Hidden for Five Years，My Mafia Husband Married My Adopted Sister

The man I've been secretly married to for 5 years shows up at my family reunion—with my adopted sister, and they're announcing themselves as a newly married couple. At the dinner table, Luca holds Mia's hand. Their matching wedding bands gleam so brightly I can barely look at them. He's all smiles. "Sofia, Mia and I got married today." My mom beams and pulls out the diamond necklace she's kept in the safe for just this occasion. "Luca, you and Lena used to beg to get married when you were kids." "Now that you're with Mia, if you know any good men, remember to send them Lena's way. She's not getting any younger." I freeze. The words don't register. My eyes stay locked on those flashing rings and their intertwined fingers. He told me the war between the families meant we had to keep our marriage hidden for five years. Then he'd claim me in public. Make me his wife. The queen of the Walsh family. But the woman he just claimed is Mia. After dinner, Luca orders me out to the balcony. He lights a cigarette. His voice is ice-cold. "That story about losing our marriage papers? A lie. What you signed last week was the divorce papers." My hands go cold. I can barely get the words out. "Why?" He sighs as if I'm the one being difficult, then ruffles my hair. "Mia's your mom's adopted kid. What happens when the family needs an alliance and ships her off to some old man?" Tears slip down my face. Mia calls softly for Luca to come home. I watch them walk out together, then turn to my mom, my voice cracking. "Mom, I'll move to Switzerland with you." ... My mom freezes. Stunned. She feels my forehead like I've lost my mind. "No fever. I spent months begging you to move with me and you always refused." "What changed?" I kept refusing because I couldn't leave Luca. He's a germaphobe with a sensitive stomach. Without me, he can't take care of himself. And our five-year secret was almost over. I'd finally be his wife in public. I could wake up next to him and live the good life I'd waited five years for. But now he threw me away with a weak excuse and chose Mia. My eyes sting. The tears are right there. I turn away so she won't see, wipe my eyes, and force myself steady. "I need a change of scenery. I hear Switzerland's full of hot guys." "Maybe I'll bring you back a son-in-law." Mom stares at my red-rimmed eyes and lets out a soft sigh. "Silly girl. You're heartbroken because Luca married Mia." "I could tell from the time you were little that you loved him." "He always looked after you too. I kept waiting for good news from the two of you. Never thought he'd end up with Mia." She's hit it dead on. Every hurt I've been swallowing comes flooding up. I throw myself into her arms and the tears finally break. She doesn't know Luca kissed me soft and slow just last night. The plain silver band on my finger, the one I never let anyone touch, is the ring he slid on when he proposed. Back in my room, my phone won't stop buzzing. Mia's sent photos. Just to twist the knife. First one: her and Luca at a candlelit dinner in the exact restaurant where he told me he loved me. Second one: her and Luca, naked and tangled together on the bed I picked out after weeks of hunting for. Luca's old-school. He swore I couldn't move into our home until he made me his wife in public. I check the photo's timestamp. Two years ago. My heart turns to ice. He's been cheating on me the whole time. The third photo is a group shot. When I see the man standing next to Luca, my mind goes blank. My body starts shaking on its own. The phone hits the floor. A message from Mia pops up. [Don't you wanna know why Luca had to marry you five years ago?]

Five years ago, Luca passed his initiation as heir to the Walsh family. He wanted to let loose and celebrate, so Mia suggested a hiking trip. She brought along a stranger. Vinnie. The whole way, Vinnie hovered over me. Asked if I was thirsty. Offered to carry my pack. His hand kept brushing against my ass. I begged Luca for help, but he wouldn't even look at me—too busy tying Mia's bootlaces. But back when we were kids, a school security guard once smacked my ass. I was too young to know it was wrong. Luca saw it and lost his mind. He punched the guard until the man bled, then had his uncle on the school board bury the whole thing. So on the trail, I stuck close to the guide just to keep Vinnie's hands off me. That night, half asleep, I felt a chill on my chest. My eyes snapped open. Vinnie was unbuttoning my shirt. I screamed. The guide and Luca came running. Luca pulled me into his arms and whispered that it was okay. I cried and said I was calling the cops. He frowned and stopped me. "Lena, if you call the police, everyone finds out." "There'll be an investigation. A scandal. It'll drag both our families through the mud." I sobbed until I couldn't breathe. He held my hand like it hurt him too. "Don't be scared. You came with me. I'll take care of it." So when we got home, Luca proposed and took me to sign the papers. My phone buzzes, dragging me back to the present. I can see Mia's smug little face in every word on the screen. "Luca only married you because he was afraid Sofia would blame me for not looking after you." "I'm the one who brought Vinnie to harass you. Luca was terrified the cops would trace it back to me." "He knew you loved him. So he sacrificed himself to shut you up." Ice floods my veins. Tears fall onto the wedding ring on my finger. The day we signed, Luca lit up the sky for me. A whole fireworks show. Under all that blue light, he kissed me and made a promise. "Lena, I'll love you for the rest of my life." We kissed like we couldn't stop. Booked a hotel suite. That night, Luca takes my virginity, gentle and slow. I laugh through my tears, wanting to fight back. But I can't find a single thing that proves Luca ever loved me. My phone buzzes again. This time Mia sends a voice recording. I tap it with shaking fingers. Luca's voice fills the speaker. "Mia, Lena's pregnant. Don't worry. I'll handle it." My heart clenches so hard it hurts—the tears won't stop. Year three of our secret marriage, I found out I was pregnant. Luca didn't sleep all night. He stayed up, lying with his head on my belly. The next morning, he drove me to my prenatal appointment himself. On the way, the brakes failed. The car slammed into the guardrail. I started bleeding on the spot—blood soaked my dress and stained the seat. Luca was out cold. Smoke poured from the engine. My first instinct wasn't to call an ambulance. I smashed the window with my bare hands and dragged him out. When I woke up, the baby was already gone. Just blood. Luca knelt by my hospital bed, sobbing. I was terrified he'd blame himself, so I buried all my grief and comforted him instead. It was all a setup. I laugh, then I cry—then I pull the crumpled prenatal report from my pocket and tear it to pieces.

