Return of the Queen: He Chose His Mistress Over My Son

“My five-year-old son stumbled into the hall, his cheek marred by the livid, blistering print of a hand. My phone buzzed with a message from my husband's mistress, warning me to teach my brat some manners before she taught him a real lesson. Franco Moretti, my husband and the acting Boss of the Romano Syndicate, had allowed his mistress to strike the heir to our empire. When I confronted him, he dismissed the assault as a mere reflex and demanded I stop being dramatic. The silence that followed was heavy and cold. I realized then that my years of playing the docile, obedient wife had only invited disrespect upon my own blood. My mother-in-law echoed his coldness, telling me to look the other way for the sake of peace, as if my son's pain were merely a trifle to be ignored. I looked at Leo, his small shoulders shaking with quiet sobs, and felt something ancient and hard wake up within me. The man I had married-the predator who ruled Chicago with an iron fist-believed I was weak, a shadow that existed only to serve his crown. He had mistaken my silence for stupidity and my restraint for submission. I stared at the countdown on my phone, the numbers marking the final moments of my long, hollow marriage. I had spent four years playing the role of a placid wife, but the script had dissolved the moment his mistress touched my child. I tapped the screen, silenced my alarm, and ended the call. The time for talk was over; the vendetta had begun.”