He Lost Me at Mistress

Castellora, Santoria. "You're the illegitimate daughter. So what does that make your kid?" Dante Locatelli looked at the pregnancy test in my hand. I froze. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Means he's illegitimate too, babe." Before I could even breathe, he kept going. "You're my side chick now. I'm marrying your sister. She's the real Ambrosi daughter. She actually fits my life." "What about me? What about our baby?" He lifted a brow, that cocky little smirk sliding onto his face. "If you can be illegitimate, why can't he?" Chapter 1 Smack. Shaking with rage, I slapped him hard across the face. "How could you say that?" Being illegitimate was the deepest shame of my life. I never thought the person I trusted most would be the one to tear that wound open. But he did. Dante touched his cheek, his eyes going cold. "What? Am I wrong? Or did you actually think you'd become Mrs. Locatelli?" Each word was brutal. Every syllable cut like glass. Like he'd never loved me at all. I swallowed my tears. "If you were never going to marry me, then what were we all these years?" "Does it matter?" he said, frowning. Like I was the crazy one. Tears slid down my face. "Of course it matters. I won't let my child grow up like I did—illegitimate, judged from birth." I didn't get to choose how I was born. But I could save my child from the same life. No matter what. He gave a careless laugh. "Then get rid of it." His voice was light. Like it meant nothing. Before I could react, he added, "I'll give you money. Go get an abortion." I stared at him, barely breathing. A cruel smile spread across Dante's face. "Alessa Ambrosi, how old are you? Why are you still this naive? What, you gonna pull what your mom did? Take the money, disappear overseas with the kid, then come back for more once they're old enough to call me Dad?" "I'd never do that!" That only made his eyes gleam. "Bet your mom said that too." My eyes burned. "My mother isn't me. I'm not her. I'd never use my own child as a bargaining chip." Dante stepped closer and lightly pinched my ear. "You really think anyone would believe you?" I froze. "Alessa, stay by my side and stop causing problems. Your birth mom took the money and ran. The Ambrosi family sees you as a stain. You're only worth something when you're by my side." I just stared at him. Like he'd won, Dante placed a hand on my stomach. "You're about to be a mom, and you're still making a big deal out of nothing. If I really left you, who knows what you'd do?" So that was it. To him, this was nothing. Me. The baby inside me. Neither of us mattered. Pain tore through my chest. Chapter 2 I turned away from his hand. He didn't care. He just slung an arm around my shoulders. "Trust me. Stay with me, and I'll take care of you. You'll live well." Then he checked the time. "A jewelry store downtown just got in a new collection of diamond rings. I'm picking out the biggest one so I can propose to Wanda." He was buying my sister an engagement ring. Right after asking me to be his secret mistress. Nausea rushed up my throat. My stomach twisted hard. But Dante didn't have time for me. "I'm leaving. Take a cab home. And don't start drama." A second later, his car vanished down the street. I stood alone on the sidewalk, clutching the crumpled pregnancy test. *** Even after dark, his words kept looping in my head. 'You're only worth something when you're by my side.' Was that true? I looked down. Who said my worth depended on him? A few days ago, my mentor had offered me a spot on a major research project overseas. I'd said no after finding out I was pregnant. Now, I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my phone and texted fast. [Dr. Bellandi, I've made my decision. I want to join the research project.] His reply came almost instantly. [Wonderful. We leave tomorrow. I'll handle everything.] For the first time, the tightness in my chest eased. But when I touched my still-flat stomach, the ache only got worse. After tomorrow... Dante, we'll never see each other again. *** In the cab, I rolled down the window. Cold air rushed in, and I shivered. My birth mother was an escort at a nightclub who schemed her way into my father's bed. She wanted money. Instead, she got pregnant with me. My father paid her to end the pregnancy. She pretended to agree, then left the country and had me anyway. Years later, she came back with a paternity test, made me call him Dad, and demanded he claim me. The Ambrosi family shattered overnight. They cared about their name more than anything. To keep the scandal quiet, they paid