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Chapter 2

Auteur: Fish Mince
The next morning, Mario acted as if nothing had happened, keeping up the same loving routine.

He tore the divorce papers apart and tossed them in the trash. He made me a heart-shaped breakfast, gently called me awake, and came home that night with my favorite cake.

I sent him, one by one, the photos Carmilla had sent me the night before. The instant he saw them, he froze for a beat, then his face contorted.

"I'll print another copy of the divorce agreement. Sign it soon," I said.

I shrugged the cake he'd handed me into the trash and turned to leave. He grabbed me from behind with a grip that wouldn't let go. I couldn't break free.

"Alessia, please don't divorce me. I'll deal with all of this. Trust me."

I said nothing; numbness had already moved into me.

…

The next day, my father summoned me home. Mario insisted on coming along.

When we walked in, Carmilla was kneeling on the floor, her back streaked with blood, her pale face stained with tears. My father stood nearby holding a whip that still bore her blood.

Mario tightened his arm around my waist. In that instant, I knew he had forced my father's hand—ordered him to hurt Carmilla—to prove he didn't love her. It was a brutal, deliberate display meant to close whatever door might have opened.

Carmilla sobbed at me. "Alessia, are you satisfied now? You not only used divorce to blackmail Mario, you forced him to pressure Father."

She stumbled to her feet and lunged at me.

I slapped her.

"You seduced my husband, you destroyed my family, you sent me harassing messages… You think you don't deserve this?"

Her hand went to the reddened mark on her face; she glared at me.

Mario stepped in front of me, shielding me, his gaze sharp and cold.

She, reckless and defiant, rushed forward and bit his lip hard. "Mario, I'm carrying your child. You can't treat me like this."

I moved to strike her again, but Mario stopped me, his hand rough as he wiped his mouth.

"You've slept with so many men—who can say whose child it is? Don't pin this on me." He said, clear and clipped. "I would never betray Alessia."

Then he snatched the whip from my father and lashed out at Carmilla. She didn't dodge; she just stood there, looking at him with eyes full of hurt.

"This is the price for harassing Alessia. If you try this again, I can't promise you'll be alive to stand in front of her." With that, he took my hand and walked out of my father's house.

Whatever cruelty his actions displayed, his trembling fingers betrayed the tenderness he still felt for that wounded girl. That night, in his sleep, he muttered her name over and over, "Carmilla, don't hate me."

I sat bolt upright, frozen, the room suddenly cold.

By the moonlight, I watched him sleeping—his face the same as it had been years ago, but whatever emotion had lived there had shifted, quietly and irreversibly.

My eyes fell to the scar on his shoulder, left by the bullet he once took to shield me in a firefight. The memory came back with a vividness that made my chest ache: the blood that spattered across my face while he smiled and told me it was nothing.

Over the years, under his leadership, the clan prospered, and his burdens grew heavier, yet he still cooked my breakfast in the mornings and tore himself away from everything to come care for me when I had a fever. He never noticed that the person living in his heart had already been replaced.

I didn't sleep that night. I messaged my childhood friend who lived abroad in Claeyron.

[Jessie, is your invitation still open? I'd like to join the research on comatose patients.]
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  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 8

    Mario stood there like a victor, savoring the sight of his defeated opponent.But I met his gaze without fear, my eyes filled not with dread but with a quiet anticipation.I was waiting—waiting for the moment when the truth would come to light, to see whether Mario could still smile the way he did now."Everyone here must have seen the recent reports on illegal experimentation and falsified data," I said. "First of all, I despise such acts. I strongly condemn anyone involved in them. Next, I'll give you an answer you'll find satisfactory."I pressed play.The screen behind me flickered to life, revealing a familiar office and an even more familiar voice."Don Brasco, won't it be too—""Cut the nonsense," Mario's voice interrupted. "It's the fastest way to get results. I don't care how you do it—just make sure the drug is ready by the end of the year. I need a clean business to wash my name.""But if something goes wrong—""There won't be any accidents. And if there are… my wif

