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Barren No More, Mafia Queen Forever
NovelShort
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“Family, may I have your attention?” Tyrese's voice cut cleanly through the noise, instantly silencing the entire room. As I stepped into the dining hall, lively laughter, the clinking of wine gla...
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第1章
“Family, may I have your attention?”
Tyrese's voice cut cleanly through the noise, instantly silencing the entire room.
As I stepped into the dining hall, lively laughter, the clinking of wine glasses, and the rich aroma of roasted beef and braised tomatoes washed over me. The entire Valente Family seemed to be in unusually high spirits, celebrating some accomplishment I knew nothing about.
The sight stopped me cold.
Yet no one seemed to notice my widened eyes or the shock frozen on my face. That alone felt wrong.
As the Don's wife, I was supposed to know about every important event, every announcement involving the Family, before it happened. But tonight, for the first time, I had been completely left in the dark.
I took my seat and waited for my husband to explain the reason behind the celebration.
Slowly, I sipped my wine while the room buzzed with anticipation for Tyrese's announcement. A cold unease twisted in my stomach, an instinctive warning that something was terribly wrong.
Setting down my glass, I looked toward him.
Tyrese appeared almost radiant with pride and excitement, a stark contrast to the powerful, authoritative man he usually was. The soldiers who normally watched him for orders now observed him with open curiosity instead of disciplined attention.
Every face in the room turned toward him expectantly.
My stomach tightened when I noticed that while he scanned the crowd, he deliberately avoided looking at me.
"I called for this celebratory dinner tonight for a reason," he began. "As we all know, our Family thrives on unity and strength. Tonight, we celebrate a new chapter for the Valentes."
Whispers immediately rippled through the room.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Every nerve in my body was on edge.
Whatever was coming, it wasn't good.
Before Tyrese could continue, the doors opened.
Every head turned.
The room fell silent.
My heart dropped.
Serafina walked in.
……
Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she made her way toward Tyrese. One hand rested lightly on the small swell of her stomach, barely noticeable yet impossible to miss.
The gesture was deliberate.
Every person in the room could see it.
No.
Tyrese's face lit up the moment she reached him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Rage exploded through me so violently that my vision blurred.
I gripped the edge of my chair until my knuckles turned white, forcing myself to stay seated, forcing myself not to cross the room and tear them apart in front of everyone.
How could he?
Tyrese cleared his throat.
A broad smile spread across his face as he glanced affectionately at Serafina before turning back to the Family.
"I'm thrilled to announce that Serafina and I... are expecting a child."
The words struck me like a physical blow.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
But the rest of the Family erupted into thunderous applause.
Cheers filled the room.
Soldiers pounded their fists against the table.
Capos raised their glasses high.
Congratulations echoed from every direction.
For eight years, whispers of pity had followed me because I couldn't give the Family an heir.
And now they celebrated as though the problem had finally been solved.
My husband, the man who was supposed to love and protect me, had betrayed me.
Not only had he gotten another woman pregnant, but he was proudly announcing it before the entire Family.
Serafina's eyes found mine.
A smug smile curved her lips.
She looked victorious.
Amused.
Delighted by my humiliation.
I forced myself to remain still.
Don't react.
Not here.
Tyrese raised his hand, quieting the room once again.
"This is a momentous occasion," he declared. "We finally have an heir on the way."
So that was what this was all about.
An heir.
The word cut deeper than any knife.
Eight years.
Eight years of specialists.
Eight years of prayers whispered in empty chapels.
Eight years of disappointment.
Eight years of enduring his silence every month when there was no good news to share.
"I'm honored to carry the Valente heir," Serafina said sweetly. "This is for the good of the Family. To ensure that our bloodline continues."
As she spoke, her hand drifted lovingly across her stomach once again.
The perfect picture of motherhood.
My chest burned with fury.
Yet somehow, I managed to force out two words.
"Congratulations."
Instantly, every eye in the room shifted toward me.
Serafina flashed an innocent smile that fooled no one.
"Thank you, Catalina. Your support means everything."
Tyrese looked at me.
For a fleeting second, guilt flickered across his face.
Then it disappeared.
He lifted his glass.
"To new beginnings."
The Family roared their approval.
No one seemed to care that my heart had just been shattered.
Still, I raised my own glass and smiled.
"To the Valentes."
The celebration resumed.
Moments later, I felt someone step behind me.
Serafina.
She leaned close enough for only me to hear.
"You should thank me for giving him what you couldn't," she whispered. "This is exactly what the Family needs."
I wanted to slap her.
Instead, I turned and met her gaze.
