To Forget a Don's Cruelty

To end the war between our families, I married the Don of the Caldwell family, Julian Caldwell.

The fire in his eyes when he took my hand convinced me he actually loved me.

Two years later, Julian betrayed our pact. I was forced to watch as he led his men in a bloody slaughter of my family, his eyes glinting with vengeful triumph.

"Cassie, when your father framed mine, did he ever show mercy? Did you really think you alone were enough to atone for a sea of blood?"

Julian ascended to the pinnacle of New York's underworld, and Vanessa Shaw, his new wife, stood by his side as his Donna.

I was imprisoned in the manor's cold, damp basement, a ghost barely clinging to life. If I so much as attempted suicide, Julian would retrieve my family's ashes and threaten to scatter them before my very eyes, his own eyes bloodshot as he snarled, "You don't get to die without my permission, Cassie!"

After that, I gave up all resistance.

Because years ago, during a shootout at the docks, I had found a dying Julian and brought him to an underground doctor. I had begged the doctor, trading one of my kidneys to save his life.

Now, the complications are finally devouring me. I have three days to live.

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1

For Vanessa Shaw's birthday party, Julian Caldwell granted me a rare reprieve from the basement.

I lifted my head and saw Vanessa on the platform above, her smile a slash of arrogance across her face. My heart felt like it was being methodically filleted.

"Bow to the Don and Donna!" a bodyguard snarled, shoving me so hard I stumbled. I fell to my knees, a marionette with cut strings.

Julian didn't allow me to rise. He merely gazed down at me, his indifference a physical blow. "The walk from the basement takes thirty minutes. Why were you two hours late? Unwilling to grace Vanessa's party with your presence?"

I offered no defense. The basement was a damp, wintry hell. Frostbite had long ago settled into my legs, turning the flesh necrotic. Every step was agony, like walking on shattered glass. I simply lowered my head and murmured an apology.

Julian seemed to flinch for a split second before a sarcastic sneer twisted his lips. "You're so much more obedient now, Cassie. Broken."

I was indeed broken. My last act of defiance earned me a night in a cage, where he had me whipped until I was slick with my own blood. The next day, with my back a canvas of open wounds, he summoned the best doctors to pump me full of expensive drugs, refusing to let me die.

"You should get up, Cassie. You were the beloved Principessa of the Argento family, after all. You shouldn't lower yourself to the role of a common servant, even if your family is gone," Vanessa purred, extending a hand as if to help me. Her words were honey-laced poison.

Vanessa's gaze suddenly dropped to Julian's arm, a flash of triumphant pride in her eyes. She linked her arm through his, showing off the tattoo to the crowd. "Look, everyone. Julian even altered the tattoo on his arm for me."

It had once been a silver lily, my family's crest. Now, a thorny vine was coiled around it, its thorns digging into the petals, forming a garish letter "V."

I risked a glance at Julian. His expression was icy and unreadable, a perfect mask hiding whatever he might be feeling.

That tattoo had been our engagement vow, one Julian had etched into his skin under the moonlight by the Hudson River.

He had told me it symbolized eternal protection, that he would guard me with his life.

It means nothing now, I told myself, stamping down the memory. I looked up, forcing a smile onto my face. "It's beautiful, Donna Vanessa. Congratulations."

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Julian's shoulders tense. I quickly dismissed it as a trick of the light.

Vanessa gestured for a maid to approach with a tray. "As a thank you for your blessing, Cassie," she said, gesturing to the drink, "you must finish this. Every last drop." She smiled sweetly, but a sharp, calculating glint flashed in her eyes.

Vanessa had been there, lurking outside the clinic when I had the surgery. She knew perfectly well that I only had one kidney. She knew this alcohol would poison me, causing irreversible damage. And still, she insisted.

Sensing my hesitation, Vanessa’s expression crumpled into a tearful mask. "If you refuse my gratitude, Cassie, then I can't possibly accept your blessing."

She was about to signal the maid away when Julian's hand stopped hers. "An offer of gratitude can't be rescinded," Julian said, his voice low. "You are my wife. Cassie owes you this blessing, and it will be sincere. You're simply taking what's yours, Vanessa."

He then rounded on me, his gaze dripping with contempt. "How dare you disrespect Vanessa's kindness?" he snarled.