  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 7

    Carmilla had left a note on the bedside table. "Mario, we've reached the point where we can only despise one another. Instead of dragging it out, it's best to part ways. Consider what I've taken as compensation for our dead child."When Mario read it, his face went white with fury. He tore the letter into tiny pieces and swore until his voice was raw. He wanted to kill Carmilla then and there. Using every contact he had, he found her and dragged her to the basement, where he made her pay in a way that left him exhausted and shaking when it was over.He sank to the floor afterward, hands slack, and looked at the wedding photo on the wall—us smiling, impossible and bright. The image hurt him like a physical thing. He stopped reflecting on how he had wronged me. Instead, he decided he would pull me into the same ruin."Alessia," he muttered, "we are husband and wife. We share bread and hardship. Look at me now—how could you live well while I suffer?"He pinned every scandal on me.

  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 6

    Mario stepped forward and kicked Carmilla hard. They tangled quickly in a messy, animal scuffle.Then Carmilla's legs gave way, and a bright, shocking pool of blood spread across the floor. For a moment, the world narrowed to that bright red. Rationality crept back into Mario's face like returning daylight; he snatched her up and rushed her to the hospital.In the waiting room outside the operating theatre, he sat slumped on the bench, all fury draining from him until only a hard, cold logic remained. Arguing now would accomplish nothing. The Brasco family's entire network—every base, every shipment—was known to Alessia. If she opened her mouth and named names, everything would collapse. Lorenzo's loss alone would already ripple through the underworld; no one would dare do business with them. In a world that ate the weak, the Brasco empire could be picked clean.All Mario could do was beg Alessia's forgiveness and hope she wouldn't destroy them completely. He told himself the

  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 5

    A second after I sent the message, my phone rang.By then, I had already landed in Claeyron.I answered."Alessia," Gio said, calm but edged with suspicion. "These coordinates you sent—are they real? We'll need to verify. You're Mario's wife. Why would you do this? This isn't a setup between you and your husband, is it?"I forwarded him the photos Carmilla had sent me."He's with my sister," I said flatly. "They have a child. Do you think I wouldn't hate him for that? And besides, he had me tortured because of her. Tell me, do I sound like someone who'd send you false information?"Gio let out a short, cold laugh. "If all that's true," he said after a pause, his voice turning hard, "then you're a very unfortunate woman, Alessia. But don't worry. I'll make sure the Brasco family collapses. You'll get your revenge."That was all I needed to hear. I hung up.Ahead, I saw Jessie rushing toward me at the airport, smiling. I didn't hesitate—I ran straight into her arms.That same

  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 4

    I said nothing, just slid an agreement across the table."If you truly feel indebted to me," I told Mario, "then give me the Lyndette continent medical-equipment company—this is the share-transfer document."He took it and, without hesitating, signed his name."Alessia, I can give you anything. I just want to make it right." He sounded earnest. I took the papers and, when I saw the signature on the last page, something inside me unclenched. If Mario had bothered to flip one more page, he would have seen what he had really signed: a divorce agreement.His guilt made him reach for more words, but his phone rang and cut him off. It was Carmilla. He glanced at me, suddenly guilty. "Alessia, there's an emergency at the company. I have to go. I'll be back later." He answered the call before I could reply and hurried away.He never came to see me before I was discharged. Instead, I watched a new photo on Facebook: Carmilla, smiling, Mario's back in the frame. The caption read: [Boo

  • Once Upon A Promise   Chapter 3

    After that day, our relationship cooled, little by little, like a radio losing signal.One day, at a company mixer where they were planning a move into medical services, Mario and I sat side by side at the head table. The room hummed with polite conversation until a young man suddenly lunged at Mario, raising a gun."You fuckin' asshole," he shouted. "You don't deserve Carmilla's love. How dare you hurt her?"People froze. No one moved. I looked at the man and, without thinking, remembered: he had obsessed over Carmilla back in college."You remember when you and Enzo Romano fought? Carmilla took a bullet for you. Her wound still aches whenever it rains." The man's voice shook with fury. Carmilla wore a look of pain; she clutched at her shoulder like it hurt.A flash of guilt crossed Mario's face."You think you stand where you stand as Don by yourself?" the man continued. "It's Carmilla—she drank and drank until her stomach bled to win you support. She pleaded and begged to ke

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