The Don’s Pregnant Wife Wasn’t the One He Chose

Nine months pregnant, I ran into my husband, Dante Morano, and his mistress at the Ravenna clinic.

The moment I picked up my report, I saw the two of them celebrating the upcoming arrival of their own child.

Nicoletta pretended to be concerned. Dante, you really shouldn't be here with me. If Seraphina finds out, she'll be upset. She's pregnant too. Aren't you worried she'd be upset?

Dante let out a cold chuckle. "If she causes a scene, I'll dissolve the alliance."

Since Dante didn't want us anymore, I'd rather raise the child without a father than stay in this farce of a marriage.

I called my dad, who was living in Valmoria.

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm getting out of this. I'm taking the baby and coming to be with you."

After I hung up, I booked the earliest flight available. Two weeks. That's all I needed. Two weeks and I'd be out of Dante's life for good.

But then why... did that man show up at my wedding with red eyes, begging me to take him back?

Nine months pregnant and the moment I received my prenatal report, I saw my husband attending an appointment at the private Ravenna clinic with his first love, Nicoletta Ferraro.

"Dante, you coming with me to this appointment if Seraphina finds out, she'll be really upset. She's due soon, too. Aren't you worried?" Nicoletta said with a voice full of pretend concern, but I caught the smugness in her eyes.

Dante kissed her belly gently and replied with chilling indifference, "She doesn't know about this and I'm not planning on telling her. Maybe it's the hormones, but her mood's been all over the place lately. I don't want her making things difficult for you."

"But we can't keep sneaking around like this. Seraphina's heavily pregnant, too. If she finds out, I'm afraid she"

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's my duty to be here with you for this appointment after all, the baby is mine, too. If Seraphina wants to cause trouble, I'll just end the marriage."

The coldness in Dante's voice when he spoke about me made my blood run cold.

If Dante had already decided to toss us aside, then I would beat him to it. I would leave him and raise this child on my own.

I let out a bitter smile as my heart finally gave up. I pulled out my phone and called my father in Valmoria.

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm dissolving the alliance. I'll bring the baby and come live with you."

"I'm glad you finally came to your senses," came his voice through the line. "The Moranos might run a powerful syndicate, but the Valente name doesn't bow to anyone. If staying there only brings you pain, then yes leave him and raise the child on your own."

"You're right, Dad."

After hanging up, I immediately booked the next flight out.

I thought back to this morning, when I asked Dante to come to my appointment with me. He said he had Family business turns out he was just accompanying Nicoletta to hers.

Nine months of pregnancy and not once had Dante ever come with me to the clinic.

Nicoletta had her engagement called off three months ago and ever since she came back to the country, Dante had been meeting her over and over again. From the moment she returned, Dante and I had barely shared any time alone.

Whenever Nicoletta called even if it was just a message Dante would drop everything and rush to her. He'd walk out of a sit-down with his capos mid-sentence if her name lit up his phone.

He even held her affectionately right in front of me.

It wasn't like I hadn't confronted him about it. But every time I did, he brushed me off with the same excuse that Nicoletta was going through a hard time and needed support.

According to him, everything he did was to help Nicoletta back on her feet. She was pregnant, he said, and he had a moral obligation to be there for her.

But Dante seemed to forget one crucial fact: Nicoletta wasn't the only pregnant woman in his life. I was, too. And I was even further along than she was. If anything, I was the one who needed care the most.

For the longest time, I thought the baby Nicoletta was carrying was Dante's.

I tried to ask indirectly. I even told him that if he no longer loved me, he needed to tell me outright.

But every single time, he'd shut me down impatient, dismissive, evasive. And the one time I dared question whose child Nicoletta was really carrying, he got furious.

He kept reassuring me, over and over again, until I finally chose to trust him.

I told myself he was just being kind. That he hadn't fallen out of love with me.

But now, it's all so clear Nicoletta's baby has always been his.

They'd been sneaking around behind my back for God knows how long and I was nothing more than their cover story. The loyal Valente wife, heavy with child, keeping the household respectable while the Don ran to his comare.