"Be careful, Serafina. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean your status has changed."
Her smile widened.
"Don't worry, Catalina. I'm simply doing what you couldn't."
"Serafina, that's enough."
Tyrese's voice cut in sharply.
Maybe he thought that would make me feel better.
It didn't.
Not even a little.
Serafina simply smiled and returned to the seat beside him.
I stood abruptly.
The movement drew attention from nearby tables, but I no longer cared.
I couldn't stay there another second.
"Excuse me. I need some air."
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked out.
The room fell strangely quiet behind me.
The guards stationed at the doors stepped aside immediately, lowering their eyes as I passed.
That small gesture told me everything.
The news had already changed my place within the Family.
Outside, I leaned heavily against the stone wall of the estate.
My breathing came in uneven bursts.
Anger, humiliation, heartbreak.
Every emotion crashed through me at once.
My entire body trembled with it.
The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.
I looked up.
Tyrese stood in the doorway.
His tie had been loosened.
The courtyard was empty.
No soldiers.
No capos.
No witnesses.
He had cleared the area.
Which meant he knew exactly how this looked.
"Catalina..." he began softly.
I raised a hand before he could continue.
"Don't."
My voice was cold.
"Not tonight."
"It's for the Family," he said, almost pleading. "Please don't make this harder than it has to be."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"The Family?"
I stared directly into his eyes.
"Or yourself?"
His jaw tightened.
A muscle twitched in his neck.
But he didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward and reached for my shoulder.
"I never wanted it to happen this way."
I immediately stepped back.
His touch felt unbearable.
"Then you shouldn't have let it happen at all."
The words had barely left my mouth when a loud crash echoed from inside the hall.
A scream followed.
Both of us froze.
Then we ran.
The dining hall was in chaos.
Men were already on their feet.
Fear filled their faces.
At the center of the room, Serafina lay on the floor.
One hand clutched her stomach.
Her face was ghostly pale.
Blood stained the marble beneath her.
"Get Alessia!" Tyrese shouted.
Panic erupted around us.
But I wasn't looking at Serafina.
I was looking at Tyrese.
For the first time that night, I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
Not just fear for the baby.
Fear for Serafina.
And as I watched him rush toward her, one question settled heavily in my chest.
Was she truly nothing more than the mother of his heir?
Or had she already become something far more?
第2章
Tyrese rushed away with the Family doctor at his side.
Cradling the bleeding Serafina in his arms as though she were his wife, he disappeared down the corridor without sparing me a second glance.
To him, I was invisible.
The panic on his face, the desperation in his eyes, the concern etched into every line of his expression, none of it was for me.
It was all for her.
And in that moment, I realized something that shattered what little hope I had left.
He had never looked at me that way.
Not even two years ago during the Calabrese ambush, when I stepped between him and a blade and took the knife graze meant for him.
Not then.
Not ever.
The truth struck me with brutal clarity.
Serafina was never just some low-ranking companion brought in through the associate families to preserve the Valente bloodline.
She was his.
And now she was carrying his child.
I slammed my bedroom door behind me.
The loud bang echoed through the room, but it brought me no comfort.
Nothing could.
Crossing the room, I stopped by the window.
Below, the city lights illuminated Valente territory, casting a golden glow over rooftops and darkened streets. Out there, life carried on undisturbed, untouched by the chaos unraveling inside this house.
I would have traded anything to be out there.
Anywhere but here.
Anywhere but trapped inside this nightmare.
Yet I couldn't leave.
I was bound by a marriage covenant.
Bound by a name that had been stitched to mine for eight years.
Slowly, I sank onto the edge of the bed and closed my eyes.
A memory surfaced.
A year ago.
The day Serafina first arrived in Valente territory.
It had been an ordinary afternoon.
Marcello and I were sitting in Tyrese's study, discussing ways to strengthen patrols along the northern routes while waiting for him to arrive.
When the door opened, Tyrese walked in smiling.
A petite blonde woman followed closely behind him.
I frowned.
I'd never seen her before.
But I stayed silent.
"This is Serafina," Tyrese said. "She comes to us through the Ferretti associates as a companion. Some of our senior soldiers and capos who lost their wives have requested arrangements. They want children to carry on their names. She's here to help."
At the time, I hadn't fully understood the need for companion arrangements.
The concept felt crude.
Uncomfortable.
But if it helped maintain loyalty among our men and eased the grief of those who had buried the women they loved, then who was I to object?
Serafina appeared shy and soft-spoken.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Yet something about her felt off.
Tyrese introduced her as a kind-hearted woman who had lost everything and was willing to offer herself to the Family in the most selfless way possible.
