All Chapters of When I'm Not the Madre: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Vincenzo's harsh words still echoed in my ears.I lowered the phone. As the screen went dark, the last flicker of light in my eyes died out completely.I quickly confirmed the appointment at the abortion clinic, one I had found long ago, far from the new dock.This time, I would make a clean break with him and with the twelve years of obsession I had clung to.I turned and walked away from the dock. The evening wind, carrying the smell of salt and fish, swept across my cheeks. Yet, its warmth couldn't reach the chill deep in my heart.Instead of returning to the villa, I found a secluded guesthouse and curled up on the couch. Fragments of the past surged through my mind, only to fade into a numb silence.I was about to nod off when my phone suddenly rang.It was the family butler, Pietro Vecchio."Miss Giordano, there's been an accident at the new dock!" he said urgently in a trembling voice. "The container storing the arms exploded unexpectedly, and half the dock's cargo ships

Lying on the operating table, I instinctively touched my abdomen. This was where a tiny life had once been growing. He should have been a testament to the love between Vincenzo and me, but now, he was nothing but a bitter reminder.As the anesthesiologist prepared to administer the injection, soft footsteps approached from the doorway. It wasn't the nurse I had dealt with before, but an unfamiliar face. Her eyes shifted uneasily, her fingers gripping a sealed syringe tightly.Instantly, every alarm in my mind went off. As expected, Elena couldn't resist making her move. All these years, she had seen me as a thorn in her side. Driving Mom to her death wasn't enough, and now, she wouldn't even spare the baby in my womb."Which department are you from? You're not the nurse I spoke with earlier." I deliberately slowed my speech while quietly reaching under the pillow. Hidden there was a voice recorder I had prepared long ago.I pressed the record button.The unfamiliar nurse grew even

One day, a Soldato delivered a recording to me. It was a conversation between my father, Luigi Giordano, and a black-market dealer.In it, he clearly admitted that, in order to embezzle the funds from that arms shipment, he had deliberately tampered with the container's wiring to cause the explosion and even planned the entire accident as a cover-up.There was also a medical report on Mom. It revealed that, one month before her death, Mom had been continuously dosed with hallucinogenic drugs, leading to her mental breakdown and eventual "suicide".The doctor who prescribed the medication was a distant relative of Elena's who had since emigrated abroad.After I compiled this evidence, I sent it anonymously to several senior members within the family who had long been dissatisfied with Vincenzo. They were veterans who had fought alongside my grandfather, Edoardo Prodi, to build the family's legacy.Moreover, they held deep affection for Mom, had always disapproved of Dad and Elena's

Vincenzo remained on his knees, muttering over and over, "I was wrong."But I couldn't even be bothered to spare him a glance. After all, a man like him didn't deserve my forgiveness, much less a place in my sight."Take him away and lock him in the basement," I commanded my Soldato coldly. "Let him truly experience the suffering Ettore and I endured there all those years."Vincenzo looked up in terror. "Isabella, no! I know I was wrong. Please spare me!""Spare you?" I let out a cold laugh. "When Ettore and I were starving, freezing, and being beaten in the basement, who spared us? When my mom was driven to her death, who spared her? Vincenzo, this is the retribution you deserve."My Soldato stepped forward and dragged Vincenzo away. He struggled and roared, but no one paid him any attention.Watching him being dragged away, pitiful and powerless, I felt no trace of sympathy. Instead, there was only the satisfaction of finally seeing justice served.Seeing the situation turning