Leaving Him With Our Child

Despite being married to me, Don Massimo Cortese has forgotten my birthday once again. On my 25th birthday, he brings his most capable Underboss, Catia Sangalli, home with him. "Catia is pregnant." His tone remains even, as though this is nothing more than routine business. "She's pregnant with my child." My eyes become as wide as dinner plates. I can only stare at Massimo in disbelief. There isn't a trace of guilt on his expression. If anything, there's a hint of calculation in his eyes. "My family needs an heir, which you can't produce at all." That's when I finally give up on Massimo. After wiping my tears away, I pass him a divorce agreement that I've prepared in advance. Massimo just smiles lightly as he signs the agreement without hesitation. His friends are confused, to say the least. "Aren't you going to ask the Donna to stay, Don Cortese? Everyone in Napango knows very well just how much you love her. Are you seriously going to let her go like this?" Massimo says firmly, "Don't worry. She will never be able to leave my side. Angelica doesn't even have any family in this world. Who else can she seek out but me? "She's far too temperamental right now, so she needs to be taught a lesson. Once she finally learns her place, she will come back to me." I pretend to not hear the conversation as I pack my luggage quietly. What Massimo doesn't know is that I've taken the initiative to give up on my inheritance rights to the Rocchi Famiglia's assets five years ago because of the family rule that states, "No Rocchi is allowed to form marital ties with other forces." This time, I'm going to cut all ties with Massimo and return to the Rocchi manor as their heiress alongside my unborn child. Chapter 1 Angelica's POV On my 25th birthday, I prepared a surprise gift for Massimo Cortese. It was a pregnancy test report showing I was eight weeks pregnant. But before I could even present the gift to him, Massimo appeared with his Underboss, Catia Sangalli, and dropped a bombshell on me. "Catia is pregnant." His voice was calm and flat as if he was simply announcing the weather. "She's pregnant with my child." A moment of silence fell over the main hall in the Cortese Famiglia manor. I clenched my fists. My vision blurred, and I felt as if I were about to faint. He glanced at me, his brow furrowing slightly, and offered a perfunctory explanation matter-of-factly, saying, "The Famiglia needs an heir, Angelica Rocchi. Be good. The baby will still be registered as your child after it's born." I clutched the pregnancy test report tightly, struggling to hold back my tears. "You want an heir, Massimo? I can give you an heir…" Actually, I had intended to tell him the good news of my pregnancy today. But I didn't have the chance because of his "surprise". Massimo's expression froze, his brows furrowing tightly. "Angelica, don't make things difficult for me. Catia and I… Whatever happened was just an accident. Besides, she's different from other women." Catia was nestled beside him, her fingertips still resting on his sleeve. She made a show of summoning her courage and peeked out from behind him, her voice soft yet firm as she said, "Donna, I have no intention of interfering in your relationship with Don. My pregnancy was an accident… But the child needs a father." She looked up at me, her eyes filled with smug defiance despite her incredibly humble tone. "I'm willing to leave immediately after giving birth. Please, don't kick me out of the Famiglia now!" Massimo's expression was grim. He even stepped forward, shielding Catia behind him as he lowered his voice and said, "That's enough, Angelica. You can't give me an heir, but the Cortese Famiglia cannot be without one. As the highest authority in the Famiglia, it's my responsibility to make sure that the bloodline continues!" I stared blankly at him, my chest aching, unable to breathe. He knew perfectly well that the child was my Achilles' heel. Nobody had ever dared to bring up that topic around me for a whole year. After all, I'd lost my baby just a year ago. A year ago, Massimo took me along for a negotiation. The other party was merely an insignificant, weak force that we shouldn't have had to have anything to worry about. Although someone within the Famiglia had warned Massimo that it might be a setup, he didn't take it to heart. "They'd never dare to mess with us as long as I'm here!" He was very confident about it. However, a nearby explosion knocked me to the ground, and we were attacked. I was already bleeding heavily by the time I was sent to the hospital in the ambulance. The paramedics in the ambulance sighed and said, "Donna was pregnant, but the baby couldn't be saved." I was wheeled into the emergency room. Massimo stayed outside the operating room the entire time without a word. His hands were covered in my blood, but he didn't care. After