Penelope’s Pov

The day I was going to tell him about our baby, my husband, Mafia Don Luciano Moretti received the news:

his former fiancée, my elder sister, Kiara Quinn, had finally awakened from her coma.

Dropping me in the middle of nowhere, he immediately rushed to the hospital. But before I could find my way back to the family estate, a group of rival mobsters caught me.

"Hurry up, bitch. Call your husband." They sneered, throwing a phone into my trembling hands. "If Luciano Moretti pays up for you, we will let you be."

My glassy, wide eyes quivered as I quickly took the phone as if my life depended on it.

“Luciano-”

"Ahh! Oh fuck! Luciano... oh, he is kinda b-busy..." On the other end of the line, my sister Kiara was panting hard, moaning into the device.

I froze instantly.

My hands holding the phone trembled violently, as if a fishbone was stuck in my throat.

It was then I heard my husband’s voice echoing in the background. "Who is it?"

A pause.

Then Kiara's voice again, sweeter than poison.

"Don’t mind it, honey. It's just a lowly maid asking if you need more condoms. We have already used so many.”

My knees buckled as I clutched the wall of the warehouse for support, fingernails scraping against concrete as bile rose my throat.

The husband who promised forever and my older sister, who used to gently stand up for me when I was bullied were having sex.

if this carries on, I can conceive your heir in a month.

Are you sure I should take the contraceptives after this and not worry about carrying your children?"

Large tears tumbled down my eyes as I shook my head.

Sobs wracked my body.

“I have already taken Penelope as a surrogate. Since pregnancy is risky for you, no matter how many children you want, I can keep getting her pregnant year after year until you are satisfied.”

My vision blurred as hot tears slid down soundlessly.

A….surrogate?

Luciano…He…told my sister that I was a surrogate, a tool for breeding his children?

I staggered, clamping my mouth shut as fat tears rolled down my cheeks in disbelief. My heart clenched painfully as the line disconnected, leaving me no better than dead.

"Phit." A mobster spat on my face angrily, his saliva dribbling down my cheeks, mingling with my hot tears.

"We went through so much trouble to kidnap the wrong woman! That Italian Don doesn't give a fuck about her-"

“You think he would care about a fucking whore?”

The kidnappers encircled me as their leader sneered with rage.

“But the baby swelling inside her belly might be a different story."

My heart lurched as if lightning had pierced my soul.

They knew?!

"Don't you dare touch my baby!"My entire being shuddered as I thrashed against the restraints, my wrists tearing raw.

My entire being shuddered as I thrashed against the restraints.

Biting my quivering lips, I frantically tried to call Luciano one last time.

“Luciano, please don't disconnect! I have been kidnapped. I am pregna-”

"Penelope, wasn't occupying my life for five long years not enough?!" His cold voice cut theough me like knife. “Stop throwing these pathetic tantrums just to grab my attention!"

“Stop throwing these pathetic tantrums just to grab my attention!"

I shook my head vehemently. Trying to utter a single word.

Trying to scream for help.

For the sake of our baby.

Before he blocked my number.

In that instant my entire world came crashing down.

“Get rid of her brat.”Rough hands pinned me down before I could even breathe.

Gutwrenching cries spilling down my lips as I wailed like a caged animal, throwing threats, before going as far as to plead my assailants.

“Do whatever you want to me, but please spare my baby!” I withered. Thrashed. Bit and clawed at anything before the unthinkable happened.

A mobster held me down, his weight crushing my stomach.

The next second dark red liquid trickled down my thighs. With each drop of blood I died little by little.

My body lay paralyzed, unfocused eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"What a waste of time." Then he kicked me away.

Minutes bled into hours as I was laid crumpled on the ground, dust mingling with silent tears until the loud sobs tore free, echoing throughout the warehouse.

What a good sister..what a loving husband.

I regret loving you, Luciano. I regret it so much!

