On the day I discover that Ignazio Corelli, who is my husband and the Don of the Corelli famiglia, is cheating on me for the first time, I file for divorce and buy a plane ticket to leave.

But he locks me in the master bedroom of the villa for five days and uses up three whole bottles of lubricant.

After that, he explains with a helpless expression, "Carlotta, my enemies set me up and drugged me. That's why I spent one night with Chiara Linetti. You have to forgive me."

The second time, I see him accompanying Chiara to a prenatal checkup at the hospital. Once again, I ask for a divorce.

His eyes turn bloodshot as he pins me against the wall. "Honey, if you want a divorce, it'll only happen over my dead body. You have to trust me. Chiara is a spy my enemies planted. I need to keep her under control and make her my double agent.

"It won't take long. We just need to wait until after she gives birth. I swear that once the time comes, I'll send her away immediately."

But later, Chiara suffers a miscarriage. Everyone suspects that I am secretly responsible.

Chiara grabs my throat like a madwoman and shrieks, "If you're angry, take it out on me! Why did you have to harm my child?"

Even Ignazio looks at me with heavy disappointment in his eyes. "I told you to wait a little longer. Why did you have to make a move against my child?"

With that, he orders his men to lock me in the basement where he usually imprisons his enemies.

"You can come out when you've truly reflected on your mistakes," he says.

Curled up in a corner, I send a message that will erase itself once it is read from my phone.

I write, "Destroy all records of my childbirth. Once the paperwork is complete, take me and the child away."

The basement that reeked with the stench of blood was finally opened just as I was about to lose consciousness.

Ignazio Corelli scooped me up into his arms and held me tightly like he felt immensely sorry for me.

He said, "Carlotta, you almost caused the famiglia's counterintelligence plan to fail. I had to punish you harshly to give the members an explanation. You know you're the one I love the most. Once I successfully use Chiara to carry out the plan, we'll be able to go back to how things were before."

The so-called counterintelligence plan he was carrying out through Chiara Linetti was simply getting her pregnant with his child again. He justified it with the noble-sounding excuse that it was the only way to have a hold over her and to keep his enemies in the dark.

I watched him put on his act of deep affection with frosty eyes, feeling nothing but desolation in my heart.

"But Ignazio, we can never go back to the way things were. And there will never be a future for us either," I lamented inwardly.

He would never ever know that he had another child—a son that belonged to both of us.

On the first day Ignazio became the Don, he witnessed one of his Made Men's children being taken hostage by enemies. Driven by maternal instinct, the man's wife died from taking a hail of bullets while trying to protect her child.

From that day onward, he often spoke to me with lingering fear of that incident. "Carlotta, let's not have children in the future. I don't want a child to become your weakness, and I can't bear the cost of losing you."

I agreed readily.

But every time I saw him gazing at other people's children with a twinkle in his eyes, I wanted to give him a secret surprise.

One year, Ignazio went to Ereysia on a mission and told me to stay somewhere safe for a year. It was during that time that I discovered I was pregnant with his child. I was afraid he would worry, so I never told him about it.

In fact, I kept mum even after our baby, Antonio Corelli, was born.

As Antonio had been born prematurely and was physically weak, I arranged for him to stay in the hospital. It was also during this time that Ignazio brought Chiara back.

Before I could give him my surprise, he gave me a much bigger one instead.

My phone vibrated, pulling me back from my thoughts.

The message that just came in read, "I have expedited the mandatory divorce procedures. In one week, you and the child will be sent away once everything is finalized."

One corner of my lips curled into a half smile. Well, this was nice. In one week, Ignazio and I would no longer have anything to do with each other.

After that, Ignazio began shuttling between Chiara and me.

Afraid that I would be upset, he had truckloads of gifts delivered to me. He sent me the latest jewelry and limited-edition handbags… These were all things I had once loved.

Ignazio said, "Carlotta, trust me. We'll be back to how things used to be very soon. I love you."

I had lost count of how many times he had kneeled before me, explaining his love and his helplessness.

The whole situation was so laughable. He spent every night sleeping next to Chiara, yet he was terrified that I might feel hurt.

