He Killed My Mother, Then Said He Loved Me

In the third year of our arranged marriage, my husband, Mafia godfather Alessandro, paraded his new mistress in front of me.

He stood by while that woman caused my mother's death.

On the day I called him for help, he hung up on me to comfort his crying mistress.

Afterward, he sent an exorbitant diamond bracelet as compensation, insisting I would always be the one and only Mrs. Falcone and that other women were merely distractions.

But my mother was gone, and my heart was dead.

What was the point of being Mrs. Falcone anymore?

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1

After arranging my mother's funeral, I retrieved the asset transfer agreement I had prepared in advance.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that I finally heard Alessandro stumble in, reeking of whiskey and another woman's perfume.

"Elena, did you like the bracelet I sent you?"

A smear of lipstick still stained his face as he leaned in to kiss me, his eyes hazy with drink.

I fought back a wave of nausea and handed him the stack of documents.

He squinted, flipping through them, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk.

"More family authorization documents? It seems I've trained you well. A proper Consigliere in the making."

"Fine, a few routine authorizations. Stop bothering me with these trifles."

With that, Alessandro carelessly scrawled his name on one document after another.

When he reached the last one, an agreement concerning the dockside warehouses, he suddenly paused.

"What's this? This one looks different."

My stomach clenched. Before I could say a word, his mistress Isabella's call came through.

"Alessandro, you promised you'd spend the night with me. Why did you go back just because she's a little upset? You're playing favorites."

Hearing Isabella's aggrieved sobs, Alessandro's breath hitched.

He quickly signed his name on the final agreement, grabbed his coat, and turned to leave.

At the door, as if remembering something, he glanced back at me.

In a tone that left no room for argument, he ordered, "Elena, be more generous with her. Our marriage was arranged, but we're family now. Don't let outsiders see the family as a joke."

He didn't even give me a chance to respond before hurrying away.

With a heavy thud, the door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the vast villa.

The endless night swallowed me whole.

I stared at the signed agreements in my hand as tears finally blurred my vision.

Three years ago today was the first time I met Alessandro.

At the time, my family owed the Falcones an enormous debt. In exchange for my mother receiving cutting-edge experimental medical treatment, I agreed to the marriage.

For him, it seemed to be love at first sight.

Even for a political union, he swept me off my feet with grand romantic gestures.

He would cut family meetings short just to take me to an obscure art exhibition.

He remembered all my preferences and planted an entire estate of roses just for me.

Once, my mother's condition suddenly worsened.

At my most helpless and desperate, it was Alessandro who had mobilized the entire family's resources, locking down half of New York City and flying in Europe's top medical team on a private jet to save her.

At that time, his arm still bore fresh wounds from a clash with a rival family, yet he held me tight and swore:

"Elena, stay by my side. I swear, I will make you the most respected Mrs. Falcone. For the rest of my life, I will only love you."

Seeing the raw devotion in his eyes, I’d wept, believing I had married for love.

But the fairytale of a reformed rake didn't last long.

He soon grew tired of a life with only me, and all-nighters became his new routine.

When I got angry, he would compensate me with expensive jewelry.

When I suggested taking my mother and leaving, he threatened to cut off her treatment.

Our vows became nothing but a pile of lies.

Everything he had promised became the bars of a cage that imprisoned me.

Later, Alessandro grew tired of arguing.

He gave me a black card with no limit and laid out his traditional Mafia philosophy.

"Elena, I love you, but it's impossible for a man to have only one woman."

"You are my wife, the matriarch of this family. That will never change. As for the women outside, they are just for amusement."

In three years of marriage, the lovers by his side came and went.

Only Isabella had remained with him for a full six months.

He broke his own rules for her time and again, slowly eroding what little was left of our love until my heart turned to ice.

Now, my mother was dead.

I no longer had to endure this loveless marriage for her sake.

Once this thirty-day asset transfer period was over, Alessandro and I would be done for good.

He and his mistresses could have this blood-stained marriage.