The Past Is a Wound That Won't Heal

Isabella's POV

After leaving the private investigator's office, I let out a deep breath. The huge stone that had been pressing on my chest had finally been lifted.

The previous report had said that I was infertile. Ricardo had personally confirmed it with the doctor as well, so he thoroughly believed it. But little did he know, not only had my medical report been tampered with, but even the doctor had been bribed.

A chill ran down my spine just thinking about it.

At that moment, two car honks suddenly sounded nearby. It was the Famiglia's doctor, Sophia Castello.

After learning what had happened, she sighed. We were the only two people who knew about Ricardo's infertility.

"Signora, you knew back then that the Don couldn't have children, yet you still insisted on marrying him. It couldn't have been easy for you to carry this secret for so long.

"And he pursued you so passionately back then. How could he break his vows so easily?"

I patted her shoulder and handed her a piece of chocolate to comfort her.

"Va Bene, it's all in the past now. I don't care about any of it anymore."

Sophia sniffled, looking at me with heartache in her eyes.

"How could you not care? 11 years of feelings isn't something you let go just like that…"

Seeing my expression darken, she immediately fell silent. She wiped her tears, ran to her car, and came back with a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Your favorite flowers," she said as she handed them to me. "I picked them myself. May you shine as brightly as the sun from now on."

Looking at the vibrant sunflowers in my arms, I felt a lump in my throat. After all these years, I felt grateful to have this thoughtful doctor as a friend.

"Grazie. Oh, and I have good news to tell you!"

I placed her hand on my lower abdomen. "I'm pregnant."

"Cosa? But the Don…" Sophia blurted out, looking at me in disbelief.

"It's not his," I answered with a small smile. "Do you know Vincenzo Valentino, the famous medical researcher who won the Holy Cross Hospital Innovation Award?"

"Of course, I know him. He's a renowned figure."

I was just about to tell her that the baby was his when a line of black Rolls-Royces pulled up across the street.

Ricardo stepped out of one of the cars, arm-in-arm with Lucia, and walked into a jewelry store.

In the past, I used to beg him to see new jewelry collections with me, but he'd always said he was busy with Famiglia matters. Now, through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I watched him patiently help Lucia try on piece after piece.

A laugh escaped me.

So he wasn't busy after all. He just didn't have time for me.

Sophia saw everything as well. Her eyes filled with pity, and she pulled me into her arms.

"Va Tutto Bene, Isabella. You've already ended your marriage anyway. Don't think about it anymore."

I nodded. Just as I was about to leave, someone grabbed my wrist hard.

"Isabella, what are you doing here?"

Isabella's POV

I turned, and my eyes met Ricardo's deep blue gaze.

Lucia clung affectionately to his arm, standing at his side as if they were the real couple.

"Ecco, for you," Ricardo said as he handed me a small red velvet box.

Inside was a tiny silver stud earring.

I looked at Lucia. Around her neck was a dazzling purple diamond the size of a pigeon's egg. Sneering, I pushed his hand away.

Seeing that I was about to leave, Ricardo hurried after me, whispering an explanation.

"Lucia is pregnant, so I gave her the necklace to keep her happy. Once she has the baby, you can raise it as yours. What's a little grievance now? Don't be unreasonable."

I looked at him, my emotions a tangled mess.

"Ricardo, we're already divorced. Stop giving me gifts."

I turned to go, but Ricardo's face suddenly darkened.

"Basta, Isabella! As the Donna of the Gambino Famiglia, stop harping on about a divorce! You're embarrassing the Gambino name!

"I've never once held the fact that you can't have children against you. I even let Lucia carry one for you. Why can't you understand where I'm coming from?"

His eyes were red, as if I were the guilty one here. Meanwhile, next to him, Lucia looked at me tauntingly, her eyes gleaming with smugness.

Sophia couldn't stand it anymore. She stepped forward, ready to reveal the truth. "Don Ricardo, you're falsely accusing Isabella. There's nothing wrong with her. The real problem lies with—"

But before she could finish, Lucia suddenly—and deliberately—stumbled, crashing into me.

