She Tattooed His Bullet Scar, I Ended His Bloodline

"Belinda, haven't you caused enough trouble?" Hugh's voice was icy. "This is the Moretti Family headquarters, not your private playground. You don't get to make a scene over a missed call. What exactly is the big deal?" The man who was usually impossible to rattle had anger burning in his eyes. Even six years ago, when he'd taken a bullet meant for me, I'd never seen him this furious. Behind him, the council room door was still open. His capos and advisers sat around the long table in silence, their expressions saying enough. By tomorrow, everyone in the Moretti organization would probably know that the Don's rarely seen wife had stormed into a council meeting and tried to fire his secretary over a phone call. I calmly picked up the pregnancy report from the table. Hugh's gaze dropped to the paper. "What's that?" "Nothing." I folded it once. "Just a piece of paper." Hugh frowned and was about to say something when my phone vibrated. The screen showed one word. Dad. Hugh fell silent. I answered, and my father's cheerful voice came through. "Belinda, tell Hugh to put his business aside for a while. I'll personally handle the Akso shipment. His priority right now should be you and the baby. I'll be back in a few days." I looked at the impatient man standing in front of me and tightened my grip on the phone. "Dad, there's no need." There was a pause. When my father spoke again, the warmth in his voice had disappeared. "What happened?" Another beat of silence. "Belinda, did Hugh betray you?" I turned away, forcing back the tightness in my throat. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll handle it." After a long silence, my father sighed. He had spent decades building one of the most powerful organizations on the East Coast. There was little that escaped his notice when it came to business, enemies, or betrayal. But when it came to his daughter, even he sometimes seemed powerless. Just like six years ago, when I insisted on marrying Hugh. My father had struck me for the first time in my life. The slap hurt me, but afterward, the nearly fifty-year-old man was the one who cried. "Belinda, your mother has never suffered a day by my side. How can you expect me to watch my daughter choose a life where she might?" My mother had lived comfortably under my father's protection. She had been thirty-six when she gave birth to me, and my father had never allowed anyone in the Family to pressure her for another child. The first time I met Hugh's mother, Rita, she joked over dinner that Moretti wives were expected to give the Family at least two heirs within three years. Hugh said nothing. Across the table, my father nearly crushed the wineglass in his hand. Back then, I hadn't cared. Marriage was between two people. The Morettis had been a minor Family with little territory or influence. Even with a difficult mother-in-law, I'd believed Hugh and I could build a good life together. Besides, he'd once taken a bullet for me. For a man who had nearly died saving my life, what sacrifice could possibly seem too great? Luna's voice came from behind me. "Don Moretti, the men from the Romano Family will be here in five minutes." Hugh's voice immediately returned to its usual calm. "All right." A moment later, his footsteps faded down the corridor. I took a slow breath and lowered my phone. The call with my father had already ended. Then a pair of high heels stopped in front of me. Luna. She looked down at me with a faint, mocking smile. "Mrs. Moretti, Don Moretti said that if you need anything, you can tell me directly. I'll pass the message along." I looked at her without speaking. Apparently, even a conversation between husband and wife now required his secretary as a messenger. The message couldn't have been clearer. Luna studied my face, barely hiding the satisfaction in her eyes. Then she smiled. "Mrs. Moretti, I'll be honest with you. Don Moretti has treated me very well, and I value my place at his side." She paused deliberately. "I also know how much this Family means to him." Her smile deepened. "So I won't be leaving easily."