eight hours inside the emergency room, the doctor came out and said, "The baby is gone. Also, the chances of her getting pregnant again are very low." Massimo didn't say a word then, but turned around and dealt with those involved in the attack with extremely ruthless methods. A major purge was also carried out within Famiglia. He kneeled by my bedside afterward, refusing to get up even when his eyes were red from exhaustion. He waited until I woke up, held my hand gently, and made a promise to me. "I will never put you in danger again. Just tell me whatever you want to do, and I'll make sure everything is arranged nicely for you." Then he paused for a moment, as if making a huge decision about something. "You can choose to stay or leave. It's entirely up to you. And as for the baby…" His voice trembled for the first time as he spoke. "I'll make up to you." But now, he had gone and gotten another woman pregnant with his child. Chapter 2 Angelica's POV Massimo's words finally broke my heart. I put away the pregnancy test report and turned to take out the divorce agreement that I'd kept around for a year. I had already prepared this divorce agreement when Massimo told me I could leave or stay as I pleased last year. It wasn't because I didn't love him but rather because I loved him too much. I knew how much losing an heir would affect him, so I was already prepared to leave at any time to make space for a new Donna who could bear him an heir. After learning I was pregnant today, I truly thought fate was finally having mercy on me because it couldn't bear to separate a couple like us who loved each other very much. But it turned out to be just wishful thinking on my part. "Sign this. It's only right to give the child's mamma a title." I calmly handed over the divorce agreement, and a series of gasps rose in the hall. Massimo suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as he stared at me, trying to see through my pretense. Meanwhile, a look of wild joy and greed flashed in Catia's eyes, and the smile on her lips couldn't be suppressed at all. However, her hopes were quickly shattered seconds later. "Nonsense!" Massimo exclaimed. "I already told you that the child will be registered as yours. No one will be taking your place!" Catia suddenly stepped forward and lowered her head, speaking in a humble voice, "I'm sorry, Donna, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have slept with Don to save him when he was under the influence of aphrodisiacs, and I shouldn't have accidentally gotten pregnant with his child… "Please don't just make this decision so stubbornly just to spite him. Everyone knows that Don loves you the most. I'll just leave with the baby right now. I don't want you to get divorced from him…" Catia's words successfully made Massimo's face darken. He looked at Catia, trying to make his voice sound gentle. "You don't need to apologize, Catia. Without you, I might have died from the potent aphrodisiac back then. You are my savior and the mamma of my future heir. No one can ever surpass you here in Napango!" Massimo said this while staring at me unblinkingly. It was clear that he was speaking to me. My expression remained unchanged, and my gaze fixed stubbornly on the divorce agreement in his hand. And, he finally snapped. He scribbled his name on the document with a flourish. As soon as I took the divorce agreement back from him, I heard him warning me angrily, "You'd better think this through, Angelica. If you leave with this document, you're no longer Donna of the Cortese Famiglia. You won't even be able to leave Napango alive without me!" I didn't say a word, took the divorce agreement, and left the hall without even glancing at him. I heard one of his friends ask, "Don, are you just going to let Donna go like this? You went through so much trouble for her back then and even risked your life to go against your own parents, just to gain the right to choose your own marriage partner. Are you sure that you're really going to divorce Donna?" I heard Massimo's answer as I stepped out of the door. "Don't worry. She won't leave me. She has no one left. Who else can she turn to besides me? She's too proud and stubborn—she's far too short-tempered and just needs to be taught a lesson. She'll come crawling back to me once she realizes her mistake." Massimo's words pierced my heart like an arrow. Still, I suppressed my grief and dialed Papa's number. "I'm sorry, Papa, I regret everything in the past. Can I still come back now?" Papa's voice was choked with emotion and relief. He said, "I've been waiting for you, Angelica. You'll still be the heiress to the Rocchi Famiglia as long as you come back to us." His words and unconditional love finally made me burst into tears. "Aren't you angry with me, Papa? I abandoned my Famiglia for a man, and now, I'm bringing his child back to you instead." I expected a scolding from Papa, but instead, he exclaimed with delight. "Wait, you're pregnant? That's just wonderful!" Papa was overjoyed. