Lahat ng Kabanata ng Vanished Wife: The Don's Mad Regret: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

It had been five years since I married Vincenzo Corleone, the Don of the Corleone family.It was our wedding anniversary that night. Vincenzo got home and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on the crown of my head and said tenderly, "Thanks for this, amore mio."I turned slightly to avoid his touch and plated the dessert. "It's nothing. I'm just doing my part."This was always what he had been like throughout our five years of marriage. He remembered everything I couldn't eat, brought my travel-friendly meals whenever he went on trips, and even sat beside me with a glass of warm water when I stayed up late testing new recipes.Everyone envied me for marrying the most powerful man in San Aurelio and winning his unreserved tenderness, but only I knew that it came with an expiration date.Vincenzo picked up a dessert fork and tasted a bite. His usual approval colored his eyes. "Yours is still the best. By the way, the Villo family is hosting a ba

"I didn't push Lina." My voice stayed calm. "She fell on her own and tried to pin it on me. Vincenzo, did you actually see me push her?"Vincenzo hesitated, then said, "Even if you didn't, you shouldn't have argued with her. Today is her big day.""Her big day?" I pointed at the plate of pasta, my voice suddenly rising. "She won this award with my recipe, lied her way into everyone's praise, and trampled over my work to get her 'big day'! You know the truth, and you're still going to protect her, aren't you?"Just then, a server rushed in and announced, "Congratulations, Ms. Villo! Your tomato-basil pasta made the cover of a prestigious newspaper. Food critics are calling it this year's most stunning dish!"Lina immediately beamed through her tears and nestled into Vincenzo's arms. "That's amazing! Vincenzo, I knew I could do it!"He looked at her with a gentle smile I hadn't seen in a long time. It felt like an ice-honed blade driven straight into my heart. Then, when he turned t

As all that was happening, I was on a fishing boat headed to a small coastal town called Castelloro.I took out my phone, slid my finger over the name "Vincenzo" in my contacts, and looked at the photo I'd saved with his number. It was one of us. In it, he held me with a bright smile on his face and rows of roses in the estate behind us. That was us three years ago—the version of us I thought would last a lifetime.I deleted everything tied to him—photos, texts, social media accounts. I even wiped the cloud backups. Then, I powered off the phone and tossed it into the cold sea.Starting now, there wouldn't be the Corleone family's Donna, Isabella. There would only be Isabella Rossi, who lived for herself.Giuseppe had already prepared new identification for me, erasing any trace of my connection to San Aurelio. This carefully staged "fall into the sea" was the funeral that cut me off from my past for good.…Castelloro sat by the water. The place Giuseppe found for me was on a qu

All the diners paused, watching us with curiosity and whispering among themselves.I frowned, moved in front of the bar, and tried to keep my voice even. "Lina, this is my bistro. You need to leave.""Leave?" Lina let out a cold laugh, sweeping her jealous gaze around the place. "You used my recipes to make all this money, and now you want me to leave? You're shameless, Isabella!""Your recipes?" I arched a brow, anger surging up. "Get it straight, Lina. The recipes are mine! You stole my recipe book and copied everything in there! You used my work to win yourself credit, and now you're turning it around on me?""You say I'm slandering you?" Her emotions spiked, and her voice rose to almost hysterical levels. "If not for you, why would Vincenzo be so cold to me now? If you hadn't faked your death, he wouldn't have gone crazy looking for you! He wouldn't have stopped caring about my baby! It's all your fault! You ruined everything for me!"Her screeching frightened a little girl ne

"Yes." I nodded, firm and without a trace of hesitation.Vincenzo looked at me, the light in his eyes slowly fading until all that remained was endless despair. He said nothing else as he turned and walked back to his car.The car pulled away and disappeared at the end of the block.I let out a breath. My knees buckled, and I almost collapsed. Marco caught me. His voice was gentle with concern as he asked, "Are you okay?""I'm fine." I leaned into his arms, silent tears sliding down and soaking his shirt. "Grazie, Marco."He patted my back lightly and said tenderly, "It's all over now."…After Vincenzo left, Castelloro settled back into its quiet rhythm. I thought he would give up and return to San Aurelio, but I was wrong. He stayed and rented a small house in town, settling down there.He didn't bother me again. Sometimes, I saw him sitting at the cafe across from the bistro, watching me from a distance. His gaze was a complicated mix of regret, pain, and a hint of stubbornn