Not Your Pet: I'm My Own Queen

I slipped the heart-shaped charm off Lorenzo's phone and set it aside before placing the device back where it was.

Then, I simply stared out the window, letting the silence settle around me.

It wasn't long before Lorenzo strode toward me, his expression grim, carrying the unmistakable presence of the mafia.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were pregnant?" He looked straight into my eyes as he questioned me.

Those beautiful blue eyes—I had once loved them deeply. When Lorenzo looked at me in the past, I felt like I was the only one in his world.

But how long had it been since he last looked at me like this? And now, he was only doing it again to confront me with a lie.

I turned my head away, refusing to meet his gaze. My voice was flat and void of emotion. "Our child is gone."

Lorenzo pulled me into his arms, and his body trembled as if on the verge of breaking.

He was the one who took our child from me with his own hands. So why did he look like he had lost everything?

He might have been a pretty good actor if he weren't a mafia boss.

"Renee, don't be too upset. We can still—"

I didn't have the patience to sit through his act any longer, so I cut him off. "Let's adopt."

"Huh?" For a second, Lorenzo just stood there, caught off guard.

Maybe it was because I had dropped the pretense by saying outright what he had been dancing around.

"Alright. Also, the wedding invitations have already been sent out. Mr. Salerno—the underboss to the biggest mafia group on the East Coast—is flying in just for the occasion. But with your health like this, maybe…"

I knew exactly what he would say and had already thought of a way to respond.

"Find someone to take my place. We're not giving anyone the chance to mock the Gambino family."

My drastic shift in attitude took Lorenzo aback.

But since he had already gotten what he wanted, he didn't press the matter any further.

"My body feels fine right now. I want to be discharged. The weather's nice. Let's go to the orphanage to check it out. We are adopting, aren't we?"

I observed Lorenzo closely as I spoke, silently speeding up his arrangements to bring Kelly and Mia into Gambino Group.

Lorenzo didn't hesitate. He smiled, nodded, and then walked out to make a call. Not once did he realize that the charm was missing from his phone.

This hospital belonged to Gambino Group, so the discharge process was quick.

Lorenzo lifted me into a wheelchair and placed a bouquet of lilies on my lap.

"A little something to celebrate your discharge," he said.

I hated lilies the most. But at that moment, I didn't even have the strength to shove them off my lap.

Instead, I clenched my fists and stared down at my useless legs.

The drive to the orphanage didn't take long. When the guards at the entrance saw Lorenzo's car, they immediately let us through. They even nodded in recognition at the driver.

It was apparent that Lorenzo came here often and had already grown familiar with them. After all, ordinary people wouldn't have dared to greet the mafia so casually.

When Lorenzo stepped out of the car, a young girl ran into his arms.

"Daddy! Are those lilies for Mommy? Mommy loves lilies!" She kept chattering excitedly.

Lorenzo easily picked her up, and a gentle smile formed on his lips.