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Chapter 2

Auteur: Eternity
Lila's voice drifted down the hallway.

"That sapphire necklace you gave her must have cost millions. All I asked for was a simple diamond ring, and you said no."

Vincenzo pushed her off his lap and sat up, lighting a cigarette.

"How dare you compare yourself to her? She's the woman I love with all my heart, my Donna. Know your place. I'm only doing this because Elena hasn't been able to get pregnant, and the family needs an heir."

Lila pouted and wrapped her arms around his neck, stamping her foot petulantly.

"I know. And besides, I'm more likely to get pregnant only when I'm in a good mood, you know?"

Vincenzo sighed, then reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a sapphire necklace exactly like the one he'd given me—same cut, same carat, just a slightly different chain.

"I bought you one too. But you can't wear it. If Elena finds out, she'll leave. And if she leaves, I'll go crazy."

Lila's face lit up. She kissed him greedily, her hands tangling in his hair.

"You really love her so much? Vincenzo?"

"Of course I love her." His voice dropped to a low, reverent tone, no trace of mockery.

"She's the most important woman in my life. My Donna will only ever be her. All these silly games I play with you? I'd never dare do them to her. It would be a desecration."

He pushed her back down onto the bed, and her moans echoed through the silent house.

I pressed my hand hard against my mouth, biting down until I tasted blood, to muffle my sobs.

Our wedding photo hung on the wall right beside me.

In it, Vincenzo was smiling, his arms wrapped around me, looking like the happiest man alive. It was a lie. Everything had been a lie.

Three more days, and I'm gone.

I woke up the next morning to find Vincenzo in the living room, hosting a business associate.

We were all sipping coffee when the front door slammed open.

The associate's wife stormed in, her face contorted with rage, and slapped him hard across the face.

"You bastard! You've been cheating on me with your secretary for six months! I quit my job to take care of our family, and this is how you repay me?"

The man turned bright red, grabbing her roughly by the arm.

"Shut the fuck up! All men cheat. It's just how it is. Get over it."

Vincenzo's face turned ice cold.

He stepped forward, yanking the man's hand off his wife and shoving him backward.

"Get out of my house. And don't ever show your face around me again. I don't do business with men who betray their wives."

He watched the man stumble out, then turned to me, his expression softening instantly.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.

"Don't listen to that garbage, amore. He's a worthless piece of shit. Not all men are like that. I would never hurt you like that. You're the only one for me, always."

I looked up into his dark eyes.

He stilled for a heartbeat, then cupped my face in his hands.

"I will only ever love you. I would never betray you. Never."

I searched his face, looking for any hint of the truth. But there was nothing.

"You'll love me for a lifetime?"I whispered."But a lifetime is so long."

He pulled me close, pressing his forehead against mine.

"It is. But my life means nothing without you. You're my everything."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"What if you do betray me? What then?"

"If I ever betray you," he swore, "may a bullet find my heart before the sun sets. I swear it on my father's grave."

The vow was almost funny.

His skin still reeked of jasmine. His sheets were stained with Lila's lipstick. And yet he could stand here and swear his loyalty like he meant every single word.

"You really mean that?"

"I swear it. No one in this world knows how deep my love for you runs. If you don't believe me, take my gun right now and put a bullet in my heart."

I stared at him, thinking, If you're so willing to give me your life, why can't you just control yourself?

Before I could say anything, a voice cut in from the doorway.

"Good morning, you two."

Lila was standing there, wearing a tight black silk dress that left nothing to the imagination.

She leaned lazily against the doorframe, a slow smile playing on her lips.

Vincenzo's arms tightened around me, his jaw clenching.

"Why are you dressed like that? Where the hell are you going?"

It wasn't the voice of a man looking out for his dead friend's sister. It was the voice of a man who thought he owned her.

Lila's smile widened.

"There's a charity luncheon at the Ritz today. I thought I'd go find myself a nice boyfriend. That way, you don't have to worry about me anymore."

Vincenzo's eyes darkened with possessive rage, but Lila just turned to me.

"What about you, Elena? Any plans for today?"

Vincenzo didn't let me answer. His fingers laced through mine, squeezing so tight it hurt.

"Elena and I are going to the Il Nonno’s for Sunday lunch. She's been asking for us nonstop. The whole family will be there."

She gave a polite little nod, said goodbye, and walked away, leaving behind that faint, sickening scent of jasmine.

