I needed to be hospitalized for a few days to stabilize the pregnancy.

Dante Falcone, my neighbor who brought me here, was incredibly kind. He ran around handling all the paperwork for me and even arranged for the best private room.

“Mrs. Moretti, shouldn’t you call your husband?”

The glass of water in my hand trembled.

“There’s no need. I’m divorcing him.”

Dante let out a small “oh,” an awkward look crossing his handsome face.

I felt a pang of guilt.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be burdening you with my family drama.”

Dante flashed a sunny smile and waved it off, telling me not to worry about it.

It made me think of Leo. He hadn’t looked at me with anything but irritation in years.

Every time we spoke, he was either impatient or scowling.

It was as if every word out of my mouth was a challenge to his authority, a questioning of his decisions.

My phone buzzed, pulling me back to the present.

Leo had sent a picture of an ugly, outdated Hermès scarf.

“Bought you a birthday present. Happy now?”

I recognized the logo peeking out. I immediately checked Isabella’s Instagram, and sure enough, there was a new post of her with a limited-edition Birkin bag.

“Feeling sick from the pregnancy, but a little retail therapy is the best medicine! Thanks for the gift, L~”

I sneered. The scarf was obviously the throwaway item he had to buy to get the bag.

It was probably so hideous that Isabella didn't want it, so Leo passed it off to me as a gift.

“I don’t need it. Let Isabella use it to polish her new bag.”

My reply must have lit a fire under him, because he called me instantly, roaring.

“Can’t you stop being so damn dramatic and possessive? You sound like a crazy bitch! What Isabella and I have is a soul connection, not the cheap physical affair you’re imagining!”

“If I was really sleeping with her, do you think you’d still be sitting in your comfortable position as Mrs. Moretti, living the high life?”

The high life?

Those words made me see red.

I started dating Leo my sophomore year of college, the same year Isabella left to study in Europe.

Back then, Leo’s position in the Family was unstable. I didn’t enjoy any ‘high life.’

After we married, he took over. From the outside, it looked glamorous, but in reality, he was constantly on edge, stressed out about consolidating territory and business.

He only truly solidified his power two years ago after taking over a few smaller crews.

But I was used to living modestly and felt for the pressure he was under, so I never spent lavishly. On top of that, I was constantly humiliated by his mother, Sofia, for being unable to produce a child.

I had no idea what damn ‘high life’ I was supposedly living.

“Ma’am, you should have some hot soup.”

Dante had just returned with takeout.

His voice carried through the phone. Leo went silent for a few seconds, then erupted.

“Who the hell is that? Eleonora, do you really think putting some random man on the phone is going to make me jealous?”

“Tell that bastard to get the hell out of there! Don’t you dare dirty my property!”

I couldn’t listen anymore. I told him I was in the hospital with severe abdominal pain.

Leo paused, then laughed.

“I get it. You’re so childish. You saw Isabella is pregnant and got upset, so now you’re pulling the same stunt to get my attention, right?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to claim you’re pregnant too? You’re just a pathetic copycat, and it’s disgusting and laughable!”

I gripped the phone, my knuckles white, telling myself over and over not to get angry. For the baby.

My baby couldn’t handle any more stress.

“Leo, I’m not trying to force you to come back. Have fun with Isabella. I have someone to take care of me here. I’ll be just fine without you. In fact, life is a lot easier.”

For the first time ever, I hung up on Leo.

He blew up my phone with a storm of texts, all of them blaming me for overreacting and trying to make him miserable.

He ended by telling me not to come crawling back to him, begging for forgiveness in less than a day.

I tossed my phone aside and started sipping the hot soup.

Two days later, the doctor said my condition had stabilized and I could be discharged.

Dante came to pick me up.

I told him he’d done too much already and that I could just get a rideshare.

Dante just smiled brightly and said it was what neighbors do. Besides, he was happy to help.

A wave of sadness washed over me.

Leo rarely ever drove me anywhere himself.

But if Isabella called, he would drop everything and drive any distance to pick her up personally.

“You have a driver, why do you need me to come get you?”

That’s what he’d snap back at me if I ever complained.

“Isabella doesn’t like having bodyguards around. It’s my duty to get her. What if she took a cab and ran into a rival Family? Could you take responsibility for that?”

I had just opened the passenger door when a powerful hand grabbed my arm.

Leo was standing behind me, his face a thunderous storm cloud. I jumped, startled.

“What are you doing here?”

I hadn’t heard from him at all. Did he actually care? Did he rush to the hospital as soon as his plane landed?

He shot a cold glare at Dante, his voice dangerously low.

“You have the nerve to ask me that? I came home to a table full of moldy food!”

“Eleonora, what the hell are you good for? The wives of other men at least manage the household and support their husbands! You can’t even give me an heir, and now you can’t even be bothered to take care of my basic needs?”

His accusations shattered the last shred of hope I had.

I wrenched my arm free, my voice icy.

“I told you I was in the hospital. For your wife, for a patient, you have zero concern. All you can do is blame me for not cleaning the house?”

Leo looked me up and down, his eyes filled with suspicion. “You look perfectly fine to me. What sickness? Stop faking it!”

Thanks to Dante running around for me the past few days, having his chef make me nourishing broths, my pale complexion had finally regained some color.

Hearing Leo’s words, Dante got out of the car, ready to defend me.

I gave him a slight shake of my head, telling him to go on without me.

I never expected that Leo wasn’t taking me home to rest. He drove straight to a private downtown club and parked outside.