The Donna's Last Gift

At our seventh anniversary gala, my husband, Alexander Rossetti, had gifted me the city's one of a kind Rose Manor. I was kissing Alexander. That's when his Capo, Romeo, stepped up with his wine glass, lowering his voice in pure Sicilian dialect with a teasing grin: "Don, the Jasmine Manor for Elena's all settled, identical to the one you gave to Donna." Alexander let out a chuckle. He shot back in Sicilian, casual as ever: "What can I say? She begged me in bed, said she wanted the same thing as her sister. " He kissed my cheek as he spoke, gazing at me with all the warmth in the world, while telling his men: "Don't say her name. If my Donna finds out, we're all in deep shit." His men exchanged knowing smirks, raised their glasses to him, and swore up and down they'd keep their mouths shut. He kissed my cheek, and didn't notice my smile had frozen solid. Maybe Alexander was too smug. He forgot one thing. My grandmother came from one of the oldest families in Sicily. I understood every single word they said. Fireworks burst overhead. Alexander said: "I love you, Olivia. We'll be together forever." I hugged him back, but behind his back, I pulled out my phone, opened the weapons research invitation that Santoro Institute had sent me days ago, and hit "Accept." Three days from now, I would vanish from his world completely. Chapter 1 At our seventh anniversary gala, Alexander gifted me Rose Manor, the most expensive property in the city. All the socialites and heiresses were practically green with envy. They swarmed around me. "Olivia, oh my god! Alexander absolutely adores you!" "Please, next week at my family's charity gala, you and the Don have to come, alright?" "Yes, Donna, can I get a picture with you? This Rose Manor is one of a kind. The way the Don cherishes you makes every woman in the world jealous." I could barely hold my smile together. No one knew that inside, I was already frozen solid. I made an excuse to leave, but ran into Alexander coming to find me at the corner. "Olivia, where were you going?" He grabbed my hand. I pulled away on instinct. He looked back at me, so I pretended to tuck my hair behind my ear. "Isn't the party almost over? Why are you still looking for me?" Alexander gave me a mysterious smile. "Of course, because there's still a surprise, darling." The moment he finished, fireworks exploded across the night sky, massive and brilliant. Alexander had given me another surprise. Several helicopters swept over the city, trailing giant banners that spelled out my name in glowing letters, "Olivia." Cheers erupted from the crowd. Alexander walked toward me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me close. He lowered his head, his eyes full of warmth, and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. Then he whispered in my ear: "I love you, Olivia. My forever Donna. We'll be together always." So tender. So sincere. So moving. If only I didn't know he'd bought my sister the exact same manor. I tilted my head up to meet his kiss, his cologne mixing with the scent of tobacco on him. But when his head dropped to my neck, a sharp, cloying perfume invaded my nose. It was Elena's favorite custom scent. A wave of disgust surged up my throat. "I need the bathroom." I forced a smile, pushed him off gently, and walked away, my stomach churning. I pulled out my phone. An encrypted call with no caller ID lit up the screen. I answered. It was the head of Santoro Institute: "Ms. Garcia, we saw you accepted the top-tier weapons research invitation in the system. Are you sure you want to join us?" "I'm sure." I stared at the fireworks outside the window, my voice cold. There was a pause on the other end. Then a hint of caution crept into his tone: "Then should we bring your sister Elena out as well?" At the name "Elena," my stomach twisted. Five years ago, my family died in an accident, leaving only me and my little sister Elena. To protect the only family I had left, I joined Alexander's organization for shelter. When I fell in love with Alexander and married him, I thought I'd found a new family. But the deadliest betrayal came from the sister I'd risked my life for, and the husband I'd sworn to love. "Not anymore." I closed my eyes. "I don't keep people who betray me by my side." A voice answered on the other end: "Understood. Three days from now, we'll erase every trace of you and come pick you up." I hung up, let out a breath, and a voice came from behind me. "People who betray you? Who?" Chapter 2 I turned around and said lightly: "Nothing. I was just chatting with a lady. " Since you love playing games, I'll play along too. I casually tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "She was telling me about a friend of hers. This