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The Don Gave Me a Fake Ring, So I Left

The Don Gave Me a Fake Ring, So I Left

Short Story · Mafia
By:  SundreamCompleted
Language: English
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8Chapters
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Synopsis

Tragic Love

Feel-Good Story

Melodramatic

Mafia

Bias

Hypocrisy

Winning Back the Wife

Face Slapping

Regret

On our seventh anniversary, Don Leonardo Luciano gave me an eight-carat pigeon's-blood ruby ring. He told me it was a family heirloom, passed from one Donna to the next. "Camilla, I can't give you a wedding yet, but in my heart, you're already my wife." My eyes filled with tears as I slipped it onto my finger. Then I asked my best friend, Nora Bennett, to examine it after her shift at the auction house. She held it under a lamp and slowly turned the stone. A ring of crimson light appeared inside it. "This isn't a natural ruby." "How is that possible? Leonardo gave it to me. It's a family heirloom." Nora frowned. "Really? I heard every piece of Luciano family jewelry bears a gold lion crest. Does yours have one?" I took off the ring and checked. Nothing. Just then, a new story from Victoria Moretti popped up on my feed. She was the daughter of another powerful mafia family. The photo showed her aboard Leonardo's private yacht. And on her finger was a ring identical to mine. A man stood beside her, his face hidden from view. But I recognized the watch on his wrist. I'd given it to Leonardo. Then I saw the caption. "After all this time, you finally put the family ring on my finger."

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I had barely taken a screenshot before the story disappeared.

A message from Leonardo came in right after. "Darling, the family meeting is still going. I can't spend our anniversary with you tonight. I hope this gift makes up for it."

I stared at his message. For a moment, I didn't know which was more fake—the ring or the man I'd loved for seven years.

A month ago, Leonardo had been ambushed and nearly died in surgery.

When he woke, he pulled me into his arms and told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

After seven years, I finally had his promise.

I held him and cried.

Seven years ago, I'd left Florence and given up the art conservation career I loved for Leonardo.

Just last month, I'd turned down Professor Matteo Bruni's offer to help restore a fifteenth-century fresco.

I'd given up everything to stay by Leonardo's side.

And all this time, he'd been lying to me.

I tore off the ring, grabbed my keys, and drove to East Harbor. Victoria's story had tagged a private restaurant near the docks.

Two Luciano bodyguards stood outside a private room.

One spotted me and was about to go inside to inform his boss.

I stopped him. "The Don made himself clear. When he's not here, you answer to me."

The guard hesitated. Then Victoria's voice came through the door. "What made you change your mind? I've waited so long for this. I can't believe you finally gave me the ring."

I heard glasses clink inside.

"And now that the East Harbor deal is done, are you still planning to keep your little toy around?"

Leonardo answered, "Camilla is not a toy."

Victoria laughed. "Leonardo, I have no interest in sharing you with your little pet. When are you going to tell her?"

"I'll tell her before the engagement ceremony."

I didn't go inside.

I took the ring from my pocket and placed it in the bodyguard's hand. Then I walked away.

When I got home, I opened my laptop.

Matteo's last email was still in my inbox.

"If you ever change your mind, write to me."

I stared at it for a long moment. Then I typed a reply.

"Professor, is it too late for me to come back?"

His answer came almost at once.

