

Three years ago, Claire Bennett gave up her shot at becoming partner to support the man she loved, Ethan Cole.She thought her sacrifice would lead to a happy marriage.Instead, three years after their wedding, they still weren't legally married.The first time Ethan stood her up at City Hall, it was because of Sophie, his young female associate.The second time, it was Sophie again.By the eighteenth time, Ethan once again left Claire waiting while he rushed to another woman's side.But this time, Claire didn't argue. She didn't cry. And she didn't ask him to choose her.She simply put her career back on track, accepted an offer from a top law firm hundreds of miles away, and disappeared from Ethan's life.Only after she was truly gone did Ethan finally realize—The woman who had waited for him eighteen times would never wait for a nineteenth.

Just as I was on the verge of miscarriage from a fall, my husband—New York's most powerful Don—was throwing a lavish birthday gala for his childhood sweetheart, Camilla. I called, begging for help, but he dismissed it as a cheap stunt and coldly hung up. As his wife, I bore the honor of being the Donna—yet no one knew I couldn't even scrape together a thousand dollars. All because, to "train" me into a proper Donna, he had handed total control of my life and finances straight to Camilla. Desperate, I begged anyone who would listen. But by the time I finally scraped the money together, my baby's heartbeat stopped forever. After waking up in that hospital bed, I dragged myself back to his penthouse to pack my bags. That was when I stumbled upon the auction receipt for Camilla's birthday gift. A ten-million-dollar mansion in Beverly Hills, plus endless custom jewelry. Just then, his deep, raspy voice drifted from the study next door. He was on a call with his underbosses. "Boss, was Scarlett really at the hospital begging you for a grand?" Cassius scoffed. "Scarlett is my Donna. She has my men guarding her 24/7. How could anything possibly happen to her? She's just pulling a cheap stunt for attention. Camilla is right. I've spoiled Scarlett too much lately. If Camilla isn't strict with her, how is an orphan going to earn the Famiglia's respect? She'll understand my good intentions later." Tears slipped down my face. Fuck his rules. Fuck his Donna. The second the doctor called my baby's time of death, I decided I was out of his life—never to return.