For five years, I was married to the heir of the Romano family, Italy's biggest crime family. Every night, he'd hold me and whisper, "Just give me an heir, and I'll give him the entire Romano empire."

But I never got pregnant, and the Don's disappointment in me grew with every passing month.

Until I found out my husband had been secretly swapping my folic acid for birth control pills.

I was still reeling from the fury when I saw a post from his ex-girlfriend: an ultrasound photo.

Her caption was sweet and smug: “Ten weeks along. Vincent said he can’t wait to meet the baby.”

Seeing the flood of congratulations, my mind was made up.

I found the contact info for my ex-boyfriend—the one who’d spent the last five years trying to get me back. I sent him a single text.

【Give me one month. Then I’m coming with you.】

Five years. For five years, I’d done everything I could to get pregnant, to give Vincent the heir he wanted.

But he was secretly feeding me birth control, poisoning my body and making it nearly impossible for me to conceive.

All while his ex-girlfriend, a woman he’d supposedly broken up with years ago, was carrying his child.

In that single moment, I knew I was done. I wanted a divorce.

"Elena, what is this?"

My best friend and doctor, Sarah Martinez, held up the little pink pill. Her voice was dead serious, in a way I’d never heard before.

"It's folic acid," I said, putting down my coffee, confused. "Vincent said this brand was the best. You know we've been trying for years."

The color drained from Sarah's face.

"No, Elena. This isn't folic acid. It's Loestrin. It's birth control."

The world stopped. I stared at her, waiting for the punchline that never came.

"That's impossible." My voice trembled. "Vincent gives it to me himself. He said…"

"As your doctor, I have to be honest with you," Sarah said, grabbing my hand. "This is a high-dose pill."

I shot up from my chair. My coffee cup hit the floor and shattered.

"I need you to run my blood. Now."

Sarah fast-tracked the tests and handed me the report an hour later.

"It's a short-acting pill, Elena. This stuff is potent. The side effects are way worse than with the long-term pills."

I stared at the numbers, my vision blurring with tears. Three years. For three whole years, every time Vincent held me and told me to be patient, every time he said we’d have our baby, every time he came with me to a fertility specialist…

It was all a lie.

The only thing that was real was the pressure. The disappointment from the Don. The whispers behind my back, wondering if I was fit to be the future lady of the Romano family. All of that was real.

My phone buzzed—a notification from a group chat.

Sophia Castellano, Vincent’s ex-girlfriend, had posted an ultrasound photo.

Sophia: Ten weeks along. Vincent said he can't wait to meet the baby, and that he's giving him a casino and a club the day he's born.

The chat was full of Vincent's men. They hung on his every word, and by extension, they showered respect on any woman he favored.

James: Congrats! The Don must be thrilled!

Lisa: Amazing! When are you guys going public?

Tony: An heir for the Romano family!

A full ten minutes later, she made a big show of deleting the message. "Oops, sent to the wrong chat. Please pretend you didn't see that."

I knew better. It was a shot aimed directly at me.

I scrolled through the congratulations. Vincent's icon was active, but he never said a word.

The memories came flooding back.

Five years ago, our families had torn us away from the people we loved and forced us into this marriage. The heir to the biggest Italian mob family and the daughter of a banking magnate. On paper, it was a perfect match, a marriage of equals.

No one cared what we wanted.

Back then, Vincent had told me coldly, "Since we can't get out of this, we might as well play our parts."

And we did. We were a great team.

But we weren't actors. I slowly fell for his rare moments of tenderness. I let myself believe that over time, he’d grown to love me too. That this man would eventually be mine.

And yet, to outsiders, he only ever introduced me as "a friend."

And now, his unborn, illegitimate child was being celebrated by everyone.

I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

"Elena, you look terrible," Sarah said, her voice soft with worry.

I wiped my tears, my own voice frighteningly calm. "I need a full workup. I want to know exactly what three years of this poison has done to my body."

Two hours later, Sarah walked into the exam room with a grim look on her face.

"Hormonal imbalance, ovarian damage… Elena, there's a real risk of infertility."

I closed my eyes. This was what despair felt like.

Not because I might never have a child. But because the man I'd loved for five years had been drugging me while getting another woman pregnant.

I went home and sat on the cold floor, my heart a block of ice, but with a fire starting to burn deep inside.

Vincent came home early for once, at seven. Usually, he'd claim he was tied up at the casinos or the docks, or wining and dining some politician—now I knew those were just excuses.

"Elena? You're home," he said, shrugging off his suit jacket. His voice had a gentleness I hadn't heard in a long time. "How was your day?"

I didn't even look up from the sofa.

"Elena?" He walked over, about to sit beside me. "You don't look so good. Are you feeling sick?"

He reached out to touch my forehead. I flinched away.

"Don't touch me."

Vincent paused, then chuckled. "What's wrong? Who pissed you off?"

I finally looked at him. The face I'd once adored now looked like a stranger's.

"Did you see the group chat?"

His expression froze for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. "Oh. That. Yeah, I saw it."

That's it? I saw it?