__________________________________

Stumbling out into the cold night air, each step felt like I was walking on thousands of needles, and yet the pain in my body was nothing compared to the agony suffocating my heart.

Don Luciano Moretti was my childhood best friend.

The man I had loved since forever.

I was eight when we first met, eighteen when I fell hopelessly in love with him.

Until Luciano broke our engagement without a second thought.

“Penelope, you are the legitimate heir of the Quinn family. You have your parents' love, the family's loyalty and a future.

But Kiara has nothing. She was adopted by your parents as a charity case. I cannot abandon her now. Since the doctor has already said that she won’t live past thirty, you must wait for me patiently.”

I had already prepared myself to live unloved, even going as far as to accept an arranged marriage.

I had already prepared myself to live unloved, even accepting an arranged marriage.

But when Kiara fell into a coma and he asked for another chance, I mistook convenience for love and handed him my heart anyway.

When I finally reached the family estate, Underboss Aiden was pacing at the entrance.

The moment his eyes fell upon me, his face drained of of all colors.

“Donna Penelope! What happened to you?! You look like you will collapse any moment-”

"I am fine." I clenched my jaw, lying, despite the shaking tremors in my voice. "Just… take me to my sons."

He hesitated.

Guilt flickering across his face.

“Boss ordered me to bring you to the Family Council meeting immediately. There is a big announcement tonight. He said from tomorrow, everything will change.”

Not having any will to argue I just nodded, following him.

When the doors opened, I found Luciano already seated at the head of the table.

The position reserved for the head of the family.

The moment his eyes fell upon me, his cold expression faltered as if we were transported to our childhood when he blew on my wounds carefully.

“Penelope, what happened to you?”

My lips parted with a rueful smile. I was on the verge to tell him about the kidnapping, about my poor baby.

About the blood still drying on my skin.

But before a single word could leave my lips, his face hardened.

“If you went to practise fighting” he said coldly, straightening his cuffs, “then you should at least learn to return in a presentable state.”

The words landed heavier than a sledgehammer.

“Look at yourself.” he added, his gaze flicking over me with faint distaste. “You are the Madam of Moretti family. Don’t embarrass me like this again.”

A lump lodged in my throat, thick and suffocating.

“Why have you called me here?” I asked quietly.

Luciano did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked towards me, reaching for my hand.

For one brief second, I foolishly thought he had finally noticed the dried blood on my fingers, that he was about to ask what happened.

Instead, his grip tightened around my left hand.

And before I could even speak, he slid off our wedding ring infront of the whole mafia syndicate.

"Penelope..." His voice remained calm. " Kiara's condition is fragile. She cannot know that I married her younger sister and even allowed you to carry my legitimate children."

It will be better if you step down as Donna.” His eyes briefly flickered toward my pale frame.

“And... do not call me husband from now on. Kiara might misunderstand.”

My throat constricted violently, as if invisible hands were strangling my neck. The entire assembly hall fell silent, waiting for me to fall apart.

“Oh my God... is Boss Luciano really throwing away his wife for an adopted daughter?”

“Shh… lower your voice. Kiara is his first love. Everyone in the family knows Boss Luciano was supposed to marry her years ago.”

“It was only after she fell into coma, that her parents offered their younger daughter as a replacement to bear his sons……

Otherwise, why do you think he kept impregnating Penelope every single month, even when she miscarried seven times in a row…”

The words struck harder than bullets.

Seven tiny graves…seven children I had buried alone.

And now the eighth.

“Even the two sons Penelope gave birth to aren't legally registered under her name. Do you understand what that means?

Those children... the inheritance... the title of Mrs. Moretti... Luciano planned to hand everything over to Kiara from the very beginning.”

Each word landed softly, and yet it felt like my heart was peeling away from my chest, layer by layer, until there was nothing left but raw, bleeding flesh.

Luciano heard the jabbing murmurs before looking at me with a haze of suppressed pity, that was gone as soon as it came.

“Fine.” My lips parted as I saw my own crumbling reflection in the eyes of the man I had loved for fifteen years.

