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Chapter 9
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The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 9
For a split second, I felt like I was back ten years ago.Before Elena ever showed up, back when he was still the big brother who shielded me through a hail of bullets. But the illusion only lasted a few seconds.After dinner, Rocco rubbed his hands together nervously, trying to get me to stay the night."Vivian, I clean your room every single day. I haven't moved a single thing. It’s exactly the way you left it.""No thanks. I booked a hotel downtown.""Vivian..."Rocco’s voice rasped behind me, carrying a tremor like he was about to shatter. I didn't turn around, and I didn't stop. This meal was the last bit of grace I could afford him.I hadn't told Rocco my flight details, but he managed to find out anyway. When I got to JFK the next morning, he was already waiting at the terminal entrance.Both of his hands were loaded down with bags—specialties from the old neighborhood. There was the cheesecake I used to crave as a kid and several boxes of cinnamon rolls from the shop on the cor
The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 8
Rocco must have been terrified that I’d just turn and walk away, because he hurried to add, "Old Duke passed a few years ago, but he left a pup. Looks exactly like him.""I took him back to my apartment. You want to see him?"Duke was the Golden Retriever Rocco and I had back in the day. Back then, when he first started doing field work for the family, he’d stay out all night. I used to sit in that smoke-filled house alone, shaking. To cheer me up, Rocco went to the black market and brought home a puppy.He told me, "When I'm not around, Duke’s gonna be the one looking out for you."But then Elena showed up. She made up some story about Duke scratching her, and Rocco didn't even hesitate—he decided to get rid of the dog. Even though I begged him through my tears, he still handed Duke off to one of his associates."You only needed a dog because you were afraid of the dark. Now you have Elena to keep you company; you don't need anything else," he had said back then.From that day on, I s
The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 7
Ten years later.I stood on the podium at the World Health Organization in Geneva. The project on "Anti-Drug-Resistant Virus Research" had reached a flawless conclusion. After spending two weeks following my mentor through UN headquarters and press conferences, handling interviews from global media and dignitaries, I finally found a moment of peace.That was the day I received a letter from Father Mario’s assistant. It said the Father was gravely ill and might not last the winter. He wanted to see me one last time.The next day, I turned down every lecture invitation from top-tier private hospitals and boarded a flight to New York. Unlike my pathetic departure ten years ago, I felt nothing but a dead calm.Over the years, I’d regularly received packages from Rocco. No real messages—just a scrap of paper saying "Take care of yourself" and a stack of cash that smelled of cheap tobacco. I never kept a single cent; I sent it all to the church orphanage.Father Mario mentioned Rocco in his
The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 6
Back at the manor, Rocco pulled out a blank notepad. He wanted to write a letter.His hand was shaking so violently that the fountain pen left a jagged ink blot on the paper. For a long time, he couldn't squeeze out a single decent sentence. He wanted to explain everything—to tell me he didn't leave me behind on purpose, that it was Elena who had lied.In the end, he only managed one line:"Vivian, there will always be a place for you here. I hope you’re okay."He cleared out all the cash he’d been stashing in his private safe—money he had originally set aside to buy Elena a villa in the suburbs. He stuffed the bills and the note into an envelope and rushed to the post office just before they locked the doors.When he opened his eyes again, it was late at night.Elena was gone.Even though he was drowning in guilt over me and felt a growing rift with her, he couldn't just ignore her—not with the promise he’d made to the old Don on his deathbed. He grabbed his coat and stepped out into
The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 5
Rocco sat in that empty room all night long.As soon as the sun came up, he drove like a maniac toward St. Marino’s Church in the city. That was Father Mario’s territory. When he shoved open the heavy oak doors, he looked like a wreck—his pajamas were sticking out from under his overcoat, and he was still wearing his house slippers."Mario! Where the hell is Vivian?"His voice was terrifyingly raspy. He didn't even know what to ask first. Did he want to know why she left without a word, or why she’d throw herself into some international medical mission? After a long silence, he finally choked out the question he feared most: "Is she... is she done with the Corleone family for good?""No one can say for sure, Rocco."Father Mario poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him. "Getting accepted into an international aid organization isn't easy. Vivian worked harder than anyone this past year. she spent every night in labs and simulation wards.""We have to respect her choice," the priest s
The Day I Left, My Brother the Don Regretted Chapter 4
Rocco had been on edge since the moment he woke up that morning.He had originally planned to spend another two days at the Long Island estate, but when Elena suggested going downtown to see the opera, he shut her down flat for the first time in years."Back to the city," he ordered the driver, his face like stone.As the car pulled away, he stared out the window. There was a knot in his chest—a sinking feeling that he’d lost something, though he couldn't put his finger on what.The second the car pulled up to the manor, Elena reached out and grabbed his suit sleeve."Rocco, look! A new French patisserie opened over there. Let’s go grab some black truffle cakes to take home."Rocco was about to refuse, but Elena let out a sharp scoff and began to complain."I don’t get why you’re in such a rush to get back. You made me miss the sunset on the Island. We finally get a chance to relax; can’t you just spend a little time with me?"Rocco went silent.He couldn't explain why he felt this des
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