfort her.
I kept my head down, taking notes, a forced smile on my face.
Halfway through the meeting, he noticed Camilla was uncomfortable with the thick cigar smoke in the room.
“Open the window wider. Let Camilla get some air,” he instructed a servant.
“Thank you, Kieran,” Camilla smiled shyly at him. “The smell of cigars in here is a bit strong.”
At her words, he immediately had the ventilation system adjusted.
However, because of my pregnancy, the draft made the rich smell of Cuban cigars even more pungent.
Mixed with the colognes and whiskeys of the various Capos, the scent washed over me in a nauseating wave.
I stopped writing, my stomach churning as acid rose in my throat.
The nausea was overwhelming.
For the first time, I rudely dropped my papers, covered my mouth, and rushed into the hallway, where I began to dry heave.
Tears welled in my eyes, and my face turned red.
I pressed a hand to my chest, leaning against the wall as I retched.
Several Capos saw me through the glass door and began to exchange knowing glances.
“Scarlett looks just like my wife did when she was pregnant. You don’t think she’s actually expecting, do you?”
“I was thinking the same thing! Being so sensitive to smells…”
Hearing this, Kieran’s face turned grim.
His expression turned murderous, and the air around him went cold.
Forgetting Camilla beside him, he turned to me and gripped my wrist tightly.
He gripped my wrist, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Are you pregnant?”
Chapter 5
After dry-heaving until there was nothing left, I finally started to feel a bit better.
My face was still deathly pale.
With my free hand, I pulled a small pill bottle from my pocket.
I gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Kieran, I have a bad stomach. I always have. Have you forgotten that, my dear husband?”
“Besides, pregnant? You know our situation better than anyone. Whose baby would I be pregnant with?”
Kieran froze. We had been married for three years, and he had never touched me.
He glanced at the label on the pill bottle and let out a complicated sigh of relief.
Yes, I did have stomach problems.
And given our situation, it was impossible for me to be pregnant with his baby.
Besides, in Kieran’s eyes, my love for him was deeper than the ocean. I would never be with another man.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice unusually soft. “I was overthinking.”
He quickly released my wrist, took the bottle, and personally poured a pill into my hand.
He even brought me a glass of warm water.
“You walked so far today and were in the sun for so long. You must be exhausted.”
He handed me the glass, his tone laced with a hint of apology. “I shouldn’t have made you walk here alone.”
Seeing this, Camilla, standing behind him, contorted her face.
She bit her lip, her fists clenched with jealousy.
She glanced around, then suddenly swayed.
“Kieran…” she called out weakly. “I feel so sick…”
Before she finished her sentence, she collapsed into her chair, her eyes shut tight.
“Camilla!”
Kieran instantly dropped the glass of water he was holding for me and rushed to her side, catching her.
“Get a doctor!” he yelled toward the doorway.
Everyone in the room crowded around, a flurry of chaotic activity.
I sat in my original seat, watching the scene unfold with a completely numb heart.
Kieran swept Camilla into his arms and hurried out.
“I’m taking her to the hospital. The meeting is on hold.”
He left without a backward glance, the frail Camilla cradled in his arms.
He never looked at me again.
An important meeting that would decide the fate of two powerful families ended just like that.
Kieran’s mother walked over and gave me a cold look. “What are you still sitting here for? Pack up and go home.”
I silently gathered my things and took a car back to the estate alone.
Perhaps it was the sun and the long walk, or perhaps it was the pregnancy, but I started to feel increasingly unwell.
That night, a high fever set in, and my whole body ached.
But I was too afraid of harming the baby to take any fever reducers.
My throat was raw, and every word felt like a knife.
I was exhausted and weak, as if all the blood had been drained from my body.
I wanted to change out of my sweat-soaked nightgown, but even that simple act was a struggle.
I tried for a long time to sit up, but dizziness sent me crashing back onto the bed.
The damp fabric clung to my skin, cold and sticky, making the fever even more unbearable.
I had no strength to change, and no one came to help.
I drifted in and out of consciousness. All night, Kieran never came back.
When I finally woke from my fevered state, the sky was bright.
I struggled to my feet and poured myself a glass of water with a trembling hand. I reached for my phone to check the time and accidentally opened Camilla’s latest Instagram post.
The picture was of a man’s large, well-defined hand tightly holding a woman’s slender one.
