Darling, I Remember

To make sure my half sister married my fianc, my family staged everything like a chess game.

The night before the wedding, I was thrown into a warehouse and tortured by two of my fathers enforcers, animals with no conscience. Three hours of agony.

When they finally dumped me at a private clinic, my father arrived looking furious, pretending to be outraged.

Ill kill whoever did this to my daughter! Matteo Rossi, the mafia don, roared, slamming his fist against the wall.

My older brother, Dr. Chris Rossi; the family's prized surgeon put on a concerned mask.

Dont worry, Ivanna. Ill fix you up. Youll be okay. I promise, he whispered while adjusting my IV line.

But lying on that gurney, pretending to be unconscious, I heard what they really thought.

Chris leaned toward our father, voice low, but not low enough.

Father... wasnt it a bit much? Letting our men rough her up like that?

Don Matteo paused, staring through the glass window at me. I didnt expect them to go that far, he admitted coldly. But it works. Rupert wont want a ruined bride. Marian will step in without resistance.

I shut my eyes tighter, my whole body trembling.

So thats what I was to them, an expendable pawn for the family business.

Chriss consigliere, Leo, inspected my injuries quickly and rushed out. Don, her ribs are cracked, shes lost a lot of blood. We need to operate ASAP.

We'll start prepping now, Chris said, voice sharp with urgency.

But Matteo raised a hand calmly. Wait. Not yet.

Chris frowned. What the hell are you talking about?

We hold off until Marian and Ruperts wedding is over, Matteo said smoothly, like he was discussing the weather. Ivannas wounds arent fatal. Delay the surgery. If she recovers too soon, shell cause trouble.

Leo blinked. Doctor, thats dangerous. Theres internal bleeding. We cant gamble with this.

I agree, Chris snapped. Im not letting her suffer any more. I gave my word to protect her.

A loud crack rang out as Matteo smacked him across the face.

You naive idiot! he hissed. You think this is about you and your word? Were too deep into this. Ivanna has to stay under until Marian seals the deal. No distractions. No screw-ups. Got it?

Leo stood frozen, caught between orders and ethics.

Get her the strongest painkillers you can find. Morphine, Fentanylwhatever. Knock her out if you have to. We do the surgery tomorrow night, Matteo commanded.

I couldnt feel my face anymore. The bastards had knocked out a few of my teeth, and my mouth was still bleeding. My stomach churned with betrayal.

When Matteo divorced my mother, he fought hard to keep me. I thought it was love. Love for her daughter But no, it was leverage. And Chris he was my shield as a kid. He used to pick fights with the other mafia brats if they even looked at me wrong. Hed give me the last slice of pizza, share his jacket when I was cold.

Now? He let our father beat him down for trying to help me. He let him delay the surgery that might save my life.

The door creaked open, and they both walked in again. I shut my eyes quickly, forcing my breathing to slow. But my fists clenched without permission.

Matteo noticed instantly.

Shes awake, he said, reaching down to grab my hand. Ivanna, sweetheart. Can you hear me? Youre going to be okay.

The concern in his voice made my skin crawl.

He looked over his shoulder. Chris, dont just stand there. Give her something for the pain. Make sure its the best.

Chris moved to my side, avoiding my eyes. He cleaned the blood from my lips and wrapped my wounds with care... too careful. A performance for the others.

His fake gentleness made me want to scream.

I-It hurts so bad, I whispered, forcing tears into my voice. When can I have the surgery?

Matteo jumped in before Chris could answer. The meds we need are... held up. Customs issues. Were doing everything we can. It should arrive tomorrow night.

Bullshit.

I turned to Chris, eyes hollow. That true? You cant help me now even if Im bleeding inside?

He flinched. Just for a second. Guilt flashed in his eyes before it was gone.

Don said it all, Ivanna, he muttered. Dont worry. Ill make sure youre safe.

I stared at him, barely able to breathe from the pain in my chest and the one deeper inside me.

Safe?

