The Don’s Regret

The sun was blazing on the day I was discharged.

It fell on my empty ring finger, where a mark so faint it was barely visible remained, like the final trace left behind after six absurd years.

As soon as the call connected, my brother’s steady voice came through.

“The private jet and armed convoy are standing by at the airport. The Varini family has already arranged your reception in Sicily. Come over without worry.”

I didn’t return to Villa Corleone. Instead, I went straight to Chicago’s most professional mafia law firm.

They had been handling underground family disputes for years.

In the drafted “Withdrawal from the Corleone Family Agreement”, it clearly stated I would have to relinquish all Corleone-related jewelry, property, and shares.

From that point on, I would have no personal or financial ties to the Corleone family, and both parties would not interfere with one another.

I picked up the pen and wrote “Ella Rossi” neatly and decisively.

After receiving my copy of the agreement, I called Sophia.

The family cafe was hidden within the core of Corleone territory. The booths were separated by heavy velvet curtains, offering excellent privacy.

When I arrived, Sophia was already there. She wore a champagne-colored custom family gown. The gold honor badge on her chest gleamed harshly under the lights.

She lazily rotated her coffee cup with her fingertips, her eyes full of vigilance and poorly concealed pride.

“What? Finally thought it through? Want me to plead with my brother so you can move back to the villa?”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I took a family ring out of my bag and handed it to her.

She put it on in confusion. Realizing the fit was exact, the smugness on her face slowly froze.

“Did you think he avoided you because he didn’t like you?” I looked at her stunned expression and calmly revealed the truth.

“Hidden in the deepest part of the Corleone private armory, there’s a lifelike doll made to match you. The hair, the eyes, even the small moles on your body, are identical. This ring was also custom-made to your size.

“He only married me to use me as a ‘wife’ to force himself to quit his obsession with you and to silence outside rumors with the marriage.”

Sophia clenched the ring tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word.

I pushed the withdrawal agreement toward her.

“Give this to Vincenzo when he comes back. I wish you both your heart’s desire. And I hope I’ll never see anyone or anything related to the Corleone family again.”

“Where are you going?” Sophia suddenly called out, her voice carrying an unfamiliar tension.

“To live my own life.” I stood up.

Sunlight fell over me, soft and bright. “And one more thing. Don’t provoke me again. Next time, you’ll be facing the wrath of the Rossi family.”

The private airport lounge smelled faintly of cigars.

My phone vibrated once. It was a message from Vincenzo, with a photo of an ordinary diamond bracelet and the words: [A gift for you.]

However, I already knew his true purpose for this trip, which was to buy the Princess Diana limited-edition necklace Sophia had coveted for so long at a French auction.

I blocked all of his contacts without hesitation, including the family’s encrypted communication channel, and then canceled my usual phone number.

Soon after finishing all of that, familiar footsteps sounded from the VIP corridor.

Vincenzo appeared in a black trench coat, with several soldati following behind him. He walked quickly, not noticing me at all in the corner.

I quietly watched his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, not calling out to him or feeling any reluctance.

As the private jet slowly climbed into the clouds, the Corleone territory on the ground shrank into blurred points of light.

I leaned back in my seat and finally let out a breath.

After six years of obsession, a long dream, I was now fully awake.

The winds of Sicily, carrying the salty scent of the sea, were waiting for me thousands of miles away. As for everything tied to the Corleone family, the harm, the betrayal, the deception, it all belonged in the past.

…