Left To Die, Finally Free

At the Costa family's annual capo banquet, Marco Costa declared the family would extend protection to one woman only: Rosa Frost, his childhood sweetheart, newly divorced and newly returned to the family fold.One by one, the other women slipped away into the night with their money, their dignity, and fresh protectors already lined up.I, Viola Rossi, once his Donna, was severed from the Costa family entirely, with nowhere left to go.Twenty-one years prior, The System ripped me into this life with a brutal mandate: make one of four made men fall irrevocably in love with me, and I'd earn my way back to my real life with a healthy body.I failed. Every single one of them chose Rosa.The system's final mercy: die here, go home. I stood in a rotting Brooklyn dock warehouse, gun in hand, and closed my eyes. Right as darkness closed in, a raw, raging scream of my name tore through the silence, like the man shouting would burn the whole world apart to reach me....The Brooklyn dock wareh

Datura was deadly poison, but Rosa loved it, so Vincent let it bloom into a whole damn sea across the Rossi estate grounds. Once, I'd begged him to tear it out, scared some maid or kid would take a bite by accident. Rosa had cried until she passed out over it. "Viola hates me this much, Vincent? She won't even let you grow me flowers?" He'd sneered at me. "Everyone knows it's poison. Who the hell's gonna eat it? Stop being this dramatic!"I never thought it'd be the key to my way out.The second the petal hit my tongue, my body screamed to gag it up. I forced it down. This time, I was finally going home.Vincent dropped the gift box and lunged, slamming his palm against my back, rough fingers prying my mouth open to dig it out. "Spit it out!" he roared, face purple with rage and panic. "Are you really that fucking suicidal?!"He and Draven both grabbed at my throat, screaming at me to cough it up."So Marco dumped you, and this is how you react?!" Vincent's eyes were red, voi

The room fell dead silent. Rosa's tears spilled over right on cue, her lower lip trembling. "I… I never, Viola. How can you smear me like this?"Marco pulled her into his chest in an instant, his voice soft as silk. "Easy. We all know exactly who you are. None of this is your fault."Vincent and Draven crowded in right behind him, falling over themselves to coo reassurance at her. By the time they were done, Rosa was smiling again, bright and sweet, and when her gaze slid over to me, there was unmasked triumph in her eyes.I huffed out a bitter, breathless laugh, the movement sending a stab of pain through my ribs. "See that? A thousand words from me don't mean shit next to our leading lady's crocodile tears. What's the point in talking? None of you ever believed me anyway."Then Luca spoke, his voice low, but steady enough to cut through the hush. "I believe you, Viola. Come with me. Back to Chicago. No one's ever gonna hurt you again."The whole room froze.I just stared at him

They dumped me like a dead waterfront catch on the concrete at Rosa's feet, my body limp from the daily downers she pumped into me.She stared down, unmasked triumph oozing from every word. "Look at you. This is what side characters get for chasing my leading men. Don't act shocked. I'm a player too, The System's handpicked leading lady. A nobody like you never stood a chance."It all clicked. In that second, I prayed she'd put a bullet in my skull right there. I was tired. Tired of this godforsaken mission. I just wanted to go home.She laughed, reading my mind like a book. "Wanna die? Too bad. System rules are clear: every year you stay alive post-failure, your real body stays comatose. And I get every scrap of your 21 years of mission progress to lock in my win."She leaned in, hissing in my ear, venom sharp as a switchblade. "Don't blame me. These four made men won't fall irrevocably in love with me. Not with you around. Swallow your data, and I'm home free."The days blurre