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.