"Unlike you, everything I have, I earned for myself." Luna lifted her chin, her eyes openly mocking now. "I don't need a powerful father or a Family name to make people respect me. What matters is whether a man like Don Moretti sees my value, not whether I can stand beside him looking pretty as his wife." The gentle determination she'd shown Hugh earlier was gone. I tightened my grip on my bag and laughed coldly. "You're certainly confident. But Hugh has never lacked people willing to work for him. Whatever 'value' you think you have isn't nearly as special as you imagine." Luna didn't get angry. Instead, she calmly took out her phone and opened her photo album. My expression changed. It was filled with screenshots of conversations between Hugh and me. "You probably don't know this, but Don Moretti gave me the password to his phone last month." She smiled. "So for the past month, I've been the one reading most of your messages." My fingers slowly curled into my palm. Luna continued as if she were discussing something perfectly ordinary. "That sapphire necklace you liked for your anniversary? I was the one who reminded him to buy it." She swiped to another screenshot. "And that night you asked him to come home early and sent him pictures of your new lingerie?" Her smile widened. "I was the one who told him he should go home." My face went cold. "I stayed up working for him until dawn that night. The next day, he gave me a sapphire bracelet from the same collection as your necklace." She lightly touched her bare wrist. "I don't wear it around the Family, of course. People might misunderstand." The slap rang sharply through the corridor. My palm went numb. So did something inside my chest. For the first time since I'd arrived, my composure cracked. "Who the hell do you think you are, interfering in my marriage?" Luna covered her cheek. She stared at me in shock for a moment. Then she laughed. "Are you scared?" I said nothing. That only made her bolder. "Don't worry, Mrs. Moretti. I'm not the kind of woman who seduces a married man or destroys someone else's marriage." She paused, and the innocence disappeared from her face. "But if he takes the first step..." Her lips curved. "I'd be more than happy to take the other ninety-nine." There was something almost fanatical in her eyes. And suddenly, I thought of Hugh. Years ago, if he hadn't taken that first step toward me, he might have died before there was ever anything between us. After that, I had taken every remaining step willingly. I had cried for him, fought my father for him, and eventually walked away from the protection of my own Family to marry him. Yet Luna stood before me as if she had already won. I had an entire Family behind me. What exactly did she have? "Too angry to speak?" Her voice pulled me back to the present. I looked at her for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh. "What else is there to say?" I picked up my bag. "Good luck." Of course, Luna assumed I was simply furious. As I walked away, I glanced back once. She was already hurrying down the corridor in her heels, one hand pressed dramatically against her swollen cheek as she headed straight for the private room where Hugh was meeting the Romanos. She knew exactly how to turn a man's sympathy into an advantage. She was much better at it than I'd been. When I first met Hugh, I was eighteen. He had been standing behind my father with several newly initiated men, dressed in black and keeping his eyes respectfully lowered. When I approached, he greeted me like everyone else did. "Good evening, Miss Hansen." At first, I'd chosen him as my personal guard simply because I liked his face. But Hugh never became arrogant because I favored him. No matter how unreasonable my demands were, he never complained. He did his job carefully, followed every order, and always maintained a polite distance between us. Then I was kidnapped. Hugh took a bullet meant for me. It nearly killed him. And that was when I fell completely in love with him. While he lay unconscious, all I could remember was the clean scent of soap on his clothes when he'd pulled me into his arms and covered me with his body. When he finally woke up, my eyes were swollen from crying. But instead of admitting I'd been terrified of losing him, I scolded him. "You failed at your job." Hugh stared at me, confused. My face burning, I pointed at the small scrape on my shoulder. "Look what happened to me." Then I forced myself to meet his eyes. "You'd better take responsibility."