When Dante mentioned dissolving our marriage, I caught the way Nicoletta's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of satisfaction slipping through her carefully composed expression. Her fingertips drifted to the hollow of her throat, a gesture so delicate it looked like nerves. It wasn't.

"I never meant to take you from Seraphina," she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "It's just if my fianc hadn't broken things off, none of this would've happened. I needed to protect my dignity. And thank God you were there, Dante. I honestly don't know what I would've done where I would've gone after coming back to this country without you."

Her eyes filled with tears. And Dante, full of tenderness and concern, gently wrapped her in his arms.

"I told you I'll take care of you, Nicoletta. If it weren't for you back then, I would've" He trailed off.

"Anyway, it's only right that I look after you," he continued. "Seraphina is my wife, so she should understand why I'm doing this. And so what if she finds out? I'll still be here for you, no matter what."

Dante patted Nicoletta gently, comforting her.

As the doctor came out of the exam room, she glanced at them and said with envy, "You're one lucky woman, Mrs. Morano. Your husband never misses a single check-up and he treats you with such care and affection."

Nicoletta blushed, smiling bashfully and Dante nodded like it was only natural.

I stared at the sickening scene in front of me, nails digging into my palms. My fingers found the inside of my left wrist without thinking, pressing against the ridged skin there. The scars he'd never asked about. The scars from a fire he didn't remember.

Two more weeks and I would be gone from Dante's life forever.

Dante followed the doctor into the office to collect the prenatal report. Nicoletta, however, made an excuse about needing the restroom and lingered in the corridor instead.

Once they were both inside, she finally spoke, her voice low and unhurried. "You can come out now. You've been standing there watching long enough. Haven't had your fill yet?"

I stepped out without a word, my expression blank.

Seeing that I stayed silent, Nicoletta grew impatient. Her gaze sharpened with mockery.

"What, no shame left at all? You knew Dante never loved you, yet you still insist on holding on to the Morano name?"

I let out a cold laugh. "And you don't find it shameful to be the other woman, fully aware he's married?"

Nicoletta's lips curled into a smile. Her fingers drifted to the hollow of her throat, pressing there lightly, as if steadying herself before she delivered the next line. "I knew Dante long before you did. If I hadn't been sent away, you'd never have had the chance to marry into his Family."

She patted her belly, then added smugly, "But I'm back now. And I'm carrying his child. So I'd say it's time for you to step aside."

From the moment I married Dante, I knew he had a woman he considered his one true love. The one who had supposedly saved him from the fire, the one the entire Morano household spoke of in reverent whispers. But I never thought she'd hold such an unshakable place in his heart.

The pain that shot through my chest nearly brought me to my knees. My grip tightened instinctively on the report in my hand.

And that's when Nicoletta saw it and snatched it from me.

She scanned the conclusion and burst into wild, gleeful laughter. The sound bounced off the clinic's marble floors, filling the private corridor the Ravenna network kept quiet for Family visits.

"Cancer, huh?" she said. "So, what do you think? Will you live long enough to give birth to that bastard baby, or are you both going to die together?"

Her laughter rang in my ears like sirens and something in me snapped. I stepped forward and slapped her, hard.

She staggered back dramatically, then fell to the ground with a wail.

"Seraphina, I didn't mean to keep this from you! But I'm pregnant! How could you hit me like that?"

Huge, dramatic tears rolled down her cheeks. And before I could even process her performance, I felt a violent shove from behind. I lost my balance and my belly slammed into the cold, hard floor.

Dante grabbed my arm and yanked me up. I was still dazed, still trying to process the shock, when he yelled in my face.

"Are you out of your mind? How could you push Nicoletta? She's pregnant!"

I stared at him, stunned. Before I could speak, Nicoletta cried out, "Dante, please don't fight with Seraphina because of me. I shouldn't have asked you to come to the appointment with me. This is my fault. As long as the baby's okay, she can slap me."

She looked like a tragic heroine. Eyes glassy, lower lip trembling. The perfect performance for a man who had been raised to protect what was his and destroy what threatened it.

Dante's face twisted with anger. His voice was low and sharp when he turned to me.

"You've crossed the line, Seraphina," he said coldly. "Apologize to Nicoletta."