"From this moment onwards, I will never call you husband."

From this moment onwards I will consider as if you are dead to me!

That night Luciano didn’t return home, instead Underboss Aiden showed up with a bouquet of freshly plucked flowers.

“Donna Penelope…. Boss Luciano has sent these for you. Like always.”

I looked at the pure white roses, and my mind instantly flooding with the memories of the night I took a knife for Luciano during a bloody ambush orchestrated by a rival family.

The night he finally chose me and carefully slid a diamond ring onto my finger, making me his wife.

Kneeling before me beneath a sky full of stars, roses pressed against his chest, he had proposed me:

"Penelope, from now on, it's just you and me.

Even if I have some lingering feelings for Kiara, but I will give you roses every single day so you never forget…that you are my chosen wife."

I believed that was enough. That if I let him carve pieces out of me…my dignity, my body, my children and smiled through it all… one day he would finally love me.

My lashes quivered as I touched the petals almost absentmindedly before a thorn pierced my finger, making me stagger back as if burned.

"Throw them in the trash." I said, turning away.

My love for Luciano flickered dangerously, like a candle on its last breath before extinguishing completely.

“Aiden.” My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper as I lifted my bloodshot eyes to meet his.

“Five years ago, I saved your wife and daughter, so answer me honestly.”

“Your loyalty…”My fingers tightened. “Does it belong to the Moretti Family or to me?

Aiden's expression changed instantly before he lowered his head.

“To you, Donna.”

A faint smile appeared on my lips…broken and hollow.

“Good…..Prepare for the divorce proceedings. Send my message to the Family Council that I am going to divorce Luciano four days from now.“

The color drained from his face. “Divorce? Donna, you can’t! If you sever your ties with the Moretti family, you will become their enemy!”

I didn’t flinch, replying calmly.

“Then let it be….I will take my sons and leave this pack for good.”

Aiden left without another word. The door clicking shut as I sat alone in the darkness, hand pressed to my empty womb, the scent of roses choking the air until I finally closed my eyes.

The next day, my eyes fluttered open to small hands pressing against my forehead.

"Is mommy sick?" My eldest son Ian whispered worriedly.

For a fleeting second, my heart lurched as I bent instinctively, arms opening to pull him to my chest.

"I-I am fine, don’t worry about me—"

“That’s good then.”

Ian cut in quickly.

“If Mommy keeps acting sick, how will she take care of Auntie Kiara?”

My hands froze mid-air, eyes widening as the warmth in them shattered instantly.

“W-What did you say?” My voice came weak as I quivered, praying that I heard it wrong.

“Mom, you shouldn’t lie uselessly.” Lucas said innocently, his tone unusually serious for a child. “Auntie just woke up. The doctor said she needs a clean, quiet place, so hurry up and clean Dad’s room of all your things!”

Ian nodded quickly, tugging at his brother’s sleeve as he looked at me with bright, expectant eyes.

“Yes! Mom, it will be better if you move to the storage room beside our nursery. That way, when we need you, you can come quickly!”

Each word landed softly.

Yet every syllable felt like thousands of needles piercing my skin.

“Leave.”

I swallowed against the rawness in my throat.

The children scowled, turning away before shutting the door with a loud bang.

In the past, my two sons lovingly fought over me like I was their sun.

Who got the first morning kiss.

Who made the best Mother's Day card.

Who got to curl up in my lap.

I used to laugh at their silly antics before scooping them into my arms.

“Mommy loves you both silly. Stop fighting.”

Now their eyes held no love, only disdain like I was a mere maid.

The door hadn't even fully closed behind them when Luciano walked inside, setting his cufflinks slowly in the mirror.

“Kiara is coming back in two days, make sure you prepare all her favorite dishes. It's her special welcoming party so don’t wear something too loud.”

When I didn’t move, didn’t rush to him like I always did, his fingers stilled mid-motion.

Only then did he seem to notice me.

