Just a Prop in Their Love Story

Iris's POV

A year ago, I stood at the altar in my wedding dress, about to marry into the Vitale family.

We were halfway through the vows when my fiancé, Theo, turned and ran out of the church.

His adopted sister, Bianca, had climbed onto the roof of the estate and sworn she'd jump if he didn't come back.

The pews were packed with people from all the major families, and every one of them was waiting to watch me fall apart.

Then Theo's older brother stood up from the front row. Adrian Vitale, Don of the Vitale family.

He walked up to me slowly and slid the ring onto my finger himself.

At the family banquet the next day, the capos lined up to kiss my hand.

Adrian held on to my hand, his eyes on Theo.

"From now on, when you see her, you call her Donna."

Theo's wine glass shattered in his hand.

Everyone said an orphan like me had hit the jackpot. Dumped by the Don's little brother, then turned right around and married the Don himself.

I'd always believed that too.

Until today, when I stood outside the study door and heard Bianca whining, half in tears.

"You told me you were only marrying her so Theo would give up on her. Now you're protecting her every chance you get. Don't you want me anymore?"

Adrian's voice was low, tired but indulgent.

"If I didn't make it look real, how would Theo ever get over her?"

"Don't worry. She won't be standing in your way much longer."

"You're back? What did the doctor say?"

When Adrian walked in, I was sitting at my computer, staring at the screen.

It was an offer from a jewelry company in Paris. They wanted me as their design director.

Right below it was the email I'd already written turning them down, scheduled to go out tonight.

The whole way back from the study to our bedroom, all I could hear was him saying I wouldn't be standing in her way.

I'd always thought that even if he didn't love me when he stepped up at the altar, he at least couldn't stand to watch me get humiliated in front of everyone.

He hadn't talked much in our first year of marriage. But he remembered I hated the cold, and he'd get up in the middle of the night to put another log on the fire for me.

When I stayed up late sketching in my studio, he'd have someone bring me a glass of warm milk.

I thought he was just cold by nature. I thought we were slowly turning into a real married couple.

But from that day at the altar, I'd only ever been a pawn in their game.

I shut the laptop and turned to face him.

"The doctor said I'm perfectly healthy. She wants us both to come in for genetic counseling, and then we can start trying for a baby."

Bianca had come in right behind him, and her face dropped.

"A baby?"

She spun toward Adrian, glaring at him like he owed her an explanation.

I acted like I hadn't noticed and smiled.

"We've been married a year. What's so weird about wanting a baby?"

Bianca looked me up and down and scoffed.

"Wow, Iris, in a hurry much? Already trying to give the family an heir? Scared you'll lose your spot as Donna?"

Adrian just stood there, perfectly calm, and didn't say a single word to back me up.

But having a baby had been his idea in the first place.

A few nights earlier, I'd been up late in my studio finishing a design.

He came in and stood behind me for a long time. Then he leaned down and wrapped his hand around mine, the one holding the pencil.

"Iris, let's have a baby."

The pencil slipped and left a crooked line across the page. I tipped my head back and asked him where that was coming from.

He looked down at me, his eyes softer than I'd ever seen them.

"I want to see you holding our kid. You'd be a great mom."

My guard came down completely right then. I just told him quietly that we could go see a doctor in a few days.

He nodded.

I called in a favor to get us in with the best specialist in Boston.

But today, right as we were heading out, with Adrian's coat already on, Bianca called. She'd gotten into another fight with Theo.

He didn't even hesitate. He grabbed his keys and went to pick her up himself, and I went to the hospital alone.

With that on my mind, I looked at Bianca, and my voice went cold.

"That's Donna to you."

Bianca went off like I'd hit a nerve.

"Who do you think you are? Like I'd ever call you that."

The second she blew up, Adrian finally spoke.

He frowned and shot me a look.

"It's just a title. Why are you picking a fight with her over it?"

Hearing that from him, I almost laughed.

How many times this past year had he made a big deal out of that same title with Theo?

Every time Theo came back to the estate to see me, Adrian would show up right on cue. He'd plant himself between us, stone-faced, and make Theo correct himself and call me Donna.

Theo had lost it over that one word more times than I could count, but there was nothing he could do about his own brother.

Now Bianca was picking a fight right to my face, and when I told her the same thing he always told Theo, suddenly I was the one overreacting.

One was his own brother. The other was his adopted sister.

He had no problem shoving the rules down his brother's throat, but he couldn't bear to let his adopted sister feel even a little hurt.

He played favorites that blatantly, and I'd gone a whole year without seeing it.