The Mafia Don's Nightmare Was My Escape

"Don Moretti, you made a promise to the Donna.

"What if she finds out Ms. Romano never left and you've put her up at your private estate? What if she makes a scene?"

I gripped the doorknob tighter. My heart sank.

Through the gap in the door, I watched Vincent gently stroke Lia's hair before replying casually to his men.

"She won't find out.

"Lia's a simple girl. She won't go making trouble in front of Eve.

"Besides, she's been with me ever since she left the convent. I can't abandon her."

I went cold at the certainty in his voice.

Vincent had rescued Lia during a shootout at the convent a year ago.

He'd been cheating on me for a whole year.

His men fell silent.

At last, Bob Ricci, his underboss, worked up the nerve to ask, "But Don, what if that dream comes true?"

Vincent took off his gloves and turned a lighter over in his hand. His cigar glowed between his fingers.

Lia spotted me at the door and gave me a triumphant smile.

She had just scooped up a spoonful of hazelnut cake and raised it to her lips.

Vincent bent down and took a bite right from her lips. He spoke like a man who'd already won.

"It was just a dream.

"Lia isn't some scheming orphan, and I'm not the idiot I was in that dream.

"Besides, Eve's family hid her after she faked her death. That's why I actually believed she was dead.

"But what if... the Alberti family went bankrupt?

"Without her family to back her up, she'd never be able to leave me."

Cigar smoke drifted around his face. He looked smug and cruel.

"You have no idea how much Eve loves me. She trusts me completely.

"A woman who loves me that much could never leave."

I stumbled back. His words cut deep.

My pregnancy test results slipped out of my bag.

The surprise I'd planned so carefully now felt like a knife in my chest.

I snatched up the paper and fled, fighting nausea and tears.

Only then did I remember: after his nightmare, Vincent had forbidden me to set foot in this very hotel.

Now here he was, kissing another woman.

I wandered through New York in a daze. Cold night air crept under my collar, but I felt even colder inside.

Somehow, I ended up at my parents' estate.

My father, Richard Alberti, was startled when I opened the door.

"Sweetheart, isn't tonight your third-anniversary dinner?

"You look terrible. Has Vincent done something to you?"

My mother, Elena Alberti, didn't notice how I trembled at Vincent's name. She immediately jumped to his defense.

"Don't be ridiculous. Before he married our daughter, Vincent hired a top Manhattan lawyer with wealthy clients and signed a prenup.

"If he hurts Eve, he won't get a penny of their marital assets. He'll owe her a fortune in damages, too."

"What prenup?"

I cut her off, unable to keep my voice steady. "Mom, where is it? Let me see it!"

Vincent's familiar signature was on the last page. I pushed aside the pain of his betrayal, picked up a pen, and signed my name: Eve Alberti.

So this was how our marriage ended. In divorce.

I contacted our family lawyer right away. Once he confirmed that the agreement was legally binding, I told my parents everything that had happened that night.

They stared at me, shocked and furious. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to speak clearly.

"Don't worry. We were already planning to expand into Switzerland, weren't we?

"Tomorrow, we'll start transferring our core assets.

"In seven days, we'll arrange an 'accident.' Then we'll all disappear from New York for good."

Vincent was so sure of himself. He seemed determined to repeat every mistake he'd made in his nightmare.

Fine. I'd make that nightmare come true.