Inhaling sharply, I unclasped the bracelet and placed it around Daniela's wrist. Her hand drifted to her stomach the instant my fingers touched her skin. She held it there, cradling the slight swell, her eyes lifting to Dominic to make sure he saw.
Then I told her gently, "May the child in your womb be safe and sound."
Hearing that, Dominic surprisingly offered me a sliver of dignity.
"Seraphina, as long as you behave, my child will be your child too."
The moment he finished speaking, the bracelet on Daniela's wrist suddenly slipped and shattered on the marble floor.
A shard grazed her leg, drawing blood.
Dominic rushed to scoop her into his arms, holding her like she was made of Murano glass.
He barked at the housekeeper to call the Family's private physician. The lighter had gone still in his pocket. His hands were occupied now, both of them cradling a woman who was not his wife.
The urgency in his voice made everyone look at me with mocking eyes. The soldiers. The staff. Every person in that house who answered to the Valente name.
And honestly, I found it laughable as well.
Last night, when I had a heart attack, Dominic was on his way out to stargaze with Daniela at the vineyard overlook.
Even as I collapsed, frothing at the mouth on the living room floor, he didn't flinch. Just stepped right over me, adjusting his cufflinks as he passed.
Before I blacked out, I heard him tell the housekeeper, "Disinfect the whole living room. Daniela is coming home tomorrow. I don't want her to smell anything foul."
Gripping the handle of my suitcase, I turned to leave again.
But he grabbed my wrist, his grip the kind of force that had ended negotiations and broken lesser men. He stared at me coldly. "Apologize."
"Wha—"
Before I could even speak, he yanked me down, forcing me to kneel in front of Daniela on the cold marble.
My knees scraped against the shards of jade, leaving blood stains on the pale floor. The pain shot through me like a blade, but no one in the room moved. No one would. Not when the Don had spoken.
Seeing the mess, Dominic released me with a look of disgust.
"You broke her bracelet on purpose and injured her. Don't you think an apology is the least you owe her?"
Since marrying into the Valente Family, "I'm sorry" had become my most-used phrase.
The soup I cooked was too bland, so I apologized.