Chapter 2

I felt as if those words had been driven straight through my chest. I stared at them in utter disbelief.

Three years ago, that car accident took my child from me.

After that, I could never become a mother again.

My stomach heaved violently. I stumbled into the bathroom and vomited until the room spun around me.

Victor's eyes tightened. Almost out of habit, he reached out to rub my back.

"Nora, if you really can't live without me, you can stay by my side along with Lily."

"I'll set aside one day a week just for you."

The Don who had once sworn to protect me for the rest of my life had betrayed me and fallen in love with my father's illegitimate daughter.

Behind my back, they had a child together.

And now the Don was graciously offering me scraps—asking me to be his mistress.

There is no crueler way to kill someone than to murder their heart.

I was so furious I laughed through my tears.

"Get out."

Victor's voice went cold in an instant.

"Nora, enough."

"If I were you, I'd make good use of whatever guilt we still have left toward you."

"After all, without the Moretti family and the Vale family, what are you?"

Nearby, Adrian waved his phone at Victor.

"Stop wasting your breath on her."

"Lily's asking us to take her to her prenatal checkup."

Victor paused, as if he wanted to reach for me, but a flash of impatience crossed his face.

"Cool off for a while. Let me know your decision when you've thought it through."

He stepped past me without a shred of mercy.

The slam of the door rang through my eardrums.

I sat on the floor in a daze. I don't know how long it was before the relentless buzzing of my phone jolted me back.

"After we register tomorrow, let's have the wedding right away."

"I've already booked the invitations and the venue."

Before I could reply, Victor's call came through.

His voice was low, barely containing his fury.

"Nora, who gave you permission to leak my relationship with Lily to the press?"

"Do you have any idea she's trapped at the hospital right now, surrounded by reporters?"

Lily's familiar voice drifted through the receiver, and I couldn't stop myself from dry heaving.

"I'm the illegitimate daughter of the Vale family. I understand if you look down on me."

"But my child is innocent."

"Please, I'm begging you—don't let him suffer the way I did growing up."

The next second, Adrian snatched the phone and lashed into me.

"Nora, how can you be so vicious?"

"Victor was in love with Lily before he ever married you. When you get right down to it, you're the homewrecker! Get yourself to this hospital right now and clear things up!"

My hand was shaking around the phone.

"And if I refuse?"

Victor's voice turned ice-cold.

"Nora, don't forget—your mother's ashes are still buried in the cemetery I purchased."

"I'm sure you wouldn't want her disturbed in death."

It felt as though a knife had carved a chunk right out of my heart. Even my breath tasted of blood.

The day my mother died, Lily showed up at the funeral hall in a bright red dress.

It was Victor who stepped in front of me and slapped Lily across the face.

"Nora is my fiancée. I won't allow anyone to disrespect her mother."

But now, for Lily's sake, he was using my mother's remains to threaten me.

I wiped my tears and slowly nodded.

"I'll go."

At the hospital, Adrian and Victor flanked Lily protectively behind them.

The moment I walked in, reporters swarmed me with microphones.

"Don Moretti says you two divorced three years ago and that you've been refusing to leave the Moretti estate. Is that true?"

"Boss Vale has also confirmed that during his period of mental impairment, you were the one manipulating him into hurting people, all so you could keep Don Moretti to yourself."

"And now, out of jealousy, you've exposed Miss Lily's private life. Don't you feel any guilt?"

One lie after another rained down on me, twisting every truth inside out.

Victor glanced at me.

"Nora, you created this mess. Clean it up yourself."

"This is the price you pay for clinging to me."

He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Not a flicker of guilt on his face.

Lily stepped forward and looped her arm through his, gazing at me with tear-filled eyes.

"I've already given you the title of Mrs. Moretti."

"If that's still not enough, I'll get on my knees and apologize."

"All I ask is that you stop hurting my child."