Four days before the divorce agreement took effect, Chiara suddenly appeared before me carrying a huge bouquet of sunflowers. I wasn't sure if she'd done it on purpose.

As a result, my pollen allergy flared up severely, and I was rushed to the hospital.

When Ignazio learned about it, he reprimanded Chiara harshly. "If it happens again, get the hell out!"

Chiara apologized with reddened eyes. Then, she covered her face and ran out.

That very night, she disappeared.

Ignazio spent the entire night searching for her before finally finding her. When they found her, her body was covered in allergic rashes.

She lowered her eyes and did not dare look at me.

In a timid voice, she said, "I deserved this punishment. After all, I was careless and caused Ms. Zucco's allergic reaction."

I was confused as to why she would say that, but Ignazio shot me a meaningful look.

It wasn't until I overheard his private conversation with the doctor that I finally understood what that look meant.

He instructed, "Add some of Carlotta's allergen to her IV drip. Leave her untreated for the night before giving her treatment."

Ignazio said, "She made Chiara suffer, so she deserves to suffer the same kind of discomfort."

My entire body instantly stiffened. It felt as though my heart had been torn out of my chest and crushed over and over again. It hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

The next day, Chiara and I were discharged from the hospital together.

Ignazio came to pick us up personally. I didn't want to ride in the same car with them, but he pushed me into the vehicle anyway.

But not long after we set off, the steering wheel suddenly malfunctioned. The car sped straight toward the roadside guardrail.

At the most critical moment, Chiara suddenly threw herself in front of me to shield me. As a result, she slammed hard against the car seat.

By the time Ignazio reacted to what was happening, he saw Chiara protecting me with her body. His hand instinctively reached toward her, but when his gaze met mine, he suddenly came back to his senses.

"Carlotta, thank goodness you're okay," he said.

Even as Chiara was taken away in the ambulance, he didn't look at her again.

But in an empty hospital room, Ignazio pinned her beneath him, his eyes filled with suppressed anger.

He growled, "Why did you play the hero and throw yourself over her? You're a pregnant woman! Are you trying to drive yourself to an early death?"

The next second, Ignazio kissed her fiercely.

So Chiara was pregnant again.

My heart had already gone numb by then. Silently, I turned and walked away.

…

That night, Ignazio didn't come home. It wasn't until the next morning that he stood by my bed with eyes full of disappointment.

"I checked that car. Someone tampered with the steering wheel," he said.

I looked up at him in disbelief. "You suspect it's my doing?"

Ignazio let out a sigh and said, "I told you before. I'm only using Chiara. Once I'm done with her, I'll send her away. She can't threaten your position. She even risked her life to protect you. Why can't you tolerate her?"

In the middle of the sweltering summer heat, I felt a chill creep deep into my bones.

Ignazio didn't trust me at all. In the days that followed, he began deliberately neglecting me.

However, I no longer cared. In just two more days, I would be taking Antonio with me and leaving for good.

The day before my departure was the fifth anniversary of my marriage to Ignazio. I had thought he would continue ignoring me.

To my surprise, he chartered a luxury cruise ship to celebrate with me. But the moment we boarded, one of his men informed him that Chiara had gone missing again.

That night, Ignazio practically turned the entire city upside down searching for her, but he still could not find any trace of her. He smashed a vase, and its shards scattered across my feet.

"Honey, tell me where Chiara is," he demanded.

I shook my head and mumbled, "I don't know… I really don't know…"

This wasn't the first time he had suspected me because of Chiara. Still, my chest ached as if it were being torn apart.

Soon, someone handed over Chiara's phone from before her disappearance. The last call she had made was to me.

Ignazio rubbed his throbbing temples and barked, "Carlotta Zucco, the evidence is right here. Are you still going to deny it?"

I laughed coldly and retorted, "Just because of one phone call, you've decided that I hired someone to kidnap Chiara. Is that it?"

I remembered the phone call Chiara had made to me before she disappeared.

She had confessed shamelessly, "I caused the allergic reaction myself, and I deliberately damaged the steering wheel too. I knew I wouldn't really get hurt, so I threw myself onto you and put on a show.

