My Mafia Husband Said He Was Broke

The day I married Santino Connor, he went from the infamous heir of a mafia fortune to a broke nobody. When he handed me a plastic ring in a shabby basement and asked if I would start from scratch with him, I looked at the man I had loved since I was a girl and nodded without a second thought. "Santino, as long as it was with you, I would do anything." For him, I worked more than ten hours a day until my stomach bled from the stress. Our son, from the moment he could walk, trailed me from one odd job to the next. I thought my love could eventually build us a life in the sun. Until, at a lavish banquet where I was serving the elite, he showered me with cash from his seat at the head of the table. "What's that thing crawling on the floor? It's blocking my view!" "Take the money and get out of my sight!" When I saw the woman by his side, her face an eerie copy of my own, I finally understood. To him, this was just a game, and I was the only one playing for keeps. If he was going to go to such lengths to deceive me, then it was time for his game to end. What he didn't know was that one month later, he would be tearing the world apart to find me. Chapter 1 The day I married Santino Connor, he announced he was leaving the Family, and as a result, all his accounts were frozen. Believing his promise to "go straight and start over," I spent five years chained to a sewing machine in a cold, damp basement, my fingers scarred from countless needle pricks. Our son, Luca, dressed in oversized T-shirts from a thrift store, was digging through dumpsters with me for scrap cardboard by the time he was three. But then I discovered that my supposedly broke husband, the man I thought was earning an honest living, had taken his place as the Don of the Connor family. This time, something inside me broke for good. In one month, I would be gone from his world completely. On Luca's fifth birthday, a torrential downpour soaked the city. I had just pulled an all-nighter to finish a rush order. Drenched to the bone, we stood at the gates of a sprawling private estate, clutching a newly finished sample tuxedo. This was an urgent job, and the pay was enough to cover Luca's tuition for the next semester. A man who looked like a butler tossed a towel at me. "Get inside before you dirty the carpets. The Don is meeting with important guests. You two can use the dog door over there." "You're here to discuss the tuxedo with the staff. Don't disturb the Don and his guests in the main hall." The thought that this money was one step toward a clean break gave me the strength to go on. I took Luca's hand, and we stooped low to crawl through the dog door. The scent of cigars drifted out from the hall. I glanced up at the glittering, magnificent ballroom. I never expected the man in the seat of honor, a red rose pinned to his lapel, would be my husband. The same man I thought was breaking his back hauling crates at the docks. My body went rigid. A deafening roar filled my head. Santino leaned back in his chair while the woman beside him whispered in his ear, her red lips vivid, her face eerily similar to mine. I grabbed the arm of a nearby servant. "That man... the Don. Is that Santino? I thought he left the Family years ago." "Leave?" The servant looked at me like I was crazy. "Are you kidding? He practically runs this city." My knees gave out, and I could barely stand. "Santino," the woman beside him murmured, a smile in her voice, "you're giving my father the entire port's profits. What does that leave for you?" Santino slowly raised a hand, his thumb stroking her earlobe. "It's nothing. I told you, Riley, everything I have, all my power, is for you. Only for you. I never break my word." The jazz music swelled as a servant shoved me hard. "What are you gawking at? Get down and take the measurements!" I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I knelt mechanically, adjusting the trousers. From the corner of my eye, I saw Luca frozen in place. Children are so sensitive. He must have recognized his father's voice. "What are those two doing crawling on the floor? They're like dogs, blocking my view!" a child's voice rang out. The woman, Riley, swept the boy into her arms. He looked about the same age as Luca. "Santino, my darling Finn adores you. He says that when he grows up, he wants to be the most powerful man in the city, just like you." Santino let out a deep laugh and pulled the boy onto his lap. "Clever boy." He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it down. "Get those two dogs out of here. Can't you see they're ruining the view?" The bills fluttered down, landing on me and Luca. I fought to hold back my tears, refusing to look up until my eyes burned from the strain. I pressed Luca's head down, shielding his eyes, then quickly finished the measurements and retreated. Five years. Eighteen hundred days and nights. Had he lied to me for five years with that story of "leaving the underworld to start over," all to keep his promise to Riley that "everything I have