I patiently took another photo and sent it, and a reply only came ten minutes later.

[Insufficient evidence. Please attach a video of the surgical procedure.]

I died inside—there was no way I'd have a video of the surgery when I didn't even have the money for it!

Lina was just screwing with me!

But I had no choice and yelled at her over the device, "Lina, please! Just approve the request—my mother's dying! If you just help her, I'll do anything you say—"

Lina cut me off shortly and coolly. "This isn't about me, Donna. It's family rules, and I can only obey it. I know slumdogs like you are born with plenty of issues, but the family rules don't bend just because of you!"

I froze and fell on my knees, my heart sinking as I heard the rush of footsteps in the operating room.

Through it all, I kept messaging Luca however I could.

"Please, Luca! Just save my mother!"

"Just save her, and I'll do anything you say!"

"I promise I won't cause trouble anymore or argue with Lina! I'll behave!"

Thirty minutes later, my device suddenly vibrated.

My hands were shaking so much I almost dropped it—it was Luca.

"Your mother's dying?" he asked quietly, probing but with a hint of sympathy.

"Yes!" I cried.

"No, Don!" Suddenly, Lina cried out from the other end, anxious and aggrieved. "We have footage from security—she's lying! Her mother is eating fruits in her room and is the picture of good health! Honestly, how could she do this? Using her mother as an excuse just to steal the family's money…"

Luca was heaving right then. "You're even lying to me now?! Erin Solozzo, I gave you a chance, but you really disappoint me!"

Even before I could argue, the device went dead again, and the operating room lights turned off.

The doctor stepped out, shrugging. "We did our best. Who knows, she could've been saved five minutes earlier if you'd just paid…"

I froze, watching as the nurses pulled a white cloth over my mother's withered form.

She led a frugal life just to fund my tuition fees and would always sneak what spare change the Gambinos gave her to me.

But now, because a fee wasn't paid, she died at this expensive private hospital that was allegedly the 'Salvation of the Gambinos'.

Oh, the irony!

I could still feel the warmth of the communication device in my palm, but what warmth I felt toward Luca was gone along with my mother's heartbeat!

-

Over the next three days, I personally oversaw my mother's cremation and other funeral matters without bothering Luca.

He was always worried about me touching his money?

Fine.

From now on, I would be Erin Solozzo again, and I would have zero associations to the Gambinos.

Suddenly, I felt my communication device vibrating.

[Request approved.]

I stared at it, pursing my lips—it was Luca sending alms.

He had no idea I didn't need such laughable charity anymore.

In the evening, Lina even went out of her way to send me the bill of the private dinner she just had with Luca, and the cost of the bottle of Romanee-Conti they had was exactly the cost of my mother's surgery.

And behind it, she wrote with her lipstick, "The Don said only people who share this wine with him have the right to spend the family's wealth."

She even added a smiley just for good measure!

Furious, I crumpled the bill in my hand and charged into Luca's office, only to find him putting a new necklace around Lina's neck.

He paused when he saw my haggard appearance and came over to touch my face, but I slapped him away, bellowing with a cracked voice, "Just one bottle of your wine would be enough to save my mother!"

Lina promptly hid behind him. "I think there's a misunderstanding here, Donna…"

Luca frowned at me in turn. "It's not what you think. Lina just sealed a deal with the Vatican Bank, and it's her reward—"

I suddenly left and smacked her with the bill. "Reward?! A reward of blood, indeed!"

And with that, I turned to leave without looking back.

Returning to the manor, I began packing my belongings, which I didn't have much despite being married to Luca for three years.

All the family wealth was locked up in the safe in the vault room, all entrusted by Luca to Lina and to be governed by her whim.

Only she knew the password, which was why I needed her approval for everything, including my mother's medicine.

It was just like queuing up outside a soup kitchen.

One time, I asked for fifty euros more to get my mother some socks, and Lina flung the note at my face in front of the entire accounting department. "A slumdog is always a slumdog! All you do is take money from us!"

Then, she forced me to publicly apologize and made me stand outside in the winter snow for three hours.

Luca knew that, but he merely clapped my shoulder and said, "I know you married me for my money, but know your place. You have no business being the Donna if money is all you care about—and I don't want you to be like that."

I sighed at those memories and reached into the bottom of the bedside drawer, taking out my red academic certificate.

