Pregnant by the Mafia Boss

24

L I L I A N A

Tonight, I was going to put on a mask, a mask of glamour and strength.

I was invited to a charity gala, a night to give back, to show the world that I'm still alive and well.

I dressed in a floor-length, shining red gown that hugged my body perfectly, my long hair falling in waves down my back, every strand in place.

I slipped on my favorite heels, ones that always made me feel like I could conquer the world.

But even as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness. There was something missing, he was missing. Alessandro.

But I couldn't let that show. I had to be perfect, or at least, pretend to be.

The world expected it. The cameras, the press, the people at the gala, they didn't care about my heartache.

They wanted to see Liliana, the star. The one who could light up any room she walked into.

As I arrived at the venue, the sound of cameras snapping and people chatting in excitement filled the air.

The charity gala was being held in an elegant mansion where the guests wore their wealth and status like a second skin.

I stepped out of the car, keeping my head high, a practiced smile on my lips. I walked inside the mansion, many people greeted me in the process.

But nothing could prepare me for what I saw when I walked into the ballroom.

There he was. Alessandro Russo.

But he wasn't alone. His hand was resting on the shoulder of a woman I didn't recognize.

She was beautiful in the way only the most refined women could be, tall, poised, with a confidence that radiated around her.

She smiled up at Alessandro as they shared a private moment, and I could see the way he looked at her, how his eyes softened in a way that he used to look at me.

The woman had long red hair cascading in waves, her porcelain skin glowing under the ballroom lights, and a smile that seemed too perfect to be real.

She wore a white gown that clung to her body like it was meant for her, making every movement she made seem deliberate, calculated. Her presence was impossible to ignore.

Clarissa Ford.

The name hit me like a slap across the face.

She was an heiress, rich, powerful, and seemingly perfect for Alessandro.

Of course, she was. What other woman would be good enough for him now?

He had always been surrounded by women like her, women who could move up with him, who could blend into his world of wealth and status. Women who weren't me.

I felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. My legs went weak, and for a second, I thought I might collapse.

I told myself I shouldn't care. I shouldn't feel jealous.

After all, I had no right to. Alessandro had made his choice. He had walked away from me.

But seeing him with her, seeing how easily they interacted, how close they were, my chest tightened.

He was laughing at something she said. The way he leaned in toward her, how she rested her hand lightly on his arm.

There was something so... intimate about it. Something that made my heart ache in a way I couldn't explain.

Was she his new lover now?