Walking towards me he gently pressed his palm against my forehead, checking my temperature.

“Are you still sick?" My eyes locked with his.

For a long moment, I just stared at the man who had once held my hand through twelve hours of labor, sweat on his brow, tears in his eyes. "I wish I could suffer the pain instead of you Penelope." he had whispered then.

Gone was that boy who fretted over my papercuts. The bestfriend who filled my lap with hundreds of chocolates to just stop me from crying, was long buried under the ‘Alpha’ title.

If not him..then who else could have poisoned my children’s mind drop by drop until our bond was nothing but a hollow shell.

Luciano frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

I didn't answer.

His brows furrowed slightly before he sighed.

“Penelope... is this about yesterday?”

His gaze drifted briefly toward my bare ring finger.

“I am glad you didn't make a scene and accepted stepping down as Donna of the Moretti Family. Don’t worry, if you continue to be reasonable, even if Kiara returns, nobody will take your place completely.”

A bitter laugh almost escaped me.

Not completely? Was there anything left to take?

“You will continue living here. The children can visit whenever they want. You will even have a monthly allowance, bodyguards and a private residence on the estate.”

Then came the knife.

“Once Kiara adjusts, I may even restore your position as Donna so fulfil your duties and don’t complain.”

It was then he leaned down without a warning and pressed his lips to mine as if reassuring me.

The instant his mouth touched my skin, revulsion crawled through me like thousands of insects squirming under my flesh.

The sounds of those lewd moans detonated in my head with full force as bile rose my throat. I gagged, scurrying away instantly.

Luciano’s eyes deepened with meaning.

“You….don’t tell me you got pregnant again?”

“Stop it, I am not pregnant.”

But Luciano paid no attention to my words.

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the bed, urgency flashing across his face.

"You've done well. This is perfect timing." His voice was almost distracted. "Mother is expecting at least five grandsons. Even if there are one or two girls along the way, it doesn't matter."

He grabbed my arm, already pushing me inside the bathroom.

"Go. Take the test. We need to confirm."

I stood there shaking, one hand pressed against my hollow womb.

The excitement that once made butterflies flutter inside my stomach now felt like the cruelest joke in the world.

Minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom. The test in my hand indicating what I had already known all along.

[Not pregnant.]

Luciano took it from my fingers. His face, which had held a flicker of hope, darkened immediately.

"Negative." His voice was quiet. Controlled. "How?"

He grabbed my shoulders gently and yet his eyes that bore into my skull were full of suspicion. "Don’t tell me you are taking contraceptives behind my back when I clearly prohibited it?"

“Now that you say it.” I gritted my teeth “I regret not taking them sooner.”

“Penelope!”

He pinched the bridge of his nose as if I were being unreasonable again.

“We've been trying for months now! Right when I desperately need another heir, you fail me again!”

Fail.

The word pierced deeper than any knife.

His gaze swept over me.

Cold.

Assessing.

Like a businessman staring at a failed investment.

“Every time something goes fucking wrong with your body.” His jaw tightened. “You conceive only to miscarry.”

“Wrong?” My wet lashes quivered as I barely looked at him, suppressing my erupting hatred.

Two years ago, heartbroken, with wide open eyes, I had bled on the operating table as the doctors removed my seven‑month‑old fully developed fetus from my body.

I still remembered hearing one of them whisper to my devastated husband:

“Mr. Moretti, her body is badly damaged. Even if the women in her family have a history of high fertility, her body cannot endure another pregnancy so soon. If pushed again… she may not survive.’

Yet a week later, Luciano still walked into our bedroom and gently fed me a soup laced with aphrodisiac drug.

That night, he had embraced me, apologizing with bloodshot eyes:

“Penelope, the Moretti Family isn't a fairy tale. If I die tomorrow, the five subclans will tear each other apart. I need five heirs. One for each clan. Only then will nobody dare touch you after I am gone.

So... even if you hate me now, endure this for a little longer. ”

I believed him.

