Chapter 5

"Hugh, you'd better treat Luna well. A girl like her is hard to find. If you don't appreciate her, I'll keep her here with me."

Rita glanced around the lavish sitting room and scoffed.

"At least she'd be useful. Unlike your wife, who does nothing but look pretty."

Hugh frowned helplessly.

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

"What did I say that was wrong?"

Rita's voice immediately rose.

"She ignores me whenever she feels like it. What good is all her father's money and influence? Five years of marriage, and she still hasn't given the Moretti Family an heir. Do you know how humiliating that is for me?"

Her expression twisted with resentment.

"I swear, that woman is cursed. She dresses herself in diamonds and designer clothes and disappears whenever she pleases. For all you know, she could have another man behind your back and you'd be too blind to notice."

The vase shattered at their feet.

Rita screamed.

Hugh shot to his feet and stared at me in disbelief.

"Belinda! Have you lost your mind?"

I slowly crossed my arms.

"Lost my mind?"

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"No. I don't think I've ever seen things more clearly."

Hugh's expression darkened.

Rita was too stunned to speak.

Only Luna reacted quickly.

She stepped in front of them as if she needed to protect the Don and his mother from me.

"Mrs. Moretti, she's your husband's mother. Elders sometimes say things we don't like. Why get so angry over something so small?"

She looked at me with disapproval.

"Don't you have any respect for Don Moretti?"

I glanced at her.

"What does any of this have to do with you?"

My gaze moved over her slowly.

"You followed Hugh home, flattered his mother, and practically waited on her hand and foot. What happened? Winning over Hugh wasn't enough, so you decided to try another route?"

Luna's expression stiffened.

Before she could answer, Hugh's voice cut in.

"Belinda, that's enough."

His face was cold.

"I brought Luna here."

I looked at him.

"You slapped her in front of everyone this morning, and you still owe her an apology. She came because she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding with you."

His tone grew sharper.

"She talked to Mom for a while, heard that her feet were hurting, and offered to help. It was a simple act of kindness. Why does everything become filthy once it reaches your mind?"

I didn't answer.

My eyes fell instead on the cup in front of Luna.

It belonged to a matching porcelain set I'd bought at an auction in Paris.

There were only two cups.

One for Hugh.

One for me.

Luna's eyes reddened.

She picked up her bag.

"Aunt Rita, Don Moretti, I'm sorry."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"I only came because I wanted to resolve the misunderstanding with Mrs. Moretti. But I have my principles too."

She looked at me, then lowered her eyes.

"If I'm not welcome here, I won't come back."

She turned toward the door.

"Wait."

Luna stopped.

I picked up the cup and saucer she'd used and dropped them straight into the trash.

Her face changed.

"I don't like people touching my things without permission."

I looked at her calmly.

"Since you used them, you can pay for them."

I gestured toward Hugh and Rita.

"If you can't afford them, ask one of them to pay."

Hugh looked at the discarded porcelain, and something between relief and frustration crossed his face.

"Fine. I'll pay."

Rita exploded.

"Why should Hugh pay for anything?"

She pointed at me furiously.

"This is the Moretti estate. I invited Luna into my own home and gave her a cup to use. Since when do I need your permission?"

I ignored her and sat down.

"The estate may carry the Moretti name, but almost everything inside it was paid for by me."

The furniture, paintings, silverware, linens, even the smallest decorations had been chosen by me.

I'd once spent endless time turning this place into what I imagined our married home should look like.

Rita had called me extravagant.

That had never stopped her from enjoying every luxury my money provided.

As for Hugh, he rarely noticed any of it.

Just like he rarely noticed the things that mattered to me.

I'd spent years trying to become the kind of wife he wanted.

Patient.

Understanding.

Devoted to him and his Family.

But pretending long enough didn't make it real.

Rita glared at me.

"You chose to spend that money! You put those things in a Moretti house. What did you expect us to do, never touch them?"

She became more furious with every word.

"By your logic, should everyone pay you every time they sit on a chair?"

Luna, who had supposedly been leaving, hurried back to Rita's side.

"Aunt Rita, please don't get upset. Sit down."

She reached for Rita's arm.

I spoke before Rita could lower herself onto the sofa.

"Sorry."

They both looked at me.

"I bought that sofa too."

Rita's eyes widened.

"If you'd like to use it, you'll have to pay."

Hugh's patience finally snapped.

"Belinda, enough."

He frowned deeply.

"Mom went too far. I admit that. But there's no reason to keep fighting over this."

His voice softened slightly.

"We're family."

I reached for a cherry from the bowl on the table and took a bite.

"There won't be a next time."

Silence fell across the room.

The cherry was sour.

I spat it into the trash.

If something wasn't right, there was no reason to force yourself to swallow it.

The same applied to people.

"Belinda."

Hugh's voice dropped dangerously low.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

I calmly wiped my fingers with a napkin and looked at the man I'd once fought my entire Family to marry.

"It means exactly what I said."

I met his eyes.

"Hugh, I want a divorce."