Chapter 4
Sofia’s smile froze instantly.
For a second, the look on her face turned ugly, but she still lowered her voice and said, “Donna Moretti.”
I gave a small nod, then turned and went to the dressing room to change.
I had barely sat down on the sofa when she followed me in.
The caution was gone from her face now. So was the politeness. The woman standing in front of me was nothing like the one she had pretended to be outside. Her eyes were full of contempt.
“You saw the messages I sent you, didn’t you?” She straightened on purpose, one hand brushing over her still-flat stomach, smugness written all over her face. “I’m carrying Kayson’s child now. Once the baby is born, he’ll marry me. If I were you, I’d save myself the humiliation and ask for a divorce before you get thrown out.”
I looked at her calmly.
“Is that so? Then congratulations.”
She blinked, clearly caught off guard.
My reaction was the last thing she had expected.
“Lucia,” she said sharply, “what exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“It means congratulations,” I said. “Future Donna Moretti.”
I had no interest in wasting words on a woman with no shame and even less dignity. I rose to leave.
Then her voice stopped me again.
“Oh, one more thing.” Her eyes locked onto mine, the smile on her lips sharp with triumph. “The doctor says I need somewhere quiet while the pregnancy settles. I was thinking the main villa would be perfect.” She tilted her head, studying my face. “What do you think happens if I tell Kayson I want to move in? Do you think he’d say no to me?”
The villa she meant was the one Kayson had built for me after our wedding.
I still remembered him holding me on the terrace, telling me it was my home, ours alone, the one place in the entire Moretti empire that belonged only to us.
No matter how far he had fallen, surely he would not hand that place to her too.
I said nothing.
I just walked away.
When we returned to the villa later, Kayson came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.
“Baby,” he murmured near my ear, his voice low and warm, “your birthday is in three days. Do you want to spend a few days in Santorini?”
I nodded.
He dipped his head and kissed me softly.
“Then go ahead first,” he said. “Shop a little. Get some sun. See the water. I’ll finish handling things here, then I’ll come join you. All right?”
In the past, if I ever suggested going away alone for even a day or two, he would never have agreed so easily. He was always too worried, too possessive, too unwilling to let me out of his sight.
This time, he offered it himself.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go.”
Kayson had the private flight arranged almost immediately.
When he saw me off, he even pulled me into his arms and held me for a moment, his voice still as gentle as ever.
“You go enjoy yourself first. I’ll deal with the family business here and come to you soon.”
Just before I got into the car, I looked at him.
“Kayson, stay in the council room at two o’clock this afternoon. Don’t leave.”
His gaze settled on me. “Why?”
I smiled faintly.
“I have a gift for you.”
He remembered.
By the time he returned from the private airstrip to family headquarters, he was already in the council room, exactly where I had told him to be.
He did not leave.
A little later, Sofia walked in carrying a cup of coffee. She moved around the long table as if she already belonged there and stopped beside him.
“Kayson, now that Donna is away getting some space, can I move into the villa today?”
Something dark flickered across his face.
His patience was already wearing thin.
“Can you be quiet for five minutes?” he snapped.
Then he reached for his phone and started checking the live status of my private flight himself.
Sofia watched him, watched the way his attention kept circling back to me even when I was already gone, and something bitter flashed through her eyes.
Then, in the next second, Kayson’s satellite phone rang.
He answered immediately.
“Don.” The voice on the other end was tight, strained. “There’s been an incident with the private flight to Santorini…”
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