PROLOGUE

"Matteo? What's the meaning of this?" I asked as I stared at the divorce papers, with widened eyes.

"I said, I want a divorce, Bianca."

I blinked back tears...

"After all these years? With everything I sacrificed for you and your family! You want a divorce from me?! Could you be more heartless?" I sobbed, tears falling down my eyes. But all he did was stare at me blankly. "It's because of her right?" I suddenly asked. "Because of Toria, you're leaving me alone!" I smacked his chest with everything in me, but he just stood there, unmoving while I expressed myself in vain.

Tired, I finally fell to the ground, the emotional wounds in my chest not allowing me to breathe properly.

"For years..." He began "...I waited for you to bear me a child. How much longer do I have to wait?!" His eyes glowered with fury and disdain as he stared at me.

This wasn't the man I met five years ago, claiming to love me and wanting to protect me. No this was a heartless man that cared about nobody but himself.

I opened my mouth to speak but the words hung in my throat when I noticed the butler escorting a woman in.

Her heels clicked on the tile floor. While I lay there, my hair clinging to my forehead, all tired and sticky, the woman before me had her flaxen curls cascading down her back...her makeup was done to perfection and her beauty was like that of a Latina, defined features and a body any lady would die for.

I watched in disbelief as Matteo wrapped a hand around her body before placing his hand on her abdomen.

I didn't need an expert to tell me what he was trying to insinuate.

I gave a weak, humorless smile. "So this is the mistress you were bragging about?" I let out a humorless laughter...

"Don't you dare call her that. She's multiple times better than you will ever be in a thousand years," he growled at me, his words striking me in ways even I couldn't comprehend.

"I'll remember the words you said to me today." I looked up at him, making sure my eyes met his. And with the pain I felt inside me I still managed to speak with firmness. "I hope you do too."

Toria, the woman Matteo introduced, scoffed. "Honey, why waste your breath on a barren woman? Let's get out of here." She sashayed towards the door, her hips swaying with each step.

Matteo glared at me one last time before following her out.

The sound of him shutting the front door resounded through the house, and it was after, followed by an eerie silence.

My vision blurred as tears stung my eyes. Empty was the name he gave me. After numerous evaluations and visits to the doctor, he viewed me solely as an individual incapable of bearing children.

From deep inside me, a cold and uninspired chuckle emerged. Even though I was heartbroken and embarrassed, a faint feeling of defiance began to emerge in me. Not favorable. I wouldn't allow him to destroy me.

Gradually, I rose from the ground and awkwardly made my way to the sofa, falling onto the cushy cushions. Holding onto a cushion, I hugged it close, pressing my face into the plush fabric, and releasing all the pent-up tears from Matteo's disclosure.

Time became unrecognizable. I lay on the couch falling in and out of sleep, still feeling disturbed about Matteo and Toria.

My stomach growled...that was when I realized I hadn't had anything to eat. Sniffing, I decided to get myself to the kitchen... only to feel quite dizzy and nauseous. I held on to the kitchen counter, trying to steady myself.

Had I ever experienced this level of sickness in the mornings previously? I rejected the idea and chose yogurt and fruit, the only foods that sounded good to my upset stomach.

I sat at the breakfast counter, leisurely eating my food, pondering deeply.

Did he desire a divorce to begin anew with his pregnant lover?

Okay. It's possible he possesses that desire. However, I wouldn't allow myself to be taken advantage of. I would receive what I rightfully earned. The term lingered in the atmosphere, unsaid yet determined.

"Weeks went by, and the quiet of the house became a familiar presence. I dedicated my time to addressing overlooked duties: dusting ignored nooks, decluttering unused clothes, and arranging photo albums holding memories that now seemed spoiled.

In the evening, while preparing dinner, the nausea came back. This time, it came with a sharp pain that caused me to bend over in half. Struggling to breathe, I rested against the counter, attempting to endure the situation.

As the pain decreased, a new understanding came to me. This was more than just typical morning sickness. This was more than just stress. My typically delayed periods had not shown up for weeks. I felt a chilling fear in the pit of my stomach.

I instinctively reached for my stomach, feeling an odd sense of protective instinct come over me. Is it possible? Absolutely not. It was impossible. However improbable, the possibility would not be disregarded.

My hand trembling, I quickly rummaged through the medicine cabinet and retrieved a package of pregnancy tests. I followed the instructions written on it as my heart thumped loudly in my chest. One second felt like an eternity.

After that, I witnessed it. I saw two barely visible pink lines looking back at me.

"I'm expecting a baby."

The words resounded in my mind, completely different from the void I had been experiencing. They stirred something within me, a faint glimmer of hope breaking through the emptiness.

Tears filled my eyes, not from sadness, but from a combination of surprise and a unique, sudden happiness.

In the face of betrayal and heartbreak, life had found a way to surprise me.  

Maybe, just maybe, this unexpected turn of events was exactly what I needed.