A Throne Without a Memory

The love I thought we had was a joke.

It made sense then why he hoarded all the money and power as soon as our family business picked up, never letting me get close. He was guarding against me all along.

Lost in the past, Sebastian stood and clapped me on the shoulder, "Anything coming back to you?"

I shook my head, playing dumb, "Nope, maybe you knocked something loose when you took that dive. Got your wires crossed."

Sebastian's grin froze, awkward as hell. Despite his brown-nosing, I was not biting, and his face clouded over.

He grabbed Rosa's hand, stroking it, "Yeah, I must be mixed up. Rosa's my wife.

"After we wrap up this divorce, I'm putting a ring on it."

He walked her down the church aisle, and to any Joe Blow, it looked like they were the ones tying the knot.

I had no interest in playing their games, so I just walked right in.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Rosa, pulling her onto his lap and teasing her with a piece of chocolate he fished out of his pocket.

I could not have cared less.

Sebastian, annoyed by my lack of reaction, doubled down on making a scene with Rosa.

When I finally left the church, the once-dull sunlight seemed to sparkle. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight that was crushing my chest start to lift.

I was trying to catch a cab home to gather my things when Rosa, overhearing that I was headed to our old place, went on the attack: "Where do you think you're going? You're divorced, that's not your home anymore.

"Pack your stuff and then get out, pronto."

Sebastian just watched, his face a mask of indifference.

He wrapped his arm around Rosa, pulling her close and cooing, "Yeah, throw the stranger out. You're my wife, and you're the only one who gets to stay."

I said flatly, "I'm moving out now."

I booked a hotel online as soon as I left the church. Back at the house, I started throwing my things into my suitcase.

I was done with his pretend amnesia act; my heart was no longer in Sebastian's grip.

In a rare moment of gentleness, he looked at our wedding photo and feigned a flicker of memory. "Elena, is that us in the picture? When did we take that?"

I kept my eyes on my task, packing my clothes without a glance his way, and said without a hint of warmth, "It's fake, an AI creation."

That was it. I pushed him over the edge.

Sebastian's face twisted in rage as he bellowed, "Out! Get out now!"

The door slammed shut behind me.

I let out a wry chuckle, picked up a stray garment from the floor, and tucked it into my suitcase.

In the dimly lit room of the grand villa, Rosa's voice trembled with a mix of urgency and regret. "Don, this is all my fault. I've put you in such a tough spot. Maybe I should just hand the title of Mrs. back to Ms. DeLuca?"

Her eyes welled up with tears as she confessed, "I'm filled with regret seeing that she's really gone through with the divorce."

Sebastian watched Rosa's struggle to hold back her tears, took a deep breath to steady himself, and offered her a comforting embrace. "This isn't on you. Elena's just too damn jealous, not even listening to her own Don."

He pulled back, looking into her eyes with resolve. "Forget about her. How do you want to spend these next ten days? Let's make them count, live it up, and we'll deal with the fallout later.

"Elena's got nowhere to turn. A few sweet nothings from me, and she'll come crawling back."

However, as I hoisted my small suitcase into the taxi that would take me to the hotel, I knew he was wrong. I was really leaving this time, no looking back.

Those past few days, free from Sebastian and the family's shadow, I have felt a joy like never before.

If only I could shake off the last threads tying me to the capos of our so-called 'family company.'

"Just come back to the family company, will you? The deal with Romano is coming up," they would say.

I was about to decline when a heated argument erupted on the other end of the line. When the commotion settled, Rosa's haughty voice sneered through the receiver, "Elena, you've been ousted from the family business, so keep your nose out of it."

The capos, hearing her brazen words, were livid. They retorted, "Cut the crap, Rosa. Don't you get it? This arms deal is do or die for all of us."