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Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs
Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs
Autor: Liora Z

Chapter 1

Autor: Liora Z
I woke up in a stark, basic room. A single nurse stood beside me.

“My baby… where’s my baby?” My voice was a raw whisper.

“Your baby didn’t make it.”

The nurse pulled the IV from my hand. No expression on her face.

“He wasn’t breathing when he was born. A boy.”

My hand froze, then slowly fell to my flat stomach.

It was empty.

A part of me had been carved out, right along with my heart.

“Claiming to be the Don’s wife? You’ve got a death wish,” the nurse sneered, picking up her tray. “Can’t even pay your bill, so you pull a stunt like this. If the Don finds out, you’re dead.”

I stared at her. “I am Maxim’s wife.”

“Shut up,” she cut me off. “Everyone in Chicago knows the Don worships his Donna. He canceled everything today to be with her upstairs. You? If you don’t have money, call your family and get out.”

The door shut.

I lay there. My mind was a blank slate.

Wife? At her side?

It wasn’t a dream. It was real.

But I couldn’t believe it.

For three years, the way Maxim looked at me… pure possession.

The day I told him I was pregnant, this man who terrified all of Chicago knelt at my feet.

His eyes were wet as he kissed my belly, whispering he’d give me and our child the world.

Was that the same man?

There’s only one Don Maxim in Chicago.

I ripped the tape off my arm. Blood welled up.

The anesthesia was gone. The stitches from the delivery burned with a tearing pain.

I used the wall to pull myself up, shuffling out of the room.

I had to see him.

This had to be some sick mistake.

The VIP floor was dead silent.

The door to the luxury suite at the end of the hall was cracked open. A warm light spilled out.

I dragged myself closer, my hand on the doorframe.

“With the kidney from Seraphina’s kid… a perfect match… our son is saved.”

Maxim’s voice.

Deep. Confident. A gentle relief I had never heard before.

“You can rest now, Isla.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Isla.

My adoptive sister.

It was her.

All the pieces I’d ignored slammed together, forming the ugliest truth.

Two years ago, I found her cornered by loan sharks in one of my bars.

The light hit the butterfly birthmark on her collarbone.

I knew. She was the long-lost daughter of the Bellinis, the family that raised me.

I brought her home.

I gave her everything. My unconditional love.

Everything changed six months ago at the docks.

A rival hit. Isla threw herself in front of Maxim. Took a bullet for him.

After that day, Maxim was different.

He let her get away with anything.

I fought with him about it. Jealousy ate at me.

He just held me, kissed my tears. “I’m just grateful she saved my life, Seraphina. You’re the one I love.”

I believed him.

Then the family dinner a few months ago. I was so happy to announce I was pregnant.

The second the words left my mouth, Isla covered her mouth at the table. A dramatic gag.

She was pregnant, too.

My adoptive father exploded. Screamed at her for getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Then he turned and took my hand, calling me the family’s pride.

It wasn’t some bastard child.

It was Maxim’s.

“We had no choice.” Inside the room, my so-called mother’s voice was cold. Matter-of-fact. “We took Seraphina in for exactly this reason. It’s the least she owes us.”

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

My son. My newborn baby.

There was no failed rescue.

No tragic accident.

He was bred for spare parts. Sacrificed to save Isla’s bastard.

My husband, my family… they murdered my son together.

My stomach churned. I stumbled back, crashing into a medical cart.

I had to get away.

But the door swung open.

Isla.

She glowed with the blush of a new mother. Not sick at all.

She saw my pale face and a secret smile touched her lips.

“Sister. Standing out here so long. Why not come in?” She stepped out, closing the door behind her.

I stared at her, my voice shaking with pain. “Why… he was just born…”

Isla moved closer, her voice a low hiss.

“Oh, I should tell you. I was never sick. And my Leo’s kidneys are perfectly fine.”

Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

“I don’t need a kidney. I just love watching you lose everything.” She leaned in, every word a poisoned blade. “You’re a stray. Why should you get the Don’s love?”

Rage burned through me.

I didn’t feel the pain in my stitches. I lunged, reaching for her.

I needed to rip that human mask off her face. Show everyone the monster beneath.

My fingers barely brushed her sleeve.

Isla shrieked and threw herself backward.

But as she fell, her foot subtly hooked my ankle. A calculated trip.

I was already weak. I lost my balance and slammed onto the hard floor.

My stitches ripped open. Warm blood soaked through my thin hospital gown.

“Sera, don’t kill me!” Isla cried from the floor, hiding her face as tears streamed down.

The suite door burst open.

Maxim rushed out, my adoptive parents right behind him.

His large frame was suffocating. He didn’t even look at me lying in a pool of my own blood.

He stepped right over me, kneeling to pull Isla into his arms.

“Isla, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” His voice trembled, like he’d almost lost her.

The cold hallway light cut across his profile. The face I’d loved for three years. Now a terrifying stranger.

Only when Isla’s sobs quieted did he finally turn his head.

His cold eyes landed on me.