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard that he also had a younger heir on the way. "I'll send a convoy to pick you up right away! It's been three years, Angelica. I can't wait for you to come back to me!" Chapter 3 Angelica's POV I could feel my heart finally calming down after I hung up. Then, I went back into my room to pack. After I was done, I couldn't stop myself from dry heaving a couple of times as I leaned weakly against the doorframe. My pregnancy symptoms were just beginning to show. I gently stroked my lower abdomen, my eyes filled with tenderness as I soothed myself down. Catia walked over to me in her loose clothing, looking at me in surprise. "You're pregnant too, aren't you, Angelica?" My hand on my lower abdomen paused, and my eyes suddenly turned cold. She knew. Her lips curled menacingly as she spoke in an even softer voice. "It's true, then." She took a step closer, gently stroking her belly, as if showing off. She said in a piteous tone, "Don doesn't know yet, does he? Well, it's no surprise after all, since he's only been thinking about my baby the whole time." I wanted to ignore her. So, I stepped back and tried to close the door. Yet, she leaned against my door, her tone filled with malice as she said, "You're still thinking about your dead child from a year ago, aren't you?" Catia's voice pierced my ears like a venomous snake. "Don said he'd love that child if it had survived, but unlucky you, you never got to keep it after all. So, did you really think that you'd be able to keep this one too?" A blast seemed to go off in my head. I could hear my ears ringing as the bloody memory from last year tore to the surface. I remembered the cold lights in the operating theater, Massimo's reddened eyes outside the door, and his trembling words of promise that he would never let me suffer like that again. But now, someone else was pregnant with his child. Because the Famiglia needed an heir. But what about the child that I had lost? How was any of this fair to me at all? A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly shot through my lower abdomen, like someone was ripping my organs right out. My breath caught in my throat, my face turned deathly pale, and warm liquid slowly trickled down between my legs. I instinctively clutched my stomach and slowly collapsed to the ground. "My baby…" My voice was barely audible. I sounded like I was on the verge of collapse. Yet, Catia's eyes flashed triumphantly when she saw the blood seeping down between my legs. The next second, she clutched her stomach and screamed, "Donna! How could you fall over yourself and blame me for it?" The commotion instantly alerted everyone in the manor. Massimo was the first to rush in, just in time to see Catia helplessly clutching her stomach, trembling with sobs. Meanwhile, I sat leaning against the door, my dress stained crimson with blood, a totally disheveled sight. His gaze lingered for a moment on the blood. He mistook it for Catia's. The next second, he rushed to her without hesitation, pulling her tightly into his arms, his voice heavy as he said, "Where are you hurt?" Catia buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don't know… I just wanted to comfort Donna, but she pushed me away and fell to the ground by herself." Catia looked up, her tear-streaked face pitiful as she said, "Will you blame me for hurting Donna and kick me out?" She suddenly gasped, collapsing weakly into Massimo's arms, exclaiming, "Ah, my stomach hurts so much! Do you think something might have happened to the baby?" Massimo picked up Catia and turned to leave, his face grim and dark as thunder. I frantically grabbed his trouser leg, my lips trembling. "Massimo, please… Save my baby…" He looked down at me with eyes filled with only disappointment and anger. "Haven't you caused enough trouble for everyone else, Angelica? What, do you think it's fun pretending to be pregnant like this?" He didn't even glance at me again, leaving me with only a cold, dismissive line. "You'd better pray that she and the child are alright. