Breaking Free from the Mafia Boss

Consigliere Alfredo, thank you for helping me process the withdrawal from the Family and the divorce..., I told him quietly.

The old man who had once been my husbands closest adviser in the Falcone Syndicate narrowed his eyes at me, suspicion and concern mixing in his stare.

Youre really going through with this, Valentine? Where do you plan to run once you cut ties with the Don?

My lips pressed tightly.

What? Did he think I couldnt survive without the Falcone tied to my name? The city is big, and if my husband wants me gone from this territory, then finethere are other territories. As long as I can finally live like a real person.

I have money saved, Consigliere. Seven years worth, I replied. From my own work.

Alfredo let out a tired chuckle. He was aging, and soon his son would inherit his chair at the table.

So this is goodbye to the most reliable Overseer our Syndicate ever had? He pulled me into a brief hug before stepping back.

Goodbye

With the envelope in hand, I walked away from the Meeting Hallaway from the life that for seven years had revolved around being nothing more than the Dons appointed Overseer.

Who wouldve imagined Id fall this low?

And me, of all people, someone who never quit anything in her life. All because I married a man who only needed a respectable bride to polish his public image.

On our wedding day, I thought Id married the boy I had loved since childhood. I thought I was the happiest woman alive. I didnt know it was the worst day of his life. To him, I was nothing more than the stand-in for the woman he truly loved.

Im back, I called out.

Don Reynold stood at the table, plating food. Anyone else wouldve thought he was acting like a devoted, affectionate husband. But who would know the truth?

What took you so long at the Hall? You shouldve come home first and handled dinner, he snapped without even looking at me.

There was nothing romantic about him. He just had no other choice but to fend for himself whenever I wasnt around. He was hungry, and there was no servant on duty because, according to him, he already had me.

Sorry I murmured, stepping closer and seeing the single plate hed prepared. Only for himself.

Not surprising. Reynold sat at the head of the table, ignoring me completely, a smug glint in his eyes. It was like... almost pleased that he hadnt prepared anything for me.

What do you want? he asked, voice flat.

Can you sign these Don? I pulled the documents from the envelope.

His face soured instantly. He despised seeing paperwork at home, but he also knew I wouldnt bring Family documents here unless it was important.

Cant it wait? he grumbled.

No, I began, but his phone rang.

His posture straightened like hed just received a call from God. Dahlia.

My eyes shut as soon as he spoke her name.

My sister. The woman he truly loved but couldnt officially be with.

Yes, Im coming. I always have time for you. Stay there, he said gently.

He hung up and threw a brief side-glance at me before sliding his plate toward me. Eat. Dahlia needs me.

But you havent signed the documents. They're important, I insisted.

His jaw tightened. Without hesitation, he snatched the papers, scribbled his signature across each page, and slammed the pen down.

There. And stop pushing me. Clean up before you sleep. And make breakfast in the morning. Be useful around here!

He sounded irritated, but there was something almost satisfied in his expression as he grabbed his coat and left. He didnt even ask what he had signed.

I slowly opened the documents. He signed the divorce letter. He signed for my withdrawal from the Falcone Syndicate. I was finally walking out of his life and his last instructions were chores.

Thats right. In this house, everything was my responsibility. Not because he wanted a homeno. Because he wanted a maid. He said he didnt need to hire staff since I existed. That was my role.

To him, I was just like my mother, who once served in my own birth familys mansion. No matter how I dressed or carried myself, I would always be the help.

Even though I was born into one of the oldest founding syndicate in the country, my blood never counted. I was the only one born without the markers of power, and in this world, that made me a cursea liability. My parents were the ones who suggested swapping me with their maids daughter. That girl was blessed with the right signs, the right blood. Born on the same day as me. The daughter they chose.

They always picked Dahlia.

And Reynold, my husband... chose her too.

I was never supposed to be his wife, not unless Dahlia hadnt disappeared that day. I was the replacement bride. The unwanted woman in this house. The useful Overseer in his Syndicate.

And now, as the envelope slipped closed again, a tear slid down my face.

Now I would be a divorced ex-Donna.

No one ever chooses me I whispered, staring at the plate meant for him, shoved toward me like scraps.

I choose myself this time, Reynold. By leaving you.

