Dumping Mr. Heartless, Finding Mr. Right

I secretly sent Lena Parker, my husband Dominic Caballero's mistress, away to Sicara. I'm defying his authority as the Don of Coastwick, New Hudson.

That very night, he abducts my parents and younger brother, using their lives to force me to reveal Lena's whereabouts.

Dominic pushes his phone in front of me.

On the screen, I see my family tied to chairs, the timer of the bombs ticking down.

00:59:59

00:59:58

He sits across from me and taps his fingers softly against the table, like he's closing a business deal.

"Alyssa, you have 59 minutes," Dominic says in a calm, almost gentle voice. "Where's Lena?"

I freeze, my throat tightening as if strangled. I can't get a word out.

This is the third time he's pressed me.

The first time, he asked where Lena had gone, but I stayed silent. The second time, he grabbed my chin and said in a low voice, "Alyssa, don't play games."

Now, for the third time, he's threatening my family's lives.

"Dominic…" I call out, my voice trembling. "They're my family. They're the most important people to me."

He chuckles. "Is that so? Then why didn't you think about how important Lena is to me when you sent her away?"

I stare at him, feeling how utterly absurd it all is.

Important?

He told me before that other women were just playthings. Once he got bored, he'd dump them. He swore I was the only one he loved.

But now, for Lena, he's willing to kill my family.

"Dominic…" I croaked. "If I don't tell you where Lena is, will you actually let my family die?"

Dominic Caballero leaned in, then said, "You can try."

I trembled uncontrollably as my tears splattered onto the table. How did it come to this?

Dominic—the Don of Coastwick, New Hudson—had once loved me so deeply.

Back then, I was just a woman of Ivalorian descent from Bridgemont. He, on the other hand, was the heir to the Caballero family and was born to rule.

Yet somehow, he fell for me at first sight. He had pursued me relentlessly and had professed his love 99 times, each time making headlines across the city.

One time, helicopters dropped giant bouquets of roses all over the pier. Another time, he rented every LED billboard in Centrum Square to display my name. On my birthday, he lit up the entire city with fireworks just for me.

Just like that, I fell hard.

However, my parents were dead set against it. They knew exactly what life in the mafia meant. It was full of bloodshed, betrayal, and endless danger.

Therefore, they wanted me to marry a normal man.

Even so, Dominic knelt outside our door for a full day and night. He cast aside all pride just to beg for a chance to marry me. In the end, my parents gave in.

After we got married, Dominic spoiled me and indulged my every whim.

When I had cramps, he flew back from Miramar overnight just to make me chamomile tea. When I casually said I wanted a cheese bagel from Parkridge, he drove there himself to get one.

I thought I had married the right man. That was until the first time I heard the name "Lena Parker".

His assistant mentioned it casually during a chat that a young woman had purposely tripped during one of Dominic's speeches.

It was a cliched move, so I didn't think much of it. After all, plenty of women tried to get close to Dominic, but he had always remained faithful.

However, the second time I heard the name was in bed. He was on top of me, and in the heat of the moment, he called out, "Lena."

Right then and there, it felt like I had been drenched in ice-cold water.

When I confronted Dominic, he held me close and admitted he had some interest in Lena. Still, he insisted she was just someone he saw on the side.

"That's how things work in our world, Alyssa. But my one true love is always you. That will never change," he had said.

But then, he grew bolder.

He gave Lena jewelry, paid for her apartment on the east side of town, and even took her to private dinners. By then, the gossip had spread across the whole city.

I cried and threw tantrums, but he never comforted me like before. Instead, he coldly warned, "Stop making a scene."

Finally, I'd had enough and sent Lena away to Sicara.

Yet, I didn't anticipate such an extreme reaction from Dominic. He abducted my family and strapped bombs to them, all to force me to reveal Lena's whereabouts.

My voice shook uncontrollably as I said, "She's in Bellermo, Sicara, in the seaside villa under my name."

Dominic stared at me for a long moment, as if weighing whether I was telling the truth. Then, he grabbed his phone and called someone.

After verifying my words, he grabbed his coat and rushed off to pick Lena up.

"What about my family? You promised you'd let them go!" I cried, grabbing his sleeve.

He turned back with an icy gaze. "They're at an abandoned warehouse in Bridgemont. Go find them yourself."

With that, I ran out the door. The engine roared as the car sped toward the warehouse.

When I found my family, less than ten minutes remained on the bomb timer. They were tied to chairs, and their mouths were taped shut.

As soon as they saw me, they shook their heads frantically, begging me to run.

But I rushed over, my hands trembling as I tried to untie them. All the while, the countdown ticked like the grim reaper whispering in my ear.

With only three minutes and 20 seconds left, I still couldn't loosen the ropes.

Suddenly, my dad hurled himself forward, knocking me aside.

I staggered back as he lunged toward the bomb.

"Dad!" I screamed.

In the next second, the explosion tore through my eardrums, and a blast of heat threw me across the room.

I crashed heavily onto the ground, and my vision blurred to red.