Safe from what?

Them?

No. No ones going to save me this time.

So Ill save myself.

And when I rise from this bed, the blood they spilled wont be mine anymore. Itll be theirs.

Because I remember the promises.

I remember the lies wrapped in love.

I dont care what happens between me and your mother, Matteo once said, crouching down to fix my braid before Sunday church.

Youre my princess, Ivanna. My blood. Id die before letting anyone touch a hair on your head.

And Chris? He was thirteen when he stepped between me and a boy twice my size who tried to steal my backpack.

You dont mess with my sister, he growled, nose bleeding, lip split. Then he turned to me with a crooked grin.

Ill always protect you, Vanna. Even if the whole world turns on us.

The whole world didnt have to. Just them. Now Chris won't even look at me for more than a second. And my father is the architect of this cage.

The truth is, they never built a wall around me to protect me. They built a ring

And Marian?

Shes not just my half-sister. Shes the daughter of my fathers mistressthe woman who destroyed my parents marriage. The woman my mother caught him with in their bed the night before she jumped off that tower.

They said she was crazy. That she had an affair with our driver. That she couldnt handle the divorce.

But I remember the bruises she tried to hide with silk scarves. I remember the day she locked herself in her room and cried for hours after finding out about Marian.

Chris told me once, in a moment of guilt, that it wasnt the fall that killed herit was the years of betrayal that pushed her to the edge. But even he swallowed Matteos version of events in the end. They all did.

"Your mother was unstable," Matteo used to say, voice heavy with mock sorrow. "She couldn't live with the shame. I tried to help her."

No. He didnt try to help her. He drove her mad and handed her the reasonMarian.

And now that same bastard-child was wearing my wedding dress. Claiming my future. Smiling like she hadnt been born from a lie soaked in blood.

Chris sliced open the bloodied fabric of my pants with a scalpel, quick and clean, revealing deep bruises and torn skin stretched across my abdomen. His hands hesitated, trembled.

The damage was bad. Ribcage mottled in purple and green. Lacerations crusted over with dried blood. My breathing was shallow, ragged. Chris moved automaticallypressure, gauze, more pressure. Painkillers came next, sharp relief flooding my veins, dulling the edges but not enough to forget.

No one said it, but they were shaken. I could feel it in how Chris lingered over every step, in how Matteo paced like a caged animal behind him. Chris didnt prep for surgery. Didnt call anyone. Just kept me stable. Kept stalling.

Later, in the shadows of the ER room, I heard them whispering near the supply cabinet.

Chris lowered his voice. Dad shes barely hanging on. Are we really going through with posting that footage?

Matteo lit a cigarette, exhaled slowly. Ruperts still head over heels for her. The wounds alone wont push him away. We need to make her look dirty, like a liability to the familys reputation.

Chris looked horrified. Youre gonna frame your own daughter as bait?

Matteos eyes were steel. We leak it now, right before the wedding. Just enough to make her untouchable to the Kaufmans. And once Marians locked in, well scrub it all. Clean her name later.

I stared at the ceiling, biting back the scream in my throat.

They were burying me alive.

All I had done was go for a jog along the river last night. The Rosetti bastards snatched me up, dragging me behind an abandoned warehouse. Now my own blood was using that to kill my name.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed weakly beside me. I winced, grabbed it with my unbandaged hand.

It was a message from Melamy best friend.

Ivanna. You need to see this. Its blowing up.

She sent a link. I tapped it.

A Facebook video opened. My face.

But it wasnt me.

A girl who looked like me was laughing, leaning into the Rosetti men, whispering something into one of their ears before walking off with them into the dark.

The caption?

"Mafia heiress caught sneaking off with enemy thugs before wedding to Kaufman heir???"

My stomach twisted.

The comment section was a hellscape.

Wow. Thats Ivanna Rossi? What a trashy move.

Ruperts dodging a bullet. She belongs in the Rossi basement, not at a wedding.

