Hope Bagel

Before I turned eighteen, I was the adored principessa of the Moretti family. That all changed on my eighteenth birthday, when my father brought home an orphan girl named Carina. "She needs a home," my father said. "You will look after her, like a sister." From that moment on, nothing was the same. My brother, who once doted on me, became cold and distant. And my fiancé... his love for me seemed to halve overnight. The family praised Carina for being gentle and obedient, calling her a far better daughter than me, their own flesh and blood. After being cast aside for Carina one too many times, I finally broke and grabbed my father's sleeve. "Does blood mean nothing at all?" My father's fury ignited. He sheltered a tear-stricken Carina behind him, and in front of every member of the family, he struck me across the face. "You selfish waste. I wish I'd never had you." "You bring shame to this family," my brother Marco's voice was as cold as a blade. "Get out." And my fiancé, Vincent, looked at me with disappointment,"If only it had been Carina I was engaged to from the start." They thought I would grovel at their feet, like I always did. But I said nothing, just walked to the family safe, removed the official documents, and drew a single line through my name. I took the engagement ring from my finger and placed it on the table. I gave Carina everything they felt I didn't deserve. After all, I only had a few days left to live. But they had no idea then that amid the ruins of the Moretti family, they would one day kneel in the rain and plead for my return.

As my body was pulled from the desolate marsh, Kian, the Alpha I had been mated to for ten years, was in the middle of his Mating Ceremony with his Beta, Sienna. My rotting corpse was mangled beyond recognition by layers of different wolfsbane poisons, my very bones stained black by the toxin's deep penetration. Even the pack's eldest healer retched at the sight of it. But, Kian, seemingly unfazed by the gruesome discovery, exchanged vows with Sienna before the Moon Altar. They received the blessings of the entire pack, while no one remembered me, even though I had only been missing for three months. It wasn't until my brother Ronan, the pack's Head Enforcer, began his investigation and found a shattered moonstone deep within my skeletal remains. "Ronan... if anyone can hear this... the Rogue Alpha has infiltrated..." The fragmented, static-laced voice that emanated from it made my brother freeze. When the truth was finally revealed, I was proven to be not the traitor who eloped with a Rogue Alpha, but the hero who died protecting the pack. And as for that Alpha who always looked down on me? He completely lost his mind.

When I opened my eyes again, I was pinned against the floor-to-ceiling window of the skyscraper by my stepbrother, Rocco. The man I had been infatuated with for a decade. He panted, his hot lips and tongue trailing along my collarbone as he murmured, "Don't go." In my past life, on the night I received my acceptance letter from London Business School, Rocco got blind drunk. Late that night, I gave in to his pleas for me to stay. I willingly gave myself to him. After a debauched night, his cherished fiancée, Clara, caught me walking out of his room the next morning, my clothes in disarray. She ran out in tears, her parting words ringing in the air, "I'll let you have each other." A month after she disappeared, the family search party found her engagement ring at the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff lay mangled remains, battered by the waves until they were unrecognizable. Rocco clutched that ring and didn't sleep all night. On the surface, he acted as if nothing had happened, even arranging a trip for me to Sicily, telling me to go and relax. The night I landed, I was kidnapped by assassins from a rival family. I screamed for him to pay the ransom, only to hear him give the order himself over the phone: "Don't make her death a quick one. The Costello princess? She's nothing but a damn liability. Torture her. Break every bone in her body. " "This is what she owes Clara." You like playing games, Rocco. But in this life, I refuse to play along.

"Where's Donna? Is she asleep?" "My Don... Donna Seraphina has been gone for three days. She told me to give you this." Seraphina Reed. The day I found out I was pregnant, my Mafia husband, Lorenzo, declared in front of the city's elite that our marriage was nothing but my "calculated scheme." I waited anxiously and helplessly for his explanation, but only received a taunting message from his secretary, Victoria. "Your husband isn't coming home tonight. Do you know why?" "Because he's with me, handling some… private business." At that moment, loving him so deeply I would have given him everything, I felt like the world's biggest joke. It turned out everyone thought I married him for money. They bet I would break, they bet I would cry, I would kneel and beg for a scrap of his love. But I didn't. I simply went back to the room, took off my wedding ring, and sealed it in an envelope along with my pregnancy report. Then, I left the cage that had trapped me for ten years. Later, he went crazy looking for me. He turned over every port, locked down every airport, and mobilized the entire family's power. He offered up everything he had, just to beg for my love.

