The Day the Don Married His First Love, I Faked My Death

To the Moretti family, I'm nothing more than the Don's trophy wife of five years. Five years into our marriage, I found a used condom in his study. We were trying for a baby, so we never kept condoms in the house. I was still staring at it when Alessandro Moretti walked up behind me. "Olivia, Daisy is back in the country. We slept together last night." Daisy Ward was his first love. On her first night back, Alessandro had brought her straight into our home. He picked up the condom and tossed it back into the trash. "I promised Daisy I'd marry her in three days." I turned to him in shock. "So you want a divorce?" He answered without hesitation, "Olivia, I'm not leaving you. I just want to make up for the one regret I've carried all these years." Before he could mention divorce, I beat him to it. "I understand. I'll move out tomorrow. We should start the divorce process too." Alessandro froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to take it so calmly. "Don't worry. I won't shortchange you after the divorce. You'll get fifty million dollars and all my shares in the Sicily Group." I smiled and nodded. That night, I sent a message to my hacker friend, Nina. "Once the assets clear, get me a new identity." Alessandro, I gave you five years of my life, but I was never the woman you chose first. Chapter 1 Alessandro disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I wiped my eyes and pulled the gun from the nightstand. The Moretti crest was engraved on its side. Alessandro had given it to me right after our wedding five years ago. I still remembered him placing it in my hand with his arms wrapped around me and whispering in my ear, "Olivia, this gun is the symbol of the family. Only my wife gets one." I placed it on top of the clothes he'd prepared for Daisy. Alessandro came back just in time to see what I was doing. His face darkened, and he strode over. "Did you do something to those clothes?" He grabbed my wrist. I quickly shook my head. "No. No, I was only..." Then he noticed the gun. He picked it up and frowned. "What is this supposed to mean? Didn't I give this to you? It's small enough to carry. If anything happens, it could save your life." I lowered my eyes. "It's the symbol of the family. Daisy should have it now." Alessandro couldn't figure out what I was up to, so he just watched me. "Nothing is going to happen to Daisy while I'm here." My eyes filled with tears as I met his gaze. "In three days, she'll be your wife. Everyone knows the gun belongs to the Donna, so it should be hers. Do you want people to call her a homewrecker and say she ruined our marriage and stole you from me?" That gave Alessandro pause. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer. "Olivia, I'm sorry. I misunderstood. You've thought this through better than I did." Then his eyes fell back to the gun, and his expression hardened. "Olivia, I'm still your husband. Are you really this eager to get rid of me? You know I slept with another woman, and you're not even jealous?" The sudden question threw me off. "I-I just want what's best for you and the family." I slipped my arms around him, playing the part of the wife who still couldn't let go. "Alessandro, you know there's never been anyone but you. If I asked you to send Daisy away, would you do it?" His frown told me everything I needed to know. "You won't. So I'll step aside and let you have what you want. I'm going to pack. I'll be gone tomorrow." I turned away, but he caught me by the arm. Guilt flickered across his face. "Olivia! Y-you don't have to move out. The estate is enormous. You could move into the house next door. I'll send a few of the staff over. You and Daisy would never even have to see each other." But that wasn't the life I wanted. I could accept being his lover, but I couldn't accept sharing him. If he couldn't be mine alone, I didn't want him at all. "I'd still rather move out, Alessandro. If I'm still living here after the divorce, your wife might get the wrong idea. I don't want to come between you two." The guilt in his eyes deepened. Once he realized I wouldn't change my mind, he called the man who handled the family's finances. "Put my vineyard in Olivia's name. Give her the jewelry and black cards too. No limits." I turned my face away, hiding a small smile. As soon as he hung up, I tugged at his sleeve. "Alessandro, I want my passport." His gaze went cold. "What do you want a passport for? Are you leaving me?" That was Alessandro. He needed to control everything he considered his, whether it was an object or a woman. Once something belonged to him, he never wanted to let it go. "I-I just can't stand the thought of losing you. I can't stay here and watch you marry someone else. I want to go abroad for a while. Maybe travel around Europe." I let the tears fall while Alessandro considered my request. "I've loved you for five years, but I was never your first choice. I need some time to get over losing you." His expression softened. In the end, he agreed. Without