my mother a fortune to disappear for good. Before she left, she dumped me with them. I was a burden. From then on, I was the person nobody wanted. My father barely cared I existed. My stepmother hated me. My half sister, Wanda, treated me like her sworn enemy. Of course, we ended up in the same schools from elementary through high school. Her favorite hobby was outing me as the illegitimate daughter every chance she got. In middle school, she announced my whole family history at an assembly. On our first day of high school, she trapped me by my desk after class and made sure everyone knew I was the Ambrosi family's unwanted secret. Soon, the whole school knew. The Ambrosis had a daughter they wished didn't exist. For the first sixteen years of my life, insults, isolation, and bullying were normal. I learned to stay quiet. Take it. Never fight back. I met Dante halfway through junior year. One day, Wanda blocked me in the hallway with a few girls and dumped a whole bucket of water over my head. Ice-cold water soaked through my uniform in seconds, clinging to my skin as I shook from the cold. Chapter 3 The hallway was packed. Everyone watched, tossing out cruel comments. I lowered my head and tried to leave. Then a black school jacket, smelling like clean laundry, landed over my shoulders. I looked up. Gentle eyes met mine. He was tall enough to block me from everyone else. "Had enough? If not, dump the water on me." Dante didn't raise his voice, but nobody questioned him. Wanda's expression changed. She left with the others, annoyed. The crowd slowly broke apart. I slipped off the jacket and held it out to him. "Thank you." By then, I was already numb. I'd convinced myself someone like me didn't deserve kindness. He didn't take the jacket. "Keep it. You don't want to get sick." Before I could argue, he turned and walked back into class. After that, he started showing up more. When I ate alone in the corner of the cafeteria, he sat across from me with his tray. When my classmates shut me out on purpose, he always appeared right when I needed help. Even when I walked home alone after school, he'd quietly follow me for part of the way. I was used to everyone leaving. Used to swallowing every hurt alone. I'd never had anyone stay. Years of loneliness started to crack under his quiet persistence. One afternoon after school, he followed me again. For the first time, I stopped and turned around, my eyes burning with tears. He hurried over. Looking at my tear-filled eyes, he asked softly, "Why do you always shut everyone out?" I didn't answer. His kindness and persistence finally broke through my defenses. The cab moved through traffic, cold wind stinging my cheeks through the open window. The city blurred past. I couldn't understand it. How had the Dante who brought warmth into my life become this person? How could he push me into something even darker? Before I found an answer, the cab stopped outside my house. The second I opened the door, a heavy porcelain vase flew straight at me. I didn't have time to move. The vase slammed into my forehead. It shattered across the floor. Porcelain shards flew everywhere, slicing my neck and arms. Blood welled up, mixing with the cold sweat on my skin. It burned. My father lowered his arm, his face twisted with rage. "Alessa, you've got some nerve coming back here." Before I could answer, he threw a thick stack of photos at me. They scattered across the floor like snow. Every photo showed me with Dante. The worst one was from outside the hospital, me clutching the pregnancy test. Gianetta, Wanda's mom, stood there with a mocking smile. "Like mother, like daughter. You spent your whole life ashamed of who you are, and now you want to drag your kid into the same disgrace?" Wanda rushed over and shoved me to the floor. She pointed at my face. "Alessa, you're jealous because Dante's marrying me. That's why you got pregnant on purpose—to trap him. You're just as shameless as your mother." "I didn't." Chapter 4 "Still lying?" My father strode over, his eyes ice-cold. "You're still denying it? Who else would go that far? Did you think mailing those photos to the Ambrosi estate would force us to arrange your marriage to Dante, the way we covered up your mother's scandal? You're just like your greedy mother. All dirty little schemes." My head snapped up. "I didn't mail those photos. It wasn't me!" The second Dante said our child would be illegitimate, I'd already decided not to keep the baby. Just then, the front door opened. Dante walked in. The second he saw the photos all over the floor, he froze. Wanda rushed into