woman built an empire alongside her husband, only to find out he'd been keeping a mistress behind her back. Now she's filing for divorce and taking every penny he's got." Alexander's gaze sharpened, scanning my face carefully, trying to catch any crack. When he saw nothing but calm in my eyes, his tense shoulders finally relaxed. A flicker of amusement and arrogance crept back into his gaze. "What an idiot." Alexander let out a soft laugh, pulled me by the waist, and kissed my cheek. "In the rules of the mafia, a man who betrays his wife doesn't deserve his throne. He had it coming." I asked him: "How are you so sure? What if one day, we end up in that same situation?" Alexander scoffed, like I'd just said the dumbest thing in the world. "My Donna, that kind of stupidity will never happen to us." "Really?" I tilted my head up, keeping my tone light, almost playful. "If you ever betray me, and I take every asset you have, everything you're proud of, would you hate me?" Alexander raised an eyebrow and patted my head like I was a little girl. "Take my money? My assets? Olivia, I couldn't care less about any of that. If you want them, take them all." He pulled me closer, his long fingers gripping my chin, and whispered in that dangerously seductive voice right against my ear. "The cruelest punishment for me would be you vanishing from my world completely, so I could never find you again." I looked at his adoring face and felt nothing but irony. Alexander, you just gave me that punishment yourself. Three days from now, I'll give you exactly what you asked for. A sharp click of high heels cut through the silence. "Alex! Olivia!" Elena came running in wearing a pink gown, her cheeks flushed. Elena had never once called me Donna. I always chalked it up to her being childish and never corrected her. She didn't even glance at me, went straight for Alexander's arm. "Happy seventh anniversary, I guess... but sorry, Alex, I'm not wishing you two anything!" The air went still. I stood there, saying nothing. A flash of panic crossed Alexander's eyes. He reached over and ruffled Elena's hair. "Elena, it's been years. You still haven't forgiven me for taking your sister away from you?" "I will never forgive you!" Elena let out a dramatic huff and shoved herself right between me and Alexander. The sequins on her dress caught on my bracelet. She fumbled to untangle it, and in the process, half a glass of red wine splashed all over Alexander's shirt. "I'm so sorry, Alex! I didn't mean it!" Elena gasped, but there wasn't a trace of apology in her voice. Alexander frowned, but didn't get angry. Instead, he turned to me with concern. "Olivia, I have a high-level meeting to get to tonight, and with my shirt ruined, I need to go take care of it. It's getting late, and you're not feeling well, so why don't you head back to the main house and rest?" Elena waved cheerfully from the side. "Yeah, Elena, I showed up late and missed all the fun. I'm heading to the dance floor to enjoy the party now. You go on home!" Alexander pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and walked away. Elena gave me a little wave, turned, and headed toward the direction of the noisy banquet hall. But I stood there, watching coldly as Elena disappeared around the corner. She wasn't heading to the dance floor. She was heading toward Alexander. I pulled a tracking device from the bottom of my clutch and walked toward the parking lot. It took me no time at all to find Elena's flashy red sports car. I clipped the tracker into a hidden compartment underneath the chassis. After I finished, I wiped my fingers clean. They probably forgot, while pulling all their little stunts, that before I became Alexander's Donna, I was one of the country's top weapons research experts. I never suspected anything before. Because I trusted him with everything I had. Chapter 3 I followed the tracker's signal all the way to the estate on the south outskirts. The moment I parked in the shadows, I felt a suffocating wave hit me. The fountain at the front gate was identical to the one at my estate. When Rose Manor was finished, Alexander had held me by the waist and told me he'd designed that fountain himself. One of a kind in the world. A symbol that I was his one and only. But now that "one of a kind" was sitting at Elena's front gate too. A few minutes later, a red sports car roared up to the entrance. Elena's car. I put on my bluetooth earbuds. The tracker's built-in microphone picked up their voices loud and clear. "I didn't want to wish you two anything tonight!" Elena's voice came through, pouty and whiny. "Fireworks, helicopters, Olivia has everything. I just want you. Why can't that be enough?" Alexander's low, indulgent chuckle followed. "Don't be so spoiled. As long as you don't make a scene in front of Olivia, whatever she has, I'll give you." I felt the cold spread from my chest outward. "Fine. You're the great Don, after all." Elena's voice turned syrupy sweet, then shifted to a mocking laugh. "That tie you're wearing is such outdated taste, Don. You should fire your secretary." A beat of silence on the other end. Alexander just let out a low chuckle. No argument. Then came the sound of fabric ripping and buttons coming undone. He yanked the tie off without hesitation and tossed it out the window. After that, the car filled with breathy sounds and soft moans. