My Husband's Stand‑in Awoke the Monster in Me

"So you're a family now?" I asked, looking at them with hurt in my eyes.

Fabiano was my child, born after hours of excruciating labor and near-fatal bleeding. He had once claimed I was the one he loved most.

As I met his hatred-filled gaze, I felt a pain so sharp it almost choked me. I said, "You say you're a family, then what does that make me?'"

Fabiano froze, and a flicker of guilt crossed his face.

Carina suddenly buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Arianna, I risked my life in the mountains to save you from those men who attacked you, welcomed you into the Pellegrini family, gave you a home and a job, and yet I never thought you would carry feelings for Giordano, much less try to interfere in someone else's marriage."

Giordano's expression darkened, and he jabbed a finger at me. "Carina is kind and forgiving. You can forget it. In this life, I will only ever love her. Leave at once, or don't blame me for showing no mercy for what you just did to my wife."

Rage and disbelief surged in my ears. They were stealing my identity, trying to make everyone believe Carina was me. I looked at Fabiano, but he quickly averted his eyes.

"Stop it! She's my mom!" he blurted.

Whispers and murmurs rose from the crowd.

"This woman has gone insane, trying to claim everything for herself."

"When has a son ever denied his real mother? She's just here to cause trouble."

"She's shameless. I bet she's jealous seeing how well Mr. Pellegrini treats Mrs. Pellegrini. She must be seething inside."

Out of nowhere, they accused me of scheming and being a homewrecker.

I laughed bitterly through my fury. "Carina, don't you remember? When I pulled you out of danger, you were on your knees, begging me not to tell a soul. I gave you shelter, work, and you swore to repay me.

"And this is how you repay me? By stealing my identity, seducing my husband, and making my own son call you mom?"

The crowd didn't believe me. Instead, they rushed to Carina's defense.

"Enough of this act! Apologize to Mrs. Pellegrini, and maybe there's still a way to fix this."

"Mr. and Mrs. Pellegrini have weathered hardships together since they were young. Everyone in Cyclone knows how virtuous she is."

"This woman has no sense of shame at all. Her thirst for power is ridiculous. Just apologize and get out of here!"

Weathered hardships together since they were young?

My fury boiled over. Just as I was about to tell the truth, a fat, greasy man stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.

"I might be beneath Mr. Pellegrini, but I'm still a Capo here," Patrizio Vinci said with a greasy grin. I've seen your type plenty of times. You're just trying to climb higher."

He stroked my wrist. "Don't worry, I'll show you a good time. If you please me, I'll let you be my 88th woman."

He started groping me, ripping at my clothes. I screamed for help, but it only drew more catcalls.

"Mr. Vinci is really going all out. Is he planning to deal with her right here?"

"Don't kill her yet. Save her for me. She's got a decent figure."

Their leering eyes locked on me.

I shouted, "Giordano, we've been married for seven years! When I met you, you were just a poor waiter at a restaurant. I recommended you join Cyclone, the top mafia family in Costa Solara.

"I even helped you recruit men, run the business, and manage the accounts. I've never wronged you, and this is how you repay me?"

I turned to Fabiano. "Tell me, what did I ever do to deserve you calling someone else your mother?"