Alessandro and the Moretti name behind me, I'd be nothing but a discarded woman. For five years, I'd begged for his love. That had gotten me nowhere. I was done begging now. I'd take the money and disappear somewhere he could never reach me. Chapter 2 The next morning, I had just finished packing when the broker called. "Donna, the vineyard and bar in your name will be ready for transfer the day after tomorrow. Don't worry. Once the money is in your overseas accounts, no one will be able to trace it." The day after tomorrow, Alessandro would marry Daisy. By then, I'd be long gone. I had barely zipped up my suitcase when Alessandro walked in with Daisy in his arms. She wore one of his shirts, and blood trickled down her calf. He gently set her down, then said sternly, "I assigned you bodyguards. Why didn't you keep them with you?" Daisy's eyes filled with tears. "I was so excited to see you that I rushed over. I missed a step and fell. Do you think I'm a burden now? Maybe you never wanted me to come back." The moment Alessandro saw her tears, his anger vanished. "I've never thought that. Daisy, I can't stand seeing you hurt." He grabbed the first-aid kit himself and knelt in front of her. "Daisy, I'll never get tired of you. I'll stay by your side from now on." He cleaned the cut with a cotton swab, handling her as if she might break. Daisy winced, and his eyes immediately filled with concern. "Does it hurt?" She shook her head and clung to his arm. "Alessandro, as long as you're here, it doesn't hurt at all." I watched them quietly. As the Don, Alessandro had enemies everywhere. In five years of marriage, I'd faced more than my share of danger because of him. Just last year, I'd protected him during an attack at the docks. A blade tore through my arm, soaking my sleeve in blood. Alessandro had barely looked at the wound. "If you're hurt, see a doctor. I have a thing about germs. I can't deal with that." Only later did I find out why he'd been in such a hurry to leave. He was afraid his enemies might go after Daisy, so he'd flown overseas that same day just to make sure she was safe. My wound needed 13 stitches. When Alessandro finally returned, he at least had the decency to look guilty. "Next time you're out with me, look after yourself first." That was all he'd said. Now Daisy had a tiny cut, and he was on his knees treating it himself. I must have been lost in thought, because I didn't notice Daisy glance at the table until it was too late. My ring was lying there. I'd taken it off while packing. It matched the one Alessandro wore. I reached for it, but Daisy was faster. She slipped it onto her finger. "Alessandro, whoever wears this ring can command the whole family. Shouldn't it be on my hand now?" Alessandro saw me reaching for it and frowned. "Olivia, aren't we getting a divorce? You're in no position to fight Daisy over that ring. Give it to her." Before I could answer, Daisy linked her arm through his. "Alessandro, can you get me something to wear? I'm a little cold." He kissed her forehead and went upstairs. I turned to leave, but Daisy grabbed my wrist. The sweet smile vanished from her face. She stepped closer and slapped me across the face. "You're nothing but a cheap little slut who used her looks to get into Alessandro's bed. You really thought you could steal him from me?" My cheek stung from the blow. Daisy leaned closer. "Alessandro married you. So what? Everybody knows you're a trophy wife. All you can do is look pretty and keep Alessandro entertained. You're worth less to him than the poodle tied up outside." I clenched my fists and let her finish. Then I slapped her, twice as hard as she'd slapped me. "At least his family accepted me. You can't say the same. Five years ago, you betrayed him and ran overseas!" The blow sent her crashing into the coffee table. I grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at me. "That was for slapping me. I've already let you have Alessandro, so stay out of my way." I let go and turned toward the door. Behind me, Daisy suddenly threw herself backward and screamed. "Please, Olivia, don't kill me!" Chapter 3 Alessandro pushed open the door just in time to see Daisy lying on the floor. "Alessandro." She looked up at him pitifully. "Olivia attacked me because of the ring. She said she still wouldn't let me have you, even after the divorce." Alessandro's face darkened. He gathered Daisy into his arms, then turned to me. "Olivia, I've given you more than enough money. Why would you hurt her?" The handprint on my left cheek was impossible to miss, but Alessandro didn't even seem to see it. I should have realized long ago that whatever feelings he had for me were never real. There wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes. I swallowed the words on the tip of my tongue. "Because she deserved it!" Alessandro's eyes narrowed, his expression turning deadly. As the Don, he'd spent his whole life surrounded by people who obeyed his every command. No one dared speak to him like that. And I certainly never had. For five years, I'd done