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Home / The Don Postponed, I Disappeared / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Don Postponed, I Disappeared: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

11 Kabanata

Chapter 1

When Marcello's message came through, I was staring at my own reflection in the mirror, clad in my wedding dress.Today was supposed to be the final walkthrough for tomorrow's ceremony, but Marcello was a no-show.Instead, all I got were those cold, blunt texts.The words on the screen were a cruel, absurd joke.Eight years. I'd fought by his side through hell and high water, bled for him, taken three bullets.And all I get is "postponed for three years" while taking the fall for a canceled wedding.I didn't cry. I didn't demand answers.I just replied, "Okay."I closed the chat and mindlessly opened Instagram. The first post on my feed was Gia's.In the photo, that diamond ring sat on her pale finger—the one that should've been mine, the ring meant for the Cartel boss's wife. In the background was a sonogram.The caption: "He chose me in the end."The comments were full of congratulations."You two are perfect together!""A baby already? The Don sure didn't waste any time."Out of hun

Chapter 2

The call abruptly ended. The dial tone was piercing in the empty room.I tossed my phone onto the sofa.Two seconds later, the screen lit up. A text from Marcello."Cora, stop making a scene, okay? Just do me this one favor.""I know these three years will be hard on you. I swear, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."I stared at the text and smirked.The rest of his life?I’d already given him my youth, my love, and my blood. Eight whole years.Nearly three thousand days and nights. Hiding in sewers to evade rival gangs, taking bullets for him in the crossfire.And now, he was going to hold another woman’s hand and make vows in front of a priest. It was the sickest joke I’d ever heard.Before I could reply, the screen flashed.He unsent the messages.A new text popped up."Unsent those. Gia gets insecure, she might overthink if she sees them. Let's just not talk for these three years."Because of his mistress's "insecurities," he wouldn't even leave an empty promise in

Chapter 3

After hanging up, I pulled out an emerald bracelet.Marcello’s mother, Carmela, had slipped it onto my wrist herself."Cora, this is passed down only to the daughters-in-law. You saved my son's life. The Cartel recognizes you."She had always been good to me and despised how Gia clung to Marcello.But now, this bracelet didn't belong to me anymore.I couriered it back to Carmela.Almost the second it was signed for, my phone rang."Cora, what is the meaning of this? Why return the bracelet?""Ma'am, I've had a change in work assignment. I'll be in Paris for three years, and the bracelet is too valuable to take with me.""Liar." Carmela cut me off sharply. "Did that bastard Marcello do something? What are these rumors online? And what's going on with that little bitch, Gia?!""Ma'am, it's really just work." I kept the truth to myself, wanting to keep some dignity intact in front of the elders."Don't try to hide it from me, I know my own son!" Carmela scoffed. "Stay right there. I'm goi

Chapter 4

"Fine, I'll do it."My tone was so eerily calm it surprised even me.To secure my escape and avoid extra trouble, I just agreed.Marcello was visibly taken aback.He hadn't expected me to agree so easily. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes before he breathed a sigh of relief."Glad you understand." His voice softened. "Your birthday is in a few days. I got your gift early.""Wait here, I'll go get it from the car."With that, he walked out of the boutique.Leaving just me and Gia in the showroom.The moment he was out of earshot, she tilted her chin, her arrogance on full display."Cora, you really are pathetic! You know I'm already his wife, and you still want to play pretend at a wedding?""So what if his mother hates me? She can't stop him from marrying me!""Tomorrow is my wedding! Marcello is my man!""And you’ll just be the homewrecker everyone despises!""Don't dream about him divorcing me for you in three years either, because..."She patted her flat stomach, smiling wick

Chapter 5

The first thing I did when I got back to the apartment was call Lucas, the boss of New York's second-largest mafia family, and Marcello's sworn enemy."Lucas, it's Cora."A chuckle came through the line. "Well, if it isn't the Don's lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?""The Cartel controls a shipping company that owns two-thirds of New York's routes. I hold 20% of its shares," I said bluntly. "Market price. It's yours."There was a two-second silence, followed by roaring laughter."Cora, you're a crazy bitch. But I love it. Deal."Half an hour later, the funds cleared.The share transfer was official.Consider it my "wedding gift" to Marcello.With that done, I pulled a small suitcase from the closet.A few clothes, my passport, and my own savings.I didn't take a single thing that belonged to the Cartel.My flight to Paris was booked for tomorrow.If I could just survive tonight, I'd be completely free.At 2:00 AM.BOOM!The reinforced apartment door was blown open.Splinters and met