is for you"? I realized then that no matter how much time had passed, he had never forgotten her. The memory was a poisoned knife, twisting in my heart. I was the daughter of the Connor family's old tailor. I had always known Santino was the untouchable heir, while I could only admire him from the shadows. I never asked for anything. I just watched as he spoiled his childhood sweetheart, Riley, rotten. When he was eighteen, he blew up a rival casino for her, just to see her smile. Riley, wearing a gown stained with another man's blood, threw herself into his arms and whispered, "You're insane." He held her tighter, a smile playing on his lips. "You deserve the best. I would give you my life if I had to." Later, during a power struggle within the family, the Connors were in crisis. Riley fled overseas to save her own skin. He chased her to the airport like a madman, only to be met with her cold words: "Stop bothering me. You're beneath me." That night, he collapsed on my doorstep, covered in blood. I saved him, and in return, he pulled me violently into his arms. "You like me?" His eyes were unfocused, but his fingers still dug painfully into my skin. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. He scoffed. "Then be with me. We'll leave the Family, start a new life." "Help me forget her." I knew he only said it because I looked so much like Riley, but I chose to believe him anyway. On the first day of our marriage, he told me that to escape the bloody underworld, his accounts had to be frozen. He couldn't touch a cent of the family's dirty money. I was so in love with him, I never cared about his status as a mafia heir. Starting over was fine. As long as it was with him, I was willing to do anything. So during what he called his "downfall," I lived in a basement, ate stale bread, washed clothes for mobsters in the dead of winter, and gave birth to Luca in a back-alley clinic. Only now did I see how absurd my dream had been. Chapter 2 I don't remember how I left the estate, only that I walked for a long, long time, holding Luca's hand. His face was streaked with tears, but he didn't make a sound, his small face red from the effort of holding back sobs. "Mommy, that was Papa... right?" "He lied to us, didn't he?" "He just doesn't love us. That's why he let us starve and freeze, right?" Seeing him sob, my heart broke. I was the fool. For a love that wasn't real, I had made my son suffer with me for five years. I thought of how, while Luca and I were begging our landlord for a rent extension, he was spending a fortune at an auction for the woman he loved. Now, on Luca's birthday, my son was crawling through a humiliating dog door in a storm to help me fit clothes for servants, while he was planning the most lavish birthday party for his lover's child. I stroked Luca's head and finally made a decision. "Mommy doesn't want that Papa anymore." "I'll take you away, Mommy will. We'll go to a place without lies, okay?" "Okay!" Luca cried, his small body trembling. "Let's go far, far away, and never see him again." Back in that dark basement, the two of us shared a cold, cheap piece of cake. Late that night, the lock turned. Santino was back. He had shed the imposing persona of the Don and changed back into the cheap jacket I had bought him from a street stall. The cloying scent of expensive perfume still clung to him. "Still awake?" He loosened his tie, his expression weary, his acting flawless. "Something came up at the site today. I'm late." Before, I would have rushed to heat up soup for him, my heart aching. But now, all I felt was disgust. I sat in the darkness, without turning on a light, and pushed a document across the table. "Sign this." "What's this? An insurance policy?" He frowned, and just as he picked up a pen, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It wasn't on speaker, but I could still make out Riley's sickeningly sweet voice. "Santino, Finn is making a fuss. He says he can't sleep unless you tell him a bedtime story." Santino's expression instantly softened. That gentleness was a knife twisting in my gut. "Alright, I'll be right over." He hastily signed the document without a glance. "I have to go. I won't be back tonight." He grabbed his jacket and turned to leave. At the door, his hand tightened on the frame, as if he was holding something back. I watched his back, my voice as soft as a sigh. "Santino." He stopped, turning back, "What is it now?" "Nothing." I looked at him, but in the end, I didn't say what I was thinking. "It's cold out. Stay warm." In the end, he just walked out. "Mommy, that's a divorce agreement, right?" Luca looked up, his face pale, his small hands clutching the divorce papers stamped with the Connor Family crest. I knelt down, stroking my son's soft, curly hair, my heart clenching as if squeezed by an icy hand. "According to Connor Family rules, there's a one-month review period, Luca." "But don't worry. We're protected by the Family's rules. No one can touch us. When the month is up, Mommy will take you away from New York, and