The Night I Saw My Don Burn Novels & Stories

“Oh… mio Dio.” Oh… my God. I still couldn’t breathe. Elena was going to destroy me tonight. And I was going to let her.

Direct, unexplained, non-negotiable. By the time the crowd thins and the fires burn low, something in my shoulders has released that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The ceremony, the oath, the documents, the name on the witness list, Marcus Hale and his forty years of regional complexity, all of it has moved through the day and settled into whatever comes next. Donovan finds me at the edge of the clearing where the firelight stops. "Ready?" he asks. "More than." --- The house is quiet by midnight.

"Please... don't leave me..." The next day, the video went viral on the dark web. The title was: THE FALLEN DON: LORENZO ROMANO'S PUBLIC MELTDOWN. In the video, the once untouchable Don of New York was being beaten like a dog, all to protect an old phone. Someone amplified the audio, making out the name I kept repeating. It wasn't a plea for mercy. It wasn't a curse. Just one word, filled with blood-soaked despair. "Bella."

And as the sky's falling down It crashed into this lonely town And with that shadow upon the ground I hear my people screaming out I see fire Inside the mountain I see fire Burning the trees I see fire Hollering souls And I see fire Blood in the breeze I see fire Oh you know I saw the city burning I see fire Feel the heat upon my skin yeah Now I see fire Oh oh oh oh oh oh And I see fire burn auburn up on the mountain side

She never took me seriously. “And now, you are going to suffer for your foolishness.” I mocked. As I watched the flames engulf Mrs. Donovan's house, I felt a surge of twisted satisfaction. The fire crackled and roared, an angry beast consuming everything in its path. I could see Mrs. Donovan through the window, her eyes wide with terror as she stumbled through the smoke. I almost laughed out loud when I saw her run out of the front door, a piece of her clothing on fire. She screamed, a sound that should have been horrifying but instead filled me with a dark sense of joy.

“Where is Don?” “Here's your stupid agreement!” Don Romero came downstairs, flinging a file to them which they dodged and allowed it to hit the floor. “I don't want to work with you anyway!” He fired, his eyes filled with hate and venom. He felt like slitting their throats on the spot but that would make things worse.

All I saw was Amber before darkness overtook me. “Nighty night, beta,” the voice of the sandy blonde echoed in my head. ******************************

I whispered, I think. “I see,” Mary said. “Those people need to be bit by some wolves.” “Fucking cheerleaders. They’re probably more whorish than I would ever be,” I grumbled. Mary laughed. “I feel the same way about the people back home who cut me off for turning Donny in.” The rest of the night was a bit of a haze after that. I know we watched a movie with a blonde actress and some hot handyman, but I must have crashed before I was over.

The onl‍y sound is the wind whistling through brok‌en steel. Finall‍y, he sighs. “If he’s‌ o⁠ut there, we’l‍l find him. But you can’t‍ burn yourself out waiti⁠ng.” I s⁠ha‌ke my head. “I’m not waiting.” My vo‍ice trembles. “I’m surviv‌in‍g. For him.” --- That nig‍ht, I dream of fire again. Bu⁠t thi⁠s ti‌me,‍ I see something‍ else—an⁠ ima⁠ge burned into my mind. Damon’s hand reaching for mine throu⁠gh smoke.‌ His voice echoing in the dis⁠t‍ance:

He explains in detail how he knows that I’m not gone forever that he hopes one day I’ll find my way back to him. My palm covers my palm as I try to hold in a sob. He stayed up all night on that day, remembering the first time that he saw me. I turn another page and it’s about him having nightmares about me. He prays that I can forgive him one day so he can finally be at peace with himself. I don’t try to hold back the tears this time because they’re long overdue. I slam the journal shut and hug it to my chest. Don didn’t look like the type to keep a journal, never did I think that I’ll ever come across this. I open the book again because I want I can’t help it, it feels like he’s talking to