Chapter 2

After leaving the hospital, the first thing I did was buy a plot in the cemetery. Back in my hometown, it was tradition to cremate unborn children and bury the ashes in the ground. It was believed that by doing so, the soul would be released and reborn into a happy life.

Even if it was just a fairytale, I wanted to do what little I could for my baby.

By the time I returned to the Cossini estate, the sky was already dark. When I opened the front door, my face pale, the butler, Guido Vitale, carefully tried to support me into the house, but I refused him.

Using a wall for support, I swept my eyes over the photos covering the walls. They were all photos that Marco had taken with me before Alessia returned to the country. In the photos, he only had eyes for me.

He used to wrap his arms around me from behind while I cooked. He would pull me close and wrap his coat around me when the first snow of winter fell.

Closing my eyes, I calmly instructed, "Guido, take down every photo on the walls."

Just as Guido removed the last photo, the front door opened. Marco walked in with Alessia.

When he saw the empty walls, he abruptly halted in his tracks, his smile stiffening. He hurried forward, his eyes a little frantic as he asked in a rushed voice, "Why did you take down all the photos?"

I looked at him calmly. "No reason. The photos are a little old. It's time to change them."

Marco fell silent for a few seconds. An inexplicable sense of unease crept into his heart. He was just about to speak, but before he could, Alessia tugged playfully at his sleeve, pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Marco, you still haven't told Helena the news. I drew the 7-Day Boyfriend-on-Demand card from the blind box, so you have to spend seven days being my boyfriend!"

A boyfriend-on-demand card?

So their game of choosing blind boxes had escalated to the point where she could even get a chance at stealing someone else's husband.

I let out a bitter chuckle before looking at Marco. He shifted his gaze, but in the end, he sighed and explained, "It was only meant to be a joke, Helena. However, now that Alessia ended up drawing it, and her old injury even flared up today, it wouldn't be right for me to refuse to honor it.

"But don't worry. Nothing will happen between us. I'll just accompany her for seven days."

In the past, whenever something like this happened, I would tearfully confront Marco and force him to chase Alessia off.

But this time, my expression remained calm. I even flashed a deadpan smile and said, "Understood."

Marco seemed caught off guard by my reaction. He pressed his lips together. A moment later, he stepped closer, his gaze earnest and gentle.

"Darling, I know you're still upset because of what happened with the blind box earlier. How's this? I'll give you three chances next time, alright?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

The state of my relationship with Marco now wasn't because of Alessia's masterful schemes or machinations that resulted in. It was because, even until this very moment, he still hadn't figured out where to draw the line at which things could be treated as a game.

He didn't know what boundaries were and what propriety looked like.

"That won't be necessary," I said before moving past them to head into the bedroom.

Just then, my phone started buzzing nonstop. I kept getting one message after another.

"Alessia took three bullets for Marco! Who the heck do you think you are?"

"You only became the Donna out of sheer luck! How dare you try to compete with the real princess of the mafia world?"

"Alessia is kind, but that doesn't give you the right to walk all over her! You'd better learn your place."

I scrolled down and saw that Alessia had posted on social media again.

"I drew the 7-Day Boyfriend-on-Demand card for Don Marco! Helena, don't you think certain women should have enough self-awareness to stay out of other people's relationships?"

She'd attached a photo featuring Marco's striking side profile and Alessia smiling sweetly beside him. They looked like a couple deeply in love.

All of the comments were on her side, and they were chewing me out with the cruelest words.

I looked up at Alessia, my expression calm as I pocketed my phone. None of this mattered anymore. I was about to leave anyway. She was free to take my place as the Donna of the Cossini family.

Meanwhile, Alessia's eyes reddened, and she swiftly ducked behind Marco, saying tearfully, "She has such a scary look in her eye, Marco! I didn't mean anything by it. I was just sharing a life update with everyone, like I always do."

Marco's eyes were fixed on the nasty comments that flooded the post, his brow furrowing. Finally, he said, "Alessia, you crossed the line this time. Delete that post and apologize to Helena. She's my wife—and my Donna."

Alessia's expression stiffened. Biting her lip, she took two steps toward me. "I'm sorry, Helena."

I turned to leave, but all of a sudden, she fell backward off the stairs. With a shrill scream, she clutched her swollen ankle, tears welling in her eyes.

"Don't be mad at Helena, Marco. I'm sure she only pushed me because her anger got the best of her…"

Marco's expression turned cold as his eyes snapped toward me. "Alessia is young, so it's understandable if she's a bit immature sometimes. Even if she did something that she shouldn't have, did you really have to get back at her like that?"

I thought I would never be hurt by anything Marco said or did again, yet I couldn't stop my tears from falling. He had readily believed that I'd pushed Alessia, even when the only evidence for that was her one-sided claims.

In the past, during a mafia negotiation, someone had once mocked me, saying that I was only fit to stay in the kitchen cooking dinners for everyone.

Marco had pulled out his gun and shot the man on the spot. He didn't care that doing so meant the risk of starting a war between two families.

"I won't let anyone disrespect my Donna in this neighborhood."

Well, the man who had once been willing to protect me at the cost of his life had become a total stranger to me now.

When Marco saw my tears, his expression finally eased up a little. He tried to approach me, but Alessia squealed in pain again. After a moment's hesitation, he picked her up and called for the family physician.

My limbs had gone cold. I barely had the strength to move. All I could do was stand dazedly where I was.

Once I finally regained my senses, I texted my lawyer. "Has the divorce been finalized yet?"

The lawyer replied almost immediately. "Ms. Ricci, your marriage to Mr. Cossini has now been legally dissolved."

I checked my flight details to confirm the time of departure.

This was goodbye forever, Marco.