I kept my chin raised. He counted, loud enough for every soul outside the compound gates to hear. "One. Two. Three."

Then he brought the butt of his gun down hard against the back of my skull. My forehead slammed into the stone pavement with a sickening crack.

Blood ran down from my hairline. Rosa screamed, sobbing. "My lady! Have you all lost your minds? Our mistress isn't the heir's wife! You have the wrong person!"

Gianna laughed. "Oh? Now you won't even claim your own title?"

"My lady, it's only a couple of bows. Surely you're not frightened?" Her voice dropped low. "You were so proud of yourself just a moment ago."

"Once I bear the heir's child, even the position of his wife will be mine."

"Honestly, how has someone as foolish as you survived this long? The seat of Donna Moretti, wasted on someone like you. What a pity."

"The day I enter the compound as the true lady of the house, I'll have you kneel before me and serve me espresso like a kept woman. Just the thought of it makes me smile."

She straightened up. "My lady, you still owe one more bow."

"This one is for the child in my belly. After all, you did kick him earlier."

When I lifted my head, the onlookers flinched. My hair had come loose, and the blood from my forehead was matted into the dark strands, making the sight all the worse.

"Good God, she's bleeding. This is going too far."

"She's the Don's wife, for pity's sake. If someone dies over this, there'll be hell to pay."

"Exactly. That woman has some nerve."

Gianna only glanced at the soldier. He pressed harder. I clenched my teeth and braced against the stone. My thumb found the underside of my wedding band and turned it, one slow rotation. The ring stopped. "You wouldn't dare. I am the Don's..."

The growl of engines cut through the air. A convoy of black sedans pulled to a hard stop before us, tires biting asphalt. "What is going on here?"

I looked up. Enzo Moretti stepped out of the lead car, surveying the scene, his overcoat still carrying the cold of wherever he'd traveled from. He had only just returned to the city.

The instant Gianna saw him, she threw herself forward. Enzo caught her. "Gianna. What are you doing out here?"

Gianna crumpled against him, tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms. "My lord, your wife tried to beat our child to death."