we'll never come back." Luca nodded forcefully, his eyes shining brightly, looking so much like Santino's. For the next week, Santino vanished. He didn't return to the basement, and I heard nothing about anyone interfering with the divorce papers I had quietly submitted to the Family. The elder who handled family divorces was an old friend of my father's. He would do everything he could to help me keep it secret until it was all settled. I didn't even have to go out of my way to find news about the celebrated Don. I only had to listen to the gossip from the low-level enforcers collecting protection money on the street corners to piece together his movements. "Hey, you hear? Don Connor popped ten bottles of Louis XIII at the club last night just because that woman, Riley, said the champagne was too dry." "And get this, I hear he bought her son a purebred racehorse for over half a million dollars!" "I heard the Don has a wife, but she's never been seen in public. Poor thing." I lowered my head, my fingernails digging so hard into my palms that they drew blood. A half-million-dollar racehorse. And my Luca, malnourished as he was, looked more like a three-year-old than a five-year-old. In the leaked photos that circulated, Santino looked at that mother and son with a fiercely protective gaze. It was a look I had never once received during my five years in the slums. I stared at those blurry photos, and each one felt like a dull, rusty saw dragging across my heart. I remembered that cold night five years ago, when I thought he had chosen to leave the life for me. There was no grand Sicilian wedding, no wedding dress. We hid in that moldy basement like rats. For five years, to make ends meet, my fingers were pricked countless times by sewing needles. And Luca, from the moment he could understand, learned to help me sort fabric and make deliveries, all to ease the burden on his supposedly "down-and-out" father. How ridiculous. Even after seamlessly taking his place as Don of the Connor Family, he continued to play the part of a pitiful failure for me. Chapter 3 On the evening of the seventh day, Santino returned. The lock turned, and he entered, bringing with him the chill of the late night and the faint, expensive scent of perfume. He didn't even look at me. While unfastening his cufflinks, he spoke coldly, "Get Luca dressed. I'm taking him out." I froze, the needle in my hand nearly piercing my fingertip. He had made it clear that for his own safety, Luca was never to be exposed to the world of the Family. Why the sudden change of heart? "Tomorrow," I said, instinctively blocking the door to Luca's room. "It's too late tonight. He's still getting over that bad cough." Santino's expression darkened. His mask of patience slipped, and for a moment, I saw the ruthless Don beneath. Just as his temper was about to snap, a knock came at the door. It was our landlady, Mrs. Russo. Santino frowned, the annoyance of being disturbed making him look like a caged lion. "So late. What is it?" Not wanting him to know my plans, I spoke first. "I'm thinking of moving. I was just talking to the landlady about the lease." "I found a cheaper place." Santino didn't suspect a thing. In his eyes, I was just a poor woman who complained about the five-hundred-dollar monthly rent. He nodded indifferently, loosening his tie. "Go talk outside. Don't make a racket in here. I'll watch Luca." I hesitated. But he was Luca's biological father. He wouldn't harm his own son. I could only nod. Mrs. Russo was a kind-hearted old Italian lady. She pulled me into a dark corner of the stairwell. "Erin, you're really leaving? If the rent is too much, I can lower it a little more..." "No need, Mrs. Russo." I shook my head, lowering my voice. "The boy's father and I are separating. We're leaving the city soon." The old woman's eyes widened in shock. "What? Leaving Mr. Connor? Heavens, my dear, have you gone mad?" She paused, then sighed. "It must be his idea, right? After all, I see how much you love him, putting up with this life for his sake. You'd never leave on your own." I lowered my eyes, a bitter taste on my tongue. So even an outsider could see how pathetic my love for him had been. Seeing my silence, Mrs. Russo didn't press the issue. She just patted my hand sympathetically. "Since you've decided, then so be it. God bless you, Erin. That man will regret losing you one day." However, when I finished the conversation and pushed the door open, my blood ran cold. The room was empty. Luca was gone. My hands trembled as I dialed Santino's private number. No answer. My nineteenth call went unanswered. A fear I had never known before seized my throat. I burst out of the room, grabbing everyone downstairs and questioning them like a madwoman. These people weren't ordinary tenants; they were all Santino's lookouts. Seeing my state, they knew there was no point in hiding it anymore. One of the low-level enforcers, a man I had once helped, told me with a troubled expression, "Don Connor took the young master. He got into a black, armored