I knew that hand all too well. It was Kieran’s.
The caption read: “Thank you for staying with me all night. With you by my side, I’m not afraid of anything.”
Below were tons of likes and comments.
“I’m so jealous of Camilla. To have a man like that protecting you.”
“Who’s this handsome guy? He’s so devoted to you!”
“When are you two getting married?”
I suddenly remembered how every time I had been sick, the most Kieran would say was:
“Have the family doctor look after you. I have family business to attend to. I don’t have time for this.”
Back then, I was so naive. I actually believed he was that busy.
I even thought I was being understanding, that I shouldn’t bother a future Don with such “trivial” matters.
I had even found a man who put his family responsibilities first to be charming.
Thinking back on it now, it was utterly laughable.
He was just selectively busy. His specific brand of tenderness was reserved for a specific person. And that person was not me.
I smiled bitterly and calmly closed my phone.
For the unloved, even falling ill is an inconvenience to be borne alone.
For five straight days, Kieran didn’t come home.
The estate was silent. So quiet I could hear a pin drop.
I began to quietly pack my things, sorting non-essential items into boxes.
The lavish evening gowns, expensive jewelry, and the formal attire required for family gatherings.
They were once symbols of my status, but now they were just ornate shackles.
My phone rang suddenly. It was my mother.
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Scarlett, how are things going with you and Kieran?” my mother’s voice was anxious. “The family keeps asking about an heir.”
“Scarlett, you can’t be so willful. You need to think about the family…”
“I know, Mamma. Don’t worry,” I said calmly, pausing my packing. “You’ll have your answer in a month.”
“A month?” Her voice was filled with surprise. “What do you mean…”
She was stunned for a moment before asking, “Are you pregnant? Even if you got pregnant now, you couldn’t possibly have a baby in a month.”
“You’ll know when the time comes,” I cut her off.
“That’s good, that’s good,” my mother said, relieved. “I knew my daughter wouldn’t let the family down.”
After hanging up, I stared blankly at my luggage, gently stroking my belly.
Chapter 6
Kieran didn’t come home tonight either. It was our third wedding anniversary.
For the past two years, no matter what he was thinking, he had at least always gone through the motions on this day.
He wouldn’t whisper sweet nothings, but he would still prepare a surprise for me.
He was a respectable Mafia heir, after all, and he always maintained the proper rituals.
Now that Camilla was back, he had thrown everything to the wind. He didn’t care about the family alliance, nor about me, his wife in name only.
But it didn’t matter. I would celebrate it one last time by myself, as a farewell.
I put on the white dress I wore at our engagement, lit candles in the dining room, and prepared a lavish dinner.
On the table were the same type of roses from our wedding and a bottle of 1995 Dom Prignon.
I sat at one end of the long table, looking at the empty seat across from me.
Time ticked by, but Kieran never appeared.
At eight o’clock, the steak was completely cold.
I raised my champagne glass to the empty air and whispered, “To my freedom, to fearlessness, and to returning to the operating room.”
The simplest of wishes, yet something I couldn’t have right now.
I slowly ate the cold steak and drank the champagne, sip by sip, as if performing a final, solitary ritual.
After dinner, I was slightly tipsy and about to head upstairs when Kieran suddenly walked in.
He was alone, which was a surprise. I asked instinctively, “Where’s Camilla?”
Kieran took off his custom Armani jacket and tossed it onto the Italian leather sofa. “The Russo family arranged a new safe house for her.”
“She’s no longer staying at the estate.”
I was surprised. He didn’t try to keep her this time?
Kieran walked to the dining table and saw the untouched feast I had prepared.
“What is all this?” he frowned. “Why so much food? It’s such a waste.”
I paused, glanced at the antique clock on the wall, imported from Italy, and then spoke slowly.
“Yesterday was our third wedding anniversary.”
The hands of the clock swept past midnight. Our anniversary was over.
Kieran froze. He looked at the lilies of the valley on the table and the empty champagne bottle.
“Scarlett, I…” his voice trembled slightly. “I’m sorry. I completely forgot.”
“Family security matters have been piling up. I’ve been swamped.”
“I’ll make it up to you in a few days.”
He apologized sincerely, but I just shook my head, unfazed. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
I knew he was just trying to maintain the pathetic illusion of our marriage. But now, whether he went through the motions or not, I didn’t care at all.
