The Don’s Runaway Substitute

I had always needed too much reassurance, and for three years, Dante Romano had given it to me. Whenever he came home late or failed to answer his phone, I imagined the worst. And whenever I couldn’t sleep, I made him leave whatever he was doing and come home to me. During one of those needy episodes, strange lines of text appeared before my eyes. 【The Don of the Romano family is handling family business. You really think he has time to put you to bed?】 【She’s only an ordinary woman he kept because she looks like Bianca DeLuca.】 【The real Bianca is coming back from Europe. Once she does, this substitute is finished.】 Suddenly, Dante’s patience no longer felt like love. It felt like tolerance. When he came home and reached for me, I pulled away. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I finally understand.” “Understand what?” “That real love means giving each other freedom.” From that night on, he no longer had to report his schedule, answer every call, or come home because I couldn’t sleep. If I stopped clinging to him and quietly disappeared when Bianca returned, maybe Dante would let me leave safely. But before I could step away, he pulled me hard against his chest. “Baby,” he said softly, “did I do something to upset you?” Chapter 1 “Say that again.” Dante slowly straightened. A few seconds ago, he had been sitting beside me on the sofa, asking why I looked upset. Now his expression had gone completely still. I shifted toward the other end of the couch as the lines only I could see continued floating across my vision. 【Finally scared?】 【She doesn’t actually think Dante has been spoiling her for three years, does she? She’s an ordinary woman living with the Don of the Romano family. If she didn’t look a little like Bianca, he would’ve gotten rid of her long ago.】 【Bianca comes back to New York next month. That’s when the real show starts.】 My fingertips went cold. Dante watched me. “What did you just say?” “I said I won’t check your phone anymore, and I won’t ask you to keep your location on all the time.” I avoided his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me where you’re going or who you’re meeting. If you’re busy at night, you don’t need to come home just because of me.” The room went quiet. “And what brought this on?” “People in a relationship should give each other some space.” Even to me, the words sounded ridiculous. In three years with Dante, I had barely given him any privacy. I wanted to know where he was going, expected updates if his plans changed, and always asked about women I didn’t recognize at his private dinners. Dante was the head of one of New York’s most feared mafia families. No one questioned his movements. No one except me. And he had never truly stopped me. I used to think he liked it. Maybe I had simply thought too highly of myself. More comments appeared. 【Dante hates how controlling she is. He only tolerated it because Bianca wasn’t around.】 【Once Bianca comes back, she’d better know when to disappear. The With me, Dante remembered that I hated strong coffee, had the bedroom kept warmer because I was always cold, and sometimes left whatever he was doing because I couldn’t sleep. But no one else in New York described Dante Romano as gentle. To them, he was Don Romano. I used to believe that meant I was special. But it was easier to believe I resembled a woman he loved than to believe a man like Dante Romano had truly chosen someone like me. Once that thought entered my mind, every kindness from the past began to look different. A year ago, the Romano Foundation held its annual charity gala. Dante had promised to take me, but a family matter changed his plans at the last minute, so he went alone. When he went thirty minutes without answering me, I video-called him. He picked up. I asked where he was and who was with him. A few minutes later, he walked out onto the terrace alone and turned the camera around so I could see for myself. It was freezing, but he stayed outside in his formal suit talking to me for almost two hours before leaving the gala early and coming home before midnight. Now those comments were telling me all that patience had been because of another woman. Bianca DeLuca. The woman Dante had known since childhood, and the woman returning to New York next month. I forced down the ache in my chest. “I was too insecure before. I won’t be like that anymore. You don’t have to cancel plans for me or rush home because I can’t sleep.” Dante studied me for a long moment. “You sure?” “Yes.” His jaw tightened. “You can do whatever you want,” I said. “You’re free.” Dante went silent. Then he stood, grabbed the jacket from the chair, and headed for the door. I blinked. “You’re going out?” He stopped without turning around. “Didn’t you just tell me I can go wherever I want?” I had no answer. Dante gave a low laugh. “Then I won’t interrupt you while you learn how to be an understanding girlfriend.” The door shut behind him. I stayed where I was. Once, after I got angry over a last-minute business trip, he came home at two and went straight to the bedroom before taking off his coat. But that night, he didn’t come back. The comments immediately came alive. 