car. The license plate belonged to the Family's medical unit." A chill ran down my spine. I stumbled to the private clinic controlled by the Connor Family. It was the place where the family dealt with gunshot wounds and other off-the-books procedures. The clinic was heavily guarded, but my identification was still valid, and it got me inside. Outside a diagnostic lab, one only core family members could enter, the heavy door was slightly ajar. Santino's voice drifted out. "The specialist is sure this will work. The data will give them the diagnostic model they need." Then came Riley's voice, laced with false concern. "But Santino, this cardiac stress test... the specialist said it's strenuous. And Luca is so small, and you heard Erin, he's sick. If she finds out you're doing this for Finn, won't she..." Santino's gaze was fixed on the complex machinery inside the lab. "Finn's condition remains unresolved. The doctors are running out of time. This experimental test is our only hope, and it requires a test sample of the same age." "I am Luca's father. According to Family tradition, the firstborn son carries the burdens of the Family. He will do his duty." "I won't let her interfere." I clamped a hand over my mouth, tears streaming down my face. So his sudden appearance today wasn't to make up for his absence as a father. His sudden warmth was a ploy to lure my son, who was already weak, to a clinic and use him like a lab rat for an experimental procedure. I had thought he'd had a change of heart, that he wanted to finally act like a father. I never imagined he would risk our son's health for a diagnostic test for Riley's precious boy. So much for the sacred bond of blood. Chapter 4 Blinded by rage, I burst into the sterile clinic room. "Santino! You brought Luca here to use him as a guinea pig?" "Have you no soul? He's your son, and he's just getting over being sick!" Santino was standing by a window, smoking. He turned his head at my voice. When he saw me, his brows furrowed, as if my very presence was an offense. Riley feigned shock, taking a step back. Santino's thin lips parted. "Erin, this is a private Connor Family clinic. Don't scream like a madwoman." "And besides, you're upsetting Riley." "A madwoman?" I repeated, trembling, my tears splashing on the marble floor. "Luca worships you! In that moldy basement, he drew pictures of you every day and called out for Papa in his sleep! He's just a little boy, and his body is weak! And you?" I tried to rush him but was blocked by two bodyguards. I struggled desperately, my eyes fixed on Luca, who was being fitted with electrodes and sensors, his small face pale with fear as he looked at the intimidating treadmill. "You trampled on his adoration, and now you're going to run him to the point of collapse for a medical experiment?" "Erin, don't be so dramatic. It's just a diagnostic test. He'll be fine." Santino flicked his cigarette ash, his voice pure ice. "Finn's condition is critical. We need this data. Luca is my son. It is his duty to carry this burden." I wanted to slap him, but I couldn't move. "You bastard! You don't deserve to be a father!" Santino finally lost his patience. He stood up and grabbed my chin. "Erin, know your place. Don't force my hand." Just then, a technician spoke up hesitantly. "Don, the boy is showing signs of respiratory weakness from his recent illness. Pushing him through a full-protocol stress test could lead to severe respiratory distress or even cardiac strain." A flicker of reluctance crossed Santino's face, but it vanished in an instant. He turned to me, "You will stand behind that glass. You will smile, and you will encourage him. If he stops before the test is complete, the data is useless. If he panics because of you, I'll have you removed." "If you don't agree, you'll be on your own for Luca's recovery after the test." He was forcing me to watch, to smile as my son was tortured. I stared at the man I had loved for five years. I looked at him, and then I laughed. I laughed until tears of despair streamed into my mouth, salty and bitter. "Fine, Santino. You win." I was made to stand behind a glass partition. I watched as they started the treadmill. Luca began to run, his little legs churning. He kept looking at me, his eyes wide with a plea for help. I forced a smile, but my heart was breaking. I watched his breathing become ragged, his face flush with a feverish heat. The clinical beeping of the heart monitor grew faster, more erratic. He stumbled, whimpering, "Mommy, I'm tired." "Keep going!" I heard Santino's voice bark through the intercom. I bit through my lip, my mouth filling with blood. My vision swam, then blackened. Every second stretched into an eternity. But I had to stay conscious. I couldn't collapse here. I had to take Luca away. