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The Don Called Me an Ad, I Made Him My Ex
Novelix
Completed
"My fiancé, New York Mafia don Dario Valcieri, called his childhood friend a classic worth watching over and over. Me? I was a commercial he could skip. That evening, over dinner at the mountain resort, everyone was joking about which TV show each of us would be. He looked at Vivian and smiled. “The Sopranos. A classic. You can watch it a hundred times and never want to skip an episode.” The whole table started teasing him. “No wonder you missed your own wedding to take her to an art exhibition.” When it was my turn, he didn't hesitate. “A commercial. They're everywhere. Anyone can skip them, and you forget them as soon as they're over.” I stared at him in disbelief, but he only smiled and added, “There is an upside, though. You never have to look for one. There's always another.” “She had a fever? I was playing cards at the club. Skipped it. She had a miscarriage? I was at an exhibition with Vivian. Forgot. She kept texting for help? Too many messages. I muted her.” He leaned back, sounding almost proud. “And after all that? She's still right here with me.” Everyone laughed. “So you're saying Elena's low-maintenance!” I went cold. For seven years, every moment I'd needed him most had been nothing more than another commercial to skip."
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
My fiancé, New York Mafia don Dario Valcieri, called his childhood friend a classic worth watching over and over. Me? I was a commercial he could skip.
That evening, over dinner at the mountain resort, everyone was joking about which TV show each of us would be.
He looked at Vivian and smiled. “The Sopranos. A classic. You can watch it a hundred times and never want to skip an episode.”
The whole table started teasing him. “No wonder you missed your own wedding to take her to an art exhibition.”
When it was my turn, he didn't hesitate.
“A commercial. They're everywhere. Anyone can skip them, and you forget them as soon as they're over.”
I stared at him in disbelief, but he only smiled and added, “There is an upside, though. You never have to look for one. There's always another.”
“She had a fever? I was playing cards at the club. Skipped it. She had a miscarriage? I was at an exhibition with Vivian. Forgot. She kept texting for help? Too many messages. I muted her.”
He leaned back, sounding almost proud.
“And after all that? She's still right here with me.”
Everyone laughed. “So you're saying Elena's low-maintenance!”
I went cold.
For seven years, every moment I'd needed him most had been nothing more than another commercial to skip.
To the rest of the world, Dario was a man no one dared defy. Yet I could sit beside him wearing his engagement ring and still be humiliated in front of everyone.
Near the end of dinner, he handed me an envelope.
“For you.”
There was no card inside. Just a jewelry ad torn from a magazine.
I looked up and asked him what it was supposed to mean.
Marco slapped the table, laughing. Vivian laughed too, falling against Dario's chest.
“I told you Elena would get upset. Aren't you going to make it up to her?”
Dario gave me an indifferent glance.
“Why? Commercials are everywhere. Lose one, there's always another.”
He tucked a loose strand of Vivian's hair behind her ear.
Watching them, I folded the page and set it back on the table.
If I was so easy to replace, then so was the man beside me.
After dinner, they moved to the lounge to play cards.
When it was my turn to bet, Marco passed right over me, pushed his chips into the middle, and told the next player to show his cards.
I tightened my grip on my cards.
“It's not his turn. I haven't bet yet.”
Marco leaned back with a grin.
“Don't take it so seriously, Elena. You heard the Don. Nobody likes commercials. We just skipped you.”
They were all trusted men in the family who'd grown up with Dario. They knew when to bow their heads, and when putting someone else down would please him.
Vivian tugged at Dario's sleeve.
“Stop it, you guys. Look at Elena's face.”
Dario tossed his cards onto the table, his voice turning cold.
“Enough.”
The laughter died at once.
I started to stand, but he caught my wrist.
“They're drunk. Do you have to take everything they say personally?”
“We're here to relax. Don't make a scene. Sit down.”
So I was supposed to spare them embarrassment while they humiliated me?
I threw my cards onto the table, pulled my hand free, and walked out.