The sound of it shocked even me. I laughed. Bitterly.

"You want me to apologize?" I said, my voice hoarse. "Dante, do you know what this is?"

I shoved the cancer report into his chest, my hands shaking. My throat tightened with emotion. The Don of the Morano Family, the man whose word moved men and money across three territories, and he couldn't be bothered to look at a single piece of paper his wife held against his heart.

He didn't even look at it.

He tore the paper in half and glared at me like I was the problem.

"I don't care what that says! All I know is you've gone too far. God, you're pregnant, Seraphina! How could you be cruel to another woman?"

Tears finally slipped down my cheeks, hot and silent. My whole body trembled. Not from pain, but from sheer fury. My fingers found the inside of my left wrist without thinking, pressing against the raised skin there, the scars he had never once asked about.

Dante saw me crying and for a moment, his expression softened. His tone shifted to something gentler.

"Alright can you just apologize? I know I haven't been giving you attention these past few months. But I promise I'll make it up to you once the baby's born."

Then, without a trace of shame, he pushed me toward Nicoletta.

She looked back at me, eyes glinting with smug triumph.

I looked hard at Dante, wondering how the man who once swore he loved me could change so drastically the moment Nicoletta came back. Had he forgotten every promise he made the day we stood before the altar at Saint Jerome's, with both Families watching, with the old code binding us together in blood and name? He had kissed my hand. He had called me his. The Commission had raised their glasses.

I drew in a long, steadying breath.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't apologize. And Dante you've truly disappointed me."

Then I turned and walked away. My footsteps echoed down the private corridor of the Ravenna clinic, past the stationed soldier who wouldn't meet my eyes, past the heavy doors that sealed this world from the one outside. No one followed me.

As I walked away, Dante's face darkened. For a brief moment, panic flashed through his eyes. He started to take a step toward me, but then Nicoletta clutched her stomach and groaned.

"Dante, it hurts," she gasped, then forced out a teary plea. "But Seraphina's more important. Go after her."

Dante hesitated only a second before shaking his head. "No. Don't worry about her. Right now, your condition is what matters most."

He glanced down the corridor where I'd disappeared, and I heard him mutter, "Seraphina's just throwing a tantrum. She's eight months pregnant. She'll be terrified if I dissolve the alliance. I'll talk to her later."

Then he scooped Nicoletta up and carried her into the hospital room.

When I got back to the compound, I stood outside for a long moment, staring at the house that was supposed to be ours. The iron gates were lit by low amber lamps. Two of Dante's soldiers stood at the perimeter, their eyes tracking me with the careful blankness of men who'd been told not to ask questions. Since Nicoletta returned from overseas, Dante had barely been home. I could no longer feel the warmth this house once held.

I walked to the wall, took down our wedding photo and tossed it straight into the trash.

I didn't want to leave a single trace of myself here. Not one reminder of what used to be.

I packed up all our couple items and stuffed them into a trash bag. I was heading down the stairs with it when the front door suddenly swung open. Dante walked in, carrying Nicoletta in his arms.

When he saw me standing silently by the door, a flicker of guilt flashed across his face.

"She's not feeling well after what you did," he said, like that explained everything.

"Not feeling well, huh?" I scoffed. "Then why isn't she in a clinic? Why the hell would you bring her here? Do you think this house is some kind of recovery center for your comare?"

"Watch your words, Seraphina," he snapped. "I'm trying to fix things here. Whether you like it or not, Nicoletta is staying in this house."

Nicoletta chimed in, her hand moving to gently rub her belly. "It's true, Seraphina. There's nothing going on between Dante and me. I'm only staying for the baby."

She said it just to provoke me. Her fingers drifted to the hollow of her throat, touching it lightly, and her voice came out soft as silk. Calibrated.

I could feel the anger rising in my chest, bubbling and hot. I looked at Dante and said, firm and loud, "This is our house, Dante. I don't want her living here."

Dante paused. His face twisted like he was conflicted. But then Nicoletta grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

Dante's heart melted instantly. When he turned back to me, his voice was full of irritation. "That's enough! You're pregnant too. How can you have zero empathy?"