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Luca's legs gave out. He collapsed onto the moving belt before a technician lunged to hit the emergency stop. I heard Santino's cold voice,"That's enough. We have the data. Get it to the specialist for Finn. Take the boy to a recovery room." I don't know how much time passed before Luca's voice pulled me back. "Mommy!" His face was ashen, an oxygen mask covering his small nose and mouth. His breathing was shallow and labored, and a rattling cough shook his small frame. "Mommy, it hurt to breathe," he whispered, his voice muffled by the mask, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "I was so scared I'd never see you again." I pulled his small, feverish body into my arms, careful of the tubes, and my own tears finally broke free. "I'm so sorry, Luca. Mommy couldn't protect you." I was a fool to believe that man had even a shred of humanity left. Chapter 5 Luca, wincing with each wheezing breath, raised his small hand and clumsily wiped away my tears. "Don't cry, Mommy. It... it doesn't hurt as much anymore. I don't blame Papa. Maybe I'm just not strong enough." His maturity was a blade twisting in my heart. I took a deep breath, forced myself to sit up, and said, word by word, "Luca, listen to me. We don't need Papa anymore." Luca froze, his eyes wide above the oxygen mask. My eyes were resolute. "As soon as the review period is over, we're leaving." "Where are we going?" "To a place with no Connor Family, no lies, and no pain." Luca nodded forcefully. "Okay! As long as I'm with Mommy, I'll go anywhere." Just as he finished speaking, the door to the room was thrown open. The loud noise made Luca flinch, and he broke into another fit of harsh coughing. Santino stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on us. "Leaving?" "And where do you think you can run with my son?" The moment Luca saw Santino, he scrambled into my arms in terror. "Don't come any closer," he whimpered. "Mommy, I'm scared." I held my trembling, feverish son tightly and looked up. "Get out. Luca doesn't want to see you." Santino stopped, his displeasure clear on his face. Before, this child had always clung to him like a puppy, looking at him with worshipful eyes. And I had been utterly obedient. This sudden coldness was new to him, and he was offended by it. But he quickly reverted to the arrogance of a Don. He adjusted his cuffs, his tone detached. "Riley just returned to New York. As a family ally, it's my duty to look after her and her son. The test was a success, Finn has been diagnosed, and Luca is alive. Stop being so dramatic." Still alive. The words were a slap across my face. "So you admit he's not your son?" I swayed, my body a live wire of rage. "But Luca is!" "For an outsider, for a woman you have no formal ties to, you forced your own sick son through a medical stress test that nearly stopped his heart and left him with severe respiratory distress!" Santino took a step closer. "Erin, you knew the situation five years ago. You chose to stay. You insisted on having this child." "All these years, whether you were suffering in the slums or enduring this for Finn, you did it all for me, didn't you? A testament to your love?" He reached out to touch my face, but I flinched away. Santino's hand froze in mid-air, a flicker of disappointment flashing through his eyes. "This is the path you chose, isn't it?" My ears were ringing. Yes, it was my choice. I was stupid enough to think love could soften a stone. I was naive enough to believe that if I endured enough, he would eventually turn back to us. In the end, the only one I'd convinced was myself. I reaped what I sowed. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let the tears fall. "You're right, Santino. I made my choice." Finally, the adoration in my gaze was gone. "You're being irrational," he said coldly before turning to leave. For the next few days, Luca and I were kept in the private ward. It felt less like treatment and more like house arrest. The nurses in the hallway were always whispering. "Did you hear? Don Connor bought Miss Riley a pink diamond necklace yesterday. A million dollars." "Yeah, they say it was to celebrate her son's diagnosis. He really spoils them rotten." "What about his actual wife and son in that room? I heard they put the poor kid on a stress treadmill until he collapsed, just for a test for the other boy." "Shh, keep your voice down. It's just pitiful." Every word was a slap in the face. But I couldn't feel the pain anymore. Once a heart dies, all that's left is the will to escape. The day we were discharged, the sunlight was so bright it hurt to look at. Luca stared at a cake in a shop window, swallowing hard, but then obediently looked away without a word. For five years, to play along with Santino's "going straight" act, Luca had never had a decent meal or a new set of clothes. I felt the small wad of cash left in my pocket. "Come on, Luca." I took his hand, forcing a smile. "Mommy's taking you out for a nice meal." I wanted him to know that even without his bastard of a father, I could still give him the world. A waiter showed us to our table. I was holding the menu, explaining to Luca which pasta was which, when a familiar, grating laugh came from the table next to us. "Santino, this truffle is