All Chapters of When the Last Rejection Turned Into a Plea: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

It was the last time I ever set foot in the Falcone family's law firm. I could feel the cold marble grinding under my feet, and every step sent a shooting pain through my body.My leukemia was so far gone that I could barely walk, and even breathing was a struggle. "I would like to file for a divorce from Don Falcone."The lawyer in his fancy suit looked me over with pity in his eyes. "Did you come alone? That isn't how things are usually done—"It was probably how sickly and thin I appeared that made him speak so gently.After all those years of marriage, Rocco Falcone never even gave me a proper wedding to make it official. He rarely brought me along to important family events.That was why most people in the Falcone family had no clue I was married to the Don.I calmly cut him off. "It doesn't matter. I'm already dying. I don't need them."The words were barely out of my mouth when the door slammed open. Rocco yelled, "What the hell are you doing, Claire?"I turned and found

I stayed awake through the night. At daybreak, I heard car engines downstairs. My parents and Sofia were back.Even from afar, their angry shouts reached me from outside the door. "You've got some nerve showing your face here, Claire!"The door slammed open. Anthony Moretti—my dad and a capo of the Falcone family—glared at me. "You ruined Sofia's celebration. Meanwhile, she was in tears, begging us to forgive you. Don't you feel any shame? Apologize to her now."I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, telling myself that I only have to put up with this for two more days.There was a time he used to be protective of me like that. I remembered him comforting me when I got nervous handling a gun for the first time. "It's fine, Claire. Everyone goes at their own pace."If I fell behind in learning the ropes of the family business, he would personally walk me through the basic stuff again and again without getting annoyed.Things changed after Sofia showed up, though. She handled the

I dragged my suitcase to this run-down motel on the edge of town. The whole place smelled musty and felt dated. The wallpaper was peeling, and the carpet was covered in stains.But for someone who got exiled like me, this was the only place I could afford.In the middle of the night, a sharp pain ripped me out of a nightmare. The cancer had spread, and it felt like needles were stabbing my bones. Every single breath was agony.I curled up under the thin blanket, and memories from childhood came flooding back. I was only 14 years old back then, and my family's private lessons had just started.Sofia always "kindly" picked out the perfect outfits for me. However, every time I put on the clothes she handed me, the fabric would make my skin itch and sting like crazy.It got so bad that I passed out from the pain in class and broke out in hives. Everyone just thought I was being dramatic and couldn't handle the stress of the lessons. Only I knew it wasn't an allergy, though.My tutor

Rocco's POVBack at Falcone headquarters, I called a meeting with the capos to address the territory dispute with the rival family.Suddenly, my encrypted phone buzzed with an alert. It was an encrypted email from Claire.I impatiently tapped on it, but part of me was relieved that she had finally reached out. "What is she up to this time?"She finally caved in and wanted to make up. Yet, when the recording started playing, my face went as white as a sheet.Sofia's voice came through clear as day. "I started slipping a slow-acting poison into your supplements when you were 14. I was also the one who shoved you off the platform. You can't imagine how happy I was, watching you grow weaker day by day."The audio cut off abruptly, and the room fell into dead silence. The capos exchanged glances in shock, not knowing what to say.I couldn't shake the empty feeling inside, and I knew it was connected to what happened to Claire.I froze for a second before losing it. "This must be fak

Rocco's POVWithout a word, Rosa led us through the restaurant and opened the door to a room at the back.When we finally saw the body covered by a white sheet, Anthony, Lily, and I were stunned. Even the air grew heavy.My voice shook, as if weighed down by a dark premonition. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you bring us here? Is this some kind of joke?"I stormed forward and yanked the sheet off. The moment I saw that familiar face, my world came crashing down. It was Claire, my wife.She lay there, looking so calm, like she was just sleeping. She sported a faint smile, as if she was finally free from all the agony. Unfortunately, she would never wake up again.The thread holding me together seemed to have snapped, and a wave of agony washed over my entire being.The pain was a million times worse than any gunshot wound. It felt like someone had pushed a dagger straight into my heart. Even though I was the Don, I totally fell apart, and I could barely even stand.Lily