If I were Rupert, Id dump her and break her legs for good measure.

This is what happens when you let mafia princesses think theyre invincible.

Tears stung my eyes. My body was already screaming in painbut this? This was betrayal on another level.

Chris rushed over, yanked the phone from my hand. Dont look at that, Ivanna. I know its not you. I know.

Matteo glanced at the screen. His eyes narrowed.

Then, in a dramatic show, he slammed the phone onto the ground, shattering it.

This is disgusting! he snarled. Who the hell spread this garbage? Im getting it taken down now!

He marched out, muttering about lawyers and hacking contacts.

Chris stroked my hair gently. Dont worry. Dads got this. Itll all disappear by tomorrow.

I didnt say a word. My eyes were wide open now. They were playing both sidesreleasing the video, then pretending to save me from it.

After ten minutes, Matteo returned with a triumphant look. Gone. Ive got my men scrubbing every trace. No one talks about my daughter like that.

Chris chimed in, Youre safe now, Ivanna. Weve got your back.

I almost laughed. My body tremblednot from fear, but from rage.

Too late. The video already had hundreds of thousands of views. It had spread into the Kaufman inner circles.

Even if Rupert had doubts, this this sealed the deal. By tomorrow, Marian would be walking down the aisle. And I'd be rotting in this hospital bed.

Chris grew uneasy. He called in his assistant, who performed a full scan and handed him a sealed envelope afterward.

Chris opened it, skimmed, and his face darkened.

He pulled Matteo aside.

Her internal bleedings worse than we thought, he said quietly. Her organssome of them are ruptured. If we dont operate tonight, she might not survive. And if she does shell never be able to have kids again.

I closed my eyes.

That was it. They had destroyed my body, my name, and my future.

But they made one mistake.

They didnt kill me.

And now? Id make them regret that.

I stared at the ceiling. My chest tightened, not from painbut from the ice building inside me.

That was my family. That was love.

With trembling fingers, I grabbed my phone and dialed the only number that had ever mattered. Lothario. My ex lover.

When the line picked up, I whispered, C-can you come? I need your help... I need you.

There was silence on the other end, then a short reply:

Ill be there as soon as I can.

I hung up just as Matteo and Chris came back into the room and Chris handed me pills. But I know... They werent painkillers.

They were sedatives.

Even with my organs failing, all they cared about was that damn wedding.

****

When I woke The sun had already set. The day was over. So was the wedding.

Marian had married Rupert. The man who once swore he'd protect me until death.

Chris burst into the room, face flushed with urgency.

Ivanna! We can start the surgery in ten minutes. Please, just hang on. Well fix everything, I promise.

Matteo followed close behind, clearly in a good mood. I guess having Marian wear my ring had put him at peace.

I pushed myself up on the bed slowly, ignoring the pull in my abdomen, and looked them both dead in the eye.

Im not having the surgery.

They froze.

Matteos voice shot up an octave. What the hell do you mean youre not having it?! You want to walk around broken? You want to be a sterile fucking cripple?

Before I could respond, the door creaked open.

Matteos secretary rushed in, bending to whisper in his ear.

Mr. Rossi shes here.

Matteos expression lit up like Christmas had come early. Marians here? he asked, barely hiding his glee.

He turned to me, softening his voice like that made any of this forgivable.

Just think about it, okay? She just wants to see you.

The door opened slowly, and there she wasMarian. Wearing my wedding dress.

That sickeningly smug smile curled on her lips the second she saw me lying in the hospital bed, bruised, bandaged, and broken.

But what really made my stomach churn? My fatherDon Rossiand Chris, my brother, standing behind her without a shred of resentment in their eyes. Not even a flicker of guilt.

Marian let out a breathy gasp like she was heartbroken. "Oh, Ivanna what happened to you? Are the rumors true? You and those two lowlifes was it mutual? If it was, why would they hurt you like that?"

"Marian," Chris snapped, frowning.

