Chapter 1

I woke up, and I was 28 again.

I had twin heirs, and my husband was Santino, Veridia's most feared Mafia Don.

He sat at the head of the Commission of the Five Families.

His sharp profile was a fixture on the cover of the underworld's most exclusive magazine for several consecutive issues.

Even the oldest Valerian families were lining up to offer him their daughters.

All the women in Altoria envied my good fortune.

But the first thing I did after waking up was pick up the divorce papers, the ink still fresh, and handed them to his childhood sweetheart, Jessy.

"My lawyer will handle the divorce. The properties and assets are yours. Santino is yours. The children are yours, too."

Sitting across from me, Jessy couldn't believe it, her eyes wide with shock.

"Are you crazy, Alessia? Is this some kind of trick?"

"How could the woman who has been Donna for six years give it all up so easily?"

I lowered my gaze, my tone calm. "Since they all prefer you, I figured it was time to step aside."

"Just have Santino sign it and press his signet ring into the wax seal."

"Once the divorce is final, I'll leave Veridia for good."

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

I would never again be a Donna in name only.

...

"Alessia, what game are you playing now?" Jessy's long, red nails tapped against the rim of her crystal glass. Her brow furrowed.

"No games. I'm just... exhausted." I met her malicious gaze, my voice calm.

"Don't you know how many women would kill for the title of Donna, just for the right to share his bed?"

"Of course I do. So, I'm giving you the chance."

I held her gaze, a bitter smile touched my lips.

Jessy was silent for a while, but finally, she dropped the act.

She snatched the thick legal document. Her eyes flew over the clauses, and a look of absolute joy bloomed on her face when she saw the transfer of properties and assets.

"Fine, Alessia. Since you're so insistent, I'll graciously accept your generous offer," she purred, her eyes gleaming with smug triumph. "

"But you'd better remember this. Once something is mine, even if you crawl back and beg me on your knees, I will never give it back."

"As you wish." I nodded to her. "I won't go back on my word."

This marriage had slowly drained the life from me.

I was truly done with the torment of my past life.

Jessy stood up and, in her stilettos, walked over to a secluded booth by the floor-to-ceiling window.

She leaned back against the leather sofa and dialed a number.

The moment the call connected, her voice turned sultry and sickeningly sweet.

"Santino, darling, I'm at the private club on the Sapphire Avenu. Could you swing by and pick me up? There's something I need to talk to you about."

I sat on the cold chair, a heavy weight pressing on my chest.

I rarely called Santino, not wanting to disturb his busy schedule.

On the rare occasions I had to call him for urgent family matters, he always had his secretary put me off.

The issues would be handled, but I never got to hear his voice.

But now, not even ten minutes had passed before the Don himself, a man constantly consumed by the family's brutal business, strode through the club's doors.

Through the window, I watched Santino walk in.

He wore a dark, custom-tailored suit that did little to hide the powerful lines of his muscles, giving him an aggressive air.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs. He was, admittedly, a man women found impossible to resist.

My twins, Leo and Sofia, spotted Jessy and immediately broke away from their bodyguards to rush toward her.

They buried their faces in her chest.

"Auntie Jessy!" Sofia squealed.

Her small hands clung to Jessy, refusing to let go.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Santino's voice was gentle, a tone he reserved only for Jessy. "The opera, or head back to the penthouse?"

Jessy smiled, a sly curl to her lips, and pulled the divorce agreement from her purse.

"Before that, a small piece of business needs the Don's seal of approval..." She deliberately flipped the document to the last page.

Santino took the stack of papers without so much as a glance at the title.

He pulled out a pen, signed his name, and pressed his family's signet ring, the symbol of his absolute power, firmly onto the paper.

"Do we really need such formalities between us?"

"Does Auntie Jessy have a new job?" Leo looked up sharply, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Papa, can Auntie Jessy take us out to play? Sofia and I want to be with her forever! We never want to be stuck at the estate looking at... Mother's boring face again."

At the mention of me, my son's expression soured.

They hadn't even acknowledged their own mother's presence since they walked in.

Santino frowned slightly, but seeing the longing in his children's eyes, he nodded. "Alright. Once this busy period is over, I'll have Jessy spend more time with you."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Jessy cooed, leaning against Santino, her thigh brushing almost imperceptibly against his suit trousers.

"My new apartment has a huge swimming pool. Leo, Sofia... and you, Santino. You can come play whenever you want."

Her gaze went soft as she looked at Santino, and the two children erupted in excited cheers.

Sofia even stood on her tiptoes to kiss Jessy's cheek. "Auntie Jessy is the best! A million times more fun than my mother!"

It felt as if a dull knife was twisting in my chest.

The despair of being utterly abandoned by my own family caught in my throat, making it impossible to breathe.

I couldn't stand the sight of this sickening "family of four" a moment longer.

I grabbed my clutch and stumbled out, desperate to escape.

The moment the cold wind hit my face, the shadows of my past life crashed down on me.

In my last life, my marriage to Santino was nothing more than a transaction, an alliance between two Mafia families.

I gave him twin heirs, and in return, I spent countless nights waiting in a cold, empty estate, enduring his endless neglect.

In the end, I never felt a single ounce of real love.

And I knew it was all because of Jessy, the woman he had placed on a pedestal.

Years ago, when Jessy ran off with another man in search of a more thrilling life, Santino locked himself in the basement and smoked for an entire night.

Too proud to chase after her, he turned around and married me, the "perfect Donna" who served his family's interests.

Santino had been the god I worshipped in my youth; every socialite in New York dreamed of being his wife.

So, when my family announced the engagement, I thought I had found heaven.

But every day of our marriage was hell.

I gave him all my love, only to be met with his constant distance and indifference.

He never mentioned divorce, not even when Jessy came back.

But at the dinner table, at banquets, his eyes would be glued to her, openly.

What broke me the most was that Leo and Sofia, the children I had carried for nine months, also naturally preferred Jessy.

They grew distant from me, their feelings bordering on hatred.

Eventually, the broken marriage drained the life out of me. I was gravely wounded in the crossfire of a family feud.

Covered in blood, I reached for Santino, but when Jessy whispered, "I'm so scared," he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the helicopter without a backward glance.

In my final moments, I watched him coldly give the order to retreat, cutting off my only chance of rescue.

It never even occurred to him to look for his wife.

As the flames consumed me, my body convulsed in agony.

Despair tore through me as I lay in the ruins.

If there was a next life, I swore I would never endure that agonizing pain again.

The torment of it had broken me. I simply did not dare to love him anymore.