With that, I went straight upstairs, leaving Kieran standing alone in the living room.
A few nights later, Kieran appeared before me, holding an exquisite invitation.
“I’ve booked all of Le Bernardin. We’re celebrating our anniversary tonight.”
The three-Michelin-star restaurant usually required reservations months in advance, but he had booked the entire place for us.
I sat at the beautifully decorated table, looking at him with some confusion.
I had no idea what this man was up to, so I just asked him directly.
“Did you and Camilla have a fight?” Was that why he suddenly had time to put on this show for me?
Kieran paused in the middle of cutting my steak, his brow furrowed.
“What does Camilla have to do with this? You’re my wife. Isn’t it only right for me to make up for our anniversary?”
Wife? What a joke.
“Wife? A wife in name only, one you haven’t touched in three years?”
He was silent for a moment, then walked over to me and took a velvet jewelry box from his pocket.
Inside lay a priceless diamond necklace, sparkling under the lights.
“Scarlett, I know I’ve wronged you these past three years,” his voice was soft. “Give me a chance to start over.”
“I had my reasons for not touching you. You’ll understand one day.”
I understood. He had to remain celibate for Camilla.
I said nothing. Sensing my silence, he spoke again, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
Kieran took a deep breath. “In one month, we’ll start fulfilling our marital duties. It’s time to produce an heir for the Thompson family.”
I was completely stunned.
In one month, I would have already given birth to a stranger’s baby. What would I need him for?
I just didn’t understand why he, after being so stubborn for three years, had suddenly changed his mind.
Was it another round of pressure from the family? Or was it to protect Camilla, to prevent the elders from blaming her?
I stared at his face, trying to read his true intentions.
I couldn’t help but want to ask, but his phone rang. The caller ID showed the family’s Consigliere.
Kieran answered, his face instantly turning grim.
“What? How did the arms shipment get seized at the docks?”
“I’m on my way.”
He hung up and looked at me apologetically. “Scarlett, something urgent came up. I have to…”
“Go,” I waved my hand. “Business is important.”
“I’ll make it up to you with an even grander celebration next year.”
I was left with the diamond necklace and a half-cut cake on the table.
Kieran, do you really think we have a next year?
I had the waiter clear away the table of untouched, fake romance and went straight back to the estate.
The days passed, and my due date grew closer.
Today was a routine checkup. I went to the clinic alone.
As I was leaving the exam room, I heard a familiar voice.
“Scarlett?”
I turned to see my medical school mentor, Professor Martinez.
“Professor, what are you doing here?”
“I’m visiting an old friend,” he said, looking me up and down. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded.
“Where’s that Thompson husband of yours? How come he’s not with you?”
I didn’t answer. Seeing my expression, my mentor let out a deep sigh.
“You were my most promising student, a natural at cardiac surgery.”
“But you chose marriage. I thought you would be happy…”
I cut him off with a bitter smile. “I haven’t held a scalpel in a long time.”
The professor looked at me with regret, shaking his head in frustration.
I couldn’t help but clutch the test results in my hand.
“I had no choice. It was a blood pact, and I couldn’t defy my family.”
“But the good news is, my family obligations are almost fulfilled. I’m preparing to leave this bloody world behind and reclaim my life.” My smile was one of relief. “Do you think I still have a chance?”
Chapter 7
“Of course you do!” Hope reignited in my mentor’s eyes. “That’s wonderful news. It’s a tragedy that your talent is trapped in these bloody family games.”
“When are you leaving? If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
His words were the best thing that had happened to me all day.
After bidding my mentor farewell, I didn’t go back to the estate. I went directly to the family’s law firm.
“Hello, I want to dissolve an alliance. Please draft two agreements for me.”
One was an alliance dissolution agreement, the other a divorce decree.
The lawyer was shocked, but at my insistence, he drafted the documents as requested.
I read every word carefully, and after confirming everything was correct, I signed both documents without hesitation.
When I returned to the estate, I was surprised to find both Kieran and Camilla in the living room.
Just a few days ago, Kieran had said she wouldn’t be back. He was truly playing me for a fool.
At this point, I couldn’t be bothered to ask why she was here again. I glanced at them and headed straight for the bedroom.
But Kieran frowned and spoke up. “Where have you been? You’re back so late.”
