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The Don Chose His Mistress While I Bled
Novelix
Completed
Emma Cole has spent five years as the quiet wife of Adrian Moretti, the powerful Don of the Moretti family. On a Valentine’s getaway, Adrian humiliates her for his fragile young assistant, Chloe—giving Chloe the front seat, the warm room, and finally the medicine Emma desperately needs. When Chloe falls ill after taking it, Adrian blames Emma and orders her to walk two miles through a blizzard to bring back a doctor. What he doesn’t know is that Emma is already bleeding, already pregnant, and already standing at the edge of losing everything he never bothered to protect.
Chapters (3)
第1章
The night before Valentine's Day, my husband, Don Adrian Moretti, took a handful of his inner circle to the family estate in the northern mountains.
Before we left, he suggested drawing lots for the front passenger seat.
"Let Chloe draw first. She's fragile—sitting in the back would make her sick."
Chloe Reed was his newly hired assistant. She drew the front seat without a hitch.
She sat there wrapped in the cashmere blanket I'd picked out for Adrian, sipping warm water from his thermos, smiling with that look of innocence.
"I guess I'll keep Boss company up front then. Sorry Emma has to sit in the back."
Adrian gripped the steering wheel. Didn't even turn his head.
"What's there to be sorry about? Everyone agreed to the rules. Emma, don't make a scene."
Chloe turned to look at me, her eyes reddening on cue.
"Emma, do you want to switch?"
Adrian cut her off immediately.
"Sit still. Emma can tough out a little carsickness. Your stomach can't handle the bumps."
I sat in the far corner of the back seat, my fingers clenched around the diagnostic report in my coat pocket.
It said I was five weeks pregnant.
When the convoy pulled into a rest stop, Chloe bumped the playback button on the dashcam.
Adrian's voice suddenly filled the car.
"Mark that slip of paper so Chloe draws the front seat. She'll get carsick in the back. I need to look after her."
The car went dead silent.
I looked out the window.
So his passenger seat had someone else's name written on it from the very beginning.
I pushed open the car door, dragged my suitcase from the trunk, and turned toward the rest stop.
Behind me, a car door slammed shut.
"Emma."
Adrian caught up and grabbed the handle of my suitcase.
"What are you doing making a scene out here? Get in the car."
"I'm not riding."
He frowned.
"Everyone's watching. Can you not do this every single time?"
The window of the car behind us rolled down. Elena, Vince Russo's wife, leaned out.
"Emma, get in first. It's freezing out here—we can sort it out at the estate."
Chloe got out too, draped in that cashmere blanket, her voice trembling.
"Is it because I sat up front? Are you upset? I'll switch with you."
She'd barely taken two steps before Adrian pressed a hand on her shoulder.
"Go back. It's windy. If your stomach starts hurting again, it'll be trouble."
The electronic sign at the rest stop scrolled a red alert:
"ROAD CLOSURE AHEAD DUE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL IN MOUNTAIN AREA."
Adrian saw it too.
"Get in. We'll talk at the estate."
The snow didn't give me another road.
I let go of my suitcase and got back in the rear seat.
Up front, Chloe asked softly, "Boss, is the AC a little cold? Want me to turn it up?"
Adrian said, "Adjust it however you like. Don't make yourself uncomfortable."
The car jolted hard over a patch of ice.
A sharp cramp seized my lower abdomen. Cold sweat broke out instantly.
I gripped the armrest.
Adrian glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Sit tight. Don't hit the glass."
He never seemed to remember that my stomach wasn't great either.
Two-plus hours later, the convoy stopped in front of the mountain estate.
Adrian got out and went straight to the passenger side to open Chloe's door.
"Careful, it's slippery." He steadied her.
Meanwhile, my fingers were so numb I tried twice and couldn't push my door open.
Vince came over and pulled it open for me. "Emma, are you all right? You look terrible."
I shook my head, gripped the door frame, and stood. My vision went black for a moment.
Only then did Adrian look my way. "Why do you look so awful? Get inside."
He reached out to help me. I stepped away.
"No need. Thank you."
His hand hovered for a second, then withdrew. He turned and carried Chloe's luggage instead.
The estate manager said the blizzard had stranded too many guests. There weren't enough rooms—only one master suite with a bathroom, and a few cots set up at the end of the hallway.
Everyone looked at Adrian.
Before he could speak, Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach and doubled over, sweat beading on her forehead.
"I'm fine." She waved her hand. "Emma and Boss should take the master suite. I'll manage anywhere."
Adrian steadied her, then turned to me.
"Emma, let her have it. Her stomach can't take the cold."
He said, "I'll make it up to you next time."
Next time, again.
Over the years, his IOUs of "next time" had piled up beyond counting.
I walked to the front desk and took the key marked "storage."
Behind me came a few relieved chuckles and the sound of Adrian coaxing Chloe.
The storage room was at the end of the hallway. No heating. The bed was narrow.
I set down my luggage, sat on the edge of the bed, and took out my phone.
In my contacts, Adrian's label still read "Husband."
I stared at it for a few seconds, then changed it to his full name.
Adrian Moretti.
Half an hour later, there was a knock. Adrian's voice came through the door.
"I know you're upset. But today—wasn't this whole arrangement because I was afraid you wouldn't agree?"
He knocked twice more.
"Emma, open up. I made some ginger tea."
I looked down at the wastebasket by the foot of the bed.
Inside was a wad of tissue stained dark red with blood.
After a long silence, he knocked two more times. Then his footsteps faded away.
第2章
I didn't sleep all night. The dull ache in my abdomen never stopped.
