You Replaced Me, so I Got an Upgrade

Giovanni's convoy roared out of Rossi Estate.

My phone buzzed, and the screen lit up with a message from Giovanni. "Clear out your things tonight. All locks and codes will be changed in a week."

I didn't reply.

Silently, I began erasing every trace of myself from the villa I'd lived in for seven years. From the haute couture gown he'd given me to the ivory-handled pistol he'd engraved by hand for my birthday last year.

I packed up every memory and tossed it in the trash.

My phone lit up again.

Giovanni's last message sounded like a dignified closing to our relationship. "If you run into trouble, contact Antonio. I can't give you the title of wife, but you'll have a Don's protection."

I stared at that last line and laughed.

I'd been by his side for ten years, taking knives for him and firing guns for him. Now that he'd made it to the top, all he offered me was condescending "protection".

The typhoon's storm delayed all flights. I couldn't leave, and I couldn't sleep. I woke in the dead of night and smoked one cigarette after another.

The smoke blurred my vision but sharpened my memories.

The year I met Giovanni, he was still the unrecognized illegitimate son of the family. I was 19 years old, fresh out of home. My wallet was stolen, and I was nearly dragged into an alley. He saved me with his fists.

I fell in love at first sight and stubbornly followed him three streets down.

He sneered at the prestigious academy uniform I was wearing. "Signorina, I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow. Why do you love me? Go home and hug your doll to sleep. We're not from the same world. There's no future between us."

Back then, I was both innocent and stubborn. Once I set my sights on him, I wouldn't let go.

Amid his stunned stare, I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed a fierce kiss to his lips.

"I don't care about a future with you. I only want you."

That night, we made our first promise to each other.

After that, I followed Giovanni, climbing out step by step. While he fought for territory, I patched his wounds. While he dealt with traitors, I kept watch and ran errands.

Countless nights, we became each other's only salvation, clinging to one another like life depended on it.

Between labored breaths, he promised over and over, "Serena, once I become the Don, the first thing I'll do is marry you."

Now that he was the Don, the first thing he did was erase me from his life.

I wasn't naive anymore. I wouldn't waste myself on someone unworthy.

My phone buzzed again, but this time, it wasn't another message from Giovanni.

"The engagement still stands. Welcome home, my Donna."

Seeing that, I deleted every photo and chat history with Giovanni.

I picked up the suitcase I had already packed and held the keys in my hand.

By the time I opened the door, the rain had stopped.

I didn't look back.

Giovanni was right. Arvandor was a good place. That was where my home was.

It was where the man who had waited for me for years—now the Don of the most powerful mafia family—stood waiting.

And where a wedding long overdue was meant to take place.