“I was meeting a friend,” I lied casually.
“Which friend?” Kieran wasn’t letting it go.
I don’t know why, but lately, he had become strangely curious about everything I did.
If this had happened six months ago, I might have been ecstatic. But now, I just found him annoying.
He had a point, though. In the three years I’d been married to him, my entire life had revolved around him. I didn’t have any friends.
Moreover, my style of dress had changed recently. My clothes were getting looser and looser, which he must have found strange.
I was trying to think of an excuse when Camilla came over, a sweet smile on her face. “Scarlett, you’re just in time!”
“Tomorrow is the Marcelli family’s reconciliation horse race. You must be bored at home alone. Why don’t you come with us? It’ll be a chance to get out of the house and socialize.”
I was about to refuse, but Kieran spoke first. “Yes, you should both go. You can look out for each other.”
Camilla immediately took my arm. To protect my baby, I couldn’t pull away too hard, so I just nodded in agreement.
The horse race was held at a private track.
The venue was lavishly decorated, and members of all the major families were present.
Camilla and I sat in the VIP box, with Kieran behind us, talking to a few Capos.
“Kieran, do you remember the first time we came here to watch the races?” Camilla suddenly turned to Kieran, her voice filled with nostalgia.
Everyone around them stopped talking and looked at them curiously.
I rarely attended public social events with Kieran, so many people in the box didn’t know me. They just assumed I was the daughter of some famiglia and paid me no mind.
But everyone recognized Kieran and Camilla, the golden couple of the New York Mafia scene. It was an open secret that the Underboss’s marriage was just for show.
“You told me back then that if my favorite horse won, you’d grant me one wish,” Camilla continued, her eyes sparkling.
The people around them started to tease. “Did the horse win?”
“Of course it did!” Camilla laughed. “And Kieran promised to take me to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.”
“Wow, how romantic!”
“Kieran is so devoted to Camilla.”
“You have no idea. Kieran used to have a diary, and it was filled with Camilla’s name!”
Listening to their chatter, I felt a wave of nausea. I couldn’t tell if it was morning sickness or if I was just disgusted by them.
I just never expected that Kieran, a man so cold and controlled, would have a love for Camilla so well-known.
Perhaps that was why he could never forget her.
Seeing the color drain from my face, Camilla looked triumphant, but she leaned in close and feigned concern. “Scarlett, I didn’t mean anything by it, really. It’s just…”
“I know,” I cut her off, my voice flat. I stood up to head to the parking lot.
But Camilla thought I was angry and grabbed my hand.
In the late stages of my pregnancy, I was easily tired. I had no energy to argue with her. I just wanted her to let me go.
I was about to pry her hand off when a rush of footsteps sounded from outside the box.
Then, several masked gunmen burst in, the sharp click-clack of their rifles filling the air.
“Everyone on the floor! Move and I’ll blow your heads off!”
The scene erupted into chaos and screams.
Everyone finally understood. The so-called reconciliation with the Marcelli family was a massive revenge plot.
As a gunman raised his submachine gun to open fire, Kieran’s first instinct was to throw himself over Camilla.
He shielded her with his own body.
Meanwhile, I, pregnant, was knocked down by the panicking crowd, left exposed in the line of fire.
A bullet grazed my arm, leaving a searing, bloody trail.
I was pushed to the ground by the frantic crowd, and a sharp pain shot through my abdomen.
I couldn’t help but cry out, my hands protectively clutching my stomach.
Blood gushed from the wound, staining the expensive Persian rug beneath me.
Kieran held Camilla tightly, and only after confirming she was unharmed did he finally see me, lying in a pool of blood amidst the chaos.
His face paled. “Scarlett!”
But he still didn’t let go of Camilla.
“I’m fine. Get Camilla out of here,” I managed to say, forcing myself to sit up. Blood was seeping from the wound on my arm.
Kieran swept up Camilla and ran for the door. As he reached it, he yelled to the family doctor who was rushing in.
“Check on Camilla first! She’s terrified!”
The doctor was immediately swamped by Camilla, who was sobbing hysterically, claiming she couldn’t breathe and her heart was racing.
And I sat alone in a pool of my own blood, the pain in my abdomen growing more intense.
With my medical knowledge, I knew what was happening. I was going into premature labor.