"You pushed Nicoletta. I'm just trying to take care of her. If you don't want her here, then maybe you should leave."

His words hit like a slap. The room went very still. Even the soldier stationed near the hallway entrance seemed to stop breathing.

I stared at him, the blood draining from my face. My whole body trembled.

And then I said, as clearly as I could, "As you wish."

Tonight would be my last night in this house. After this, I'd be gone, and Dante Morano would be a closed chapter in my life. A Don who couldn't tell loyalty from a lie. A husband who chose the performance of a stranger's grief over the silence of his own wife's breaking.

With my decision made, I grabbed the trash bag in my hand and marched out the door. My fingers brushed the inside of my left wrist without thinking, pressing against the ridged skin there. The night air hit my face like a verdict.

Nicoletta's voice followed behind me, laced with mock pity.

"Don't fight because of me, Dante. Look, she's so angry she even took down your wedding photo."

Dante's voice rumbled low with frustration. "She's just being dramatic. Once she realizes I'm not playing her game, she'll come crawling back."

A tear slid down my cheek. I walked into the cold night and threw the trash away along with the very last shred of love I had left for him.

The second I opened the door, I heard a noise coming from the nursery, and my anger flared white-hot. Dante had renovated that room the moment he found out I was pregnant. He'd filled it with only the best. Every piece of furniture, every stuffed animal, every blanket. He picked them all out himself. For our baby.

And now he wanted to give that to Nicoletta?

Fury surged through me. I stormed down the hallway and swung the door open, only to find Nicoletta lying in the crib.

I yanked her up without thinking, rage burning in my chest. But before I could get a word out, Dante grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from her.

"What is wrong with you? You act like a lunatic the second you walk in," he snapped. But when he saw the tears in my eyes, he hesitated, his grip loosening just a little.

"Are you really giving her this room?" I asked, my voice raw and broken.

Dante frowned. "Nicoletta said she likes it. It's not a big deal if she stays here for a while."

"Do you remember"

"Enough, Seraphina!" he cut me off, irritated. "Everything you've done these past few days has been disappointing. If you keep acting like this, I'll have to reconsider whether this alliance should even continue." He paused, eyes cold. "You don't want the baby inside you to be born without a father, do you?"

He was threatening me. Not with lawyers, not with paperwork. With dissolution. In this world, that meant exile. It meant my child growing up outside the protection of any Family name. It meant nothing.

Looking at his face, the side he always turned away when he was done with an argument, I felt the memories unravel. The promises, the whispered sweet nothings, all turning to ash in a matter of months.

He once said this room would always belong to our baby. He said he would treasure both of us for the rest of his life.

And yet here we were.

I didn't say anything else. I turned around and walked out, numb. My hand instinctively cradled my belly, feeling the faint flutter of life inside me.

"Don't worry, baby. We don't need that room. I'll make you a better one."

Behind me, Dante stood frozen, watching me walk away. That same flicker of guilt from the clinic flashed across his face again, sharp and quick, then buried.

But as Nicoletta called out to him from the nursery, he turned and walked back to her.

Later, when I was back in the master bedroom, my phone buzzed. I got a string of voice messages from Nicoletta.

I opened them one by one, and hearing Dante's doting tone in the recordings, I realized all their past affection was just practice for Dante.

He was practicing on me and our baby, all for the sake of Nicoletta's child.

Every nourishing soup I drank, every gift I received for the baby, every parenting tip Dante shared with me. It was all just practice for Nicoletta's baby.

Even the nursery itself was prepared by Dante for the child in Nicoletta's womb.

I and the baby were just tools for Dante's rehearsal. He didn't want Nicoletta to suffer through his learning curve, so I became the sacrifice.

I listened to the messages over and over, the pain swelling inside me until I laughed. Not because it was funny, because it hurt so much it pushed me over the edge. Everything I had been so proud of since the moment I got pregnant had been nothing but a lie.

Dante's tenderness toward my child? It didn't even come close to what he showed Nicoletta and hers.

I clenched my phone so tightly my hand shook. It hurt to breathe. All I could do was whisper over and over to myself that it was okay.