I believed every lie.

He was the one who ruined me step by step and yet, still had the audacity to blame me?

"Wasn’t this all orchestrated by you?!" I spat. "“Even after the doctors warned you-”

“The doctors know nothing!”

Luciano cut me off sharply.

His patience finally cracking.

“You were born for this!”

His words landed like a fist to my gut, knocking the air straight out of my lungs.

He kept pushing my broken body. After every miscarriage, he waited weeks, sometimes days and tried again.

And all along he thought my body was made to endure such pain?

The ugly truth I had avoided for years finally stood naked before me.

From the very beginning, Luciano had never built a future with me.

He had been preparing one for Kiara and I was merely keeping her seat warm.

My fingers curled sharply at my sides despite the agony jabbing my heart.

“Penelope, even if you had contraceptives these days.” Luciano stepped closer, towering over me. "

“You are my wife.”

The possessiveness in his voice made my skin crawl.

“Don't forget your responsibilities.”

Ice flooded my veins as he embraced me, his hands already roaming over my body.

For a second I almost lost all my reason and shoved him away hard.

"No! I don’t want it!"

Luciano froze.

Then slowly frowned.

“No?” His voice dropped dangerously low.

“Are you refusing me?”

A long silence followed before he laughed.

Not because he found anything funny but because he thought I was being ridiculous.

"Penelope.”His jaw clenched, racking his fingers through his hair before he finally looked at me with quiet, terrible certainty.

“Have you forgotten who keeps the Solon Family standing?”

My heart skipped.

“Your mother.”

He counted calmly.

“Your younger brother.”

Blood rushed to my ears and for a moment I almost thought I misheard before he continued.

“They all depend on me. If you don't behave, you can forget about your father's medical treatment."

The blood drained from my face.

My father- the man who treated Luciano like his own son, his greatest ally who helped him claim his position as Italy’s Mafia King.

The man whose final request before slipping into a coma had been:

Protect my daughter.

And now Luciano was using him as leverage.

The fight drained out of me like blood from an open wound. My arms fell limp at my sides before trembling as they fumbled with the hem of my shirt.

Luciano sighed. “Now, its not that hard is it Pene?” His eyes didn't waver. They moved over every inch of my skin like he I was a negotiation he won again.

I pulled the shirt over my head, my skin burning raw as his took in my breasts, my stomach, the scars from the miscarriages pale, silvery lines he had never bothered to notice before.

When he laid me down on bed I clenched my jaw tightly, tears pooling in my eyes as my body trembled beneath him while he took whatever he wanted and labeled it as love.

"Get cleaned up." He finished, standing up before straightening his clothes.

Minutes passed as I turned my head away, laying limp on the bed.

All those innocent memories I had treasured suddenly felt rotten.

Eight years ago, the son of a rival mafia family had cornered me during a banquet ready to assault me when Luciano found us.

Beating the man until he lay unconscious in a pool of his own blood, Luciano hadn’t even cared about the punishment that came as hundred poisoned whips, splitting his back open.

The husband who broke me tonight was the same boy who had wrapped his coat around my shoulders and whispered: “No one touches you while I am alive.”

Tonight, those words felt like a joke.

Watching my frail back shuddering with silent sobs, Luciano’s voice softened slightly.

“Penelope, everything I'm doing is for your own good.”

I nearly laughed in rage.

My own good?

Building a life where Kiara would have your heart and throne, and I would have the storage room and secret midnight visits like a dirty mistress was for my good?

“Pene…“If you take care of Kiara properly, she'll recover faster.”

Once she's stable, I will explain the circumstances of our marriage.”

Explain.

As though I were the mistake.

As though I were the problem.

“I'm sure she'll forgive you.”

Forgive me?

Something inside me snapped, anger seeping through cracks in my composure.

In four days, I would divorce him.

This marriage he had trampled beneath his feet…I would tear it apart with my own hands.

I will become the first woman in mafia who would challenge the almighty Moretti clan.