And Vincenzo? He still hadn't let go of my hand.
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  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 10

    Three weeks later, I called my best friend Sophia in Boston. I hadn’t spoken to her since I left. I’d been too scared Vincenzo would hurt her because I left. But now that he knew where I was, there was no point in hiding anymore.She picked up on the first ring, her voice cracking with relief. “Elena? Oh my God, are you okay? I’ve been worried sick about you.” We talked for an hour. She told me about the gallery, about how all my paintings had sold out within days of the divorce going viral, collectors paying ten times their original price. Then she hesitated. “There’s something you should know. About Lila.”I froze, my hand resting on my swollen belly. “What about her?”“Vincenzo threw her out the day he found out you left. He gave her five million dollars, saying it was Marco’s final pension. But then he sent a formal notice to every crime family in the Northeast, every companies on the East Coast.”“He said anyone who hired her would be considered an enemy of the Moretti family.

  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 9

    I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong.A week later, I woke up to the sound of hammering. I looked out the window.On the empty piece of land next to my cabin, a crew of men was building a small wooden house. Exactly like mine.Two weeks later, the house was finished. A single man moved in.He never even looked at me. But he was always there.When I went for a walk along the lake, he was there, walking fifty feet behind me. When I drove into town for groceries, his truck was always two cars behind mine.I called the police. They came and talked to him.But he wasn’t breaking any laws. The police told me there was nothing they could do. I was furious. I knew it was Vincenzo. He’d sent this man, Rocco, to watch me.This went on for a month. The man never spoke to me, never did anything to threaten me. But he was always there.Then one rainy afternoon, I was walking back from the general store with a bag of groceries. My foot slipped on a muddy patch of road, and I stumbled, t

  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 8

    The day I’d signed the divorce papers, I’d flown to Auckland.I’d driven hours to the cabin, and when I’d walked through the door, I’d broken down crying.For the first time in three years, I was free.I didn’t miss Boston. I didn’t even miss Vincenzo. He was dead to me.Now, seven months pregnant, I was happier than I’d ever been.The next day, I’d woken up with a sharp pain in my stomach.I was worried about the baby, so I called Dr. Henderson, the respected local doctor who’d treated my parents when they owned the cabin.I told myself it was nothing, that it was just normal pregnancy pain.An hour later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and Dr. Henderson was standing there, holding his medical bag. But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.Vincenzo was right behind him.Dr. Henderson spoke first, his voice apologetic. “He said he’s your husband. He knew every detail about you. Your birthday, your parents’ names. I had no reason not to believe him.”Before I co

  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 7

    He slammed the door in her face and locked it. Through the window, he watched her stand there for a minute, crying and screaming, before she turned and walked away. He never saw her again.Later, Enzo handed him my prenatal report. Vincenzo sat on the couch with it for twenty straight hours, not moving, not speaking.The next day, Vincenzo handed over full control of the Moretti empire to Enzo. “Run it,” he said, throwing his keys on the desk. “I don’t care what you do with it. Just don’t bother me unless someone is trying to kill me.”“Boss, you can’t just leave. The family needs you—”“The family can go to hell,” Vincenzo said, grabbing his coat. “The only thing I need is Elena. And I’m not coming back until I find her.”Vincenzo flew to New Zealand the next day. He didn’t know where I was. All he knew was that I’d landed in Auckland. He rented a car and drove from one end of the country to the other, stopping in every small town, every village, every remote cabin. He carried a

  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 6

    Vincenzo had frowned, taking the phone. The screen was open to a CNN breaking news article, the headline blaring in bold black letters: BOSTON MAFIA QUEEN ELENA MORETTI FILES FOR DIVORCE, WALKS OUT OF CITY HALL ALONE. Below the headline was a video, and when he pressed play, he heard my voice saying the words that would break him forever: “I’m getting divorced...I'm going to the hospital for a prenatal checkup.”He watched the video seventeen times in a row. Around him, his men stood in silence, their heads bowed, too afraid to say a word. They all knew what I meant to him. They’d watched him burn down half the city for me, kill men without a second thought for looking at me the wrong way, give up a billion-dollar deal just to avenge my parents. They’d never seen him like this. His eyes empty, like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest.“Where is she?” he finally whispered, his voice hoarse.Enzo swallowed hard. “She left three days ago, Boss. Took a private jet to Auckl

  • The Last Thing the Don Expected Was Divorce   Chapter 5

    I turned slowly. Vincenzo stood in the warehouse shadows, his face drained of color, the hand holding his cigar crushed to ash. "What visa?" His voice was low, graveled with a fear I'd never heard before. I forced a faint smile, tucking my phone into my pocket. "One of my gallery apprentices. She's moving to New Zealand to study, asked about the paperwork."He stared at me for a long, heavy second, then lunged forward and crushed me against his chest. His whole body was shaking. "Don't ever leave me, Elena," he whispered into my hair, his voice raw. "I just had this feeling... like you were going to vanish. I can't breathe without you." I patted his back gently, my heart already miles away. That afternoon, while he was locked in a bloodthirsty negotiation with the Irish mob over the waterfront routes, I slipped out through the warehouse back door,told the security detail I was going to visit my parents' grave, then hailed a cab to the Consulate.My hands trembled as I signed f

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