The Don’s Rejected Wife Chapter 01

The Don’s Rejected Wife Chapter 01

Brooklyn’s most notorious paparazzo swore I was having an affair.

Even my husband himself thought it was ridiculous.

A woman who had spent seven years turning a blind eye to her husband’s affairs, cheating on him? It sounded insane.

But that night, while Luca and our son escorted Isabella Rossi to a private dinner, I calmly tore the silk nightgown off my body, wrecked the sheets, and scattered used condoms across the floor.

When Luca kicked the door open with his bodyguards behind him, I slipped off my wedding ring.

“Luca,” I said evenly, “I cheated. Let’s get divorced.”

……

“What did you just say?”

Luca’s eyes swept across the room, taking in the ruined bed, the tangled sheets, the heavy scent of perfume and sweat hanging in the air.

A second later, the framed wedding photo on the nightstand smashed against the wall. Glass shattered across the floor.

His face hardened into stone.

“Is this your idea of revenge?”

His voice dropped, sharp and furious. “Do you have any idea what this would do to our son if he saw it?”

There was no one behind him.

So Marco was staying at Isabella’s townhouse again tonight.

He was only seven. Yesterday, he had stood outside the master bedroom and blocked my way.

“Dad and Bella are playing a game. You can’t go in.”

The muffled gasps from inside made my stomach twist. I reached out on instinct, trying to cover his ears.

He shoved my hand away.

“Mom, you’re pathetic.”

I froze.

My own son, the child I had spent fourteen hours in labor bringing into this world, had called me pathetic.

The memory made my hands tremble.

“You shameless bitch.”

Luca suddenly grabbed me by the hair and dragged me into the bathroom. Cold water blasted down over me, followed by the sharp burn of antiseptic spray. He scrubbed at my skin until it split.

“Stella Romano, this happens once. One time. If you ever betray me again, I swear—”

The chemical stink choked me. My throat burned.

“Let go of me!”

I swung the hand still wearing my ring. The diamond sliced across his temple, and blood welled instantly.

Luca didn’t even blink.

His gaze locked on the faint mark near my collarbone, and his eyes went bloodshot.

“So this is what you are underneath. Trash. You’d rather let another man screw you than admit you lost.”

His mouth twisted.

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re nowhere near Isabella.”

I braced a hand against the wall and forced myself upright. I said nothing.

“You—”

His hand shot toward my throat.

“Luca!”

Isabella appeared in the doorway, dressed in a fitted pencil skirt, Marco’s small hand tucked in hers.

No outsider was ever allowed past the doors of the Romano estate.

Except her.

She looked around the room and sighed.

“Mrs. Romano, the press is watching this very closely.”

Her voice was soft, almost sincere. “I know it isn’t my place to comment on your private life, but please think about the family. Think about Luca. Think about Marco. If you don’t care, I do.”

She said it so gently, so reasonably, as if I were the unstable wife embarrassing everyone in public.

My fingers curled into my palms.

Years ago, I had found a long blonde hair tangled in our sheets. Mine was brown. I searched every room, questioned every maid, and nearly tore the Romano household apart trying to find the woman who had been in my bed.

Luca hadn’t even bothered to deny it.

The next morning, he flew to Bali for a vacation.

He had stopped loving me a long time ago. I would never be that stupid again.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble,” I said flatly.

“You’d better mean that.” Luca’s jaw tightened, disgust written all over his face. “Isabella has been handling logistics for the family. Starting today, she takes over everything under your name.”

He knew what I had done to earn that position.

He knew how much blood it had cost me.

He knew I had won it on my own.

“Does she deserve it?” I asked coldly. “A homewrecker? A whore?”

Isabella went pale.

She covered her mouth and ran out.

“Bella!”

Luca watched her leave, his jaw locked tight. Then he grabbed me by the collar and yanked me toward him.

“You think you’re better than her? You don’t even belong in the same room as Isabella.”

His voice was final.

“I’ve made my decision. Isabella takes over tomorrow. The family will be notified.”

I lowered my eyes.

“Do whatever you want.”

Marco shoved past me, his elbow catching the kettle on the side table. It tipped over, and boiling water spilled across my forearm.

Pain shot through me, sharp enough to steal my breath.

Marco didn’t reach for a towel. He didn’t call for help. He grabbed his phone.

A second later, he started a video call.

“Bella! Look! She got burned! She made you sad, so I got revenge for you!”

I thought my heart had already broken as much as it could.

I was wrong.

I turned away, wiped my tears, and calmly pulled out the divorce papers.

“Since you’re all here, sign this.”