I never had a pleasant life. Like, at all. Or maybe I did, but it vanished when I was fifteen.

Youre not my daughter. You belong to the elder bloodline of the Lombardi Familia.

Those were my mothers final words before she died.

She confessed everything in front of the very people she claimed were my true parents. I didnt even get a moment to mourn.

The truth broke open and the Lombardi elders heard it, along with a ranking member of the Commission who happened to be present.

To contain the scandal amongst ourselves, they confirmed the story and fed explanations I never asked for. Nothing eased the shock in my chest, or the anger boiling beneath it.

We had to set you aside, Valentine, said Dina, the woman who gave birth to me. Our family holds influence. We had to protect our name, and that meant presenting Dahlia as the legitimate Lombardi heir.

We couldnt let someone without standing represent this Familia. You wouldnt want to be the reason we became a joke, right? my father added, as if discarding me had been a favor. And this truth must stay buried.

I said nothing. My heart had already gone cold.

Does this mean youre taking her back, Dad? Dahlia asked. Her tone was calm, but her calculating eyes?were sharply locked on me. She was always like that. Sweet mask, with venom underneath.

No, my father replied. We cant do that. It would unravel everything weve spent years covering.

Then he turned to me and took my hand. But well support you. We can send you to school, Valentine. Well cover everything.

That moment told me everything. They would never claim me as their daughter, be it publicly or privately. Still, they funded my schooling. I convinced myself that was enough.

I used to envy Dahlia. She had everything. My bloodline. My rightful place. Even the man I loved.

She and Reynold were meant to be. Childhood first-love turned to real lovers. Their engagement was already celebrated between the Lombardi and Falcone families. The wedding was supposed to seal the alliance. But the night before the announcement, Dahlia vanished, and the Lombardi elders had to play their last card for the Falcone deal.

Me.

Now I was here. Trapped in a loveless arrangement. A Dons wife treated like a glorified house servant.

But today, I end it all.

I packed my clothes and belongings. What mattered fit into a suitcase. Everything else was left to be thrown out. All of it had to disappear before I walked away.

Whats all this? Reynolds voice came from behind.

Hed just returnedfrom Dahlias residence, where hed spent the night.

Theyre things I dont use anymore, I said, referring to the clothes he bought for me out of obligation.

Youre getting rid of them? Thats not like you, he said, narrowing his eyes.

Of course he'd notice. I had been raised like a maids daughter to never waste anything.

Ill donate them to your foundations charity. Good for your public image, especially with your new partnership with the city council.

Reynold's expression shifted in surprise. Id never spoken like that. Then he slowly nodded, a faint smile tugging at his mouth.

I thought he might thank me. But another voice cut through the room.

My sister is such a saint. So thoughtful and selfless. There she was. Dahlia. Wearing a dress I once thought Reynold had bought for me.

She smiled sweetly as she approached him. Then she rushed the last steps and jumped into his arms, bumping a nearby vase.

It fell and shattered just like that.

I gasped. That vase was one of the Falcone familys most prized heirlooms!

It was a wedding gift from Reynolds father, etched with our names and joined hands. A symbol of unity between the Lombardi and Falcone.

I always kept it spotless. I planned to bring it with me. Even if my husband was cruel, his parents had once treated me with kindness.

But now it was completely shattered into pieces.

Reynold didnt react. He didnt even glance at it. If it meant nothing to him, why should I care?

Are you hurt? Dahlia, Im sorry, he said instead.

He checked her arms for scratches. Apologizing to the very woman who broke it.

Oops sorry, Dahlia murmured, glancing at me.

I swallowed and nodded.

Its nothing, Reynold said. We can always buy another.

I pressed my lips together. No need. It was just your fathers wedding gift. I was planning to auction it anyway.

I only said it to cut him. It worked. His face shiftedfrom surprise to anger. Youd auction that? Our wedding gift?

But she broke it, I replied calmly.

Silence. He remembered. It wasnt me. It was Dahlia who caused trouble this time.

Sorry, Valentine. I really didnt mean to, Dahlia said softly now.

Why was she even here? To make a scene?

Ill have someone clean this, Reynold muttered. In the meantime Dahlia will stay in this room. Just for a week. She needs sunlight, and this one gets the most.