I lost my balance, and my lower abdomen slammed straight into the edge of a curbside trash can. A shriek of pain escaped me.

Startled, Sophia rushed to steady me, only to see blood flowing from between my legs.

When he saw that I was hurt, Ricardo's face went pale. He moved to pick me up, but Lucia suddenly screamed.

"Don Ricardo! My stomach hurts so much! Our baby… Will our baby be okay?"

She clutched her belly, feigning an expression of agony.

Ricardo looked at me, then at her. In the end, he scooped Lucia up and carried her into the car.

"Isabella, wait for me. Once Lucia's baby is safe, I'll come back to save you…"

The words had barely left his lips when the car door slammed shut. I watched the car speed away before everything went black, and I fainted.

…

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

"My baby?" I asked instinctively.

The nurse by my side answered softly, "Don't worry, the baby is fine."

I exhaled in relief.

"Is the director here?" I asked quietly.

The nurse looked up, smiling. "Do you mean Dr. Valentino? He's on leave, preparing for his wedding. I heard his girlfriend is pregnant…"

She sighed, then continued. "Dr. Valentino is one of our hospital's finest. So many people adore and admire him. I wonder which woman is lucky enough to be marrying him…"

Hearing that, I secretly smiled to myself.

The checkup showed that everything was fine, so I checked myself out of the hospital.

I planned to collect Mamma's black opal pendant from the antique shop, which should have been restored by now.

But when I arrived, the display spot for the pendant was empty.

The antique shop owner looked at me, puzzled.

"Signora, we already delivered the pendant to the Gambino estate two hours ago. Didn't you receive it?"

Isabella's POV

A sudden wave of dread surged through me. I turned and rushed out the door. Without wasting another second, I hailed a cab and headed straight for the Gambino estate.

The moment I stepped inside, the scene before me stopped me cold. On the gray marble floor lay Mamma's black opal pendant—shattered into three pieces.

I never imagined that the only keepsake Mamma had left me would end up broken like this.

I stood frozen, as if all the blood had been drained from my body in an instant.

In the living room, Lucia was sitting in Ricardo's lap.

"My mother's pendant… What happened to it?"

I was furious, and my voice quivered as I demanded an answer.

Lucia's eyes widened in mock fear when she saw me.

"Mi Dispiace, Signora. I accidentally knocked it onto the floor earlier… I didn't mean to…"

She walked over hesitantly, her expression so pitiful it would make anyone feel sorry for her. But as she neared me, she whispered in my ear, "Actually, I did mean to. I'm carrying the Gambino heir now, and you're nothing but an abandoned stray. And you still want to stick around?

"This useless stone? I can do whatever I want to it!"

Enraged by her words, I lunged at her. "Lucia! Give me back my Mamma's pendant!"

But before I could get close, Ricardo grabbed me.

"Isabella, are you done making a scene yet? Lucia's already apologized. What more do you want? It's just a lousy pendant. Is it worth you getting so angry over it?"

His expression was dark, and his brows were tightly furrowed. The way he glared at me was as if he were looking at a hysterical madwoman.

"What are you saying, Ricardo? You know very well that's the only memento I have of my Mamma. Yet you allow her to destroy it? Do you even have a heart?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his deep blue eyes, but it vanished quickly.

"It's just a piece of opal. The Gambino Famiglia has anything you could ever want."

He thought it was just another stone. I laughed bitterly. The pendant was something Mamma had given me on my wedding day—the only piece of warmth she'd left behind, the light that had kept me going.

Tears fell onto the floor. I felt like a chunk of my heart had been viciously ripped out.

Seeing me like this, Ricardo felt a momentary pang in his heart. He paused, his eyes reddening as his voice softened.

"I promise I'll have someone make you an exact replica… Va Bene?"

I looked at him, and whatever lingering hope I'd held for him died.

"No need. What I wanted… is long gone."

I sank to my knees. With my fingers, I slowly gathered every shard of the broken opal into a velvet pouch, not even leaving the tiniest speck of powder behind.

Once they were all collected, I clutched the pouch tightly against my chest.

"Andiamo, Mamma. We're never coming back to this place again."