It was okay. Because soon, we'd be free of him. Free of the Morano compound, the enforcer at the gate, the locked rooms and the silence that passed for loyalty in this house. My fingers drifted to the inside of my left wrist, tracing the ridged skin there without thinking.

Just me and the baby. And we'd be just fine.

The baby kicked, like he could hear me. Like he understood.

I wrapped my arms around my belly and held it close.

I stayed that way for a long time, until I could finally breathe again.

After Nicoletta moved into the compound, Dante practically glued himself to her side.

And me? I stopped expecting anything from him the moment I saw the truth.

One night, as I walked downstairs to get some water, I heard her voice through the slightly open door of the guest room.

"Dante," she cooed, "I heard the Morano crest medallion really works wonders. The baby's been keeping me up at night... could I borrow it for a while?"

The medallion wasn't just a piece of jewelry. It was a Morano Family heirloom, centuries old, passed down through every generation. A symbol that whoever wore it was the rightful wife of the Don. Dante had given it to me on the day our alliance was sealed, fastened the chain around my neck himself. He said it would be mine forever. Because there would never be another Donna Morano.

His voice pulled me out of the memory.

Through the gap in the door, I saw him press a gentle kiss to her cheek and smile. "Of course. I'll ask her for it. You can wear it as long as you want. At least until the baby's born."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

I couldn't even remember his exact promise anymore. But it didn't matter. Because clearly, neither could he.

I took a step back, but the floor creaked under my foot. Dante opened the door and found me standing there. He looked startled. Guilty, even. He stepped outside, pulled the door shut behind him and led me to a corner of the hallway. The house was quiet. Down the corridor, one of the soldiers stationed at the back entrance shifted his weight, then went still again, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.

"Seraphina... you heard that, didn't you?" he asked hesitantly.

I didn't say anything.

He hesitated again before speaking. "Nicoletta's been having trouble sleeping. Do you think you could let her borrow the medallion for a bit?"

I nodded slowly, but at that moment, a sharp pain twisted through my side. I winced and swallowed it down.

"I'll give it to her, but on one condition."

Dante's face lit up like I'd just handed him the moon. He stepped toward me, ready to wrap me in a hug, but I took a step back before he could touch me.

Nicoletta's scent was all over him. It made me want to gag.

"I'm glad you're finally coming around," he said with a relieved smile. "Once Nicoletta has the baby, I'll give it back. Don't worry. Your place in this family isn't going anywhere."

So he did remember what the medallion stood for.

"I don't care if she never gives it back," I said quietly. "I just need you to sign this."

I turned and walked upstairs.

A minute later, I came back down with the dissolution papers in hand, already flipped to the page where his signature was needed. The documents that would sever the blood-bound alliance between the Valente and Morano families. Every clause had been drawn up by my father's consigliere weeks ago. All it needed was the Don's name at the bottom.

"There's no need to be upset," he said softly, like he was trying to soothe me. "Nicoletta's not going to keep it forever. Like I said, I'll return it once she has the baby."

He signed the papers without even glancing at them.

As soon as I held the signed dissolution in my hands, the storm inside me quieted. I never expected it would be this easy. The Don of the Morano Family had just signed away his alliance with the Valentes. And he didn't even know it.

Dante gave me a small smile. "I know I haven't been there for you these past few months. Go ahead and buy whatever you want. I'll take care of the bill."

So that's why he was so quick to sign. He thought this was just me angling for a shopping spree.

I unclasped the medallion from around my neck and handed it to him, expressionless.

For a moment, he hesitated. His thumb traced the crest, the old silver warm from where it had rested against my skin. But eventually, he took it and held it tight.

"Don't worry. Once the baby's born, it'll be yours again," he repeated, like he needed to convince himself.

But I didn't care anymore.

"She can wear it for as long as she wants," I said flatly.

Overcome with emotion, Dante pulled me into a hug. I pushed him off immediately, but he didn't seem to mind. He turned and walked straight back into Nicoletta's room.

A second later, I heard her squealing with joy.

I just stood there, staring out the window. My fingers found the inside of my left wrist without thinking, pressing against the ridged skin where the burn scars began.

Tomorrow was the day I'd leave. And this time, I wouldn't hesitate.