"A man's sympathy and guilt are the strongest shackles. I'm going to make Ignazio soften toward me little by little and compensate me bit by bit until I completely replace you."

Her ambition had been unmistakable through the phone.

She had gone on, "Carlotta, I know you and Ignazio have a child. Do you dare make a bet with me? Let's bet on which one of us is more important to Ignazio—you and your child, or me and my unborn child in my belly."

Her disappearance was nothing more than a performance she had staged herself.

Sadly, Ignazio didn't believe a single word I said.

Ignazio looked at me in disappointment and said, "Carlotta, Chiara is critical to the famiglia's grand plan. Can you stop making trouble?"

Time passed by, and there was still no word from the men he had sent out.

Ignazio finally lost his patience.

In an ominous voice, he said, "Chiara told me that you adopted a child from a children's home."

My back instantly stiffened.

He raised a hand to signal to his men. Someone dragged in a burlap sack with a living thing struggling nonstop inside.

Ignazio picked up a steel pipe from nearby with a menacing expression on his face. "Carlotta, this is your last chance. If you still won't tell me where Chiara is, this child won't survive."

"Antonio!" I cried out, my eyes reddening instantly.

I lunged forward, only to be held back forcefully.

Ignazio raised the steel pipe high and brought it crashing down.

"No!" My pupils dilated sharply as I let out a blood-curdling scream.

Everything before my eyes turned red, as though the blow had landed on my own body.

A muffled whimper came from inside the sack. The person inside was struck so hard that the body bounced up before crashing heavily back down into silence. A pool of blood seeped from the opening of the sack.

"Ah!" I broke down completely.

My entire world turned red as the second blow came crashing down.

"Stop hitting him! That's your child! He's your son!" I screamed hoarsely and hysterically as Ignazio's men continued holding me back.

Tears mixed with drops of blood streamed down my face, and my eyes were filled with utter despair.

Ignazio's hand, which was holding the steel pipe, stopped mid-air.

He sneered, "Stop joking around, Carlotta. We agreed we wouldn't have children. Why lie to me about something like this?"

I could no longer care about anything else.

After struggling free, I crawled to his feet and pleaded through tears. "He really is your child. Antonio is your son… Please… let him go. Call a doctor. Save him…"

Ignazio bent down and grabbed my chin. "Be good. Tell me where Chiara is, and I'll let him go."

I shook my head desperately, flinging my tears everywhere. "I don't know. I really don't! Let Antonio go. Please let him go!"

The warmth vanished from Ignazio's eyes.

The second blow came down hard. A muffled groan sounded from inside the sack. Then, all movements stopped.

"Ah! No..." I coughed up a mouthful of blood, and my body began convulsing violently.

The third blow followed, and then the fourth…

Ten vicious blows had rained down on the sack. Not a single sound came from it anymore.

I whimpered, "Antonio…"

Seeing that there was no movement from inside the sack and that the floor had been stained completely red, I collapsed to my knees. My body stiffened as though struck by electricity, and I trembled uncontrollably.

I vomited another mouthful of blood, staining the floor before me.

Ignazio walked over. His black leather shoes stepped into the pool of blood before grinding viciously against the sack.

"You still won't talk, Carlotta?"

He stomped down again.

I heard the unmistakable sounds of bones breaking.

"Antonio!" I screamed in utter despair, crawling forward only to be restrained again.

I roared in fury, "Ignazio, I curse you! You'll never have another child for the rest of your life!"

Ignazio's body suddenly froze.

At that moment, someone rushed in and reported, "Don Corelli, we've found Ms. Linetti!"

Ignazio's hand, which had been stroking my hair, paused at that moment.

"Tell me the exact location!" He got up and rushed out without a single backward glance.

Not long after Ignazio left, two men entered and tried to take Antonio from my arms.

It was as though I suddenly woke from a nightmare.

I clutched Antonio tightly and demanded, "What are you doing?"

"Don Corelli gave orders. We're throwing him into the sea to feed the sharks."

The men showed no mercy. They forcibly tore Antonio from my arms and stuffed him back into the sack with disgust before turning to leave.

"Antonio!" I chased after them hysterically, only to be locked inside the ship's cabin.