It had been a terrible excuse, but Hugh had nodded. Back then, I'd been so happy I could barely contain myself, completely unaware of the kind of road I'd chosen. When I returned to the Moretti estate, I heard Rita's voice coming from the sitting room. "Girls these days have it too easy. Back in my time, no Moretti wife would dare disrespect her husband's mother." She gave a bitter laugh. "You should've seen Belinda's face when I asked her to help me prepare for the Family dinner. Her eyes practically turned red. If Hugh hadn't been so blinded by her looks and her father's name, he never would've married such a spoiled woman." Then her voice turned colder. "Five years, and she still hasn't given the Moretti Family an heir." Vera immediately agreed. "Exactly. A Don's wife should know her responsibilities." I pushed open the door. The room went silent. Vera, who had been sitting beside Rita, quickly stood and forced a smile. "You're back, Mrs. Moretti. Have you eaten? There's some lunch left. I can have the kitchen warm it up." "No." My cold response immediately darkened Rita's expression. "Belinda, where have you been all day? There's an entire estate waiting for you, and you disappeared without saying a word." The Morettis had always clung to old Family traditions. In Rita's eyes, a Don's wife had three responsibilities: give the Family heirs, support her husband, and keep his household in perfect order. The morning after my wedding, she'd handed me the household ledger and a ring of keys, then made me inspect every room, every expense, and every servant personally. She'd called it my duty as a Moretti wife. For five years, I'd tolerated it. I'd done everything I could to satisfy her. Apparently, none of it had ever been enough. I laughed coldly. "We have two housekeepers, two cooks, groundskeepers, guards, and a private doctor. What exactly are you expecting me to do myself?" Rita clearly hadn't expected me to talk back. Her face reddened. "You're the mistress of this estate. Of course you should know everything happening under this roof. Who comes in, who goes out, what's being spent, whether the staff can be trusted. What if someone steals from this Family without you even noticing?" Vera frowned slightly and quietly carried her plate toward the kitchen. I looked at Rita. "Don't you live here too?" She froze. "I hired the staff. I pay their wages. Hugh is busy running the Family. Since you're his mother, surely you can help manage your own household." Rita opened her mouth, apparently realizing she'd trapped herself. Then her embarrassment turned into anger. "Why should I do your job for you?" Her voice sharpened. "You haven't even given this Family a child!" I stared at her twisted expression. When Rita first moved into the estate with us, she'd held my hands and promised it would only be temporary. She'd said she wanted to help Hugh and me settle into married life. Hugh had asked me to be patient with her. So I had been. For five years. I tolerated my husband's growing indifference and his mother's constant criticism. Only now did I finally understand the helplessness I'd seen in my father's eyes all those years ago. "A child?" My hand instinctively rested against my lower abdomen. A faint smile touched my lips. Then I turned away. Rita called after me, but I ignored her and went upstairs to the master bedroom. Maybe it was the pregnancy. The moment my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep. By the time I woke, the windows had gone dark. Rita's unusually loud laughter drifted up from downstairs. Then I heard a familiar man's voice. Hugh? Something felt wrong. I opened the bedroom door and went downstairs. The atmosphere in the sitting room was completely different from earlier. Hugh sat talking with his mother. And beside Rita was Luna. She was kneeling near Rita's chair, carefully fastening the clasp of an expensive pair of heels around her ankle. Rita looked delighted. "Where did you find a girl like this?" She reached down and affectionately patted Luna's hand. "She's respectful, thoughtful, and she actually understands how to treat her elders." Luna lowered her eyes with a modest smile. Hugh watched them from across the room. And he was smiling too.