Dario called my name. I didn't turn around.
After collecting my suitcase from my room, I caught the resort shuttle to the town at the foot of the mountain. I planned to find a ride back to New York from there.
But the downpour grew heavier. We'd barely left when the driver got word of a landslide on the road ahead. We had to turn back.
I got off the shuttle and dragged my suitcase through the rain. By the time I reached my room, my clothes were soaked.
I texted Elliot, the friend I'd grown up with, and asked him to come get me. Then I went into the bathroom.
The warm water had barely begun to ease the chill when I heard my room door unlock.
“Dario, looks like she really didn't leave.”
“Wasn't that her on the shuttle?”
The glass bathroom door swung open.
I snatched a towel from the rack and wrapped it around myself, my mind going blank.
Dario stood in front, turning the key card between his fingers. Vivian and the men crowded behind him.
He raised an eyebrow at them over his shoulder.
“See? Told you. She's always here. Like she'd actually leave.”
Someone instinctively looked away. Dario didn't move back. Instead, he planted a hand against the door, holding it open.
Vivian gasped and covered her eyes, still looking at me through her fingers.
“Oh my God, she's showering. Dario, why would you just open the door?”
Enzo glanced at Dario. Seeing that he was still smiling, he let out a whistle.
“You always keep yourself covered up. Didn't know you had a body like that.”
“Now that's an ad I'd watch.”
Laughter drifted in from the doorway.
I clutched the towel, humiliation burning through me.
“Get out.”
I pushed at the door, but Dario held it in place.
“Did you hear me? Get out!”
He looked at me with the same careless smile.
“Why are you so worked up? You've got a towel on.”
“I was just showing them you were still here. Nobody did anything to you.”
I looked up at him, shaking uncontrollably.
Then he added, “It's just a commercial. Everyone forgets it afterward. Why do you care?”
Seven years together, and in his eyes, I didn't even deserve to close a door.
Chapter 2
Dario finally sent the men out, let go of the door, and tipped his chin at me.
“Get dressed. Vivian wants to go to the hot pools. You're going with her.”
I braced myself against the door.
“I'm not going. She can have a pool to herself.”
Vivian caught his arm.
“Forget it. I'll be fine. Don't put Elena out on my account.”
Dario slipped an arm around her shoulders, his gaze hardening as he looked at me.
“She's coming.”
He took my jacket off its hanger and tossed it at my feet.
“Get dressed. Don't make me come in there and drag you out.”
He stayed in the doorway, still holding the key card. I shut my eyes and picked up my damp jacket.
The pools were on the other side of the hill. Vivian refused to wait for the shuttle, so we took the slippery trail on foot.
Dario took off his coat, wrapped it snugly around her, and held her close.
“Cold? We're almost there.”
Enzo and the others walked ahead, their flashlights lighting only the ground in front of them.
At the back of the group, I stepped on a loose stone and fell hard into the mud.
They were discussing which pool was hottest. Not one of them turned around.
When we reached the pool inside the grotto, Dario steadied Vivian and glanced back at the men.
“Turn around. You know what happens if you look.”
They turned away at once. Not one of them made a joke.
I stood behind them, mud drying on my palms.
So he did know how to protect a woman. Just never me.
Vivian shrugged off his coat, revealing the swimsuit she already had on. Dario checked the water himself before helping her in.
The pool was small. Once they were all in, almost every place to sit was taken.
I was about to take my shoes off when Vivian slid closer to Dario, claiming the last empty corner.
She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes.
“Sorry, Elena. We skipped you again. Looks like there's no room.”
Enzo grinned from the edge of the pool. “How about you stay out and watch our clothes?”
The others laughed.
Dario kept his eyes shut, letting Vivian rest against his shoulder.
“Find somewhere else, then.”
He didn't even look at me.
I wiped the muddy water from my face and walked away.
As I passed the other side of the grotto, I saw Vivian press closer to him through the steam. Instinctively, I took out my phone and recorded a short video.