【He finally had enough.】 【Bianca is coming back. Of course he doesn’t want to keep pretending with the substitute anymore.】 I stared at the closed door as something heavy settled in my chest. At least now I knew what to do. For the next month, I only needed to stay quiet and stop clinging to Dante. Once Bianca returned, I would leave on my own. Maybe after three years together, he would let me go. I barely slept, so the next morning I got up early and started clearing things out of the living room. There were souvenirs from our trips, photographs on the shelves, and a set of pictures from Coney Island two years ago. I picked up one frame. Dante wore a cheap paper crown I had forced onto his head, looking deeply unimpressed while I leaned against his shoulder, laughing so hard my eyes were almost closed. It used to be my favorite picture. Now I couldn’t see much reason to keep it. I had just placed it in a cardboard box when the electronic lock clicked behind me. The door opened, and Dante walked in with the cold morning air at his back. His black shirt was open at the collar, and he looked as though he hadn’t slept. Then he saw the box at my feet. He stopped, looked down at the photographs inside, and slowly raised his eyes to me. “What are you doing?” Chapter 2 “What are you doing?” Dante’s voice dropped. He stepped into the living room, his gaze settling on the cardboard box at my feet. I stopped what I was doing and tried to keep my tone casual. “Just clearing a few things out. The room was starting to feel cluttered.” I reached to close the box, but Dante was already in front of me. He picked up the Coney Island photo. In it, he wore the ridiculous paper crown I had forced onto his head while I leaned against his shoulder, laughing so hard I could barely keep my eyes open. Dante looked at the picture. “You’re putting this away too?” “It’s been there for two years.” I reached for it. “And it’s not even a good photo.” He didn’t hand it back. The floating comments drifted across my vision. 【At least she finally has some self-awareness. Bianca is coming back. Of course she needs to clear out all this evidence first.】 【Imagine Bianca seeing how comfortable this substitute got playing future Mrs. Romano. Dante would only be more disgusted.】 I lowered my hand. Once Bianca came back, maybe this house really shouldn’t be filled with so many pieces of me. Dante lifted his eyes. “Ivy.” He rarely said my name in that tone. “What are you actually doing?” “I told you. I’m cleaning.” “Yesterday, you suddenly decided you don’t care about my phone or my schedule. This morning, you’re packing away our pictures.” His gaze dropped to the box. “You expect me to believe this is cleaning?” I hesitated. “I just think we both need more privacy.” Dante stared at me as if I had said something absurd. “Privacy?” I knew exactly why he reacted that way. If he came home later than expected, I checked his location. If he didn’t answer his phone, I got anxious fast. Once, his battery died during a meeting and I couldn’t reach him for nearly two hours. I had a driver take me straight to Romano Holdings. The meeting was still going on. I waited outside the executive floor and refused to leave no matter who tried to talk me down. When Dante finally came out, I demanded to know why he hadn’t answered me in front of his second-in-command and several senior executives. I even told him that from then on, if his battery dropped below twenty percent, I expected a warning. Anyone else probably would have been removed by Romano security. Dante only looked at me for a few seconds before placing the dead phone in my hand. “Battery died.” I was still angry. He bent down and kissed my forehead. “Next time, I won’t let you lose track of me.” On the drive home, he even had Marco add an emergency location-sharing option to his phone. Back then, I thought no one in the world could tolerate me the way Dante did. Now the memory only made me uneasy. How much patience did a man need to hide resentment for three years? Dante placed the frame back in the box. “Fine.” His voice was unnervingly calm. “If you suddenly want space, I’ll give you space.” Then he turned and went upstairs. About fifteen minutes later, he came back down wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. I glanced at him. That level of formality meant this wasn’t an ordinary family meeting. Normally, I would already be asking questions. Where are you going? Who are you meeting? Why are you dressed like that? Today, I said nothing. Dante reached the entryway, picked up his car keys, and stopped. For some reason, he seemed to be waiting. That was when I noticed the watch he usually wore sitting on the console. I picked it up and held it toward him. “Your watch.” Dante didn’t take it. His eyes dropped to my hand before returning to my face. “You don’t have anything you want to ask?” My chest tightened. “Like what?” His expression darkened. Finally, he answered his own question. “Someone is coming back from Europe today.” My fingers stilled. “An old friend.” He didn’t need to say her name. Bianca DeLuca. The comments had been repeating it since yesterday. So today was the day. “I’m picking her up from the airport,” Dante continued. “There’s a welcome dinner tonight.” The comments immediately appeared. 