Three years ago, I was praised as a prodigy in chemistry, having won the top prize in the youth category for the invention and innovation of new metals.

But after that, I succumbed to Luca's relentless wooing

He promised me a family and to fulfill my dreams, and I had every intention to help his business to new heights with my metals research, improving his arms development.

But he chose to believe Lina instead, forcing me out of a job and reducing me to a housewife suffering everyone's whims.

Plucking the soda can pull tab that he called my wedding band, I flung it into a trash can and headed out with my suitcase.

There was nothing in there, aside from some bleached clothes, my mother's ashes, and my academic certificates.

However, I had just reached the door when Eliza the chef called out to me, looking at me sideways and scoffing hostilely. "Just give up already. You'll just come back like you did all the time before! What's even the point of such cheap drama?"

It wasn't a surprise that she didn't respect me, when her salary was a ton better than my monthly allowance.

I was the Donna in name only, but I had nothing to my name.

Meanwhile, Eliza was still huffing at me. "Don't forget that the Don wants his Cointreau tonight!"

I stopped and snapped coolly, "Go get if you want, or tell Lina to do it. She's just a slut who got where she is by sucking up to others, no? It's the best possible job for her!"

The other servants clamored among themselves, while Eliza was reeling in shock, obviously not expecting me to snap.

Eventually, she recovered and bellowed "How dare you badmouth Lady Lina! You'd better watch it, or I'll tell the Don!"

In their minds, they had probably already acknowledged Lina as their real Donna.

"Whatever." I laughed coolly and turned away.

As I basked in the sun, I had never felt more relieved.

After I left the manor, I couldn't get a cab, when a black Rolls-Royce suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of me, its tires screaming.

The door opened, and Luca alighted, glowering as Lina followed behind her, her eyes tearful as if suffering some sort of terrible injustice.

Well, that was quick—Eliza must have complained to him already.

Still, I was a little relieved he didn't come to stop me from leaving, but to defend Lina's honor instead.

"Are you done?!" Luca hollered as he grabbed my wrist, glaring at me in exasperation. "Apologize to Lina right now, and we can put this behind us!"

"Apologize to her? Why?" I retorted in disbelief.

"You badmouthed her in front of the servants!" Luca snapped. "Slandering her! As a woman, you know how bad it is for her reputation."

My stomach churned just looking at this man who had vowed to love me for all eternity, now vehemently defending Lina's 'dignity'.

I shook his hand off and glared at Lina as I snapped back, "I only ever told the truth! My mother was waiting for surgery, but the doctors put it on hold to wait for payment! So Lina just used the excuse that there was no video of the surgery to reject my application! Did you even know about that?!"

Luca frowned, clearly not aware.

All he heard was Lina saying that I had demanded money and breaking family rules again. Most importantly, she said she saw footage that my mother was perfectly fine.

As he turned to Lina, Lina burst into tears, prudently covering for herself as she always did. "I didn't do anything wrong! I told her all the rules, but she said it was too troublesome and didn't give me anything to work on… And the footage shows that her mother's perfectly fine and doesn't need surgery."

Hearing that, I laughed, dryly and feebly.

My mother was already dead, but Luca still believed Lina's every word.

It was just so laughable.

And to no surprise, Luca glared at me in disappointment, clearly buying what Lina said. "You're really disappointing, Erin—Lina is just doing what's best for the family, and you have to abuse her just because she exposed you? Where are your morals? Aren't you supposed to be a college graduate?!"

I was utterly exasperated with his interrogation, as my morals were a million times better than Lina's.

He just couldn't see it!

"Since you believe in her so much, let's just get a divorce!" I bellowed. "The papers are on your desk—just sign them and get it over with!"

Seeing that I was about to turn and leave, he rushed up to grab me before he knew it, but he wasn't controlling his own strength and ended up tearing open my suitcase.

Everything inside fell out… but it was just a couple of worn clothes, academic certificates, and a black urn.

Luca froze seeing all of that and dropped to a crouch, staring at the black urn. "What's this?"

He barely finished when Lina came up, glaring at me warily. "Even if you're leaving, Donna, you are not to bring any family luxury items or jewelry. Family rules."

Even now, she still wanted the 'greedy' label stuck on my face.

I ignored her, dropping to a crouch and gingerly picked up the black urn and brushed the dirt off it. "This is my mother."