Chapter 4

It had been a terrible excuse, but Hugh had nodded.

Back then, I'd been so happy I could barely contain myself, completely unaware of the kind of road I'd chosen.

When I returned to the Moretti estate, I heard Rita's voice coming from the sitting room.

"Girls these days have it too easy. Back in my time, no Moretti wife would dare disrespect her husband's mother."

She gave a bitter laugh.

"You should've seen Belinda's face when I asked her to help me prepare for the Family dinner. Her eyes practically turned red. If Hugh hadn't been so blinded by her looks and her father's name, he never would've married such a spoiled woman."

Then her voice turned colder.

"Five years, and she still hasn't given the Moretti Family an heir."

Vera immediately agreed.

"Exactly. A Don's wife should know her responsibilities."

I pushed open the door.

The room went silent.

Vera, who had been sitting beside Rita, quickly stood and forced a smile.

"You're back, Mrs. Moretti. Have you eaten? There's some lunch left. I can have the kitchen warm it up."

"No."

My cold response immediately darkened Rita's expression.

"Belinda, where have you been all day? There's an entire estate waiting for you, and you disappeared without saying a word."

The Morettis had always clung to old Family traditions.

In Rita's eyes, a Don's wife had three responsibilities: give the Family heirs, support her husband, and keep his household in perfect order.

The morning after my wedding, she'd handed me the household ledger and a ring of keys, then made me inspect every room, every expense, and every servant personally.

She'd called it my duty as a Moretti wife.

For five years, I'd tolerated it.

I'd done everything I could to satisfy her.

Apparently, none of it had ever been enough.

I laughed coldly.

"We have two housekeepers, two cooks, groundskeepers, guards, and a private doctor. What exactly are you expecting me to do myself?"

Rita clearly hadn't expected me to talk back.

Her face reddened.

"You're the mistress of this estate. Of course you should know everything happening under this roof. Who comes in, who goes out, what's being spent, whether the staff can be trusted. What if someone steals from this Family without you even noticing?"

Vera frowned slightly and quietly carried her plate toward the kitchen.

I looked at Rita.

"Don't you live here too?"

She froze.

"I hired the staff. I pay their wages. Hugh is busy running the Family. Since you're his mother, surely you can help manage your own household."

Rita opened her mouth, apparently realizing she'd trapped herself.

Then her embarrassment turned into anger.

"Why should I do your job for you?"

Her voice sharpened.

"You haven't even given this Family a child!"

I stared at her twisted expression.

When Rita first moved into the estate with us, she'd held my hands and promised it would only be temporary.

She'd said she wanted to help Hugh and me settle into married life.

Hugh had asked me to be patient with her.

So I had been.

For five years.

I tolerated my husband's growing indifference and his mother's constant criticism.

Only now did I finally understand the helplessness I'd seen in my father's eyes all those years ago.

"A child?"

My hand instinctively rested against my lower abdomen.

A faint smile touched my lips.

Then I turned away.

Rita called after me, but I ignored her and went upstairs to the master bedroom.

Maybe it was the pregnancy.

The moment my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep.

By the time I woke, the windows had gone dark.

Rita's unusually loud laughter drifted up from downstairs.

Then I heard a familiar man's voice.

Hugh?

Something felt wrong.

I opened the bedroom door and went downstairs.

The atmosphere in the sitting room was completely different from earlier.

Hugh sat talking with his mother.

And beside Rita was Luna.

She was kneeling near Rita's chair, carefully fastening the clasp of an expensive pair of heels around her ankle.

Rita looked delighted.

"Where did you find a girl like this?"

She reached down and affectionately patted Luna's hand.

"She's respectful, thoughtful, and she actually understands how to treat her elders."

Luna lowered her eyes with a modest smile.

Hugh watched them from across the room.

And he was smiling too.