I had even felt sorry for her.
Now, looking back, I realized that was exactly what Tyrese had wanted.
My sympathy.
My trust.
He had played his role perfectly, presenting Serafina as a victim when in reality she was already becoming my replacement.
The very next day after her arrival, I found a flower-shaped earring lying on the couch inside Tyrese's study.
I picked it up and frowned.
It wasn't mine.
I never wore flower-shaped earrings.
More importantly, Tyrese hated having women in his study unless absolutely necessary.
He had even established a strict rule years ago that we would never be intimate there because it was where Family business was conducted.
So I confronted him.
His response was laughter.
"C'mon, Catalina," he said, pulling me into a hug. "Are you seriously jealous over an earring?"
He kissed my forehead.
"People come and go from this room all the time. It probably belonged to someone who attended one of my sit-downs."
I wanted to believe him.
So I did.
For most of that first year, I barely saw Serafina.
She spent her time around the men desperate for heirs.
Whenever I saw her, she smiled sweetly and politely, appearing grateful for the attention they gave her.
And every time I imagined what her role required, my stomach twisted.
The thought of being passed from one man to another until I produced a child was unbearable.
But Serafina always looked content.
Happy, even.
At the time, I believed it was because she had found acceptance within the Family.
How foolish I was.
Meanwhile, Tyrese became increasingly busy.
Weeks would pass without us spending meaningful time together.
He worked late nights in his study.
He traveled frequently.
He claimed he was dealing with investor meetings for our shipping front and hotel operations.
He spoke endlessly about rival crews testing our northern border.
Back then, I believed every word.
Now, with tears burning behind my eyes, I understood the truth.
Those late nights.
Those trips.
Those excuses.
That was when Tyrese and Serafina were together.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The reason those grieving soldiers remained childless.
The reason no arrangements ever seemed to work.
The reason Serafina never disappeared from Valente territory despite supposedly serving so many men.
She wasn't serving them.
She was serving him.
While those desperate men waited for children that never came, Serafina was seducing the Don himself.
And Tyrese, a man who desperately wanted an heir, had fallen willingly into her arms.
Tyrese and I had spent years trying for a child.
Every day, I prayed.
I lit candles in the small chapel tucked away in the east wing.
I begged God for a son.
A daughter.
Anything.
But my prayers were never answered.
We had been married for eight years.
By our sixth year together, I felt Tyrese had accepted what everyone else already believed.
That I was barren.
He stopped trying.
Stopped hoping.
Or so I thought.
Last year, his hope suddenly returned.
He began saying we should try again.
That maybe things would be different.
But somehow he never had the time.
Never had the opportunity.
Now I knew why.
His renewed hope had nothing to do with me.
It wasn't because he believed in us.
It was because he had found a younger woman who could give him what I couldn't.
And Serafina hadn't disappointed him.
She had given him more than a child.
She had captured his heart.
The realization ignited a fresh wave of rage.
I grabbed a pillow and hurled it across the room.
It struck the framed photograph hanging on the wall.
The one from our blood oath ceremony.
The picture crashed to the floor.
Glass shattered.
A long crack split the image directly between us.
Separating us.
Just as reality already had.
"Damn you, Tyrese!"
My voice broke as tears streamed down my face.
For one ugly, bitter moment, I wished Serafina would lose the baby.
The thought horrified me.
But I didn't care.
Not then.
They had betrayed me.
Humiliated me.
Made me feel worthless.
Part of me wanted them to feel even a fraction of the pain they had caused.
That child should have been mine.
That future should have belonged to me.
But God ignored my bitterness.
Two hours later, Marcello called.
Serafina was out of danger.
Alessia had managed to stop the bleeding.
Even more astonishingly, despite the blood loss, the baby remained perfectly healthy.
As though nothing had happened at all.
Shortly after the call ended, my phone vibrated.
A message from Tyrese.
"Catalina. Dinner with Serafina. 6:00 PM at the Mirage. Make sure you come."
My first instinct was to refuse.
To ignore him.
To let them both go to hell.
But then I reconsidered.
Perhaps it was finally time to remind the companion exactly where she belonged.
So I replied with a single word.
"Yes."
第3章
I arrived at Mirage at exactly six. The restaurant was known for its low-lit chandeliers and velvet curtains, too extravagant for three people. But it screamed Serafina, who thrived on attention and had made sure to have it again tonight.
Tyrese was already sitting at a corner table, his hand lightly brushing Serafina's. My stomach churned hearing her giggle while her hand cradled her barely-there baby bump like it was the crown jewel of the Valente bloodline.
