Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Chapter 1
Scarlett’s POV
I stood outside hospital, staring at the paper in my hands. The words blurred together, but one line was crystal clear: Positive. Estimated gestational age: 4 weeks.
I was twenty-two years old. And I was pregnant.
How the hell was this even possible? 
I folded the lab results and shoved them into my jacket pocket. My hands were shaking. I already knew what would happen when I went back to the Romano mansion. My so-called family would lose their minds. I needed a plan.
I hailed a cab and gave the driver the Staten Island address.
Forty minutes later, I was standing in front of the four-story Victorian mansion that I was supposed to call home. I had been back for six months, and this place still felt like a prison.
I walked through the front door.
"You're back."
I turned. My mother, Viviana was coming down the main staircase. She wore a expensive dress and diamonds. "Where did you sneak off to this time?" she asked. Her voice was sharp.
I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack. "I went to see a doctor for a checkup."
"A checkup?" Viviana's laugh was ugly. "You think you deserve to use the family doctor? Please. You're just the stray we took back in. You probably brought diseases from that filthy foster system."
I said nothing. I had learned that silence was sometimes the best weapon.
"I've told you before," Viviana continued, walking closer. "You should stay in that servant's room where you belong. Stop wandering around like you own the place."
The servant's room. That's what she called it. The tiny room on the first floor that used to house the help. No working air conditioning. No heating that actually worked. While Zelda had an entire floor to herself with every luxury imaginable.
"Mom, please don't be upset."
Zelda, the Romano family's adopted daughter, appeared from the sitting room. She looked perfect, as always. Blonde hair in soft waves, wearing clothes that actually fit. She walked over and put her hand on Viviana's arm.
"Scarlett probably doesn't understand our family rules yet," Zelda said softly. "Maybe I should have my driver take her places too? So she doesn't have to sneak around?"
Zelda loved this game. She offered things she knew I would refuse, just so Viviana could see me as ungrateful.
"You're too kind to her," Viviana snapped. "She doesn't deserve it. Do you know she refused the clothes you offered her last week? The designer bags you wanted to give her? She acts like she's too good for your hand-me-downs."
I felt a cold laugh rising in my chest. I washed their dishes. I scrubbed their bathrooms. I cleaned Zelda's bedroom floor on my hands and knees. I ate cold leftovers in the kitchen after everyone else had finished their meals. I did everything they asked and they still looked at me like I was dirt.
I didn't say any of this out loud. What was the point? They wouldn't listen.
I turned and started walking toward my room.
"Where do you think you're going?" Viviana's voice rose behind me. "I'm not finished talking to —"
"What's going on here?"
My father's voice cut through the room. Sal Romano walked down the stairs with Lorenzo right behind him. Both men were dressed in suits. They had probably just come from some business meeting.
Viviana's face lit up. She clearly thought my father would take her side.
"Sal, you need to talk to your daughter," she said quickly. "She's been sneaking out again. Who knows what she's doing out there? What if she embarrasses the family?"
My father looked tired. He glanced at me, then back at Viviana. "We need to talk about something important," he said. "Scarlett, sit down."
He gestured to the sofa in the living room.
I didn't move at first. The truth was, my father and Lorenzo had been... decent to me. Not warm. Not fatherly. But they didn't treat me like garbage the way Viviana and my other brothers did. They mostly just ignored me, which was honestly better than the alternative.
I felt sick thinking about sitting next to Viviana and Zelda, but I walked over and sat down on the edge of the sofa anyway.
Lorenzo took the armchair. Zelda perched next to Viviana, her hand still on our mother's arm like she was comforting her.
My father stood in front of the fireplace. "I'll get straight to the point," he said. "We've been in talks with the Santoro family. They want to move forward with the marriage arrangement."
I blinked. Marriage arrangement?
"Adrian Santoro has agreed to marry you," my father continued.
"What?" I said.
"You should be grateful," Viviana cut in. Her voice was hard. "The Santoros are one of the Five Families. This is an honor."
My father held up his hand. "Let me explain." His tone was patient. "Scarlett, you're the eldest daughter. By rights, you're the one who should fulfill this arrangement. It was always meant for the eldest Romano daughter."
I stared at him.
For six months, everyone in this house had told me the same thing over and over again. Adrian Santoro was Zelda's fiancé. Viviana had made it clear that I should know my place and stop dreaming about things that would never belong to me.
And now, suddenly, Adrian Santoro was supposed to be mine?
The only thing that had changed was that he was in a wheelchair now. Paralyzed from the waist down after an assassination attempt weeks ago.
How convenient.
Viviana must have seen something on my face because her expression turned ugly. "You should be thanking us on your knees," she snapped. "Do you understand what we're offering you? You'll be a Santoro wife. You'll have money, status, security. You'll never have to worry about food or shelter again."
I almost laughed. "And if I say no?"
"You don't get to say no," Lorenzo said. "This is family business."
I reached into my jacket pocket. I pulled out the folded lab results and tossed them onto the coffee table.
"I'm pregnant."