The Surrogate for My Don

I was Don Victor’s secret wife for five years, hidden away like a dirty little secret.

He made me a promise. Give him an heir, and he’d show me to the world. I’d be the Donna everyone envied.

But there was a catch. A lie. His doctor told me I was barren.

Victor held me while I sobbed, kissing my face. "Baby, we can still do IVF. I want a child from you. Only you."

So I took the pain. Five years. 999 needles. I was finally pregnant on Christmas Day.

I ran to his office to share the news, only to find him buried deep inside another woman.

Julia. A Mafia princess from another family.

The betrayal hit me. I turned to leave, tears in my eyes, but then I heard a truth I couldn't escape.

"Don't you worry, my princess. The baby in Maria's belly? It's ours. Your egg, my sperm. She’s just the perfect vessel."

My hand trembled. I backed away, silent.

Then I made a call. A lawyer. "I don't care what it costs. I want a divorce from Don Victor."

Five years married to Don Victor. 999 needles later, I was finally pregnant. But the baby wasn't mine. It belonged to his mistress, Julia.

An hour ago, I was flying home from the hospital, the positive report clutched in my hand. It was Christmas Day. My husband, Don Victor, was about to get the surprise of his life.

I reached his office. The heavy bass of a song pulsed from under the door. Then I heard his laugh—the sound that used to own my heart.

Victor was inside.

I took a deep breath, ready to give him the one thing he wanted more than anything.

And then I heard another woman's moan.

"Ah... Victor... right there..."

My hand froze on the doorknob.

"You like that, my queen? My Julia?" Victor's voice was rough, full of lust.

My queen.

He never called me that.

In five years, the closest he got was "baby."

Julia.

The daughter of some second-rate family who’d been throwing herself at Victor for years.

I’d heard her name before we were married.

The woman was obsessed with him. She even threw herself onto his lap in a casino once, wearing nothing but leather, begging him for one night.

I was terrified. But a week later, Victor showed up with 999 roses and a ring.

He said he loved me. He said my family were nobodies, that we had no standing.

He promised if I gave him an heir, he’d make our secret marriage public. I'd be the Donna everyone would envy.

But after the wedding, the doctors said I couldn't get pregnant. It had to be IVF.

Last night, after a shower, I touched him in bed, tried to guide his hand to my breast.

He pushed me off. "Maria, I'm exhausted tonight. You know how business is. And your body... let's wait until after the baby, okay?

Now he was in