She threw up her hands, feigning innocence. "I'm sorry! That came out wrong. I shouldnt have said that. I completely forgotIvanna, I didnt mean to upset you."

Her voice was sweet enough to rot teeth, but her eyes were sharp. She wasnt sorry. She was savoring every second.

I gritted my teeth, forced myself to sit upright despite the searing pain, and asked, "How dare you wear my wedding dress!"

Marians eyes instantly welled with tears. She looked down, trembling like a wounded dove.

My father stepped forward with a thunderous expression. What do you think, Ivanna? You dishonored our name, fooled around with scum from the streets. The Fiore famiglia wouldve called off the alliance if Marian didnt step in!

Chris folded his arms across his chest, voice cold. You think just because you're hurt, you can throw accusations around? Marian cleaned up the mess you made. Show some damn gratitude.

Their words hit harder than bullets. They said it like they werent the ones who staged the entire thing. Like they didnt pay those men to ruin me.

I tried to laugh, but even the corners of my mouth cracking open made fresh pain ripple through me.

Marian took a step closer. Her lips barely moved, but her voice slithered like a viper, just low enough for me to hear.

You were once the Rossi princess. Untouchable. But now? Just a broken little girl no one wants. Hideous. Infertile. Powerless.

She smirked, then added, Ruperts mine now. I wore your dress, walked your aisle, signed your future. He kissed me in front of the Five Families. Hell never even look at you again.

My hands clenched under the blanket.

Marian leaned in closer. And guess who made it all happen? I asked our father to hire those dogs. And Chris, your brother, he made sure you didnt get to the OR in time.

I looked at her, eyes burning. You

Suddenly, Marian gasped and threw herself backward, like Id shoved her. She hit the floor with a practiced thud, her eyes wide and innocent.

Ivanna! she cried out dramatically. I know you hate me. I know I took your spot. If itll make you happy, Ill give him back! Ill walk away, Ill die if I have to! Just stop hating me!

Before I could react, Don Rossis face twisted in rage. He stormed over and slapped me across the faceright over the bandages.

"How dare you!" he roared. "You're nothing but a disabled now. Marian stepped up when you shamed our name, and this is how you repay her?"

The sting of his hand echoed louder than his voice. But worse than the pain was the way Chris kicked my bed. Hard.

The wheels rolled, and I crashed to the floor with a sickening thump.

But he didnt even look at me. No. He knelt down beside Marian, brushing the hair from her face.

"Are you okay? She didnt hurt you, did she?"

Marian sniffled and shook her head, like some noble victim. Chris glared at me over his shoulder.

If you so much as breathe wrong around her again, Ivanna, Ill cut you out of my life. Blood or not.

I wanted to scream, to claw, to burn the entire damn world down. But all I felt was cold.

Numb.

They walked away, arms around Marian like she was the wounded one. My father, the Don, called for a doctor to check Marians nonexistent injuries and ordered someone to bring her imported gelato from Milanher favorite. I smiled bitterly.

I dont remember when they took me into surgery even when I clearly told Chris I'm not having surgery. It was like my body gave up but my mind refused to shut down. I was floatingadrift in a cold place, somewhere between life and something worse.

The drugs dulled everything. But in the middle of it, just before I blacked out, I remember one face leaning over me. A stranger. Kind eyes. Not Chris. Not anyone from the hospital staff I knew. He whispered softly as the anesthesia crept up my spine.

Hang in there, Ivanna. Lothario sent me. He's coming now. My names Sam. Were not letting them win.

And then I was gone. When I opened my eyes again, I was still alive.

Barely.

My chest felt like it had been caved in, every breath jagged and raw. My body screamed with pain, but I was breathing. My fingers twitched. My ribs hurt like hell, but they moved when I told them to.

That meant one thing.

The surgery worked.

Hope.

I blinked slowly, trying to focus on the blurry figure beside me. It was himthe doctor. Sam. Younger than I expected. Tired eyes. No coat. Just a hoodie, gloves, and stress lines that looked like theyd been carved into his face.

