Five Years Later He Still Stares At My Picture

Three months after I gave birth to the Bellini family heir, Matteo, the family's Underboss, finally asked me to marry him.

But I turned him down, gave up my son, and walked away alone.

Matteo dismissed it, confident I was just throwing a tantrum and would come crawling back, still madly in love with him.

He told his men, "She schemed to get pregnant just to become Mrs. Bellini. You think she'd actually walk away?"

Five years later, I was accompanying my husband to a charity gala when a small, unfamiliar boy suddenly rushed over and hugged me.

He hugged me tight and shouted to Matteo, who stood a short distance away, "Papa, I found Mamma! You don't have to spend all night staring at her picture anymore!"

My heart hammered against my ribs. When I looked up, I met Matteo's gaze, his eyes startlingly red.

————————

1

That afternoon, Matteo returned to the manor just as I was lulling Leo to sleep.

He took the baby from my arms and gently placed him in the crib.

A flicker of fatherly tenderness crossed his features as he tucked the silk blanket around Leo.

He gestured for the nanny to watch over the baby, then met my gaze and flicked his eyes toward the study, a silent command for me to follow.

But what he said next floored me.

"I'm heading to Las Vegas this afternoon. When I get back in a week, we'll go to the church for the ceremony."

I froze. For a second, I thought I must have misheard.

After all, when he first discovered I had intentionally gotten pregnant with his child, Matteo had been incandescent with rage.

"Scarlett, you dare to scheme against me?"

"Don't think for a second you can control me just because you're carrying my blood."

"I will never marry you."

His cold, sharp words still rang in my ears.

So, his sudden reversal was nothing short of a shock.

Seeing me standing there, stunned, a sarcastic smile curled his lips, his tone laced with mockery.

"What, cat got your tongue? Overjoyed that I'm finally willing to marry you?"

"Leo is my son. It's my responsibility to give him a proper surname so he isn't branded a bastard and made the family laughingstock."

"As for you, the title of Mrs. Bellini is the only thing I can give you."

Over the past year, he had hurled every cruel word imaginable at me.

My initial heartbreak had long since hardened into numbness.

He had no idea I’d given up on him long ago.

Nor did he know that I was planning to leave the very next day.

In truth, I had wanted to leave for a long time. The only thing keeping me here was my son.

I was about to reject Matteo's announcement and tell him I was leaving when his phone rang.

It was the special ringtone he had for Liliana, a sound I had come to know all too well since my pregnancy.

His earlier coldness evaporated as he spoke to her, his voice softening, a smile lacing his words.

"Don't worry, just wait for me at the airport. I'll be there soon."

"Alright, we'll go shopping the moment we land. Forget that one jewelry store—point to anything you want, and I'll buy out the entire place for you."

In the past, his doting on Liliana had driven me to despair. Now, I just felt hollow.

The words of refusal died on my tongue.

There was no need to say them.

He was only marrying me for Leo's sake.

He hadn't loved me in a long time. Why would he care if I stayed or left?

If I left, he'd probably feel nothing but relief, as if a weight had been lifted.