"Hugh, you'd better treat Luna well. A girl like her is hard to find. If you don't appreciate her, I'll keep her here with me." Rita glanced around the lavish sitting room and scoffed. "At least she'd be useful. Unlike your wife, who does nothing but look pretty." Hugh frowned helplessly. "Mom, what are you talking about?" "What did I say that was wrong?" Rita's voice immediately rose. "She ignores me whenever she feels like it. What good is all her father's money and influence? Five years of marriage, and she still hasn't given the Moretti Family an heir. Do you know how humiliating that is for me?" Her expression twisted with resentment. "I swear, that woman is cursed. She dresses herself in diamonds and designer clothes and disappears whenever she pleases. For all you know, she could have another man behind your back and you'd be too blind to notice." The vase shattered at their feet. Rita screamed. Hugh shot to his feet and stared at me in disbelief. "Belinda! Have you lost your mind?" I slowly crossed my arms. "Lost my mind?" A quiet laugh escaped me. "No. I don't think I've ever seen things more clearly." Hugh's expression darkened. Rita was too stunned to speak. Only Luna reacted quickly. She stepped in front of them as if she needed to protect the Don and his mother from me. "Mrs. Moretti, she's your husband's mother. Elders sometimes say things we don't like. Why get so angry over something so small?" She looked at me with disapproval. "Don't you have any respect for Don Moretti?" I glanced at her. "What does any of this have to do with you?" My gaze moved over her slowly. "You followed Hugh home, flattered his mother, and practically waited on her hand and foot. What happened? Winning over Hugh wasn't enough, so you decided to try another route?" Luna's expression stiffened. Before she could answer, Hugh's voice cut in. "Belinda, that's enough." His face was cold. "I brought Luna here." I looked at him. "You slapped her in front of everyone this morning, and you still owe her an apology. She came because she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding with you." His tone grew sharper. "She talked to Mom for a while, heard that her feet were hurting, and offered to help. It was a simple act of kindness. Why does everything become filthy once it reaches your mind?" I didn't answer. My eyes fell instead on the cup in front of Luna. It belonged to a matching porcelain set I'd bought at an auction in Paris. There were only two cups. One for Hugh. One for me. Luna's eyes reddened. She picked up her bag. "Aunt Rita, Don Moretti, I'm sorry." Her voice trembled slightly. "I only came because I wanted to resolve the misunderstanding with Mrs. Moretti. But I have my principles too." She looked at me, then lowered her eyes. "If I'm not welcome here, I won't come back." She turned toward the door. "Wait." Luna stopped. I picked up the cup and saucer she'd used and dropped them straight into the trash. Her face changed. "I don't like people touching my things without permission." I looked at her calmly. "Since you used them, you can pay for them." I gestured toward Hugh and Rita. "If you can't afford them, ask one of them to pay." Hugh looked at the discarded porcelain, and something between relief and frustration crossed his face. "Fine. I'll pay." Rita exploded. "Why should Hugh pay for anything?" She pointed at me furiously. "This is the Moretti estate. I invited Luna into my own home and gave her a cup to use. Since when do I need your permission?" I ignored her and sat down. "The estate may carry the Moretti name, but almost everything inside it was paid for by me." The furniture, paintings, silverware, linens, even the smallest decorations had been chosen by me. I'd once spent endless time turning this place into what I imagined our married home should look like. Rita had called me extravagant. That had never stopped her from enjoying every luxury my money provided. As for Hugh, he rarely noticed any of it. Just like he rarely noticed the things that mattered to me. I'd spent years trying to become the kind of wife he wanted. Patient. Understanding. Devoted to him and his Family. But pretending long enough didn't make it real. Rita glared at me. "You chose to spend that money! You put those things in a Moretti house. What did you expect us to do, never touch them?" She became more furious with every word. "By your logic, should everyone pay you every time they sit on a chair?" Luna, who had supposedly been leaving, hurried back to Rita's side. "Aunt Rita, please don't get upset. Sit down." She reached for Rita's arm. I spoke before Rita could lower herself onto the sofa. "Sorry." They both looked at me. "I bought that sofa too." Rita's eyes widened. "If you'd like to use it, you'll have to pay." Hugh's patience finally snapped. "Belinda, enough." He frowned deeply. "Mom went too far. I admit that. But there's no reason to keep fighting over this." His voice softened slightly. "We're family." I reached for a cherry from the bowl on the table and took a bite. "There won't be a next time." Silence fell across the room. The cherry was sour. I spat it into the trash. If something wasn't right, there was no reason to force yourself to swallow it. The same applied to people. "Belinda." Hugh's voice dropped dangerously low. "What exactly do you mean by that?" I calmly wiped my fingers with a napkin and looked at the man I'd once fought my entire Family to marry. "It means exactly what I said." I met his eyes. "Hugh, I want a divorce."