Youre awake, he said, voice low. But not for long. You need to fake it. They cant know yet. Just lay still. Ill take care of the rest.

I tried to speak, but my throat was sandpaper. He handed me a straw and held it steady while I drank a few sips of water.

I dont have much time, he said. Your vitals are stable, but you need to play dead. Lotharios handling the rest. Theyre planning something bigMarian and Rupert. Its not just about the wedding. Its a full takeover. You were in the way.

I nodded slowly. I didnt even have to ask why he was helping me. If he was Lotharios friend, that was enough. And if hed seen even half the things theyd done to me, maybe that was the rest.

---

I stopped responding to the nurses the next morningNo blinking. No eye movement. No reflexes and Sam played his part perfectly.

Shes slipping, he said, looking grim for the benefit of the cameras in the hallway. Might not last the night.

I let them poke and prod and whisper around me like I wasnt even there. My own family barely came to check. Matteo popped in once to mutter something about lawyers and PR statements. Chris came to make sure my face wasnt recognizable anymore. Marian never bothered. She didnt need to. Shed already won.

But I listened.

God, I listened.

At night, when they thought I was unconscious, they spoke freely.

I heard Matteo telling Chris that Rupert was already negotiating with the De Lucas now that he had Marian on his arm. That theyd be expanding into the docks, pushing out the Montellis.

I heard Marians voicesharp, confident, like she belonged in the room now. We need to secure the Chicago pipeline. Ivanna was too soft. Too careful. Im not.

Even Chris sounded proud. You were the better choice all along.

I wanted to scream. But I stayed still. Silent. Empty.

---

On the third night, Sam came back.

He pulled the curtain shut and turned off the monitor. Its time.

He slipped something cold and metallic onto my chestan electrode patch hacked to mimic a flatline.

The monitor let out one long, piercing beep.

Sam whispered, Youll only have a few minutes. Dont move until I say.

The nurse rushed in seconds later. Her face went white. Sam was already calling the code.

Shes gone, he said loudly. No pulse. We lost her.

There were footsteps. Shouts. People I didnt know trying to resuscitate me while Sam stood over me, shouting medical jargon and barking orders.

I could feel my body being jostled, but I stayed limp.

Dead.

---

Matteo showed up not long after.

I couldnt see him, but I recognized his voice.

What happened? What the hell happened?

I warned you, Sam said coldly. She needed the surgery earlier. You waited too long. She didnt make it through recovery.

Silence.

Then Matteo let out this dry, wheezing sob.

Fake as hell.

She shes dead? My daughter

God, I wanted to laugh. Or maybe cry. My body didnt know the difference anymore.

Shes gone, Sam repeated. Her injuries were too severe. And given the state of the body I suggest a closed casket.

Matteo didnt even question it. Of course he didnt.

It fit his narrative too perfectly.

---

They gave me two hours.

Sam slipped me out through the back hallway in a wheelchair, draped in a hospital sheet. Lothario was waiting in the alley in a black van, face half-covered, eyes burning with something fierce and desperate.

He helped me into the back and didnt say a word until we were miles out of the city.

Then, finally, he spoke. You scared the hell out of me.

I looked at him, voice barely above a whisper. You saved me.

His jaw clenched. No. I just did what they shouldve done. What they never did.

I leaned my head back against the seat, tears slipping down my cheeks. They buried me. And the worst part? They were happy to do it.

Lothario didnt respond right away. He just stared ahead, knuckles white on the wheel.

Were going to a place no one knows about, he said quietly. Old underground clinic. Off the grid. No records. Youll be safe there. Heal. Plan. Do whatever the hell you need to do.

I nodded slowly. What... what about the body in the casket?

His mouth twisted. Some Jane Doe from the morgue. Unclaimed. Burn marks, facial trauma. No one will check. No one will question.

I closed my eyes. It was done.

Ivanna Rossi was dead. And whoever I was now?

She was just getting started.