“What is it?” I asked cautiously, my hands stilling.
She thrust the newspaper into my hands, and I unrolled it. My eyes locked onto the headline: “Serena De Santis-Russo and Antonio Russo Announce Pregnancy on Fifth Wedding Anniversary.”
My heart sank. Antonio Russo? My mind refused to connect the dots, but my eyes betrayed me. Right there, smiling like he hadn’t shattered my world, was Paolo—no, Antonio—standing beside an elegant woman, her hand resting on her small, but noticeable baby bump.
“No...” My voice cracked as I staggered back, the newspaper slipping from my hands. “This can’t be real.”
Jenny’s hand gripped my arm. “I tried to tell you, Alicia. I went to the city and dug around. Paolo—Antonio—he’s not who he said he was. He’s married. He’s part of the De Santis family. You… you were just a distraction.”
A distraction. The word sliced through me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The man I had fallen for, the father of my child, was nothing more than a lie. Every moment we shared, every whispered promise, was a cruel joke.
I stumbled back into the house, clutching my stomach as if it would keep me grounded. The baby. My baby. What had I brought them into?
Before I could even process the betrayal, there was a sharp knock on the door. Jenny and I exchanged a panicked glance. The knock came again, harder this time.
“Alicia Costa?” a gruff voice called out.
My heart raced. Something was wrong. I hesitated, but Jenny, braver than me in that moment, opened the door.
A group of men in dark suits stood there, their expressions cold and unforgiving. The leader, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. “You messed with the wrong family. You should’ve stayed out of it.”
I felt my legs turn to jelly. “I don’t understand,” I stammered. “What do you want?”
“Antonio Russo,” the man sneered. “You thought you could carry his child and get away with it? Serena doesn’t take kindly to mistresses, especially ones who think they’re important.”
Mistress. The word burned. I hadn’t even considered myself one. But before I could defend myself, they stormed inside. Chaos erupted. Jenny screamed, trying to shield me, but one of the men shoved her aside. My mother came running from the kitchen, her voice rising in panic.
“Leave my daughter alone!” she shouted, stepping between me and the men.