everything I could to please him. I'd always been gentle, obedient, and careful never to show my temper. Alessandro didn't bother arguing with me. He raised a hand and summoned his men. "Lock this madwoman in the basement. Don't let her out until after the wedding!" One of the larger guards shoved me so hard that I stumbled and fell. Alessandro didn't even look back. The day after tomorrow, while he stood at the altar with Daisy, I'd finally walk away without looking back. The basement was dark and damp. I curled up in a corner and waited. In the middle of the night, the door swung open. Daisy walked in wearing her wedding dress, her chin held high. "This is the wedding gown I'll wear when I marry Alessandro tomorrow." She strode toward me in her heels. Before I could move, she kicked me hard in the stomach. Pain tore through me, and I doubled over. "Olivia, you should count yourself lucky you're not carrying Alessandro's child. If you were, I'd have killed it first!" I lifted my head and glared at her, hatred burning through me. One day, I'd make her pay for every bit of this. "Keep glaring at me, and I'll gouge your eyes out." She yanked off one of her shoes and swung its pointed heel at my face. I dodged just in time. Daisy lost her balance and fell hard to the floor. "You idiot. Marrying Alessandro doesn't mean his family will accept you!" The commotion soon drew Alessandro downstairs. The moment he saw Daisy on the floor, anger flashed in his eyes. I've put up with everything for five years, and now he's marrying another woman. Why the hell should I keep holding back? "Don't put this on me, Alessandro. You know what Daisy is like better than I do. She isn't the type to take a beating without fighting back. We've been married for five years. When have I ever gone looking for trouble?" That stopped Alessandro cold. "Alessandro, she's done this twice now. She gets hit, throws herself on the floor, then blames me. We've lived together for five years. Do you really have that little faith in me?" The anger faded from Alessandro's face. He hesitated, finally giving my words some thought. "Olivia, I-I only acted on impulse." Before he could finish, Daisy tore off her veil. "Alessandro, you're about to make me your wife. If you believe her, then we might as well call off the wedding!" She threw the veil onto the filthy basement floor. Alessandro's expression immediately tightened again. "That isn't what I meant, Daisy!" Daisy pointed to the tiny scratch on her forehead and burst into tears. "If you really want to make it up to me, lock her in the cottage across the garden. I want her to watch our wedding with her own eyes!" The cottage was where I'd lived before marrying Alessandro. He'd always kept it well maintained. He once told me we'd made some of our happiest memories there. But Daisy liked everything to be grand and expensive, so she'd had the main house redecorated and moved the wedding there instead. "All right. I'll do it." With those words, my last bit of hope vanished. Late that night, I got a message from Nina. "When the ceremony starts tomorrow, we'll get you out while everyone's distracted." Chapter 4 On the day of the wedding, the entire estate was lit up for the celebration. Locked inside the cottage, I watched from a distance as Alessandro took Daisy's hand. Five years ago, I'd stood in her place. The whole family had gathered around us as Alessandro gave me the wedding I'd always dreamed of. He'd held my hand just like this and promised to spend the rest of his life with me. Now he was making the same promise to Daisy. "I take Daisy to be my wife, and I will never betray or abandon her." The diamond on her finger caught the light, and its sparkle was almost painful to look at. I reached for the necklace around my neck. Alessandro had given it to me for our fifth anniversary. I tore it off and called Nina. "Come and get me. I want to disappear from his life for good." By the time the reception was in full swing, everyone's attention was on the main house. It was time. I knocked over the oil lamp, and flames quickly spread through the cottage. Then I played the recording I'd prepared and climbed out the window. ... "Fire! The cottage is on fire!" The guards' shouts echoed across the estate. "Donna, are you in there?" By then, I'd already changed my clothes and slipped into Nina's car while everyone else rushed toward the fire. The wedding descended into chaos as guests poured out of the main house. "The cottage is burning!" "The Donna is still in there!" Alessandro froze. He spun toward the cottage. Flames had already swallowed most of the building. Daisy grabbed his hand. "She did this on purpose. She must have. She wants to ruin our wedding, Alessandro. Don't go over there!" Alessandro stared at the burning cottage for a moment. Then he tore away from her and ran toward the flames. "Olivia!" Enzo, the butler, hurried over, his voice trembling. "Don, the fire is too dangerous. We heard her screaming just a moment ago. The Donna is still inside." All the color drained from Alessandro's face.