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Chapter 3

Auteur: Fish Mince
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 keep you in business.

"Even after you lost the shipment worth millions on that international deal with Lorenzo, he still worked with you because of Carmilla. She knelt and banged her head bloody to get you another chance. You should thank her."

The conference room fell silent; eyes flicked between Mario and Carmilla.

"She did all of that of her own free will," I said, looking straight at the man.

"That's right. She did those things willingly. I didn't ask her to do them for me. My wife is Alessia. No matter what Carmilla did, the woman I love is Alessia." Mario's voice trembled as he spoke; he avoided Carmilla's eyes.

"I'll kill you," the man rasped. "How dare you trample on Carmilla's love?"

He seemed on the verge of madness.

Carmilla threw herself in front of Mario to shield him. She sobbed and begged, "Please, don't—everything Mario says is true. I did it willingly."

While the man hesitated, a bodyguard behind Mario squeezed a trigger.

The man's arm was shredded; he screamed like a wounded animal. The guards dragged him away and shielded Mario.

Don Marco Abano from the Abano family, who sat nearby, rose and leveled a gun at Carmilla.

"Don Brasco," Marco said, "if you can't handle women, how can you run the syndicate? Want me to take care of this trouble?" He pointed the gun at her.

"Mario, I'm carrying your child! Please, save me." Carmilla pleaded.

Mario's face tightened; he trembled.

After a long moment, he said, "Joke's over. Put the gun down. Don't scare Carmilla."

Marco lunged and grabbed me instead, turning the barrel toward me, laughing. "A wife can only be one woman. If you can't give Carmilla up, then what about her?"

The gun went off. Pain flared across my shoulder like fire. The world smeared and folded; darkness crept in at the edges. Before I lost consciousness, I saw Mario hugging Carmilla, his face a map of fear.

When I opened my eyes again, it was to a white ceiling and the slow, clinical beeping of a hospital room. For a long time, I couldn't gather myself.

Around me came some excited gossip.

"Did you see? Don Brasco was holding Carmilla the whole time. He called every gynecologist in the hospital. He looked terrified; that's true love, isn't it?"

"And the other patient in that room—she was in the ICU for days. They almost couldn't save her. Don Brasco didn't visit her once."

The chatter stopped as the ward door opened. Mario came in carrying half a bowl of rice porridge and an apple, already bitten—half for him, half for Carmilla. He moved to feed me.

Instinct rose like ice. I tipped the bowl; the scalding porridge spilled over his hands and down his shirt. He jerked back, soaked and humiliated. He only furrowed his brows and sighed, a trace of guilt in his voice.

"Alessia, I'm sorry. But this is what I owe Carmilla."

Each word was earnest, but the heat in my chest didn't thaw. I only wanted to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness.
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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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