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. When I first got together with Alexander, I was nothing but a broke student. To get him a decent gift for his birthday, I worked multiple part-time jobs and bought that tie with my first paycheck. He was thrilled when he got it. I asked him nervously: "Do you think it's too cheap?" He pulled me into a tight hug. "As long as it's from you, even a blade of grass is the most precious thing in the world to me." How sweet those memories were. How cruel the present felt. I bit down hard on my lip, letting the tears blur my vision. I breathed in and out, forcing myself to stay calm through the crushing pain. Don't cry, Olivia. Just three more days. Hold on a little longer. It'll all be over. By the time I got back to the main house, it was late. Worse, my eyes were swollen red from crying. I hid in the bathroom with a cold compress and ended up dozing off. Then suddenly, furious pounding on the door and Alexander's voice shouting: "Olivia! Olivia, are you in there?!" I opened the door. The next second, Alexander rushed in and crushed me against his chest so hard I could barely breathe. He sounded terrified. "You weren't in bed. I couldn't find you. No one knew where you were. I thought something happened." He loosened his grip, cupped my face, and saw my red, puffy eyes. He froze. "What happened to your eyes? They're so red. Were you crying?" I forced a smile, keeping my face calm and gentle. "Nothing. I was just thinking about the fireworks and the helicopters tonight. I got too emotional. Couldn't help it." Alexander let out a visible sigh of relief. He smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "You're my Donna. Every year from now on, I'll make you feel this way." I looked at him quietly, my gaze drifting to his open shirt collar. He was only wearing the shirt. The tie was gone. "Where's your tie?" I asked. Alexander paused, then smiled. "Oh, it felt a little tight when I came in. I loosened it and left it in the car." I gave a small nod and smiled. Alexander leaned in to kiss me, his voice low and rough. "Don't overthink it, darling. Get some rest." I turned my head to avoid his deep kiss, just brushed my lips against his cheek, and said softly: "In a couple of days, I'll get you a better gift." I didn't sleep that night. The next morning, I prepared the divorce papers and the raven rings we'd exchanged at our engagement. They were supposed to stand for love and duty. Now they meant nothing. I put them in a box and headed for Alexander's study. Passing through the living room, I saw the door was open. Alexander stood at the entrance, his face serious. Through the gap, I saw who was inside. It was my sister, Elena. Chapter 4 I turned to Alexander and asked, "Who's outside?" Alexander shifted to block the gap in the door, his voice soft. "Darling..." "Elena! It's me." Elena laughed and pushed past Alexander, slipping inside. Her eyes landed on my hands right away. She tilted her head. "Elena, what's in that pretty little box you're holding?" "A gift for Alexander." I answered calmly. Alexander reached over and wrapped an arm around me. "Darling, why don't you put it in the safe first? You know the code." Elena hooked her arm through mine. "Elena, I'll go with you!" In the study, I put the box with the divorce papers and family seal into the safe. I turned around. Elena was watching me, that innocent look still on her face. She asked, "Elena, I'm the person you love most in this world, right?" "Of course." I looked at her, a small smile on my lips. "Then... if I did something wrong, you'd still forgive me, just like before, right?" She blinked, her face as innocent as when she was a kid and used to beg for forgiveness after doing something naughty. I smiled softly. "Of course." But there was none of the old warmth left in my heart. Alexander's voice came from outside the door. "Olivia, come out when you're done." I answered and walked out of the study first, telling them I needed to grab something from my room. But when I reached the corner of the stairs, I stopped and hid in the shadows. At the end of the hallway, Alexander