I Was Never Yours

On our five-year anniversary with Daniel, he showed up at the city hall where I work.Only he wasn't alone. Emma Miller from the second-largest mafia family was right beside him.And in their hands—a marriage license application.Daniel saw me and forced an awkward explanation."Sophia, you know this is just a merger. It's not real.""Once I become the Don, I'll divorce her."I'd heard that line so many times.The Bonanno family's highest rule: no government employee can become the family's Madre.And I just happened to be a government employee.Ever since we got together, Daniel's people had been coming at me one after another, threatening me to leave him.At first, I actually thought about ending it.He was the son of the biggest mafia don, the future Don himself. And me? Just some ordinary civil servant.We were never from the same world.But Daniel kept telling me—over and over—that he only loved me, that I was the only one he'd ever marry.And I believed him.Until a year ago, whe

When I woke up again, my head was pounding.The air reeked of mildew and rust. My hands were tied behind my back, the rope cutting into my wrists until they'd gone numb."Oh, she's up."A gruff voice came from the corner.I looked over. A burly man with a thick black beard was crouching a few feet away, sizing me up with cloudy eyes."Who are you? Why did you take me?"Panic clawed at my chest. I couldn't tell if this was real or part of the fake death setup.The man grinned, yellow teeth showing. "That's on you, sweetheart. We were after Emma Miller—the Miller family's precious daughter. Spent days tracking her down. And we end up with you. Useless."My heart dropped. The panic got worse.He stood, walked over, and crouched in front of me, grabbing my chin."But hey... a catch is a catch. Can't let it all go to waste.""You're Daniel's woman. Sure, he married that bitch Emma, but he's not gonna just let you die, is he?"He fished my phone out of my pocket, grabbed my finger to unlock

"Sir!"One of his men hauled Daniel out of the water.His consciousness was already fading. For a moment, he thought he saw Sophia in front of him.He reached out to touch her—but the next second, everything went black.When he opened his eyes again, someone was sitting by his bed.Emma.She saw he was awake and reached for him, relief flickering across her face."Daniel, you're finally awake. You've been burning up for days. The doctor said you almost—"He jerked away from her hand. Fire burning in his eyes.She did this. She killed the only person who ever mattered.Emma's hand hung in the air for two full seconds before she pulled it back awkwardly."Daniel," she cleared her throat, "I know you're upset about Sophia... but she's gone. You have to move on."He just stared. Said nothing.She paused, then carefully added, "Honestly... isn't it better this way? We're already married. Now that she's out of the picture, we can finally—"Daniel's head snapped toward her. His pale hand clos

I dragged my luggage to Anli—the little seaside town I'd been dreaming of.Two days ago, the fake death crew had set up air cushions and netting under the cliff. Divers were stationed in the river below.The moment Daniel saw me fall, I was already being pulled onto a speedboat in the dark. They erased every trace of me, leaving behind a disfigured "body" they'd prepared in advance.After that, Sophia White didn't exist anymore.Just me. A woman given a second chance. Sophia Davis.I dragged my suitcase along the shoreline, barefoot, wandering without direction. The sea breeze lifted my mood, and I couldn't help it—I dropped my luggage and started running across the sand.So free. So good.Then a sharp sting shot up from my foot."Hiss—"I gasped, my weight tilting, and my knee slammed against the edge of a reef. Pain flashed behind my eyes. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the wet sand.I looked down. A piece of shell had sliced my foot open. A bright red gash, mixed with sand a

He stared at me like I might vanish if he blinked. Then he stumbled toward me, his steps unsteady."Sophia..." His lips trembled. "You're alive... you're really alive..."I stood still. Didn't move. Didn't step back.I heard familiar footsteps behind me—Joe had come out at the noise.The moment he saw Daniel, his face went dark. He didn't say a word. Just moved to stand half a step behind me.Daniel saw him too. Saw the hand Joe placed on my shoulder.His pupils contracted sharply. His feet stopped. His voice shook when he asked:"Sophia, who is he?""The man who saved me," I answered, calm.Daniel flinched like those words had cut him. His whole body trembled.He knew—I was dead because of him too. And Joe had saved me. He understood in an instant what that meant.He closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again, they were bloodshot and raw."Sophia. Come back with me."I said nothing."I was wrong." His voice cracked. His knees buckled, and he dropped onto the sand. "I