Page 150 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

I close my eyes.

I’ll never again underestimate what Bianca is capable of.

She will stop at nothing.

She’ll want to prove she can replace me. Steal Dante’s attention. His love. And if she has to, she’ll use this child as leverage, like a rope she can pull whenever she wants to drag him back into her orbit.

The baby is sick. He needs his father. You can’t expect me to handle this alone.

I curl in on myself.

Hugo pulls the car over along the curb. I don’t even know where we are. A quiet street lined with snow-covered trees, not another soul in sight.

The engine shuts off, and silence fills the car.

Without a word, he unbuckles his seatbelt and pulls me against him.

I break apart.

“Bianca… she’s pregnant with Dante’s baby,” I whisper.

He pulls me closer, but it’s not enough to loosen the tightness crushing my chest.

“For fuck’s sake, doesn’t he know how to use a condom or what?”

His comment almost makes me smile.

Almost.

“I’m not strong enough for this.”

“For what exactly?” he asks gently.

“To be the one who stays no matter what. To watch their life move forward without losing myself in the process.”

His hand slowly moves along my back.

“This isn’t about strength, Valeria. You’re capable of almost anything, and you know it. The real question is whether you want this—and you don’t have to answer that today.”

I stay motionless in his arms, eyes closed, letting his words settle inside me.

I think about last night. About him laughing while helping me make lasagna. Kissing my forehead while drinking his coffee this morning. The way his arms close around me like they’ve been searching for me this whole time.

I think about the child that’s going to be born. An innocent little life caught in the middle of all this.

I clutch Hugo’s clothes between my fingers.

After a few moments, I somehow manage to regain control of my emotions and straighten up.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admit.

My voice breaks on the last word.

“You don’t have to decide today,” he says calmly. “But don’t give up on him too quickly. I know how much you love him.”

My fingers tighten.

“If you walk away from him because of this child, then she wins. And that would be a decision driven by fear, not by love.”