"Welcome back."
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8 Chapters
Chapter 1
I had barely taken a screenshot before the story disappeared.A message from Leonardo came in right after. "Darling, the family meeting is still going. I can't spend our anniversary with you tonight. I hope this gift makes up for it."I stared at his message. For a moment, I didn't know which was more fake—the ring or the man I'd loved for seven years.A month ago, Leonardo had been ambushed and nearly died in surgery.When he woke, he pulled me into his arms and told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.After seven years, I finally had his promise.I held him and cried.Seven years ago, I'd left Florence and given up the art conservation career I loved for Leonardo.Just last month, I'd turned down Professor Matteo Bruni's offer to help restore a fifteenth-century fresco.I'd given up everything to stay by Leonardo's side.And all this time, he'd been lying to me.I tore off the ring, grabbed my keys, and drove to East Harbor. Victoria's story had tagged a private resta
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Chapter 2
The next morning, I drove to Leonardo's estate.I needed to get one last thing before I left for good. The scarf my mother had knitted for me before she died.She'd been so sick that she could barely hold the needles steady. Still, she'd spent two months making it.Inside, she'd stitched one crooked line."Take care of my daughter."My mother, Marianne, had trusted Leonardo to take care of me.So had I.But when I arrived, Moretti guards were standing at the gate.They searched me and made me wait outside for twenty minutes before letting me into the place I'd once called home.Victoria sat in Leonardo's chair in the living room.The real family ring was on her finger.One of the capos bowed before her. Blood ran down his temple as he explained that a shipment had gone missing at East Harbor.Victoria listened without a word. Then she raised one hand.Two bodyguards grabbed him, covered his mouth, and dragged him away."Cut off one of his fingers while we check the books."She took ano
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Chapter 3
I shoved Leonardo away."You killed my mother, and you left me unable to have children. And you call that love?"Victoria laughed softly. "In families like ours, control is love. How did it take you this long to figure that out?"I raised my hand to slap her.Before I could, Leonardo grabbed my wrist and threw me aside.I hit the corner of the table. Pain shot through my side.The bodyguards rushed in and held me down.Victoria clutched her stomach and leaned against Leonardo. "She almost hurt our baby."I froze.I would never be a mother.And another woman was already carrying his child.Just like that, my seven years of love became a joke.My eyes burned."You're murderers!"Leonardo's face darkened. "Enough. You wanted to know why the ring was a copy."He looked down at me. The tenderness from last night was gone. "The real ruby ring belongs to the Donna. You have no family to protect you. You don't even know how to defend yourself. Giving you the real ring would only put you in dan
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Chapter 4
Dawn was breaking when my plane landed in Florence.I turned off airplane mode, and dozens of messages came in at once.Most were from friends checking on me. One was from Leonardo."What do you mean?"He'd sent it three hours ago, right after his engagement ceremony ended.I stared at it for a few seconds.I felt nothing.I didn't answer. I opened his contact and blocked him.And just like that, our seven years together were over.Matteo was waiting for me at the arrivals hall.Seven years had changed him. Most of his hair was white now, and an old pair of glasses sat on his nose.When he saw me, he stopped for a moment. Then he opened his arms."Welcome back."My eyes stung. I hugged him at once."Professor, I've lost seven years. I have so much to relearn."He laughed and patted my back."Then learn it again. You still have time."Three hours earlier, Leonardo's engagement party had still been in full swing.The room was crowded and loud, but Leonardo couldn't relax.Then his phone
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Chapter 5
Leonardo's hand froze in midair. His expression finally changed.He turned to the manager, his face dark. "Where is her passport?"The manager kept his head down and avoided his gaze."I don't know. We haven't touched anything in the apartment."Panic finally set in.Leonardo pulled out his phone and called his men."Check every way out of the city. Airports, train stations, private flights. Find out where Camilla went."His men moved at once.Half an hour later, they had an answer.Leonardo stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his fingers running along the frame without him realizing it.When the report came over the phone, his hand curled into a fist."Ms. Camilla left the country yesterday while you were at the engagement ceremony.""Where did she go?" His voice was hoarse.The man on the line hesitated. "Florence."Leonardo froze.Florence. How could he have forgotten?Years ago, I'd often curled up beside him and looked through photos of the restoration project.My eyes would lig
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Chapter 6
During my first month in Florence, I was almost always the last person to leave the restoration studio.Seven years away from major fresco projects had left me rusty. Even my hands weren't as steady as before.The first time I tried a cleaning test, I held the swab near the stained wall and froze. I couldn't bring myself to touch it.Matteo stood quietly beside me. He didn't rush me. "Afraid?"I pressed my lips together and nodded. "A little.""Then go slower. Steady yourself. There's no hurry."I used to think a seven-year gap had destroyed my career.But once I returned to the workbench, I realized something. My skills weren't gone. Neither was my passion. I was just rusty.And rust could be polished away, one day at a time.Meanwhile, shortly after the engagement ceremony, Leonardo had his doctor examine Victoria.The result came back quickly.She wasn't pregnant. The report was fake.When Leonardo confronted her with the results, his face was cold.Victoria didn't seem worried. "If
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Chapter 7
Six months after I arrived in Florence, my skills had steadily returned. I was finally trusted to restore a small section of the fresco on my own.A year later, my name appeared on the first page of the project report.In the second year, Matteo put me in charge of a large section at the heart of the restoration."It's yours."I held the thick file, hardly able to believe him. "You want me to lead it?"He removed his glasses and looked at me calmly. "Who else?"I stared at the proposal in my hands, unable to hide my smile.He put his glasses back on, his eyes warm. "Nine years ago, I told you you'd lead your own project someday. It took a little longer than we expected, that's all."My eyes stung. I quickly lowered my head and pretended to sort through the papers, hiding the tears in my eyes.Little by little, the work filled the emptiness those seven lost years had left behind.That evening, I stood alone at the top of the scaffolding.The bells of Florence rang in the distance.My co
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Chapter 8
His gaze fell to the badge on my chest. Lead Restorer. He stared at the words for a long moment. Then a faint smile appeared. "You did it.""Yes." I nodded.He looked at me, his expression hard to read.A colleague came over to invite me to the celebration dinner that night. I smiled and agreed.When she left, I turned back to Leonardo.His brows were drawn together. He clearly wasn't used to standing there and waiting for someone else's attention.For seven years, that had been my role."Can we talk?"I checked the time."I have ten minutes."His brows tightened for a moment before he forced himself to relax. "That's enough."We walked to the far end of the gallery. The walls were covered with photos of the restoration. One showed me working high on the scaffolding.Leonardo stopped in front of it and stared at it. "You had a photo like this before."I looked at him in surprise. "You remember that?"He turned to me. His eyes were red. "I remember everything about you."I said nothing.
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