I Love You Both

I attended the Gotti family dinner, determined to see Kieran one last time before I vanished from his life.

In the crowd, Kieran was strikingly handsome. His tall frame was draped in a bespoke black suit, radiating an aura of raw power and charm.

Isabella was there too, wearing a deep red silk gown and a dazzling blue diamond necklace, her presence a deliberate provocation.

"Macy, you've been married for almost two years. How come there's been no news?"

"Why? Are you on some kind of deadline?"

"You!" Isabella bristled, but her expression shifted in a heartbeat. Her beautiful eyes softened, and she spoke in a more concerned tone, "Don't be so emotional. I'm just worried about you. If you can't fulfill your duty soon, neither Kieran nor I will have the patience to wait forever."

Observing her up close, I noticed a slight resemblance between our features. It only confirmed my role as her stand-in.

My throat tightened. "What right do you have to meddle in our family affairs?" I rasped. "I'm his legal wife."

These two despicable people were playing me for a fool. Before I blew this whole sham wide open, I was determined to make their skin crawl.

As expected, Isabella's smile vanished instantly. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her champagne flute. After a moment, her hand slowly relaxed, and she set the glass down. She raised a hand to touch the necklace on her neck.

"Look at this. What do you think?"

The blue diamond on the necklace was enormous, gleaming with a cold fire under the chandeliers, obviously priceless.

I didn't respond. She continued smugly, "It's a gift from Kieran."

"An engagement gift?"

A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes, and her words became stilted. "What engagement? This is... this is a family gift."

It was no ordinary family gift.

I had seen that necklace in the Gotti family chronicles. Both Kieran's grandmother and mother had worn it. It was an heirloom passed down only to the matriarch of the Gotti family.

"It's beautiful." A sharp pain pricked my eyes, and I fought back the tears.

"What are you two talking about?" Kieran noticed us and walked over. He glanced at me, then at Isabella, and seeing that we were outwardly at peace, he visibly relaxed.

Isabella smiled and linked her arm with Kieran's, her eyes full of love. "Kieran, I was just showing Macy the necklace you gave me."

As she spoke, she tilted her chin at me, as if to gloat.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, his voice laced with indulgence.

"Kieran, isn't Macy an architect? She could help me design the new wing of the Hamptons estate. I think we'll be moving there to live permanently soon."

Kieran shot me a guilty look and hesitated. "Macy is busy trying to conceive, so she's not very inspired. Besides, her modern, minimalist style isn't grand enough. We'd be better off hiring a top European architect."

My husband and his lover, standing right in front of me, shamelessly discussing their future love nest.

I finally spoke. "You two are so close, designing a house together. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were having an affair!"

Isabella's face turned white. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look pitiful and wronged.

"How could you say that? Apologize right now!" For the first time, Kieran's usual gentleness was gone, replaced by pure rage.