delicious. Finn loves it." I slowly turned my head. At the best table by the window, Santino was gently cutting a steak for Riley. Finn sat beside them in a custom-tailored suit, his face glowing with health, looking nothing like a child who had just undergone major surgery. "Papa, I want that lobster!" Finn demanded, tapping his fork against his plate. Santino didn't correct him. Instead, he tenderly cut the lobster meat and placed it on Finn's plate. "Alright, eat slowly." Luca saw it all. He gripped his fork tightly, his eyes fixed on the fatherly love he had never known. "Should we go?" he asked in a small voice. "No," I said, placing my hand on his. "We paid. We have a right to be here." Finn saw us. He jumped down from his chair, picked up a steaming bowl of soup from the table, and walked straight toward us. Riley saw him but just covered her mouth with a light laugh, making no move to stop him. Finn stopped in front of Luca. "Hey, who let you in here?" Finn's voice was sharp and cruel. "What are peasants like you doing in a place like this?" After he spoke, he flicked his wrist. The bowl of scalding lobster bisque tipped, without warning, right toward Luca. Chapter 6 The instant the scalding soup flew through the air, I moved on pure instinct, throwing myself over Luca to shield him. "Ahhh!" Luca's scream tore through the restaurant's elegant atmosphere. Although I blocked most of it, the hot liquid still splashed onto his pale forearms and chest. His skin instantly turned a raw, angry red, and blisters began to form. And the one who did it, Finn, immediately burst into a theatrical wail, playing the victim. "Mommy! That woman tried to hit me!" He was completely unharmed, yet he cried more pitifully than Luca. "I was so scared, my hand slipped and I dropped the soup...." His pathetic lie instantly drew the attention of Santino and Riley as they walked over. "Finn! My baby!" Riley snatched Finn into her arms, her eyes flashing as she accused me, "Erin, how could you be so cruel? Finn was only trying to share his soup with Luca. Why would you push him?" I held Luca, who was trembling in pain, my eyes burning with rage. "Riley, drop the act!" I pointed to Finn's perfectly clean hands. "He did it on purpose! Look! Luca is the one who's burned!" Santino strode over. When his gaze landed on Luca's angry red blisters, a sharp intake of breath escaped him and he instinctively reached out a hand. But then his eyes met Riley's. He stopped, withdrew his hand, and swept the "frightened" Finn into his arms, soothing him gently. "It's okay, Finn. Don't be afraid." "Erin," he said, turning to me, his voice cold as ice. "When did you become so hysterical? Accusing a child who was only trying to be kind?" I was so furious I couldn't speak. I pointed at the angry red welts on Luca's arm. "You call this sharing? Santino, are you blind? That soup was boiling!" "Enough!" Santino cut me off impatiently. "All I see is you screaming, and Finn terrified of you." Luca was covered in a cold sweat from the pain, his small hand gripping my clothes, unable to even cry out anymore. "Mommy, it hurts. It hurts so much." My heart was bleeding. Santino, that's your son moaning in pain. Can't you hear him? I didn't have time to argue with them. I scooped Luca up and tried to rush out. "I need to get Luca to a hospital. His burns need to be treated." Santino glanced at the blisters on Luca's arm, his brow furrowing as if the sight was an ugly inconvenience. "Leaving so soon?" "No one is leaving after upsetting my guest." Black-suited bodyguards immediately blocked the exit. I held Luca, turning back in despair. "What are you doing? He could be permanently scarred!" Santino, while gently patting Finn's back, said casually, "You can go. But first, you apologize to Finn." "What did you say?" "Your outburst scared Finn. Apologize. And keep apologizing until he forgives you." Luca began to tremble violently in my arms, his breathing growing shallow. "Mommy, it hurts so bad. Am I going to die?" His was the injury, but the pain was all mine. On one side was my dignity. On the other was my son's pain. Looking at Santino's cold profile, I finally understood. In this man's heart, Luca and I were worth less than stray dogs. To appease Riley's son, he would let his own flesh and blood suffer. "Hurry up. My patience is wearing thin," Santino urged. Finn peeked out from Santino's arms, waiting for my humiliation. I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek. For Luca, I would walk through hell. I turned, faced the boy who had burned my son, and said, "I'm sorry." Santino watched me coldly. "Is that how you apologize?" Luca's breathing grew more ragged. Finally, I bowed my head. "I was wrong. Please, I beg you, let me take him to the hospital." Santino looked surprised that I would go that far, hesitating for the first time, his jaw tight. "I didn't tell you to..." I didn't wait for him to finish. The moment the bodyguards were distracted, I bolted. At the nearest emergency room, doctors treated Luca's burns. Second-degree