“What are you doing? Isla just gave birth. She can’t handle this!”
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  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 17

    Seraphina's POVThree years later.New York.Backstage at the National Architecture & Design Awards.I stood before a full-length mirror, adjusting the skirt of my deep blue velvet gown.As the matriarch of the Ricci and Romano families, I controlled the underworld.But tonight, under my own name, Seraphina, I had reached the pinnacle of the architectural world.The door to my dressing room opened.Matteo handed me an encrypted tablet.“Ma’am, the final case report from the slums.”I took it.The screen was split into two live feeds.On the left was a filthy alley in the slums.Isla lay in a pile of garbage and sewage.Three years ago, I’d had her vocal cords cut and her tendons severed.The pretty face she used as a mask had long been destroyed by the homeless men who used her.In the feed, she was convulsing in a dark corner.The wounds on her legs were infected, festering down to the bone.Pus oozed from the torn flesh.No one would help her.She twitched a few more times in the mud

  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 16

    Seraphina's POVSunlight streamed through the ancient stained-glass windows of the Sicilian cathedral, falling on the white aisle.The organ played a solemn melody.I walked toward the altar in my diamond-studded gown.Dante was waiting.He stood tall and straight in a black tuxedo.He held out his hand to me.His eyes, usually so cold and sharp, were now filled with absolute devotion and love.I placed my hand in his.His warmth spread through me, calming the last of the storm inside.“You look so beautiful you’re driving me insane, my queen,” he whispered, his thumb stroking the back of my hand.The priest began the vows.It was quiet. Sacred.The chaos of the world was sealed outside the church walls.Dante took the ruby wedding ring from his best man.Just as the ring was about to slide onto my finger—BOOM!A deafening explosion ripped through the church.The iron gates were blown off their hinges.The shockwave shattered the stained-glass windows, sending a rain of colored shards

  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 15

    Seraphina's POVThree days until my wedding to Dante.I stood before a massive mirror in the VIP fitting room of a top Milan bridal shop.The dress was custom-made for me by a premier Parisian designer.Pure white silk clung to my body, the skirt glittering with thousands of tiny diamonds.I looked at my reflection.Not a trace of the weak, timid woman I once was.Only the pride and cold beauty of the matriarch of the Ricci and Romano families.Suddenly, a dull crash echoed from outside.Then, two short gunshots and the sound of shattering glass.I didn’t turn around. I didn’t even raise an eyebrow.The heavy wooden doors were thrown open with brutal force.The thick smell of blood flooded the room.Maxim stood in the doorway.He had only two loyal, wounded men left with him. He could barely stand.His designer suit was shredded, soaked in blood and mud.The old knife wound on his shoulder had clearly festered, dark blood dripping down the tattered cloth.He was once the uncrowned king

  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 14

    Maxim's POVThe basement stank of blood.The monitors on the wall played the news on a loop.Every channel was broadcasting Isla’s crimes.Murder for hire, falsifying medical records, illegal organ trafficking.Overnight, every Bellini family asset was seized.They were rats, shunned by the entire city.And one of those rats was chained to a rusty interrogation chair in front of me.Isla was soaking wet. Dirty water and cold sweat dripped onto the concrete floor.She looked at me in terror.Tears cut paths through the grime on her face.“Maxim, please,” she rasped, still trying to win me over with her fake vulnerability. “For Leo’s sake. I did it because I love you so much. I was just jealous of Seraphina…”My stomach turned.I had been fooled by this weak, venomous act for years.For her, I left my feverish wife alone in a storm.For her fake sacrifice, I watched my own son get butchered like an animal.I pulled out my combat knife.The blade gleamed in the dim light.“The thing you’r

  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 13

    Seraphina's POV“It’s pouring! He’s been kneeling out there all night! At least give him an umbrella!”A commotion from the main hall.I opened the double doors.Maxim’s personal bodyguard was being held down on the carpet by Ricci guards.He was soaked to the bone, screaming at me in desperation.“Miss Seraphina! Please, just go see him! His leg is destroyed, the knife wound is infected, he has a fever! He’ll die if he keeps this up!”I stood on the top step, looking down at him.“Then throw his body in Lake Michigan when he’s dead,” I said, my voice flat.The bodyguard’s eyes widened in horror.The butler came forward, holding a waterproof document pouch.“Ma’am, the twelfth batch of transfer agreements from the Volkov family.”I took the file and turned back into the warm living room.The bodyguard’s pleas were shut out.A fire crackled in the hearth.I walked to the sofa and settled into Dante’s arms.He’d just showered and smelled of cedarwood.His long fingers ran through my hair

  • Donna Returns To Bury the Volkovs   Chapter 12

    Seraphina's POVThe Commission meeting took a recess.I pushed open the door to the VIP restroom.Cold water ran over my fingers.I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my makeup a perfect, cold mask.This was the proof of my rebirth.Suddenly, the door behind me was thrown open with violent force.Click. The lock turned.Before I could turn, a large shadow was on me.Maxim trapped me against the counter.His chest heaved, his breath thick with whiskey and the foul stench of blood.His right knee was shattered. He could barely stand.But he used his arms to cage me in.“Sera…” He buried his face in my neck, greedily inhaling my perfume.A wave of nausea hit me.“Get off,” I said, my voice ice.He didn't seem to hear me. His body trembled.“I found out. I know everything,” he rasped. “Isla, that lying bitch. She worked with the doctors to steal our son. She killed Chloe. I destroyed them. I broke your adoptive parents’ legs. I burned the Bellini estate to the ground.”His eyes were re

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