All Chapters of The Don’s Mysterious Nanny : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Sleep was impossible.I lay in my Naples penthouse bed, staring at the ceiling while my mind raced through endless possibilities.What if Marco was wrong?What if it was just someone who resembled Vanessa?What if it was her, but she'd chosen to forget me deliberately?The questions circled like vultures, picking at every hope I'd tried to bury over the past three weeks.By four in the morning, I gave up pretending I could rest.I stood at the window overlooking the harbor, watching fishing boats prepare for their daily journey into the Mediterranean.Somewhere in this city was a woman who might be the love of my life.A woman who had no idea that her supposed death had nearly destroyed me.How do you approach someone who doesn't remember you?How do you reintroduce yourself to a person who once knew every scar on your body, every fear in your heart?---Mrs. Ciro found me in the kitchen at dawn, fully dressed and nursing my third cup of coffee."Alessandro, mio caro, you look terribl

Marco's voice crackled through the phone, clinical and matter-of-fact."The accident happened 3 months ago. Single car collision on the coastal road outside Salerno."I stood at the window of my Naples penthouse, watching the harbor while my world shifted beneath my feet.3 months.She'd been gone for 3 months while I'd mourned her death.While I'd tried to rebuild my marriage.While I'd held my daughter and pretended everything was normal."What else?""A businessman found her unconscious by the roadside around midnight. No witnesses."My free hand clenched into a fist."And the memory loss?""Traumatic brain injury. Partial amnesia. According to her medical records, she couldn't remember after her brother's death."The irony wasn't lost on me.The woman who'd spent months trying to escape her past had finally succeeded, courtesy of twisted metal and damaged neural pathways.I closed my eyes, imagining her waking up alone in a hospital bed with no memory of what had happened over the

"Dada! Dada!"Aria's squeal of delight cut through the air the moment I stepped through the front door.She was already running toward me on unsteady legs, her dark curls bouncing with each determined step.The sight of her nearly brought me to my knees.I dropped my briefcase and swept her into my arms, breathing in the familiar scent of baby shampoo and pure innocence."Did you miss me, principessa?"She wrapped her small arms around my neck and held on like she never intended to let go.Over her head, I saw Isabella watching from the doorway to the kitchen, a smile playing at her lips."We both missed you," she said softly.The dining room table was set with our best china and candles.Isabella had made brasato al Barolo—braised beef in wine sauce that took hours to prepare properly.One of my favorite dishes.The one she only made for special occasions."You didn't have to go to all this trouble," I said, settling Aria in her high chair."It's not every day my husband comes home f

The apartment was finally starting to feel like home.I'd found a small table at a secondhand market and two mismatched chairs that worked perfectly together.The walls were still mostly bare except for Alessandro's painting, but I'd bought a few plants that seemed to thrive in the morning sunlight.It wasn't much, but it was mine.Every stick of furniture, every placement decision, every small improvement—all of it came from my own choices and my paycheck.The independence was intoxicating.And terrifying.My first utility bill had been a shock.Not because the amount was unreasonable, but because I'd never had to budget for electricity and water, and gas before.Ace's apartment had been all-inclusive, a cocoon of comfort where I never had to think about the practical realities of adult life.Now I was learning about grocery budgets and cooking for one and the particular loneliness that came with eating dinner at a small table by yourself.But even the loneliness felt like progress.

I sat alone in our bedroom, staring at the sapphire necklace Alessandro had given me just hours ago.The stones caught the lamplight, throwing blue fire across my trembling fingers.A parting gift.That's what it had been, though I hadn't understood it then.Alessandro had been saying goodbye with expensive jewelry and property deeds, trying to ease his guilty conscience with Italian villas and precious gems.As if anything could compensate for the humiliation of being rejected by my husband.As if anything could make up for three years of fighting for a man's attention only to lose to a ghost.The look in his eyes when he'd pushed me away would haunt me forever.Not anger.Not frustration.Complete indifference.Like touching me was a chore he could no longer stomach.Like the woman who'd borne his child, who'd rebuilt herself to be worthy of his love, who'd eliminated his greatest threat—like I was nothing more than an inconvenience standing between him and whatever he wanted."Afte