Chapter 6

He truly was madly in love with her.I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes, finally spitting out three words:"I am sorry!"Marcello let go, dropping a document in front of me to sign.It was laughable. Did he really think a signature on a piece of paper meant I'd actually bear a child for Gia?But I wanted out as fast as possible, so I signed it.Seeing my quick compliance, Marcello frowned deeply, a flash of irritation in his eyes."Take her down to the basement!" he ordered coldly. "No one lets her out without my say-so. Bring her straight to the church tomorrow morning!"His guards grabbed my arms.The basement was dark, damp, and smelled of mildew.I sat quietly on an iron chair, not fighting back, just silently counting down the minutes.At 4:00 AM, the guards changed shifts.I slipped a fine steel wire from the lining of my coat and picked the old iron lock in seconds.After eight years in the mafia, authenticating art wasn't my only skill.With a clean chop to the neck, I kno

Chapter 7

I knew my father wasn't entirely driven by greed.He knew how much I loved Marcello, and he genuinely believed I was just running away out of spite, not that I actually wanted to leave him.But this time, I had truly let it go.After all my devotion was tossed aside, I couldn't just magnanimously forgive the man who betrayed me."Who he marries is his business. I couldn't care less about my place by his side."Standing on the early winter streets of Paris, I took a deep breath of free air, my tone lightening."Listen to me, Dad. He and I are completely finished."My father was furious on the other end."Finished?! You're just gonna flush eight years down the drain?! Marcello just made a mistake that any man could make!""He knows the truth now! He knows how to make it up to you! Do you have to make this so ugly?""You're giving up your spot as the Don's wife over some barren woman? You're being incredibly stupid!"I didn't want to listen to his bullshit logic anymore. I hung up and blo

Chapter 8

"The hospital? No... I'm not going to the hospital!"At Carmela's words, Gia shrieked, her eyes rolling back as she slumped limply to the floor."Gia!" Marcello reached out instinctively to catch her, but Carmela barked an order."Wake her up!"Carmela wasn't buying the act for a second. She grabbed a pitcher of ice water and dumped it ruthlessly over Gia's head."Ahhh!" The freezing water and ice cubes slammed into her face. Gia shrieked and bolted upright, her perfectly styled bridal updo instantly ruined, looking like a pathetic drowned rat.Seeing that playing dead wasn't working, Gia threw all caution to the wind.She held up her hand, flashing the ring. "I am already Marcello's legal wife! We signed the marriage certificate! It's legally binding!""I am the lady of the Cartel! None of you can kick me out!"Slap!A sharp crack echoed through the cathedral.Carmela slapped Marcello hard across the face."You idiot! You signed papers with this cheap trash?!"Carmela trembled with ra

Chapter 9

In the video, Marcello kicked Gia away as if he were dodging a disgusting virus.Gia rolled on the floor, clutching her stomach, screaming her lungs out. "Marcello, you can't do this to me! I only became like this because I love you too much! If you hadn't been so good to me, indulging me, how could I have gotten the illusion that you loved me? You gave me hope, and now you're abandoning me!"Marcello squeezed his eyes shut in agony.The hand holding the gun trembled violently, his voice laced with infinite regret. "I only ever saw you as a sister... That night, I was drunk. The lights were off. I thought... I thought you were her..."Absurd.Hearing this, I sneered and simply exited the video.I leaned back in my chair at the Parisian street café, picking up my now lukewarm Americano for a sip.Even if Marcello claimed he mistook Gia for me, I didn't feel a shred of comfort.It only made me feel more disgusted.That was no excuse for betraying me.My phone screen lit up again. A massi

Chapter 10

Marcello’s knees buckled, and he dropped heavily into the muddy puddles of the dark alley.Mud splashed onto his incredibly expensive custom trench coat, but he didn't seem to notice. He just tilted his head up, staring at me with the desperate eyes of a dying man."Cora, I took care of Gia.""I had my men break her hands and sever her Achilles tendons. We threw her out of Cartel territory. She's going to spend the rest of her life rotting in the slums like a piece of trash."He actually thought this kind of bloody revenge would move me. He was desperate to prove his repentance."I was really fooled by her! I lost my mind! But I swear, I never had any real feelings for her. You are the only one in my heart, truly, just you!"The sight was so pathetic, I actually laughed."Never had real feelings?" I looked down at him as if he were a clown. "Then how did you manage to be so deeply invested when you were sleeping with her? How did you look at her with such adoration in the bridal shop?

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