Chapter 2

It was late when I returned to the estate, but I had no desire to sleep.

I started to methodically erase any trace of myself.

Santino's custom tailored suits I had meticulously designed, the plush dolls I had hand sewn for the children, the family portraits I had painted with my own hands…

I threw them, one by one, into black trash bags.

At the same time, I informed the butler to cancel all the charity galas and social events for the following month.

"Alessia, what the hell are you doing?" Santino's deep, cold voice came from the doorway.

I turned around. He was loosening his tie with one hand, the children trailing closely behind him.

His dark eyes were filled with open impatience, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Why is Mother stealing my things!" Sofia cried, running over.

When she saw her favorite stuffed bunny, the one I had stitched together by hand, being shoved into a cardboard box, her face flushed with anger and she let out a piercing shriek.

Leo also shot me a hostile look and demanded loudly, "Do you have to defy Papa with this ridiculous stunt?"

Santino's sharp, cold gaze fell on my face, as if he were looking at some hysterical woman making a scene.

"As the Donna of the Genovese family, are you really going to throw a tantrum over something so trivial and make us a laughingstock?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum," I said, meeting his eyes, my voice devoid of emotion.

"You're lying!" Sofia pointed at me. "You're just jealous that Auntie Jessy gets all of Papa's affection! That's why you're stealing our things, just to get us to notice you! You're so mean!"

"When I'm a little older, I'm moving into Auntie Jessy's apartment," Leo said, holding his sister's hand tightly and yelling at me. "And I'll never come back to see you again!"

Santino did nothing to stop their cruel words, merely watching me with a cold expression.

"Enough." He spoke coolly, his long fingers idly turning the blood-stained signet ring on his hand.

"I have turf disputes to settle. Throw away whatever you want. Just don't make a scene. Act with the dignity a Donna should have."

The moment the door closed, my tears finally hit the carpet.

My heart felt as if it had been crushed, and every breath was a stab of pain.

How could they not know the devotion I had poured into those gifts?

I had pricked my fingers countless times making that bunny and spent three sleepless nights agonizing over every detail of those clothes and paintings.

I wiped away my tears messily and looked at the chaos around me.

Suddenly, a desolate laugh escaped my lips.

Don't worry, I would never maintain that ridiculous dignity again.

Not in this lifetime.

Ever since Santino signed the divorce papers, I had stopped managing the household.

I no longer woke before dawn to iron Santino's shirts, nor did I spend hours in the kitchen perfecting his morning espresso.

I no longer wasted my energy hand crafting the children's organic lunches, nor did I bother with Sofia's complex allergy friendly diets or Leo's extracurricular schedules.

All those duties of a devoted wife and mother, once my sole mission, were now abandoned.

At first, no one at the estate even noticed anything was wrong.

After all, I was dispensable in most situations.

It wasn't until Santino's routine fell into disarray, his tailored shirts emerging as a wrinkled mess, and his meals becoming entirely unsuited to his tastes.

It wasn't until Leo threw a tantrum because his school project had been left untouched.

It wasn't until Sofia couldn't find her custom matched hair ribbons for a classmate's birthday party.

The staff ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, utterly incapable of replicating the meticulous care the Donna had always seamlessly provided.

The estate was in chaos, inside and out.

When Santino pushed open my bedroom door, I was leaning against the window, reading an old art history book.

The light from the hallway silhouetted his form.

"How long are you going to keep up this farce?" He stood at the door, not entering.

I closed the book and looked up at him, my gaze calm and empty.

"This isn't a farce."

"Then why have you abandoned all your duties as Donna?"

The masculine scent of cigars and cordite that clung to him, a scent I once craved, now only made me sick.

"Still throwing a fit over Jessy?"

"I'm not throwing a fit." I set the book aside. "I'm simply not going to do it anymore."

Santino strode forward, his large hand slamming down on the back of my chair. "Give me a reason."

"I'm tired."

"The family has plenty of people. Let one of the women eager to take my place do it."

I vividly remembered how, in my last life, I had poured every ounce of my being into this family.

The menus for his sensitive stomach had to be personally cooked by me. The mud and stains on his coats, crafted from delicate materials that strictly forbade machine washing, had to be painstakingly scrubbed and treated by my own hands.

I took pains to hire the best tutors for their etiquette lessons. I even personally sanitized every corner of their playroom so they wouldn't get sick.

And what did I get in return? Santino saved all his tenderness for Jessy.

The children became completely dependent on "Auntie Jessy's" sweet smiles.

And me? I was left to burn to death in the cold ruins.

"Alessia." His voice dropped, turning icy. "If you have a problem with me, say it to my face. Don't play these games like some classless woman."

I gave a self-deprecating smirk. "I've told you, I'm not playing games. I just..."

Before I could finish, the study door was pushed open.

Leo and Sofia stormed in, their small faces twisted in anger.

"It's because Mother doesn't want to do any work, right?" Sofia's voice cut in.

"We want Auntie Jessy to be our new mother! She plays all sorts of new and exciting games with us!"

Leo chimed in loudly, "Auntie Jessy is prettier than you, smarter than you, and a million times better than you! She's the one who deserves Papa. She should be the real Donna!"

Santino just stared at me, as if waiting for me to surrender, to beg for his forgiveness like I always had.

But I just took a deep breath and said softly, "If you all think she's so wonderful, then bring her to the estate. I have no objection."

The air in the study instantly froze.

His expression darkened.

"Are you sure?" he asked, enunciating every word as he grabbed my wrist.

It hurt, but I pulled away, my own words clear and firm. "Absolutely."

"Papa, let's go!" Sofia tugged at Santino's clothes impatiently.

"I want Auntie Jessy to move in right now! I bet she'll buy me the most expensive things!"

"Once Auntie Jessy is here, we won't need you anymore! You can go wherever you want. The Genovese family doesn't need you!"

Santino gave me one last, deep look. Seeing that I remained completely still, not even a flicker of an eyelash, he let out a cold snort and turned, leading the two triumphant children away.

I sat frozen, listening to their fading footsteps, before slumping against the door and sliding down to the cold floor.

Soon, they would get exactly what they wanted.

And I would finally be free of this Don, his family, and the life that was burying me.