【Here we go. Dante is personally picking Bianca up.】 【Now that is special treatment. The substitute should pay attention.】 【She used to lose it if Dante even had dinner with another woman. Let’s see how long she can keep pretending she doesn’t care.】 The familiar ache spread through my chest. Before yesterday, I would have asked who was attending the dinner, what time it ended, and why Dante needed to pick Bianca up himself. I probably would have insisted on going with him. Instead, I set the watch back on the console. “Okay.” Dante didn’t move. I forced a small smile. “Have fun.” He kept staring at me as if he were waiting for the questions that normally came next. I didn’t ask any. The silence between us grew heavy. After a few seconds, Dante stepped closer. “You really don’t care?” I instinctively moved back half a step. Something in his eyes reminded me of the comments. It also reminded me that the man standing in front of me wasn’t only the Dante who came home in the middle of the night because I couldn’t sleep. He was the Don of the Romano family. And if I wanted to leave safely, I couldn’t keep testing how much patience he had left. “Why should I care?” I looked up at him and tried to sound relaxed. “She’s your friend. Of course you can go pick her up.” Dante’s expression turned completely cold. “Ivy.” “I told you. I’ve thought about it.” I held his gaze. “I used to interfere too much.” “From now on, you don’t need my permission to go anywhere or see anyone.” I paused. Then I said softly, “You’re free, Dante.” Chapter 3 Dante looked at me as if no one had ever used that word on him before. “Free?” His voice was low. I nodded. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore.” He was quiet for a few seconds before picking up his car keys from the console. “Fine.” At the door, he glanced back once. “Then you’d better remember what you said today.” Only after the door closed did I slowly unclench my hands. The floating comments appeared at once. 【She’s doing a pretty good job pretending to be generous.】 【Dante has already gone to pick up Bianca. She doesn’t seriously think she still has a chance, does she?】 【Now that Bianca is back, she’d better figure out when to leave. Waiting until Dante gets tired of her would be a mistake.】 I stopped reading. If those words were telling the truth, I needed to make sure I still had a way out. I went upstairs to the study and pulled out an old laptop I hadn’t used in a long time. For the past three years, almost every part of my life had been tied to Dante. The driver came from the Romano family. Most of my daily expenses went on the card he gave me. My phone plan, insurance, and even the building fees for the apartment were handled by his people. I used to think it meant he wanted to take care of me. Only now, when I was seriously considering leaving, did I realize how little I controlled on my own. I created a new email account that only I knew about and started making a list of what I would need if I left New York without involving anyone connected to the Romano family. Cash, a prepaid phone, somewhere Dante wouldn’t think to look, and a train ticket or flight purchased through an account he couldn’t see. I wasn’t planning to disappear forever. I only wanted to put enough distance between us to end things safely once Bianca was fully back in his life. But if the comments were right, I couldn’t let Dante realize what I was doing before I was gone. My phone rang. Maya. She was one of the few people I knew in New York who had absolutely nothing to do with the Romano family. The moment I answered, she said, “Ivy, have you seen the news?” “What news?” “Bianca DeLuca is back.” My pen stopped. Maya sounded far more worked up about it than I did. “She landed at JFK this afternoon. Dante picked her up himself, and the DeLucas are throwing her a welcome dinner tonight.” “I know.” There was a short silence. “You know?” “Dante told me before he left.” “And you just let him go?” I leaned back in my chair. “What was I supposed to do?” “Ivy, you used to call me if some woman talked to him for two minutes at a party because you wanted to know who she was.” She paused. “Now Dante personally goes to the airport to pick up Bianca DeLuca, and all you have to say is ‘what was I supposed to do’?” I didn’t answer. Her tone changed immediately. “Did you two have a fight?” “No.” “Then what’s going on?” I looked at the list on my laptop. “Maya, I’m just tired. I don’t want to spend every day watching where Dante goes or wondering who matters more to him.” “If he wants to see Bianca, he can see her.” Maya was quiet for a moment. “You don’t sound okay.” I rolled the pen between my fingers. “Maya, can you lend me some money?” “How much?” “A hundred and fifty thousand.” “What?” “No, sorry.” I rubbed my forehead. “Fifteen thousand.” She let out a breath. