The Don’s Wife Was Never Running

An hour later, the old Don and Donna left, carrying the babies with them to show off to the family capos. And Vincent took care of some family business. The house fell quiet, just the two of us. Sofia saw me out on the balcony. She made her way over slowly."Mrs. Capelli, I know you hate me. And I don’t blame you. But I love Vincent. And I love my boys. I would never do anything to hurt you or the family."I stared at her, cold and steady. "You already did."She flinched, like I’d slapped her. "I know you don’t believe me," she said, her voice trembling. "But I just want us to get along. For the boys."I turned and walked out of the mansion. There's no point wasting breath on a whore who doesn't know her place.The Long Island safe house was cold and empty. I’d only stayed here a handful of times, usually when there was a hit out on Vincent or me. Now it felt like the only place in the world I could breathe.I sat on the couch in the dark, from sunset to sunrise. The only sound was

The baptism was held at the old Catholic church in Brooklyn, the same church where Vincent and I had gotten married.I showed up alone, wearing a simple black dress. The whole room turned to stare at me as I walked in. I could feel their pity, their judgment, their curiosity.At the front of the church, Vincent stood beside Sofia. He was wearing a black suit, his hair combed back perfectly. Sofia was wearing a white lace dress, her arm linked through his, the diamond necklace Vincent had given her glinting around her neck She looked like the Don’s wife. Not me.The old Don walked over to me, his face stern. "Go stand with your husband."I didn’t move.The ceremony passed in a blur. I didn’t hear a word the priest said. I just stared at the two babies in the priest’s arms, wondering how two screaming brats had burned my whole world to ash.After the ceremony, everyone moved to the mansion for the reception.The old Donna cornered me by the buffet table. "Go hold one of the boys. It

For the next fourteen days, Elijah Luciano kept his word.He turned the entire west wing of his Manhattan penthouse over to me, a sprawling suite with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park, a private library, and a sunroom filled with white lilies.That's my favorite flower, though I'd never told anyone that.But Elijah knew it. Maybe it was never just about the life debt.A private nurse named Margaret was on call 24/7, and Dr. Hale showed up every morning at nine sharp and every evening at six, never late, never rushed.Elijah personally oversaw every single meal.He'd sit in the kitchen with the chef for an hour every morning, going over the day's menu, making sure every ingredient was fresh and every dish was exactly what Dr. Hale had prescribed.He'd bring my breakfast to my bed on a silver tray, with a single white rose in a small vase, and he'd sit quietly in the armchair while I ate, reading the newspaper or answering emails on his phone.He never pushed me to talk

The next three days were the worst of Vincent Capelli's life.He camped outside Elijah's penthouse, sitting in his car for hours on end, staring up at the windows, waiting for me to come out.He sent flowers every hour, on the hour.He sent letters, dozens of them, handwritten, his handwriting shaky and uneven, telling me how much he loved me, how much he missed me, how empty the mansion was without me.He even climbed the fire escape to the west wing one night, banging on my window, begging me to let him in.Elijah's security guards dragged him away, but he fought them, screaming my name, until they had to restrain him.The papers had a field day.The Don of the Capelli family, reduced to a lovesick fool, camped outside his rival's penthouse. The headlines were brutal."CAPELLI LOSES HIS MIND OVER EX-WIFE.""THE FALL OF A DON."His capos begged him to stop."Don Capelli, you're destroying the family," Tony said, finding him sitting in his car in the rain, staring up at my window."The