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook." The bustling manor fell silent the instant Massimo left. I finally collapsed limply on the cold floor. The throbbing pain in my abdomen felt like it was tearing my insides out. I trembled as I reached out, clutching my stomach tightly, my voice hoarse and almost inaudible. "It's okay, baby, don't be afraid. Mamma's taking you home…" But the next second, more warm blood oozed out from between my legs and spilled onto the floor. Tears streamed down my face as I came to the realization that not every child had the chance to even be born into this world. Also, not all cries for help were always heard. Just as my consciousness began to fade, the roar of engines suddenly filled the air outside the manor. It wasn't just from one car, but from an entire convoy of black cars, tearing through the night, driving straight into the main estate. The roar of the cars told me that Papa had come to take me home. Chapter 4 Third-Person POV Massimo carefully carried Catia to the car once they were out of the manor. As soon as they drove off, he pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant, Fabiano Trotta, speaking in an urgent, forceful tone. "Immediately arrange for the best obstetrician in the entire hospital to be on standby. Clear the VIP ward at once, prepare backup blood, and have the Soldati seal off the entire floor. No unauthorized personnel are allowed near." Catia sat in the passenger seat. Seeing Massimo's concern for her, a glint of secret joy flashed in her eyes. She secretly began calculating her future status and position in the Famiglia. However, she didn't know that while Massimo was busy arranging everything, his mind wasn't on her at all. His mind uncontrollably conjured up images of Angelica's blood-stained dress and her weak, desperate appearance as she collapsed to the ground. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he couldn't help asking in a voice tinged with panic, "What did Donna say—" "Massimo, my belly hurts so much…" Catia immediately interrupted him, her voice weak and feeble. "Do you think… Do you think the baby will be fine? I'm so scared…" These words successfully diverted Massimo's attention. He suppressed his panic and focused on getting Catia to the hospital as quickly as possible instead. "Just a little longer. We'll be there soon." Once they arrived at the hospital, the doctor quickly finished examining Catia and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, Don. The baby's fine. She's just a little shaken. She'll be fine after a few days of rest." Massimo's heart finally settled, and he let out a long sigh of relief. But as the doctor turned to leave, he turned back and added, "However, if Donna was the one who'd fallen and bled, the situation would have been extremely dangerous. Her health isn't good to begin with, so you have to be extra careful." Massimo's heart clenched when he heard that. He wondered if Angelica could have been telling the truth after all and that she was really pregnant. However, he quickly suppressed this thought and reassured himself, saying inwardly, "It can't be. The doctor said a year ago that it would be difficult for her to conceive again." He didn't dare to think about it further, nor did he want to delve into it. He forced himself to suppress his inner turmoil and entered Catia's hospital room instead. Catia saw him enter and smiled gently. "Don, the doctor said everything's fine. There's no need to worry." She touched her belly, her voice brimming with undisguised joy. "If I end up being pregnant with a boy, can he directly be brought up in the Famiglia's core structure for early training?" Massimo frowned, a sudden chill running through him. However, Catia just assumed that he was considering it. She leaned forward and took his arm, speaking softly. "When the child inherits the Cortese Famiglia, will his mamma's name still be listed as… Angelica?" She paused, gently tugging at Massimo's sleeve, feigning distress. "Also, Don, how can a child be separated from its biological mother? Can I move into the east wing of the main Famiglia manor when that time comes?" Massimo suddenly felt a surge of disgust toward her. He never expected that the usually docile and sensible Catia would so brazenly demand a title from him and covet Angelica's position like that. He irritably pushed her hand away, his tone impatient as he said, "We'll discuss it again after the baby is born." At that moment, he couldn't help but think of Angelica. After marrying him, she had always been obedient and unassuming. She was never greedy for power, never interfered in the Famiglia's affairs, and devoted her heart and soul only to him. At that thought, he felt a tightness in his chest. It was a terribly uncomfortable feeling. Yet, Catia was oblivious to his emotions and continued, "Wanna bet that Donna Angelica will come back to you very soon? She loves you too much. It's impossible for her to really leave you, Don." Massimo was already irritated, and he became even more uncomfortable when he heard her say that. After all, he didn't like people defining Angelica like that. He coldly interrupted Catia. "Enough. Stop talking about her." Catia froze, stunned by his outburst, and remained speechless for a long time. She turned around and lay back down in bed, clenching her fists in anger. She silently vowed in her heart, "Your child had better be dead, Angelica! I'm going to take over your position as Donna even if it's the last thing I ever do!"