Le jour de notre septième anniversaire de mariage, j'étais à califourchon sur mon mari mafieux, Lucien, et je l'embrassais profondément. Mes doigts fouillaient dans la poche de ma robe de soie hors de prix, à la recherche du test de grossesse que j'y avais caché. Je voulais garder la nouvelle de ma grossesse inattendue pour la fin de la soirée. Marc, le second de Lucian, a demandé avec un sourire suggestif en italien : « Don, ton nouveau petit canari, Sophie. Comment est-elle ? » Le rire moqueur de Lucien a vibré sur ma poitrine et m'a fait froid dans le dos. Il a répondu, toujours en italien : « Comme une pêche pas mûre, fraîche et tendre. » Sa main caressait toujours ma taille, mais son regard était distant. « Garde ça entre nous. Si ma Donna le découvre, je suis un homme mort. » L'homme a gloussé d'un air entendu, levant son verre et jurant de garder le silence. La chaleur de mon sang s'est transformée progressivement pour devenir glaciale. La seule chose qu'ils ignoraient, c'était que ma grand-mère était originaire de Sicile, et que je comprenais donc chaque mot. Je me forçais de rester calme, fixant sur mon visage le sourire parfait de Donna, mais la main qui tenait ma flûte de champagne a tremblé. Au lieu de faire une scène, j'ai ouvert mon téléphone, trouvé l'invitation que j'avais reçue il y a quelques jours pour un projet international privé de recherche médicale, et j'ai tapé « Accepter ». Dans trois jours, je disparaîtrais complètement du monde de Lucien.

A las 4 de la mañana, mi esposo, Rocco, me despertó con delicadeza. Su voz era apenas un murmullo. —Mi amor, ¿puedes hacerme un favor? Pero lo que dijo después me regresó a la realidad. —Scarlett tiene hambre. Ve y prepárale un caldo de mariscos. Scarlett era nuestra criada y también la amante embarazada de Rocco. —Acaban de traer mariscos frescos. Ve a la cocina y prepárale una sopa. Que es para el heredero de Falcone. Me negué firmemente. Él se puso furioso. —No seas tan necia, Alessia. ¿Por qué se te hace tan difícil preparar una sopa? Negué en silencio. Me acarició la mejilla, mientras sonreía de manera condescendiente. —Está bien. Vaya, así que ahora te atreves a desobedecerme. Piénsalo bien. ¿En serio quieres conservar tu lugar en la familia? ¿Y tu puesto como abogada de la familia? Piensa si todavía quieres todo eso... y luego me respondes. Al ver la arrogancia de Rocco, el último rastro de amor que me quedaba por ese hombre se desvaneció. Saqué mi celular y marqué un número que no había usado en mucho tiempo. —Quiero salir de la familia Falcone.

Everyone knew Elio Carbone, Don of the Carbone family, was a cold-hearted womanizer. He had one rule: never sleep with the same woman twice. But for me, he broke it. The first day after our breakup, he stood outside the old Bianchi estate for a day and a night, his entire security detail in tow, just to win me back. The second day, he flew to Sicily and bought the deed to my family's ancestral estate at auction for triple its value, and had it delivered to me. The third day, he tattooed my favorite flower, the lily, over his heart. The tattoo artist said he refused any anesthetic and didn't make a sound. Later, at a banquet for the Five Families, in front of all the other Dons, he sliced his palm and made a blood oath. He swore loyalty only to Eleonora Bianchi for the rest of his life; if he broke his vow, he would pay with his life. After a year of his relentless pursuit, his devotion finally wore me down, and I agreed to take him back. I truly believed him then. That Elio truly loved me. Until one night. He took me to an underground racetrack to broker a deal with an ally. But in the roaring crowd, I saw a girl, trembling and crying, her clothes in tatters. Ava was shoved to the starting line. She was the wager for the death race. One look was all it took for Elio's face to darken. The next second, he dropped his hand from my waist and, without a word, walked toward the track entrance. I stood frozen, watching his back as he disappeared into the driver's seat of a modified sports car. I used to wake up crying, terrified he would lose his life in one of these reckless races. He had smashed his trophies, burned his marker for the illegal track, and sworn to God he would never again enter such a life-or-death gamble. My hand drifted to my stomach, covering the secret I hadn't yet had the chance to share. His blood oath was broken. And so was I.