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” A small laugh escaped me. “I’ll pay you back.” “The money isn’t the problem.” She hesitated. “Ivy, what are you planning to do?” “Stay somewhere else for a while.” “Does Dante know?” “Not yet.” Maya had known me for three years and knew exactly how attached I had always been to Dante, so she understood quickly. “You’re leaving him?” I didn’t answer directly. “Just don’t tell anyone yet, okay? Especially no one connected to the Romano family.” She didn’t push. “Okay.” Less than ten minutes later, the transfer came through. I stared at the balance in my account and, for the first time, felt like I had something that belonged entirely to me. That evening, I didn’t wait for Dante to come home. I made myself a simple dinner and sat at the kitchen island, going over the plan again. My phone lit up. A photo had come in from an unknown number. I opened it. The background was a private dining room at the top of a hotel, Manhattan glittering through the windows. Dante stood among the guests in the same black suit he had worn when he left. A woman stood beside him. Bianca DeLuca. She wore an ivory dress, one hand resting on the bar beside Dante as she turned toward him to speak. Dante had angled his head in her direction, apparently listening. There was nothing inappropriate in the picture. No touching. No embrace. Nothing I could actually accuse him of. And yet I stared at Bianca for a long time. We did look somewhat alike. Dark hair. Similar eyes. Even the shape of our faces carried a faint resemblance. But she looked more composed than I ever felt, like someone who had grown up knowing exactly where she belonged. I could have called Dante. I could have asked him whether Bianca was the reason he had chosen me three years ago. But questions were only brave when you believed you could survive the answer. If he denied it, I would wonder whether he was only trying to keep me calm. And if he admitted it, I would have to hear him say that the happiest three years of my life had never truly belonged to me. The comments appeared almost immediately. 【See? That’s the woman Dante was really waiting for.】 【Bianca has barely been back a few hours and he already picked her up himself and went to her welcome dinner.】 【Now she should finally understand why Dante spoiled her for three years.】 Before I could close the photo, another message arrived from the same number. Only one sentence. He was never yours. I stared at the words for several seconds before blocking the number. Only one sentence. He was never yours. I stared at the words for several seconds before blocking the number. If someone had sent me something like this before, I probably would have gone straight to Dante and demanded an explanation. Tonight, I simply reopened my laptop and looked at the list I had made. For the first time, leaving no longer felt like an angry thought I would abandon the next morning. Bianca was already back. There was no reason for me to keep pretending I still belonged in Dante’s life. All I needed now was a chance to leave. Chapter 4 After I blocked the unknown number, I didn’t call Dante. I didn’t ask when the welcome dinner ended or when he planned to come home. Over the next few days, the way we lived together changed completely. Dante sometimes came back late, and I no longer went downstairs to ask where he had been. If I saw him leaving in the morning, I kept drinking my coffee and said nothing beyond the occasional reminder that it was cold outside. At first, he didn’t react. But the quieter I became, the worse his mood seemed to get. One night, he came home close to eleven. I was watching a movie on the sofa. When the door opened, I only glanced over. “You’re back?” Dante paused while taking off his coat. “Yeah.” “There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.” I turned back to the television. He stayed by the door. A few seconds later, he asked, “You don’t want to know where I was?” My fingers tightened around the remote. A week ago, he would never have needed to ask. If he was ten minutes late, I would already be checking his location. “You had things to do,” I said. “You don’t need to tell me everything.” Dante watched me for a long moment, then went upstairs without another word. The next night, he came home even later. I still didn’t ask. The floating comments appeared now and then. 【She finally learned how to stay out of the way.】 