The True Heiress They Replaced and Then Tried to Erase

"Your sister had a falling-out with Lorenzo. She wants to stay under your roof for a while. Mateo already gave his word."

"Just go along with it, okay? If you don't, the sight of you only reminds her that you were once promised to Lorenzo. You know how she is..."

"But, Mom, why?" I choked up, cutting her off.

"Why what?"

There was a brief pause before the Don's wine-thickened voice came down the line.

"Sweetheart, I know you still hold it against us, letting Valentina take Lorenzo. But if we hadn't sealed that pact, the Falcone Family would have been finished..."

My chest tightened. I had heard these excuses too many times before.

That wasn't what I wanted to ask, though. I wanted to know why they were so willing to lay me down on the altar and keep the truth buried under Omertà.

Was protecting Valentina, the false-blood daughter raised in our name, and the Family's standing, really worth more than their own blood?

On the other end, my father kept rambling. It only added nausea to my headache.

"I understand. I'll do as you say."

The moment I hung up, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

Staring at my pale, exhausted reflection in the mirror, I made up my mind. If everyone in the Family only cared about Valentina, then fine. I would leave.

I went back to the sitting room and dialed the number of Elena Rosaria, the matriarch who had once raised me when no bloodline would claim me.

"Elena, I want to go abroad with you and open a new orphanage on the Yvora coast."

Then, after hearing her answer, I said, "Yes, I've made up my mind. I can leave with you at the end of next month."

When the call ended, I dialed my private doctor.

"Don't say a word to Mr. Graciano about the pregnancy yet. I want to surprise him."

"What surprise?" Just then the door opened, and Mateo caught the back half of my sentence.

"Your birthday is at the end of next month. It's a birthday surprise," I replied calmly.

Mateo's face lit, and he crossed the room to pull me into his arms. "Thank you, Adriana. You don't have to do all this. I only want you happy, every day of it."

Before, his words would have moved me deeply. Now I just felt cold all over.

"My parents called a moment ago. They told me not to cause trouble while my sister is carrying. Mateo, I'm really upset."

He tightened his arms around me. "Don't be sad. They mean well. My brother says that ever since Valentina got pregnant her temper has been impossible. He even went to ground overseas today just to keep clear of her."

I shook my head slightly, my eyes turning red. "It's not that. I'm just sad... that I can't give the man I love a child, the way my sister can."

At my words, Mateo went still for a moment, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes. Then his hand drifted to the decanter on the side table and turned it a fraction, squaring it to the edge.

"I'm sorry, Mateo... I've been nothing but a burden to you." I bit my lip as the tears slipped down.

His expression softened again. "Don't talk like that, Adriana. I told you two years ago. Even if you can never carry a child, I would love you just the same."

"By the way, I gave my parents my word that Valentina could stay with us a while. What do you think...?" He framed it like a question, but there was a quiet plea sitting in his eyes.

"Sure, that's fine. I wouldn't want to put you in a hard place with your own people."

Relief washed over his face. "Adriana, you're remarkable."

I forced down the bitterness rising in my throat and asked, "Remarkable how?"

"You're a wonderful wife, a good sister, a devoted daughter. You're good in every way there is."

I pulled my lips into a faint, bitter smile.

So this is what being "good" earns me.

Watching every soul of my blood take Valentina's side. Sheltering a criminal. Burying her sins under the code while the knife stays in me.

Noticing the slight tremble in my shoulders, Mateo gathered me close, his voice gentle. "Are you tired? Come, let me get you to bed."

Late that night, once he was certain I was sound asleep, he eased his hand away and slipped into the study.