---- Chapter 6 Katarina POV: The De Luca family's annual dinner was the one event no one could miss. It was a command performance of loyalty, a display of unity to the outside world. Alex insisted | attend, his hand a heavy weight on my back as we entered the grand dining hall of his father's mansion. He needed me by his side, the perfect, smiling wife, to project an image of stability and control. My presence was his shield against the whispers that his affair had started. As | looked around the room at the faces of the Capos and their families, | realized | had never truly belonged here. | was an outsider, a Jensen brought in for her breeding potential and her elegant facade. All my sacrifices, my years of playing the perfect Mafia princess, were just footnotes in a lie he was telling to hold onto his power. The room fell silent as a new guest arrived. It was Aria. She was escorted by one of Alex's youngest, most ambitious Capos, a man eager to prove his loyalty. My heart didn't break; it simply stopped. Alex's recklessness had reached a new, suicidal level. ---- | watched his face. Shock, then rage, warred in his eyes. He hadn't planned this. But before he could act, Don Donato, sitting at the head of the table like a withered king on his throne, spoke. His voice was weak, but it carried the weight of absolute authority. "Aria. Welcome. The vessel for our family's future should be among us." It was a trap. Donato was publicly sanctioning Alex's choice, forcing the affair out into the open, making it a family matter. Alex, cornered, turned to me, his eyes pleading. "Katarina, she's just the means to an end. A surrogate. After the baby is born, she disappears. | promise." His words were a desperate attempt to control the narrative, but they were also a public slap to Aria, who flinched as if struck. He had exposed his own hypocrisy to everyone. "She will stay for dinner," Donato commanded. The matter was closed. | felt a wave of nausea. The cold, calculating cruelty of this family, a world where women were either decorative wives or breeding stock, was suffocating. They seated Aria at the far end of the table. Halfway through the meal, she stood up, a strange, triumphant light in her eyes. ---- "| have an announcement," she said, her voice shaking slightly but loud enough for all to hear. She placed a hand on her flat stomach. "I'm pregnant. With twins." A collective gasp went through the room. Twins. For a family desperate for an heir, this was a jackpot. It secured the lineage beyond any doubt. | saw the flicker of shock on Alex's face, quickly replaced by an unmistakable, primal joy. His succession was now guaranteed. He had won. In the ensuing chaos of congratulations and whispers, | rose from my chair. My voice was quiet, but it cut through the noise like a shard of ice. "Alessandro and | will be formally separating." He stared at me, his joy turning to panic. "Katarina, don't do this. We can talk about this. She's just a tool for the family, | told you-" His words were cut short. Aria, feigning a dizzy spell, swayed on her feet. "Alex... | don't feel well." His head snapped toward her. Instinct took over. He rushed from my side, leaving his plea unfinished, and went straight to her, his arm wrapping around her protectively. | watched them go, his back retreating down the long hall. ---- My heart was a frozen, empty cavern. My Vow of Silence was nearly complete. It was time for the final act. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!