All Chapters of The Mafia Don’s Forgotten Wife: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“She was upset then, too,” I said. “I invited her for coffee afterward and spoke to her seriously about the work. That was how we got the conversation going again.”He looked down at the list.“You never told me how much you did.”“You never asked.”That night, he did not ask me to help one more time. He closed the door gently behind him.At breakfast the next morning, I saw three names written on the first page of his notebook. One of them was Antonio’s daughter.It was the first time he had tried to keep track of those relationships himself.Later, my mind returned to the drive from the family club to the estate after the dinner where I had announced the divorce.Matteo had said nothing when the car pulled away. Streetlights passed across the window. I leaned back against the seat, still aching where I had been operated on.After a long while, he said, “Don’t take what Nico said to heart.”“I heard him.”“He’s seventeen. He thinks he knows everything.”“He knows more than you think.”

Matteo turned the camera back.“I slept in the guest room,” he added.Once, a single explanation from him might have relieved me. I would have told myself I had worried for nothing.This time, I said, “All right.”“Elena, I’m talking to you.”“I heard you.”“You announced you wanted a divorce at the club yesterday, and this morning all you care about is whether Nico misses school. What do you actually want?”“I was clear yesterday.”“You’re still angry about Sofia.”“She’s part of it.”“She hasn’t done the things you think she has.”“Matteo, I’ve made an appointment with my lawyer,” I said. “We can discuss the arrangements afterward.”His expression changed at once.“You’ve already contacted a lawyer?”“Yes.”“You can’t privately decide to end our marriage because of one argument.”“I’ve decided that I want a divorce. We can discuss the rest.”I ended the call.My palms were damp when I put down the phone.I still felt it. Each time I said I wanted a divorce aloud, my body remembered t

The house manager called to ask whether I wanted to see Sofia when she arrived.I thought for a moment, then had her shown into the sitting room.She wore a pale suit and carried a handbag. On entering, she looked around.“It’s been years since I came here,” she said. “The decor has barely changed.”“What did you want to see me about?”She sat down, her smile fading.“Matteo says you really have hired a lawyer. I came to tell you not to throw away your marriage just to compete with me.”I waited.Sofia leaned forward.“You know how long Matteo and I have known each other. If I hadn’t gone to Europe back then, you wouldn’t have had a chance to marry him.”“You’ve said that before.”“There’s something I never told you.” She watched me. “He made time to see me every year. He was with me even on the day Nico was born.”My fingers tightened around the handle of my cup.I had planned to give birth to Nico without surgery. When complications arose, the doctor told me I needed an operation. Ma

“You didn’t like me asking,” I said. “Then I started asking less, and that upset you too.”“Because you suddenly stopped caring!”“I know. It felt sudden to you. I should have told you sooner that I get tired too, and that what you say can hurt me. Instead, I kept saying everything was fine until one day I stopped.”He looked up.“So you decided to go?”“I decided to leave your father. I want to work, and I want to live somewhere else for a while. I didn’t make that choice because you did badly on a test or shouted at me that day.”“But I said some awful things.”“Yes. They hurt. You need to take responsibility for saying them, but you don’t have to believe you destroyed this family by yourself.”Nico turned his cup halfway around.“Sofia said you’d rather work than stay with me.”“You can decide what you think,” I said. “She doesn’t get to answer for you.”We did not resolve everything that day.Before we parted, he asked, “Will you come to the science fair before you leave?”“If I ca

“You used to find ways to get both sides to the table for me.”“We still needed to know what was being offered before we sat down.”He studied me. For the first time, he seemed to understand that maintaining his relationships had never meant saying yes to everyone.That evening, Matteo put the anniversary dinner invitation on my desk.“Your name is already printed on it.”The invitation listed us as attending together.“They can change it.”“You used to care when I didn’t take you to these events.”“I did. I wanted to go then.”He stared at me.“You keep saying things like that lately. It’s as if you’ve already taken yourself out of this family.”“I’m trying to.”Matteo came closer and reached to embrace me from behind.The moment his hand touched my shoulder, I thought of what Sofia had said about the day Nico was born. My stomach turned. I stepped away and hurried into the bathroom.He followed me to the door.“What’s wrong?”“My stomach feels unsettled.”He hesitated. “You don’t thi