burns, deep enough to threaten nerve damage. After his wounds were treated, Luca finally fell into an exhausted sleep. Watching my son, wrapped in bandages, I leaned against the cold hallway wall, completely drained. I dragged myself to the end of the hall to pay the bill. As I passed the smoking area, I overheard two familiar voices. "Santino, wasn't that a bit much back there?" Riley's voice was probing. "What if Erin gets really angry and tries to run away with Luca? He is your biological son, after all." The air was silent for a few seconds. Then came Santino's mocking laugh. "Run? Where could she run?" Through the glass, I saw him leaning against the railing. "She cut all ties with her family to marry me. She endured five years in the slums for me. Just now, she was willing to bow to Finn for that kid." "She and that worthless kid would do anything for me. This is just a little tantrum." "She'll never leave me." Chapter 7 So he knew. He knew exactly how pathetically I had loved him for five years, how I'd believed his lies like a fool, how I'd endured humiliation just for the dream of a normal life. And because he knew, he dared to trample on my dignity so recklessly. But you're wrong, Santino. This time, it's not a tantrum. Once a heart is truly dead, there are no second chances. And I will make sure you never find us again. The day Luca was discharged, the sky was a dreary gray. In just two weeks, my baby had been hospitalized twice. I used the last of my money to hire a car, intending to take Luca back to that moldy basement to pack our things. "Mommy, when are we leaving this place?" Luca looked up, his small face full of hope. I ruffled his soft, curly hair. "Soon, Luca. As soon as Mommy mails the last documents to the council of elders, we'll—" Before I could finish, a black van shot out from a quiet side street and slammed into the front of our car. The deafening crash left my head spinning. Before I could react, the car door was yanked open. Two men in black ski masks burst in, knocking out the driver before grabbing Luca. "Let him go!" I screamed, but the street was empty. One of the men backhanded me across the face. A rag reeking of ether was pressed over my nose and mouth. Before darkness consumed me, the last thing I heard was Luca's heart-wrenching cry. "Mommy!" When I woke up, the salty, damp smell of the sea filled my nose. I was tied to a rusty iron chair in an abandoned warehouse on the docks, surrounded by shipping containers. "Mommy..." A weak voice came from my feet. Luca was curled up on the ground, his small body shivering from fear and cold. "Awake?" A brute of a man crouched in front of me, toying with a dagger. He used the tip to lift my chin. "The life of Mrs. Connor has to be worth a lot, right?" He tossed a phone onto my lap. "Call Santino Connor. Ten million for the two of you." "You have the wrong person," I rasped, my throat raw. "He won't pay. In his eyes, we are worthless." "Cut the crap!" The kidnapper slapped me hard across the face. "You're Don Connor's wife. You gave him a son. You think he won't pay a little money for you?" I tasted blood. "We're getting a divorce," I said, my voice hoarse. The kidnapper clearly didn't believe me. He grabbed Luca, pressing the flat of the cold blade to the child's delicate neck. "Make the call! Or we'll see how he likes getting his son back in a body bag!" Luca was so terrified tears streamed down his face, but he didn't dare make a sound. "No! Stop! I'll call!" I screamed, my composure shattering as I dialed the number I knew by heart. The phone rang. And rang. It rang five times, then went dead. The kidnapper's face darkened. He dragged Luca to the edge of the pier, dangling him over the dark water. "Ah!" Luca cried out in terror. "Don't! Don't hurt him! I'll call again!" I cried out, dialing again. A third time. A fourth. A tenth. Each time the call went unanswered, the kidnapper lowered Luca closer to the churning waves below. Luca was so terrified he was on the verge of passing out. Finally, on the eleventh try, he picked up. "Santino!" I sobbed, my voice shattered. "Luca and I have been kidnapped! We're at the East End docks! They want ten million, or they'll—" "This act is getting old, Erin. Would you really go so far as to use your own son just to get my attention?" I pleaded, betting on whatever shred of humanity he might still have. "It's not an act! They're going to kill him! Can't you hear the water? They're going to throw him in!" "Enough," he sneered. "You know my accounts are frozen. I don't have a cent. If you want me back in that miserable hovel, find a less pathetic way to do it." Enraged, the kidnapper snatched the phone. "Santino Connor? If you don't want your wife and kid to become fish food, transfer the money now." The line was silent for two beats. In the background, I heard the roar of an engine. Then, Riley's syrupy voice came through. "Santino, Finn's race is about to start. He's waiting for you to wave the flag. Who's being such a buzzkill?" Santino's voice grew