The Acting Donna's Gambit

I was Marco Galliano's wife for six years. While protecting him, I was abducted by the Rinaldi family.

In captivity, I endured unimaginable torment to give birth to our son, Nico.

When I finally clawed my way back to the family estate, I found a new woman, Bianca Rossi, at his side.

Even more heartbreaking, the son I had risked my life for called that woman "Mamma".

I appealed to the Commission, forcing Marco to stage a car accident to fake Bianca's death.

From that moment on, he blamed me for everything.

He claimed I had made him lose the woman he loved, that I had stolen his son’s mother.

Even my own mother resented me, saying my jealousy tore our family apart.

Buried under their cold shoulders and endless accusations, I spiraled into despair.

Later, the Galliano family was annihilated in a gang war. I was captured and about to be executed. Just as I prepared to face death, Marco stood before me, waging a bloody, one-man war against our enemies.

I escaped with him on my back, but his injuries were too severe. He was on the brink of death.

With his last breath, he told me, "Let this… be my repayment. If there’s a next life… please, don't come between me and Bianca."

I tearfully agreed.

But in the end, I was still executed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I finally escaped, returning to the Galliano family estate in Chicago.

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1

In the family's private chapel, the stained-glass image of the Virgin Mary inexplicably began to shed tears of blood.

The news sent the family’s Capos and senior Made Men rushing to the chapel, their faces etched with disbelief.

"How can a piece of glass bleed? This is… unnatural."

Family legend held that such a phenomenon meant a member was in such profound pain that the Holy Mother herself was moved to weep.

But who, in this day and age, could inspire such a miracle with their love or hate?

As they whispered among themselves, I dragged myself into the chapel, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind me.

I was covered in blood, and the injuries to my legs made it nearly impossible for me to stand.

When my mother saw me, her eyes widened in shock. She froze for a few seconds before rushing toward me.

Ignoring the blood soaking my clothes, she clutched me, her voice thick with sobs. "Alessia! You're alive! Oh, thank God, you're alive. We missed you so much…"

I was still in a daze. It wasn’t until I heard the exact same words as in my past life that I knew for certain: I had truly been reborn.

My gaze drifted past her to Bianca Rossi, who stood quietly to the side. Her features were somewhat similar to mine, but she was younger, with a gentler, more fragile air.

When our eyes met, she looked startled, like a frightened fawn, before quickly looking away.

Memories of my past life rushed in like a tide.

After I was abducted, Marco Galliano was overcome with grief.

The first year, he took every Made Man in the family and obliterated any Rinaldi stronghold they could find. He showed no mercy, painting the streets of Chicago red with their blood.

Nearly driven mad, Marco searched for three days and three nights, but found nothing.

By the second year, the entire family had tacitly accepted that I was dead.

Marco brought another woman back to the estate and told everyone, "Nico's too young to be without a mother, and the family can't be without its Mamma. Bianca will take on Alessia's duties for now. But Alessia is, and always will be, my wife. My love for her never changes."

By the third year, Marco had thrown away everything that reminded him of me. He even had the red roses we had planted together in the backyard dug up.

Even the memorial he had erected for me was left untended, overgrown with weeds.

Now, Marco only wanted Bianca to be his partner for life.

Nico Galliano had completely forgotten me, his birth mother. Under Marco's influence, he followed Bianca around all day, constantly calling her "Mamma".

My mother took Bianca in as her goddaughter and gave her all the family heirloom jewels.

Bianca went from being an orphan to the family's future Mamma overnight.

And when I returned from hell, I became a Donna in name only.

On my way back, I dodged assassins, slept on the streets, ate food from trash cans to survive, and drank dirty water from puddles. Countless times, I was on the verge of collapse, but the thought of my family forced me to keep going.

I never imagined that my sacrifice would be met with utter betrayal.

I couldn't accept it. I went to the Commission and threatened to kill myself, demanding an explanation from Marco.

Under immense pressure, Marco had no choice but to arrange a car accident to stage Bianca's "accidental death".

He had planned to bring her back under some pretext a few days later. However, just two days after Bianca's "death", news came that she had been tortured to death by enemies in another city.

From that moment on, all Marco felt for me was overwhelming hatred.

He refused to speak to me and never ate at the same table with me again. Even at important family banquets that required the Don and Donna to attend together, he found ways to avoid me.

He forbade me from interfering in family affairs and forbade Nico from coming near me.

Under his influence, Nico began to hate me too. He would hit me on the head with his toys and scream vicious insults at me.

Once, he even threw a cup of scalding coffee on my arm, leaving a large burn.

"It's your fault, you witch! You killed my Mamma! I never want to see you again!"

I scolded him.

But Marco said I deserved it, that all the problems in this family were because of my cruelty to Bianca.

After Bianca's death, my mother took Nico and disowned me.

"Bianca just wanted to take care of a motherless child! She never intended to compete with you for anything. Why couldn't you tolerate her? Why did you have to drive her to her death?"

"Wasn't it enough that you ruined Marco and killed Bianca? And now you're taking it out on your own son?"

"I hate you! I wish you’d just died out there! Bianca’s death destroyed Marco, and because of him, this family fell apart. It was all you! You destroyed this family!"

"Get out! I'll pretend I never had a daughter."

My mother's harsh words shattered my heart.

Everyone in the family believed that my "jealousy" had made them lose everything.

Overnight, I became a pariah.

After Marco's death, the victorious Don offered a truce on one condition: one person had to be handed over. The family didn't hesitate to push me forward.

When I was tied to the execution post, everyone from the family came to watch. They threw stones and trash at me, screaming the most vicious curses.

They said I got what I deserved and cursed me to eternal damnation in hell.