I once thought I had married the perfect husband and found the perfect love.

"I'll divorce her right after the baby is born."

"When I make love to her, all I can think about is you."

In that instant, I understood. I was nothing more than a vessel for his heir. All my husband's adoration had been a lie.

But just as I was trying to start over, Kieran Gotti appeared on my doorstep with an outrageous proposition:

"I love you both. You can have the Manhattan penthouse, she'll get the Hamptons estate. You never have to see each other."

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1

After my ex-boyfriend vanished without a trace, my world drained of all its color.

I began to wonder if that unforgettable love had ever been real, or if it was just a figment of my own desperate imagination.

Just as I was sinking into despair, Kieran Gotti, the handsome and charming heir to a powerful New York crime family, began to relentlessly pursue me. Soon, he proposed, and I thought fate was finally giving me a second chance.

Before long, I married Kieran, becoming the envied Mrs. Gotti, and I dedicated myself to being the perfect wife.

Just when I thought my life was finally on track, I accidentally overheard my husband, Kieran, on the phone outside his study. "Don't worry. Once she has the baby, I'll arrange for an... accident... to make her disappear."

A wave of ice-cold shock washed over me. I stood frozen, utterly numb.

"I swear, you're the only one in my heart."

With just a few sentences, my perfect marriage shattered. It turned out I was just a tool for producing an heir.

All his tenderness and love had been a lie.

It was late at night when Kieran returned. He slipped into the room, his movements silent, careful not to wake me. When he saw my eyes were open, he startled.

"Macy, why are you still awake?"

I forced down the turmoil churning inside me and answered coolly, "I drank a bit too much. My head is splitting, and I can't fall asleep."

He gently brushed a strand of hair from my cheek, his warm breath ghosting across my skin. "You silly thing, why drink so much? Get some rest. You can't be staying up this late."

Kieran tucked me in, held me tightly in his arms, and soon fell asleep.

Once I was sure he was sound asleep, I picked up his phone.

This was the first time I had touched his phone since our wedding.

Kieran's phone was heavily encrypted; he probably never dreamed I'd try to check it. After all, his pretense with me had always been so perfect.

The contact saved as "Bella" was the one he’d just been on the phone with.

In his encrypted folder, I found intimate photos and chat logs with Isabella.

I had met Isabella once at a family dinner. Kieran had introduced her as his distant cousin. The naked hostility in her eyes had left a lasting impression on me. Now I finally understood why she hated me so much.

As I continued to read through the messages, the full truth unfolded. Isabella was infertile, but she needed a Gotti heir. So, I, with my clean background, was chosen.

They paid my ex-boyfriend a large sum of money to disappear from my world. He took their money and abandoned me without a second thought.

Isabella didn't want to miss any Gotti family events, so she was always around under the guise of a "cousin." But behind closed doors, she was the de facto lady of the house, acknowledged by the entire family. I was the only one left in the dark.

My fairytale marriage was nothing but a meticulously orchestrated sham.

The next morning at breakfast, I finally broke the silence. "Kieran, can I choose not to have children?"

He set down his silverware, his gaze locking onto mine. "We've been preparing for over a year. Why the sudden change of heart?"

I avoided his eyes, feigning a worried frown. "I just landed a massive project, and having a baby now would derail my career. I'm afraid I can't..."

"Your career is irrelevant," he cut in, his voice cold. "I'll get you the best medical team."

A suffocating silence fell over the dining room.

I summoned my courage again and asked, "What if I insist on not having a child?"

Kieran's eyes darkened, a flash of alarm flickering across his face before he quickly regained his composure. "We've done all the tests. Your body is perfectly suited for childbirth."

"My health is one thing, but I have the right to decide what happens to my body and my career."

"Macy, don't get any funny ideas. You're being too sensitive."

"If we don't have children, will our marriage end?"

Kieran repeatedly tapped the tabletop with a ringed finger, his eyes like chips of ice. "What's gotten into you today? Why are you asking these strange questions?"

"I... I'm just scared."

Seeing my distress, he reluctantly reined in his threatening tone and tried to soothe me. "Stop overthinking things. The family dinner in a few days will be a good chance for you to relax."

I forced a smile and asked, "Will Isabella be there too?"

"Yes. Why do you bring her up?"

"The way she looks at me... it unnerves me."

"She's an innocent and kind girl. You should try to get along with her."

The words were on the tip of my tongue. An innocent and kind girl? Right. An innocent girl who schemes with her lover to dupe another woman?

However, I didn't say it. There was no point in showing my hand now.

I left the dining room before the tears could fall.

As soon as I was alone, I immediately made a call. "Chloe, we need to meet."

I attended the Gotti family dinner, determined to see Kieran one last time before I vanished from his life.

In the crowd, Kieran was strikingly handsome. His tall frame was draped in a bespoke black suit, radiating an aura of raw power and charm.

Isabella was there too, wearing a deep red silk gown and a dazzling blue diamond necklace, her presence a deliberate provocation.

"Macy, you've been married for almost two years. How come there's been no news?"

"Why? Are you on some kind of deadline?"

"You!" Isabella bristled, but her expression shifted in a heartbeat. Her beautiful eyes softened, and she spoke in a more concerned tone, "Don't be so emotional. I'm just worried about you. If you can't fulfill your duty soon, neither Kieran nor I will have the patience to wait forever."

Observing her up close, I noticed a slight resemblance between our features. It only confirmed my role as her stand-in.

My throat tightened. "What right do you have to meddle in our family affairs?" I rasped. "I'm his legal wife."

These two despicable people were playing me for a fool. Before I blew this whole sham wide open, I was determined to make their skin crawl.

As expected, Isabella's smile vanished instantly. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her champagne flute. After a moment, her hand slowly relaxed, and she set the glass down. She raised a hand to touch the necklace on her neck.

"Look at this. What do you think?"

The blue diamond on the necklace was enormous, gleaming with a cold fire under the chandeliers, obviously priceless.

I didn't respond. She continued smugly, "It's a gift from Kieran."

"An engagement gift?"

A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes, and her words became stilted. "What engagement? This is... this is a family gift."

It was no ordinary family gift.

I had seen that necklace in the Gotti family chronicles. Both Kieran's grandmother and mother had worn it. It was an heirloom passed down only to the matriarch of the Gotti family.

"It's beautiful." A sharp pain pricked my eyes, and I fought back the tears.

"What are you two talking about?" Kieran noticed us and walked over. He glanced at me, then at Isabella, and seeing that we were outwardly at peace, he visibly relaxed.

Isabella smiled and linked her arm with Kieran's, her eyes full of love. "Kieran, I was just showing Macy the necklace you gave me."

As she spoke, she tilted her chin at me, as if to gloat.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, his voice laced with indulgence.

"Kieran, isn't Macy an architect? She could help me design the new wing of the Hamptons estate. I think we'll be moving there to live permanently soon."

Kieran shot me a guilty look and hesitated. "Macy is busy trying to conceive, so she's not very inspired. Besides, her modern, minimalist style isn't grand enough. We'd be better off hiring a top European architect."

My husband and his lover, standing right in front of me, shamelessly discussing their future love nest.

I finally spoke. "You two are so close, designing a house together. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were having an affair!"

Isabella's face turned white. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look pitiful and wronged.

"How could you say that? Apologize right now!" For the first time, Kieran's usual gentleness was gone, replaced by pure rage.