colder. "Listen, whoever you are, there's a limit to how far you should play along with this madwoman's act." "You want money? It's not happening." The kidnapper roared in frustration. "You really don't care? I'll kill them right now!" On the other end of the line, Santino was silent for a long moment. "I don't have time for these games." "Since you two love playing life-or-death games so much, you can live with the consequences." With a final click, the line went dead. Chapter 8 The kidnapper stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the dead phone. Then, in a fit of rage, he kicked an iron barrel, sending it clattering across the concrete. "Damn it! So this is your precious family bond?" "I wasted my damn time!" Luca had already fainted from sheer terror. I collapsed in a heap, my forehead striking the concrete. I felt a warm trickle of liquid but registered no pain. "Since I'm not getting any money, this mother and son are a liability." The kidnapper grabbed me by the hair. "Don't blame me for this. Blame your cold-blooded Don." I felt a moment of weightlessness as I was lifted into the air. Then, ice-cold seawater engulfed me. The salty water flooded my nose and throat. My lungs burned. I reached desperately for Luca, but a swift undercurrent tore us apart. As I sank into the depths, only one thought filled my mind. Santino, I regret it all. I wish I had never met you. Some god must have been watching over us, because we didn't die. The next thing I knew, I was waking to the steady beep of a heart monitor. "Luca... where is my son?!" As memory returned, I shot up, yanking the IV from my arm. A nurse rushed to hold me down. "Don't move! A fishing boat rescued you and your son. The boy is in the ICU. He's out of danger." Ignoring the nurse's protests, I pulled the needle from the back of my hand and stumbled barefoot into the next room. When I pushed open the door, I saw his small figure. Luca sat numbly on the bed, staring at his bandaged body, his eyes terrifyingly empty. "Luca..." I called, my voice choked. He slowly turned his head. After a moment, he spoke. "Mommy, can we go now?" I glanced at the calendar on the wall. Today was the last day of the divorce review period. "Yes," I said, gently kissing his cold forehead. "Mommy is taking you away right now. We're never coming back." When I received the official divorce decree, stamped with a wax seal from the Family's administrative office, I felt a moment of unreality. Five years of marriage, all the love and hate, reduced to this single, flimsy piece of parchment. I took Luca back to the apartment, a place full of cold memories, and started to pack. We had very few things, just enough to fill a small suitcase and some essential documents. The cheap, counterfeit things Santino had bought for his disguise, the dusty plastic wedding ring, I threw them all in the trash. "What's this charade now?" A mocking voice came from the doorway. Santino leaned against the frame, watching me with cold eyes. "The kidnapping stunt failed, so now you're playing the runaway wife?" "Erin, you have quite a repertoire." I ignored him, tucking the last toy into Luca's small backpack. "Erin." He strode over and grabbed my wrist. "I've had enough. Stop testing me." I finally looked up at him. "Let go." Santino laughed, a humorless sound. "Fine. Very good." "Throwing my things out? Playing the runaway? Fine. Then get out." He let go, flicking his hand in disgust. "I'd like to see how long you last before you come crawling back. Without the Connor family's protection, the two of you wouldn't survive three days in New York." "When you're done with your tantrum, you know where to find me. Don't expect me to come get you." Even now, he believed everything I did was just another attempt to get a sliver of his attention. "You won't have to worry about it." I picked up the suitcase, took Luca's hand, and walked past him. I walked away without a hint of hesitation. "Santino, this time it's real," I said, pausing for a moment without turning back. "Goodbye." The single word made Santino's back stiffen. Unseen by me, his hand, hidden behind his back, clenched into a white-knuckled fist. He took a half-step forward as if to chase after me, but finally, he just stopped. He was sure she loved him the way a dog loves its master. How could she ever truly leave? Erin leaving Santino was the biggest joke in the world. Reaching the door, I took a document from my bag and placed it on the entryway table. This time, I didn't look back. Half an hour later, at Grand Central Station. The train whistle blew, and the giant wheels began to turn. I sat by the window, watching New York City recede, everything from my past fading with it. Luca was pressed against the window, asking in a small voice, "Mommy, are we really never coming back?" "Never." The train picked up speed, the wind whistling past. I stared at the blurred scenery outside. Tears finally streamed down my face, but a smile of liberation touched my lips. Santino, I hope you can still smile when you learn the truth.