Then he looked at me like it was nothing. Youll move to the guest room, Valentine.

And just like that, Reynold pushed me out of my own room. Out of what little space I still held in this house.

Surely you wont refuse your sisters request, right? Dahlia leaned against my husbands shoulder the moment Reynold dropped that bomb on me.

My chest tightened. I knew Dahlia wanted me to snap and make a scene in front of him, but I said nothing Instead.

Request?

No. That wasnt a request. It was an order. One that didnt need my agreement.

We never shared a room like real spouses in the mafia world do. He never wanted that. He once told me we could use my room if I ever wanted him as a husband, but never his. He said he didnt want his space contaminated with anything intimate.

But he didnt know I already knew the truth.

He brought Dahlia to his room every time I returned late from a Commission meeting. Or when I was asleep, too tired to hear their whispers and footsteps.

Its only for a week, Valentine. Youll get your room back when

Fine. She can have it, I cut him off with a nod. I turned away and continued packing.

Okay? Reynold echoed, thrown off.

I shot him a cold glance. He expected me to fight for it the way I used to. He expected tears, begging, anger. But there was none of that left in me.

Why fight for something that was never mine?

Im giving it to her. Like you asked, I said calmly.

Dahlia squealed in triumph. See, love? My sister always understands.

Reynold didnt look pleased. For a second, I thought my indifference unsettled him. But instead of checking on me, he walked off, pride straightened on his shoulders.

Dahlia, of course, stayed behind. She never left without getting the last word.

How does it feel being his wife only on paper? she asked, smirking. Oh waitdo you two still sleep together? Does he even touch you anymore? I doubt it. Hes with me every night. He cant get enough of me. Im sure he doesnt even remember what you taste like.

I stayed silent.

She laughed at my quiet. Pathetic. Thats what you get for stealing my life. It was never yours. Everything belongs to me, Valentine.

She stomped her heel inches from my foot, irritated that I wasnt reacting.

Your husbands staying in this house tonight, she added, smug. But hell be in my bed. And the poor Donna? Shell be alone, invisible, while the Don's wrapped around me.

Just like that, the nightmare became real.

I passed by my room and I heard them.

Her moans. His voice. Their pleasure echoing through the walls. The bed frame rattledmocking me. The room that once felt like the only place I could breathe in this mansion was now a shrine to my humiliation.

He never touched me like that. Never kissed me like that. When he did fulfill his duties, he wouldnt even look at me. I was nothing but a contract. A political arrangement.

Youre the only woman who can make me feel this way, Dahlia, I heard him say.

And that was it.

I stopped walking. A sob escaped before I could stifle it. I froze. Only then did I realize I was crying.

I was still hurting. Still hoping. That was the cruelest part.

With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and walked farther away from the noise until their pleasure was only a dull echo behind closed doors.

I opened a number I saved long ago. One I never deleted.

[Damian, Im divorcing Reynold. Pick me up after a month.]

That was the message I sent to the only man who never turned me away.

Seconds later, my phone rang.

I answered, already breaking. Damian

He made you cry again? he said, voice cold. That's why youre finally going through with the divorce this time?

Shame washed over me. I had tried to leave Reynold in the past.

I had promised Damian before. But I never followed through. I stayed with the man who never chose me. yet, Damian waited, only to get hurt by my cowardice.

I mean it this time, I whispered. Im sorry for what I did but please, help me one last time.

I heard his deep exhale. The kind that carried more than disappointment.

It shouldve been me, Val, he saidthe name only he and my mother ever used. It shouldve been me, so you wouldnt be living like this.

I broke down. I wasnt only hurting, I had hurt him too. I chose Reynold. And now I was drowning in the consequences.

Ill wait, he said after a pause. But in a month, no matter what you decide, youre leaving with me. Youre divorcing him. And youre marrying me. His words were final.

I clutched my chest, staring toward the room soaked in betrayal.

Reynold had his happiness. Why couldnt I have mine?

I wont change my mind, Damian, I said, firmly now. Once the divorce agreement is processed, Im marrying you. I promise.

If I could love a man like Reynold so deeply Then maybe loving Damian would be easier.

This time, I will choose the man who would choose me back.