Chapter 8
My water had broken. The contractions were coming in regular waves.
My baby was coming into the world early.
With all my strength, I pulled out my phone and dialed the Valerio family’s emergency number.
“This is Scarlett. I’m at the Long Island racetrack. I need to get to a hospital immediately… I’m going into labor…”
The other end of the line exploded into chaos. In less than ten minutes, men from the Valerio family stormed the venue.
They quickly placed me on a stretcher and rushed me to a private hospital controlled by my family.
In the ambulance, I gritted my teeth through the pain. The paramedics were performing emergency procedures, but the situation was dire.
Meanwhile, Kieran was busy comforting a frightened Camilla, inspecting a tiny, insignificant scratch on her neck.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” he whispered, stroking her hair.
One of his men ran up to him. “Boss, a pregnant woman was hit by a stray bullet. Her condition is critical. The Valerios have taken her for an emergency delivery.”
Only then did Kieran remember that he hadn’t seen me. A knot of unease tightened in his chest, and he reached for his phone to check on me.
“Kieran!” Camilla suddenly shrieked. “I’m so scared. Don’t leave me!”
She clung to his arm, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.
Kieran’s hand froze mid-air. In the end, he put his phone away.
“I won’t leave you.”
The call was never made.
Twenty-four hours later, I woke up in the Valerio family’s private hospital.
A nurse walked over, holding a tiny infant.
“Congratulations, Principessa. He’s a healthy boy.”
Looking into his deep eyes, I couldn’t help but think of the man I had randomly picked at the club.
I was drunk and hazy that night, and the club was so dark I never saw his face.
I just had a gut feeling that a one-night stand with a man that tall and well-built couldn’t be a bad thing.
Now, seeing my baby’s perfect features, a flicker of curiosity arose in me.
That man must have been quite handsome.
How else could we have created such a beautiful baby?
I carefully reached out a finger and stroked the baby’s soft, silk-like hand. Tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably.
“My love, thank you for coming. You’ve given me the key to my freedom.”
Leo Valerio. That would be his name.
No Thompson. Only a Valerio.
I stayed at the Valerio private hospital for a week, letting my body recover.
The day I was discharged, I received a text from Kieran.
“Camilla is emotionally fragile right now. I’m taking her to Europe for a while to recover.”
My expression was placid. I simply replied, “Noted.”
There was not a single flicker of emotion.
It was better that he wasn’t at the estate. It saved me the trouble of explaining things.
Back at the estate, I placed the signed dissolution agreement on the desk in Kieran’s study, right where he handled family business.
So he would see it the moment he returned.
Then, holding Leo, I pulled my suitcase and walked out of the place I had called home for three years.
A driver took us to JFK International Airport.
I had bought a ticket to Chicago, where a friend from college lived. I could stay there for a while.
But my luck was terrible. While waiting for my flight, I saw two familiar figures.
Kieran and Camilla were standing at the VIP entrance not far away.
They were heading to Paris. Camilla was holding Kieran’s arm, smiling happily.
I immediately turned away, holding Leo tighter.
Kieran seemed to sense something and glanced back, but the terminal was bustling. He just shook his head.
“Impossible,” he muttered to himself. “She’s safe at the estate. I must be seeing things.”
I watched from a corner as he picked up his phone.
My phone, in my pocket, buzzed.
“Do you want any gifts? I’ll bring something back for you from Paris.”
I looked at the message and thought of all his empty promises.
But it was all too late.
I turned and walked towards the boarding gate, replying simply: “No need.”
The plane was about to take off, and the flight attendant was urging passengers to turn off their phones.
I held a sleeping Leo and said softly to the flight attendant, “Just one moment. I have to send one last message.”
I took Leo’s birth certificate from my bag and snapped a picture of it.
Then, I sent the photo to five people.
The Don of the Thompson family, Kieran’s father.
My father, the Don of the Valerio family.
The Consiglieres of both families.
And finally, to Kieran himself.
[I had the baby. He isn’t yours.]
[Our alliance and our marriage are over. Don’t look for me.]
The moment the message sent, I blocked and deleted all their contact information without hesitation, and pulled out the SIM card.
The plane’s engines roared as it lifted off the runway.
Through the window, I watched New York City shrink below, a feeling of immense relief washing over me.
From this day forward, Kieran Thompson and I had nothing to do with each other.
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