【Bianca is back. Clinging to Dante now would be asking for trouble.】 【If she has any sense, she’ll leave while she still can.】 That was exactly what I intended to do. Maya’s money was already in my new account. I had cash, a prepaid phone, and one small suitcase containing my documents, a few clothes, and the things that were actually mine. I left every piece of jewelry, every bag, and every expensive gift Dante had given me behind. I didn’t want revenge. I only wanted to leave. Telling Dante beforehand would mean standing in front of him while he asked me why. I would either have to accuse him of loving another woman or admit how easily a few anonymous words had destroyed everything I believed about us. I couldn’t do either. Leaving quietly was cowardly. I knew that. But I had always been better at running from rejection than waiting for it to happen. That morning, I was packing the last few things when Dante’s voice came from behind me. “Where are you going?” I froze. He stood in the doorway, clearly fresh from the shower, his black shirt open at the collar and his cuffs still undone. His eyes went straight to the suitcase. I had already prepared an excuse. “Maya asked me to go away with her for a couple of days.” “Where?” “Hudson Valley. She booked a spa hotel.” Dante walked into the closet and stopped beside the suitcase. “Since when do you like spa weekends?” “Recently.” “Recently?” “I told you. I want to do more things on my own. Spend more time with friends.” “You used to want to come with me if I left town for two days.” “People change.” His expression darkened. For a moment, I thought he would keep questioning me. Instead, he looked at the suitcase. “When are you leaving?” “Tomorrow afternoon.” “I’ll have the driver take you.” “No need. Maya is picking me up.” Dante looked at me again. “You sure?” “Yes.” Before all this, I would have been asking whether he would miss me and making him promise to call. Now I only wanted him to leave. He seemed to notice. Dante lifted a hand and touched my cheek. My body went stiff before I could stop it. His hand stilled too. “You don’t even like me touching you now?” “No.” I forced a smile. “You surprised me.” He didn’t call me on the lie. At the doorway, he said, “Go, then.” Then, after a pause, “Be careful.” I waited until his footsteps disappeared before finally breathing again. He had actually agreed. The comments appeared immediately. 【She doesn’t seriously think Dante noticed nothing, does she?】 【If the Romano family wants to know what ticket she bought, all it takes is one phone call.】 【Watching her think she’s about to escape is almost funny.】 My heart started racing again. But I had come too far to turn back. The next afternoon, I took my suitcase downstairs and found the Romano driver waiting. “Miss Bennett, Don Romano asked me to take you to Hudson Valley.” “That won’t be necessary. Maya is waiting for me.” The driver hesitated. “Don Romano specifically said—” “I’ll tell him I refused.” That ended the argument. I left the building, but I didn’t go to Maya. I took the subway first, switched to a cab several neighborhoods away, and only then headed to the airport. Maya had booked the ticket. The destination barely mattered. I only needed to get out of New York first. The entire way, I kept checking for one of the Romano family’s black SUVs. Nothing. No one stopped me at the airport either. I passed security without a problem. Only when I was sitting near the gate with my boarding pass did I begin to relax. Less than an hour until boarding. My old phone was off. Once the plane left New York, I would send Dante one final message. No argument. No questions about Bianca. Just the truth. We were over. I looked through the terminal windows and felt the pressure in my chest ease. Maybe the comments had made everything sound worse than it was. Dante hadn’t stopped me. No one had followed me. I was actually going to make it. Then an announcement came over the speakers. My flight had been moved to another gate. People around me began gathering their things. I picked up my bag and started walking. A few steps later, I noticed the corridor ahead had gone strangely quiet. Several men in black suits stood near the entrance. I recognized two of them. Romano security. My feet stopped. The men stepped aside. Dante walked through. He wore black trousers, a black shirt, and a dark coat. There was no obvious anger on his face. Somehow, that was worse. He crossed the terminal toward me at an unhurried pace. My hand tightened around the suitcase handle. Dante stopped in front of me, looked at the luggage, then at the boarding pass in my hand. “Hudson Valley?” I couldn’t speak. He took the boarding pass from my fingers and glanced at the destination. When he looked back at me, the careful calm he had worn for days was gone. “So this is your spa trip?” I stepped back. Dante stepped forward. He leaned down, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “Going somewhere, baby?”