The Principessa's Art of War

Dominic is here. We're discussing business in the office.

Less than a second later, Trevor replied.

Remember what the doctor said. Stay hydrated.

He even attached a picture of himself in a conference room. The consummate performer, keeping the charade alive.

For so many years, he had always kept me updated on his whereabouts, and I had never doubted him.

Security at the hotel was airtight, as expected for a summit of this level.

On the surveillance feed, I saw Trevor leading Cassia through the crowd.

His arm was around her waist as he toasted with the leaders of other families.

Cassia was wearing a scarlet evening gown. I was very familiar with the design sketch for that dress.

I'd sent it to him just last month. "This gown would look perfect on me," I'd said.

Yet, it ended up on another woman.

They were talking with several important figures. I recognized one of them. Marco, a Capo that Trevor and I had promoted together.

Cassia nodded and smiled, the picture of demure charm. Trevor gazed at her, his expression soft with affection.

They looked for all the world like a blissfully happy, engaged couple.

Just then, Cassia touched her stomach and said something to Trevor. He immediately bent down, his expression shifting to a radiant grin.

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes brimming with adoration. The people around them all laughed and raised their glasses in congratulations.

Marco clapped Trevor on the shoulder, looking overjoyed.

Watching this scene, the memory of my family doctor's words from a month ago cut through me: "Don't worry, you'll have a child eventually."

At that time, Trevor had held my hand and comforted me gently.

"Don't worry, we have a whole lifetime ahead of us."

And now, he was about to have a child, and I was not the mother.

On the live surveillance feed, the crowd gathered in the center of the hall. The host officially began the event, and Trevor was invited on stage to share his vision.

Afterward, he invited Cassia to the stage. He spoke emotionally about their union being for the "future of the family." He described how Cassia had stayed by his side through countless late nights, silently supporting him as he struggled with the family's expansion.

"She is my sun, always bringing me hope for an heir."

The crowd erupted in applause, celebrating this grand romance as if they’d all forgotten one crucial detail: Trevor was a married man.

How ridiculous.

Listening to his speech from the security control room, I might have been moved myself, if the man on stage wasn't my husband.

Cassia took the microphone. Her voice choked with emotion, she began to praise Trevor as the savior of her family.

She said that when her father's Russo family was in crisis, it was Trevor who had pulled out all the stops, leveraging his connections to raise emergency funds overnight.

"Meeting a man like him is the greatest blessing of my life."

Watching their contrived performance made me sick. They were using my Marchesi family connections, had killed my child, and were now playing the star-crossed lovers for an adoring crowd.

The doctor had said my pregnancy was unstable, but Trevor hadn't hesitated for a moment in arranging my "accident."