I dug the box of progesterone pills from my suitcase and read the instructions by the light of my phone.
Two tablets each time, taken with warm water.
There was no warm water in the room. I swallowed the pills dry.
Through the wall, I could hear laughter from the main hall.
Chloe's voice. Adrian's low responses. The clink of glasses.
I put the remaining four pills away and pressed my palm against my belly.
I couldn't feel anything. But it was there.
In the small hours, the lock clicked.
Adrian came in carrying a bowl.
"Still angry?"
I didn't speak.
He set the bowl on the table and sat on the edge of the bed. He touched my forehead.
"You're so cold. If you're not feeling well, say something. You always keep everything bottled up."
His hand was warm.
My eyes stung for a moment. I had told him. He just never remembered.
He propped me up and brought the bowl to my lips.
"Drink."
I'd barely opened my mouth when his phone buzzed.
Chloe's ringtone. It had gone off countless times throughout my marriage.
Adrian glanced at the screen and immediately set down the bowl.
"Drink it yourself first. Chloe's window is broken—I'm going to check on her."
He stood. Didn't even grab his coat.
I reached out and caught his sleeve. "Adrian, can you not go?"
He looked back from the doorway. "Don't wait up. Get some sleep."
The door opened, then closed.
The steam from the bowl dissipated quickly. I didn't drink a single sip of that ginger tea.
In the second half of the night, the dull ache turned into a dragging, wrenching pain.
I curled up on the bed, cold sweat streaming down my back. A rush of warm liquid surged out.
Wet. Sticky. Blood again.
I called Adrian's number. No answer.
Second time. No answer.
Fifth time. The phone finally connected.
It wasn't him who answered.
"Emma." Chloe's voice carried the lazy softness of someone just woken. In the background, a man's steady breathing.
"Boss was too tired. He's asleep."
She paused, then laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, nothing happened. He's just leaning on the couch. I didn't want to wake him."
"Whatever it is, it can wait till tomorrow."
The line went dead.
I held the phone. I didn't call a sixth time.
I braced myself against the wall, went to the bathroom to clean up, then lay back down, my palm pressed to my belly.
By the time the pain peaked, I was numb.
After dawn, I changed into clean pants and walked out.
Everyone was eating breakfast in the main hall.
Elena spotted me first.
"Emma, you look awful."
I managed a smile. "I'd like to cut the trip short. You all keep enjoying yourselves."
Everyone froze.
Adrian looked up from the couch, still holding that thermos.
"What are you making a fuss about now?"
第3章
Adrian walked over and lowered his voice.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"The roads are still closed. How are you going to leave?"
"I'll wait until they open."
He studied me for two seconds, then gave a cold laugh.
"Fine. If you want space, take your space."
He turned and went back to the group.
Chloe sat by the fireplace wrapped in a blanket. Adrian handed her a mug of hot cocoa.
That morning, the hall suddenly came alive.
A line of silver letters hung on the wall:
"Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary to Adrian and Emma, and Welcome Chloe Reed Officially to the Moretti Group."
Vince smoothed things over. "Adrian, Chloe meant well. She said she didn't want to steal your anniversary thunder—celebrating together would be more fun."
Adrian looked at the banner and frowned slightly.
But Chloe was gazing at him, face full of expectation.
In the end, he didn't have it taken down.
He just said quietly to me, "She's only trying to make everyone happy. Don't overthink it."
The cake on the table was mango-flavored.
I'm allergic to mango. Mango is Chloe's favorite.
So this wasn't my fifth anniversary. It was her welcome party.
People started egging us on.
"Emma, come have a toast with Don Moretti."
"Five years of marriage—you've got to mark it somehow."
Chloe walked up to me holding a glass, her voice soft.
"Emma, happy fifth anniversary."
Adrian held out a flute of champagne. "Happy fifth anniversary."
I didn't take it.
His tone darkened. "Emma."
Chloe's eyes instantly reddened.
"Is it because my name was added? Are you upset? I'll go tear it down. Really, don't mind me."
"Don't."
Adrian stopped her, then turned to me. "What exactly do you want? In front of all these people."
He pressed the glass into my hand.
I flicked my wrist. The champagne spilled across the floor.
A few drops splashed onto Chloe's shoes. She yelped.
The hall went silent.
Adrian's face turned to ice. He seized my wrist and yanked me aside.
I stumbled back two steps, my lower back slamming hard into the edge of the bar counter. Pain exploded from my spine and radiated down into my abdomen.
Vince grabbed Adrian immediately.
"Adrian, calm down."
Adrian shook him off and stared at me. "What exactly do you want?"
I steadied myself against the counter. The dragging pain in my lower belly started again.
"Happy fifth anniversary." I looked at him. "I'll remember this celebration for the rest of my life."
I walked to the table, picked up the entire mango cake, and flipped it into the trash can.
No one spoke.
Chloe sobbed softly.
Someone tried to mediate. "Emma, was that really necessary? Chloe's just a young girl."
I poured myself a glass of warm water.
"Show's over. I'm going back to my room."
As I passed Adrian, he clamped down on my arm.
"Emma Cole, you will apologize to Chloe tomorrow."
I pried his fingers off one by one.
"If anyone's apologizing, do it yourself."
Back in the storage room, I slid down the wall to the floor, my forehead drenched in cold sweat.
I found the progesterone pills. Only two left in the bottle.
I swallowed them. My throat tightened.
My phone buzzed. A text from Adrian.
"Say something nice to Chloe tomorrow and we'll put this behind us. Stop making trouble, Emma."
I stared at the screen and typed back one line.
"As you wish. It's behind us."