his arms, crying. "Dante, you're finally here. Look what she did. She's pregnant with your baby, and she sent those photos here on purpose. She thinks she can force you to marry her." Everyone looked at Dante. Clinging to the last piece of hope I had, I tried to explain. "It wasn't me. I'd never do that." He said nothing. He only bent down and picked up one of the photos. Then he looked at me. His cold gaze flicked over the bruise on my forehead and the blood running down my arm. "Alessa, I didn't think you could be this calculating." He didn't believe me. I knew he wouldn't. Still, it hurt. The man in front of me was nothing like the warm, bright boy I remembered. Maybe I'd never been someone he thought was worth believing. Outside, the wind picked up. A second later, rain slammed against the windows. My father pointed at the rain outside. "You've shamed this family enough. You don't deserve to stay inside. Stand out there and think about what you've done. Don't get up without my permission." Before he even finished, Wanda grabbed my hair and dragged me to the door. Pain shot through my scalp. I cried out. Then she shoved me. I lost my balance and hit the cold marble outside. I forced my head up. Through blurry vision, I saw Dante beside Wanda. He held a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the rain from her face. Rain soaked me instantly. Water plastered my hair to my face and ran over the cut on my forehead. Pain made me shiver. I didn't know how long I'd been out there when a sharp cramp tore through my stomach. I curled in on myself, both hands locked over my belly. Then warmth slid down my legs. Mixed with the freezing rain, it spread beneath me in a bright red pool. *** When I woke up in the hospital the next day, I knew my baby was gone. Dante stood beside my bed, brows drawn tight, his expression conflicted. Wanda clung to his arm like she'd won. The second she saw I was awake, guilt flashed across her face. "Alessa, you're finally awake. I was just mad yesterday. Who knew your baby would be so easy to lose?" Then she looked at Dante, eyes red. Chapter 5 "Dante, you have to believe me. I didn't mean to. I promised I'd accept her. But she mailed those intimate photos to the Ambrosi estate and shoved her pregnancy test in my face. I just snapped." She was twisting everything. One quick look would prove her story made no sense. But Dante would never look. "I know," he said. In the hospital bed, I clenched the sheets. 'It's okay,' I told myself. 'The baby's gone. I'm free now.' But Wanda wasn't done with me. She tugged Dante's arm and looked up at him. "Dante, she'll try something else next time. I'm scared she'll keep clinging to you." Then she added, "Just like her mother." Dante's face went hard. Wanda bit her lip, seeing her chance. "Why don't we make sure Alessa can't have kids? Then she can't use another baby to trap you." "In your dreams." I pushed myself up. My reaction only made Wanda madder. "Dante, look at her. She doesn't regret anything. You can't go easy on her." Dante stared at me. His fist slowly loosened at his side. "Do whatever you want." Triumph flashed in Wanda's eyes. She turned to the door. "Come in." Two huge guards walked straight to my bed. "Hold her down. Sedate her. Once she's out, take her into surgery." They grabbed my shoulders and arms from both sides. I fought with everything I had, but I was too weak. Seconds later, they had me pinned to the mattress. "Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed at Dante, begging him with my eyes. He only frowned. Then looked away. A doctor came in with a syringe. The cold needle flashed under the lights. As it moved closer, every survival instinct in me snapped awake. I had no idea where the strength came from. I shoved the guards off and bolted. Pain tore through me as I stumbled into the hall. Wanda screamed, "Stop her! Don't let her get away!" The guards chased after me. I ran with everything I had. Every step was agony. But I didn't stop. I tore down the long hospital hallway, dodging doctors, nurses, and patients, heading straight for the stairwell. The footsteps behind me got closer. The pain in my stomach sharpened. Blood slid from the cut on my forehead as I ran. I grabbed the cold handrail and forced myself up, one step at a time. At last, running on nothing, I reached the roof and stumbled onto the helipad. That was when Dante caught up. Panic filled his face. "Alessa! Come back!" Too late. I didn't look back. And I didn't jump like everyone behind me expected. I ran straight ahead and climbed into the helicopter waiting for me.