"Signora," Tyrese greeted, standing for formality, but it was obvious it lacked warmth.
"Don Valente," I replied curtly, emphasizing his title as I approached the table.
My eyes glanced to Serafina, who secretly rolled her eyes and smirked. She didn't stand to greet me. Of course not. Since she was carrying the Don's child, why would a woman from an associate family bother with respect?
"Serafina," I acknowledged her because I have manners, but with a clipped tone, as I sat across from them. Two of Tyrese's soldiers occupied a table near the entrance, their backs to the wall and their eyes on the room. Even at dinner, the Family traveled armed.
"Oh, Signora Catalina, I'm glad you could join us. Tyrese said it would be good for us to spend more time together, for the baby's sake," Serafina said with a sweet but counterfeit smile.
Tyrese. Since when had they been on a first-name basis? But they didn't notice I caught that.
My lips pressed together, trying to hold myself from screaming at her.
"How considerate of you both," I replied.
For a moment, we went silent when the waiter came and took our orders. But Serafina, ever the performer, thrived on filling the voids as if auditioning for the role of the Don's rightful wife.
"I must say, this pregnancy has been such a blessing to me and the entire Family. Everyone has been so supportive, and Tyrese... well, he's been incredible. Haven't you, Don Valente?"
I watched Tyrese's face beam with adoration as he smiled.
"The baby is the future of this Family. It's only right that I'm there for you and the child."
Every instinct in me urged me to snap, but I kept my composure.
"You've certainly taken on the role of protector, Tyrese. But let's not forget, Serafina, that you're still an outsider brought into this Family, regardless of your condition," I said casually.
Serafina's eyes widened with irritation; the corners of her mouth twitched, but she recovered quickly.
"Of course, Signora. I'm just doing my part, ensuring the future of the Valente name. After all, the baby's health is the most important thing. I'm sure Tyrese agrees."
Before I could retort, Tyrese interjected. "She's right, Catalina. The child comes first."
His words stung, but I folded my hands on the table to keep them from trembling.
"Naturally," I said with a tight smile.
Serafina, emboldened by Tyrese's support, leaned forward, her eyes locked with mine.
"Speaking of health, it's been amazing how smooth this pregnancy has been. I suppose it's because Tyrese has been so involved. But you know, Signora, a mother's bond with her child starts in the womb. It's all about who's closest to the baby."
It was a jab and an insult, but I refused to take the bait.
"Well, Serafina, you should enjoy it while you can. Being pregnant is one thing; being the Don's wife is entirely different. You'll never understand its weight."
Her smile faltered, but Tyrese's expression hardened.
"That's enough, Catalina," he said firmly. "There's no need to undermine Serafina. She's carrying our heir, something you..."
He stopped, but the damage was done. My heart tore apart. I knew the word. Barren. I met his gaze with a stoic expression.
"Go on, Tyrese. Finish what you were saying."
He looked away and guilt fell on his face, but he turned to Serafina.
"Let's not turn this dinner into an argument. It's supposed to be a celebration."
"Celebration?" I chuckled. "If that's what this is, then by all means, raise your glasses. But don't expect me to toast to betrayal."
Serafina gasped, and her left hand went flying to her belly like I'd slapped her.
"Signora, I don't think that's fair. I didn't mean to..."
"Is it?" I cut her off. "You've done nothing but insert yourself where you don't belong. And Tyrese, you've let her."
Serafina's doe-eyed innocence disappeared, replaced by a steely glare.
"I belong exactly where the Don needs me."
"And where the Don allows you," I snapped.
Tyrese slammed the table. The silverware rattled. The soldiers by the door shifted in their seats but stayed put. The nearest diners went quiet for half a breath, then looked away. No one complained. Not in a restaurant where the Valente name held the reservation.
"Enough, both of you!"
Tyrese's jaw was tight, eyes burning with anger as he turned to me.
"Catalina, this isn't just about you. This is about the Family. And if you can't put your pride aside for the sake of the Valente name, then maybe you're the one who doesn't belong here."
It hit me like a slap, but I refused to satisfy them by showing my pain. Instead, I stood and calmly smoothed my dress.
"Thank you for clarifying, Don Valente. Enjoy your dinner," I said with a cold, low voice.
I walked out with my head held high despite the tears threatening to fall. It was cold when I stepped outside; it did little to soothe the fire inside me.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, expecting Tyrese, but it was Serafina.
"Running away like a coward, Signora?"
I clenched my fists and held myself from slitting her throat, despite every part of me screaming to do it.