was hissing at Elena in a low voice. "What the hell are you doing?! I warned you not to come to the main house. What if your sister finds out?!" Elena's voice broke into a teary whine. "I know it's wrong, but Alexander, I'm pregnant. I have to do this for my baby." My breath caught for a moment. I heard every single word clearly. For the past five years, I'd been on birth control because Alexander said he wanted more time for just the two of us. He didn't want a kid to break what we had. I thought he really didn't want children. Turns out, he just never wanted one with me. Hearing the word "pregnant," Alexander froze for a second, confusion flickering across his face. He knew he'd been taking birth control himself. But still, his voice turned gentle. "Then you really shouldn't be running around. This is the family's future heir. We can't let anything happen to him." Elena sobbed quietly. "But I'm so lost and scared... The baby needs a father." "Don't overthink it. I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup first." He patted her back, soothing her softly. I pushed down the searing pain in my chest and pretended I was just coming down the stairs. When I reached the first floor, Elena ran up from behind and threw her arms around me. "Elena, my girlfriends invited me to get our nails done. I'm heading out now!" Alexander straightened his suit, his expression flawless. "Olivia, I need to go to the office for some urgent business." I looked at them calmly and gave a small nod. That afternoon, I was quietly packing the rest of my things in my room. My phone buzzed. A video call from Elena lit up the screen. I answered. The screen showed an ultrasound monitor, the image of a fetus clearly visible. From the video, Alexander's low, serious voice came through. "Who are you recording this for?" "Just showing a friend!" Elena chirped. Alexander's voice turned firm. "Fine, but keep this serious. And from now on, it stays confidential, got it?" "I know!" Elena laughed and hung up. I turned off my phone without a change in expression and went back to packing. For the next two days, no one reached out to me. Alexander used work as an excuse and never came home. On the third day, Elena finally couldn't hold back anymore. She called. "Elena, are you playing dumb with me?" I stayed silent. Elena kept rambling. "Doesn't matter if you are! The doctor just did the checkup. It's a boy. He's Alexander's only heir." "I see." I replied flatly. "Elena, you love me so much. Just give Alexander to me, okay? Like how you always gave me whatever I asked for when we were little." "Fine." I didn't hesitate. Elena paused for a second on the other end, then burst into wild, triumphant laughter, like she was mocking Alexander for being overly cautious and paranoid. But she got one thing completely wrong. I wasn't giving Alexander to her. I was throwing him away like trash. On the last day, the black sedan from Santoro Institute pulled up at the back gate on time and picked me up. The sky opened up with a violent downpour. The closed windows fogged up. I had a mild case of claustrophobia. My chest felt tight, so I pressed the window button on the armrest. The window rolled down halfway, and I could finally breathe. That was when I realized the car was passing by Jasmine Manor. Through the rain, a luxury car was parked at the front gate. Elena wore a cream-colored maternity dress with Alexander's black coat draped over her shoulders. Alexander held an umbrella over her. Just as the car sped past, something seemed to catch Alexander's attention. He looked up. Through the half-open window and the raging curtain of rain, our eyes met across the air. In that instant, I saw countless emotions flicker across his dark green eyes. His lips parted, like he was about to shout something in my direction. I pressed the button without a word and rolled the window all the way up, cutting off our future. The next second, my phone started buzzing violently. Alexander's name flashed on the screen. I looked at it, but didn't move. The man sitting across from me was a secretary from the Santoro family. He said: "Ms. Garcia, your love story with Don Alexander is well known across the city. We understand if you're having second thoughts." I gripped my phone tighter. He added, "Before the plane takes off, you can have this car stop at any time." I shook my head. "No." I rolled down the window and tossed the phone out. "I'm not looking back. Let's go." I'd already signed the highest level of confidentiality agreement. I had to cut all ties with the past. More importantly, I wasn't going to waver at the look in Alexander's eyes anymore. I turned my head and watched the receding streets through the window. The rain blurred the entire city.