Baru saja, setelah hampir mati kehabisan darah, aku berhasil melahirkan pewaris untuk Keluarga Rosano. Namun suamiku, Jerry sebagai orang nomor dua setelah bos di Keluarga Rosano, justru membiarkan orang kepercayaannya yang bernama Sofia merekam proses persalinanku hanya karena bilang dia bosan. Dia merekam semuanya, termasuk saat aku kehilangan kendali atas tubuhku, jeritanku, wajahku yang meringis kesakitan. Setelah itu, dia mengambil tangkapan layar, dan mengubahnya menjadi gambar stiker, lalu menyebarkannya di grup obrolan pribadi keluarga dekat. Dari balik pintu kamar rumah sakit, aku masih bisa mendengar tawa Sofia yang liar. "Jerry, ini hiburan terbaik sepanjang masa. Kau selalu tahu persis apa yang aku inginkan." "Tapi Rana pasti akan mengamuk saat dia bangun dan melihat ini." Efek anestesi belum sepenuhnya hilang. Kelopak mataku terasa berat, namun dalam keadaan setengah sadar, aku masih bisa mendengar nada suara Jerry yang santai dan acuh tak acuh seperti biasa. "Dia nggak akan benar-benar marah. Kau tahu sendiri Rana, dia selalu patuh padaku." "Aku hanya perlu sedikit membujuknya. Lagipula, anak kami sudah lahir sekarang, dia nggak mungkin meninggalkanku." Jari-jariku yang tersembunyi di bawah seprai sutra mengepal erat. Pikiranku dipenuhi dengan semua hal yang telah kukorbankan untuknya selama bertahun-tahun ini. Jerry mungkin telah lupa siapa yang sudah membuatnya menjadi pria yang menguasai jalanan ini. Karena kau sangat suka bermain, maka aku akan memainkan permainan sungguhan denganmu. Pada hari aku pergi, kau akan menyesali semuanya!

For six years, my stepbrother Draven, the heir to a mafia family, and I have been in a secret relationship. Every night, his hands would trace every curve of my body with desperate hunger. The way he would look at me in those intimate moments made me believe I was the only woman who could ignite such passion in him. Until a month ago, when I found out I was pregnant. The day before Valentine's Day, I snuck into his study, planning to surprise him. Through the crack in the door, I heard him talking to Nico, the family's consigliere. "Aren't you tired of your little stepsister, Jasmine? The engagement is right around the corner. You haven't actually fallen for her, have you?" A cruel smirk played on his lips. "Fall for her? She was an easy target who fell right into my lap. It would've been a waste not to take a bite." "Her mother drove mine to an early grave. These six years have been her penance. And she's deserved every moment of it." "Besides, I've said it before. My wife will be Bianca Tyler, and no one else." "Marrying her secures the Tyler family's port smuggling routes. That's all that matters." So, what I thought was love was nothing more than an elaborate act of revenge. Every one of his embraces was a calculated lie. Fine. It was time for me and our unborn baby to disappear from his world completely.

Pada ulang tahun pernikahan kami yang ke-7, aku menindih tubuh Lionel, suamiku yang adalah seorang mafia, dan menciumnya dengan penuh hasrat. Di tengah keintiman yang membara, aku merogoh saku gaun sutra mahalku dan mengenggam test pack yang aku sembunyikan di sana. Aku berencana untuk memberitahunya kabar kehamilanku tengah malam nanti. Maryos, tangan kanan Lionel, menatapnya sambil tersenyum menggoda dan bertanya kepadanya dalam bahasa Iltan, "Bos, bidadari kecil barumu itu ... si Sofia .... Gimana rasanya?" Seketika itu juga, Lionel tertawa dengan begitu kencang, membuat bulu kudukku meremang. Lionel pun menjawab, tentunya dalam bahasa Iltan, "Rasanya seperti ... seperti buah persik yang belum matang. Segar dan lembut." Tangannya masih mengelus pinggangku dengan lembut, tetapi tatapannya tidak tertuju padaku. "Ingat, ini rahasia kita. Kalau istriku sampai tahu, habislah aku." Para anak buahnya tertawa. Mereka bersulang, berjanji untuk tidak membocorkan apa-apa. Kesabaranku perlahan menipis, digantikan dengan darahku yang mulai mendidih. Mereka semua tidak tahu bahwa nenekku berasal dari Pulau Sagara. Aku memahami semua isi pembicaraan mereka. Aku berusaha menahan emosi, mempertahankan senyum sempurna seorang istri pemimpin keluarga mafia. Meski begitu, aku tetap tak bisa membuat tanganku yang memegang gelas sampanye berhenti gemetar. Emosiku bisa meledak kapan saja dan aku tidak mau membuat kegaduhan. Jadi, untuk mengalihkan pikiranku, aku menyalakan ponsel, membuka undangan proyek riset medis internasional pribadi beberapa hari lalu, lalu menekan tombol "Terima". Dalam tiga hari, aku akan menghilang dari dunia Lionel, selamanya.