"That's it?" I stood up, my body shaking. "Sophia is pregnant with your child, and all you have to say is 'I saw it'?"

Vincent loosened his tie, a familiar gesture that now made my stomach turn. "Elena, we were clear when we got married. This was for our families. What are you complaining about?"

"Complaining?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Vincent, you got another woman pregnant!"

"I need an heir, Elena," he said, his tone terrifyingly calm, like he was talking about the weather. "The Romano family needs an heir."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

"An heir?" I stalked to the bar, grabbed a crystal glass, and threw it at him. "You want an heir?"

It shattered at his feet.

I stormed into the bedroom, grabbed the reports from that afternoon, and threw them at his chest.

"You know what this is? Birth control! The 'folic acid' you've been giving me is birth control!" My voice cracked, raw with fury. "And this—this is my medical report. You fed me poison for three years, Vincent! Three years! And now my doctor says I might never be able to have kids."

Vincent picked up the papers, his face turning to stone.

"And now you tell me you want an heir?" Tears streamed down my face. "You stopped me from getting pregnant while you knocked up someone else. For three years, Vincent, I thought it was my fault. I went to doctors. I cried and asked you if I wasn't good enough…"

"Elena, I…"

"You what?" I snarled. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Even your friends knew Sophia was pregnant. Only me, your wife, was kept in the dark. Was it funny? Did you all think I was a complete idiot?"

Vincent was silent for a long moment. Finally, he just picked up the reports from the floor. "Elena, you're too emotional right now. We'll talk when you've calmed down."

Talk.

In five years, every time we disagreed, that was his line.

Like I wasn't his wife. Just another business deal to be managed.

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the living room, surrounded by the shattered glass that looked just like my heart.

I collapsed onto the floor, the tears finally spent. Five years of marriage had been nothing but a scam. And I was the biggest fool of all.

I wiped my eyes, picked up my phone, and dialed a number.

"Thompson & Associates, good evening."

"This is Elena Romano. I need you to draw up divorce papers. As soon as possible."

The next evening, Vincent came home again.

This time, he was holding a small, elegant blue box—the signature of Tiffany & Co.

"Elena, I bought you something," he said, approaching me carefully, his voice dripping with a sweetness I now knew was fake. "You're going to love it."

I sat by the window, not even bothering to look at him.

Vincent opened the box. Inside lay a brilliant diamond necklace, each stone flawless and sparkling under the light.

"It's from the new collection. Global limited edition," he said softly. "Want to try it on?"

I finally turned to look at him, at the practiced tenderness on his face. Suddenly, the last five years flashed before my eyes.

The apology gifts after every fight. The sudden affection after days of cold shoulders. The sweet nothings he’d whisper whenever I suspected he was cheating… It was all an act.

He’d send roses on my birthday, book the most expensive restaurant for our anniversary, go to church with me on Christmas…

All those beautiful memories were now just a bitter joke. Because I knew, after those "romantic" nights, he'd turn around and go straight to Sophia's bed.

"Elena?" Vincent reached out to put the necklace on me. "Why are you crying?"

I hadn't even realized the tears were falling again. But this time, it wasn't sadness. It was rage. Rage at my own stupidity.

"Get it away from me," I said, pushing his hand away. "Take your necklace, and take your fake concern with it."

"Elena, I know you're angry, but it's not as bad as you think," Vincent tried to explain. "I gave you the pills because I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Afraid I'd be hurt?" I couldn't believe my ears. "So you thought lying to me was better?"

"You don't understand. The succession in the Romano family is complicated. I needed to be sure…" He paused. "But this doesn't mean anything, Elena. Even if Sophia has the baby, it won't change your position. We can still have a good life together."

A good life together?

I stood up, feeling the blood pound in my ears.

"What do you think I am, Vincent? Your little songbird? Something you keep in a cage, toss a few treats to, and expect to sing on command?"

"Elena, don't be like that…"

"Be like what?" My voice rose. "How should I be? Should I keep playing the fool? Keep taking your poison? Watch your mistress carry your child and be grateful for the scraps you throw me?"

"I never asked you to be grateful."

"Then what do you want from me?" I stepped closer. "To keep being your perfect little wife? To put on a show for the world about how happy we are, so you can go screw Sophia with a clear conscience?"

Vincent fell silent.

"There is no 'us' anymore, Vincent," I said, my voice suddenly quiet. "I hate you. I hate your lies, I hate your hypocrisy, and I hate that I ever loved you."

I turned and walked into the bedroom, locking the door behind me.

I heard the sound of something smashing against the door, followed by the front door slamming shut.

I collapsed onto the bed, feeling completely hollowed out.

Just then, my laptop chimed with a new email notification.

I walked over. The screen was lit up with a message from Marcus Blackwood.

Elena,

How have you been? I remember you always used to skip meals. Is your stomach still giving you trouble? I took this picture of some orcas the other day. Incredible, right? I wish we could have seen this together. I know you're married now, and this is probably out of line. I'm sorry. But I miss you. I hope you're happy.

—Marcus

I stared at the email, my heart starting to pound.

It was an escape. A window to a new life.