The next morning, Luca shows up with bags full of stuff. He frowns at the boxes in the living room. "Sofia, are you moving?" I cut in before my mom can answer. "No. Just cleaning out some junk." Luca glances at me, then puts the stuff in the fridge like he lives here. "Sofia, Mia asked me to bring these. Fancy imported supplements." "Her morning sickness is bad, so she couldn't come herself." I go rigid. I already know he's been cheating with Mia, but my heart still twists anyway. Last month, just because I mentioned wanting to see the northern lights in Norway, he dropped a multi-million dollar deal without blinking. And last week, when a rival family's men cornered me, he called in every soldier he had and made an example of them. Luca's love can be split between two women. Every time he drops me home and tucks me in, he still has the energy to run to Mia after. My mom glances at me, worried. "Tell Mia to rest. She doesn't need to worry about me." Luca nods, then pulls a stack of papers from his briefcase. "Right. Sofia, these are some good single men I know." "Look them over for Lena. She's not getting any younger." I glance over on instinct. The first profile is Vinnie. My stomach turns. I run to the bathroom and dry heave. My mom rushes over and pats my back. "Is it your stomach again? You've been throwing up for days." Luca stares at me, brows drawn tight. While my mom goes to get medicine, he grabs my wrist, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You're pregnant." I rip my hand away, disgusted. "No." But he just stares at my stomach and sneers. "You haven't had your period in two months." It feels like someone's tearing my heart out. I can barely breathe. I scream and shove him. "It's none of your business! You're Mia's husband. She's the one you should worry about!" Before Mia showed up, Luca only ever chased after me. He knew I liked spicy food, not sweet—knew my exact order. He knew my messed-up cycle better than I did. Every month my cramps put me in bed, unable to stand. Luca had his mom reach out to a doctor she knew for a prescription. The week before my period, he'd stop going out with his crew. He'd stay home just to brew my tea and watch over me. His mom used to tease me, saying she'd never seen Luca so careful with any other girl. She'd grin and ask my mom when we were getting engaged. But then my mom adopted Mia. She was small and pitiful, like a strong wind could knock her over. One morning during a run, Mia passed out and took me down with her. We both got hurt, but Luca picked Mia up without a second thought and carried her to the nurse's office. After that, I wasn't the girl Luca protected anymore. Mia was. I cried over it. Even tried to cut Luca off. He'd just sigh and pat my head, saying Mia was an orphan and so pitiful. The strong should look after the weak. So Luca made me look after Mia too. The new clothes my mom sent me, Luca let Mia pick first. The matching lunches my mom packed, Luca dumped all my meat onto Mia's tray. He could take care of Mia all he wanted. But why did I have to be the stepping stone in their love story? Footsteps. I wipe my tears in a panic. For a second, I think I see pain flash through Luca's eyes, but it's gone as fast as it came. Right before my mom walks back in, he leans close to my ear. "Get rid of the baby. Mia's sensitive. She'll think you and I aren't done. She's always lacked security." I've said those exact same words to Luca before. On that hiking trip, when we set up camp, I said I felt scared and wanted to sleep next to him. He frowned and refused. Said he had to stay with Mia. After my miscarriage, I begged him to stay with me in the hospital. He said it was Mia's birthday. If he missed it, she'd be heartbroken. I got jealous. Screamed at him. Asked what the hell Mia even was to him. He looked at me like I was crazy, disgust plain in his eyes. "Lena, you're too sensitive. I only see Mia as a sister." It wasn't me being sensitive. It was him crossing the line. I laugh coldly and shove him away. "That's my business. Not yours."