A Donna Reborn: No Longer a Substitute

"If my husband's taking you for the examination, then who's going to take me?" I asked, each word deliberate.

Patients and nurses alike glanced our way.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Alice's face, but she quickly masked it with practiced hurt.

"Dalia, don't be so petty. I just asked Riccardo for a little help."

Riccardo frowned. "Dalia, Alice is pregnant, so don't give her a hard time."

"Answer me this. Who do you choose—her or me?" I stared into his eyes, waiting for an answer.

Three seconds passed, and Riccardo's hand stayed firmly on Alice's arm with no sign of letting go.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips. "Riccardo, we're done."

I turned on my heel and walked straight to Mr. Santoro's office.

"Mr. Santoro, can I leave for Capitolium early?"

Mr. Santoro looked surprised. "It'll take at least another week to process the paperwork. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I want to start my new life as soon as possible," I replied, my voice catching slightly.

Mr. Santoro sighed. "Alright. I'll expedite it as fast as I can. But you'd better think it over carefully. You'll be gone for at least three years, so shouldn't you at least say something to Don Corleone?"

"No. There's no need." I shook my head and walked out of his office.

The next morning, Riccardo walked into my hospital room carrying breakfast.

"Croissant and hot cocoa—your favorites."

I looked at the food in his hands and suddenly laughed.

"Riccardo, have you forgotten that I hate sweet food the most?"

In fact, the person who'd love them was Alice.

When we were kids, my nonna, Arianna Messina, always made sugary pastries for Alice. And I never liked them.

Riccardo froze for a moment, then quickly said, "I'll go get you a sandwich instead."

"Don't bother. Just take me back to the manor. I want to be discharged," I said, throwing off the covers.

My leg was only lightly injured, so I could recover just as well at the manor.

After getting into the car, I happened to spot an exquisite pearl hair clip sitting in the glove compartment.

I'd seen it at the department store last time, and Alice had loved it.

I picked it up, turning it over in my hands. "Is this Alice's?"

Riccardo quickly explained, "Marco's in Aztlan for business. Alice said it's cold out, and she doesn't have anything to wear. So, I took her to buy a few things. She probably dropped it by accident.

"Besides, she's pregnant, and it's not easy for her to be on her own. We're all family anyway, so we should help when we can."

I couldn't help but feel amused watching him trip over himself to explain.

Only someone with something to hide needed that many words to cover it up.

"Just drive." I tossed the hair clip back into the glove compartment and turned to look out the window.

Back at the manor, Madre spotted me and immediately started in again.

"You got hospitalized for a tiny injury? Talk about being pampered. Back when I was Donna, I handled family business even with a bullet in me."

I stopped walking and turned to face her. "If you want to rough it, that's up to you. But my parents didn't raise me just so I could suffer in life."

Madre froze, clearly not expecting me to talk back.

I ignored her and walked straight into the bedroom.

First, I circled a date on the calendar.

A week later, on December 15th, it would be both Riccardo's birthday and the day I'd leave.

Second, I took down the wedding photo and every picture of Riccardo and me and threw them all into the fireplace.

As I watched the photos burn, the false memories went up in smoke with them.

Third, I gathered every gift Riccardo had ever given me—gold necklaces, designer watches, custom dresses. Whatever could be thrown away, I tossed. The rest I packed up and gave to the manor staff.

When it was all done, I felt a weight lifted off my chest.

Riccardo returned in the evening. When he saw the ashes in the fireplace, his expression immediately darkened. "Dalia, you burned all our photos?"

"They were old and just taking up space," I replied calmly.

"Old?" He repeated with a hint of anger in his voice. "Those were our memories!"

"There'll be new ones." I finished washing up and lay down on the bed. "I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep now."

Riccardo looked at me, a flicker of hurt in his eyes. But in the end, he said nothing and lay down on the couch.

Late at night, I heard him whisper, "Is that circle on the calendar for my birthday surprise?"

I kept my eyes closed and didn't answer.

A surprise? All I had for him was a clean goodbye.