Chapter 1
I fainted outside the clinic when I saw my husband Lorenzo—the man who'd sworn to protect me—kissing that ultrasound photo.
Not because of his tenderness—but because of what he'd written on the back. Through the glass window, I caught sight of his handwriting: [Marco's son. The future of the Corvino family.]
In that moment, something slammed into my chest. My breath stopped.
I remember clutching the car door, trying to stay upright. But my knees buckled, my vision blurred, and I felt completely hollowed out.
Then everything went black.
When I woke up, it was twelve hours later, in the dead of night.
In the VIP room at Mount Sinai Hospital, Lorenzo was slouched in the chair beside my bed, eyes bloodshot, jaw shadowed with stubble, his shirt wrinkled like it had been crushed a thousand times.
They told me he'd walked away from a three-hundred-million-dollar arms deal with the Russians, flying back overnight from Moscow—a negotiation that would have expanded the Corvino family's foothold in Eastern Europe.
But he came back anyway. For me.
Just like four years ago, the night my first IVF attempt failed. He'd canceled a summit with Chicago's five families to hold me in that hospital bed while I cried until dawn. He'd said, "Joanna, as long as you're here, we still have everything."
But now, lying in that same bed, I finally knew the truth—those words were lies.
"Joanna." Lorenzo sensed my movement and his eyes snapped open. "Jesus Christ. You're awake."
He gripped my hand tightly. Those hands that had killed countless men were trembling now.
"Tell me what happened." He leaned close, his breathing ragged, panic flooding his eyes. "The doctors said you collapsed on the street. Someone called 911. Tell me who did this. I'll tear them apart myself."
I stared into his bloodshot eyes, my throat closing up.
It was you. You're the one who destroyed me, Lorenzo.
"The doctor said it was low blood sugar and exhaustion." His voice was thick with guilt. "Baby, this is my fault. You've been pushing yourself too hard with the exhibition. I should have been there more—"
I turned toward the window so he wouldn't see my tears.
Outside was the Hudson River at night, its surface glittering. We used to walk along that river countless times. Lorenzo always said when we had a child, we'd bring him here to feed the ducks.
Now he was going to have a child.
Just not with me.
My mind flashed back to thirty-six hours ago—
I'd hidden in my car, watching Lorenzo escort Claudia—his dead brother Marco's widow—into the clinic. Forty minutes later, he emerged holding that ultrasound photo, beaming.
I'd never seen him smile like that. Pure, unguarded joy. For someone else's baby.
And us—seven years of marriage, four failed IVF cycles, countless nights crying in clinics—he'd never looked at me that way.
"Tesoro, you're shaking." Lorenzo noticed my trembling and pulled me close. "Tell me what's wrong. Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
Against his shirt, I caught an unfamiliar scent—some expensive pregnancy-safe hand cream mixed with hospital disinfectant.
My stomach lurched violently.
I shoved him away and bolted to the bathroom, falling to my knees in front of the toilet, dry heaving.
Lorenzo followed, kneeling beside me. He swept my hair back and handed me a towel. Despite this cold-blooded don's usual contempt for weakness and illness, he patiently rubbed my back.
"Take your time. I'm here."
I leaned against the cold tiles, staring at his face.
Maybe this was all a misunderstanding.
Maybe he had reasons I didn't know about.
Maybe Claudia had threatened him, maybe his mother Maria had forced his hand, maybe there was some family conspiracy I wasn't aware of.
Maybe I should give him a chance to explain—
"I need to tell you something," I looked up at him. "About us—"
Just then, Lorenzo's phone buzzed.
One glance at the screen and his whole face changed.
"I have to go." He stood fast, already moving. "Emergency."
My heart seized.
"Lorenzo—"
"I'm sorry, baby." He kissed my forehead, already halfway to the door. "My mother needs me. I'll be back in two hours. I swear."
"But you promised—"
"I know!" The words came out harsh. He caught himself, forced his voice down. "Joanna, I know. But this can't wait. When I get back, we'll talk. Whatever you need to tell me, I'll be here. I promise."
Then he was gone.
Again. Always when I needed him most.
I sat on the cold bathroom floor, staring at the closed door.
Two hours crawled by.
Then three.
Just past 3 AM, my phone lit up.
But five minutes later, I received an anonymous video.
Unknown number. Video attachment.
On screen: Lorenzo sitting at a hospital bedside, one hand gripping Claudia's, the other resting on her barely visible bump."Don't be scared. I'll protect you and the baby."
Claudia smiled weakly, covering his hand with hers.
The scene looked so warm, so harmonious.
Like a family of three.
I stared at that image, my fingers trembling as I tried to delete it.
Seven years of marriage—maybe I should give him one more chance—
Until I saw the message below the video: [See? That's the family he actually cares about. And you? You're just a prop. —C]
Seven years ago, when I had my first miscarriage, Lorenzo held my hand and said, "We'll have children. As long as you're here, we still have hope."
Now I finally understood.
The "children" he meant were never ours.
They were heirs to the Corvino family.
My hand unconsciously moved to my abdomen—where a secret Lorenzo would never know was hidden.
I was pregnant. Seven weeks.
The doctor said natural conception was nearly impossible for me. Diminished ovarian reserve, a weakened body, four failed IVF attempts.
Yet a miracle had happened.
Right as he was betraying me.
The private investigator's flash drive was still hidden in my purse's secret compartment. Clinic surveillance footage, Lorenzo's signed fertility agreement, bank transfer records—five hundred thousand dollars paid to the clinic.
Claudia was already sixteen weeks pregnant.
And I hadn't even known my husband had done all this behind my back.
The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. The screen shattered.
I stared at the cracked screen, seeing my pale reflection.
In that moment, I made my decision.
I was leaving.
Not running away. Disappearing.
The next evening, I checked myself out AMA.
Lorenzo texted: [Crisis resolved. On my way.]
My reply: [Already left. Sophie got me.]
By the time his next message came through, I was in Sophie's car, phone on silent, heading toward Brooklyn.
Sophie—my best friend from college, and now the only person I dared trust.
Her used bookstore was tucked away on a quiet Brooklyn street, one of the few places in this city where I felt safe.
Seeing my expression, Sophie asked nothing. She just handed me a cup of hot tea.
"I need you to help me stage a yacht explosion," I said, meeting her eyes. "In front of everyone, Joanna Corvino has to die."
Sophie was quiet for a moment, then spoke slowly: "I worked as a marine insurance investigator for ten years. Yacht 'accidents'—I've handled quite a few."
She looked into my eyes. "Lorenzo Corvino isn't the type to let go easily."
"That's why he has to believe I'm really dead." I touched my abdomen. "Four days from now. The Bella. Our anniversary."
Sophie took a deep breath and opened her laptop.
"I understand."
That night, Lorenzo was still at the hospital with Claudia.
I returned alone to the Tribeca townhouse, the place I used to call home.
On the living room wall hung photos from our seven years together—meeting at the museum, the Brooklyn Bridge proposal, our church wedding. I took them down one by one and threw them into the fireplace. The flames danced as those smiles curled and blackened in the fire.
In the walk-in closet, all those ties and cufflinks I'd carefully chosen for him, each one carrying my devotion. I packed them all into boxes, leaving them as mementos.
Finally, I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the lights across the Hudson.
My phone vibrated.
Sophie sent an encrypted message—everything was in place.
I touched my abdomen and turned off the screen.
In the glass reflection, I saw my pale, unfamiliar face.
"In three days," I whispered, "you'll lose Joanna Corvino. Forever."