But I was shaking with cold, and the screen was fogged over. I was in no state to look closely.
There was another, smaller pool nearby. It wasn't as hot as the main one, but it was warm enough to ease the chill of my wet clothes.
I took off my jacket and climbed in wearing my swimsuit, drawing my knees to my chest.
Gradually, the water cooled. A gust of wind set me shivering again. Only then did I notice the fault light on the heater.
Light-headed, I got out, dressed, and returned to the main pool.
Two empty water bottles floated on the surface. The clothes and flashlights were gone from the edge.
They'd left without a word, taking every flashlight with them.
It was completely dark. Beyond the grotto, tree shadows shifted in the wind.
I took out my phone and found a reply from Elliot.
They're still clearing the road at the foot of the mountain. I'll take another route in the morning. Wait for me.
Before I could answer, the battery died.
I started back along the trail in the dark.
I hadn't gone far when my foot slipped. I went over the edge and tumbled down the slope.
My forehead struck a tree trunk, and blood ran into my eyes. A rock tore open my lower leg. I lost a shoe on the way down.
I ripped out a piece of my jacket's lining and bound the wound. Clinging to the trees, I dragged myself back up to the trail.
Every step hurt, until my leg began to go numb.
Elliot's message was the only thing keeping me going.
If I could make it until morning, I'd never have to see them again.
Chapter 3
I forced myself to keep moving until the lights of the main building finally came into view.
Dario and Vivian were sitting close together on a sofa in the lounge. Marco was pouring drinks for the men at the card table.
“Dario, are you sure Elena's okay?” Vivian asked.
Enzo laughed.
“You heard the Don. Don't worry about commercials. They pop up on their own.”
Everyone laughed. Dario didn't disagree.
I stood outside the door, the pain in my leg giving way to numbness.
They all looked up when I opened it.
I was covered in mud, with blood smeared over half my face.
Vivian shrieked.
“Oh my God! Elena, what happened to you?”
“We didn't see you when we got out. Dario said you couldn't take the cold and must have gone back to your room. You didn't?”
Enzo looked me up and down and whistled.
“That's pretty convincing. You even got the blood right.”
I ignored him. All I could see was the warm milk in Vivian's hands. While I'd been freezing out there, Dario had been making her something hot to drink.
Vivian noticed me staring, got up, and came over with the cup.
“Don't be mad. We really didn't know you weren't behind us. Have something warm, okay?”
Dario frowned.
“If you want milk, ask for a cup. Stop staring at hers.”
Only then did he glance at my injuries.
“Where the hell have you been? Do you know we were looking for you?”
I looked at the card table and the drinks in their hands. I couldn't even summon a bitter laugh.
Whatever.
I went around them and headed for the elevator.
“Stop.”
I kept walking.
A hand seized my arm and yanked me back. I was barely steady on my feet as it was. The force sent me crashing to the floor.
Dario froze. He started to reach for me, then withdrew his hand.
“I asked you a question. Didn't you hear me?”
Vivian hurried over and crouched to help me up.
“Elena, are you all right?”
I brushed her hand aside and pushed myself up off the floor.
Dario gripped my shoulder.
“She's trying to help you. What's your problem?”
“Apologize.”
I looked up at him.
“For what?”
He gave an incredulous laugh.
“You shoved her, and you still think you're in the right?”
“You threw me to the floor. Where's your apology?”
The lounge went quiet for a moment.
They weren't used to hearing anyone speak to their Don that way.
I pulled out of his grip and limped into the elevator.
Behind me, Marco tried to smooth things over.
“Let her get some rest. Dario, we're still in the middle of a game.”
This time, he didn't follow.
Back in my room, I plugged in my phone and asked the front desk for a first-aid kit. I cleaned the wound as best I could.
When the screen came back on, the video from the pool was still in my gallery.
I watched it for a little over ten seconds, then turned the screen off.
I didn't cry. I didn't send Dario another message, either.
