I woke up, and I was 28 again.

I had twin heirs, and my husband was Santino, Veridia's most feared Mafia Don.

He sat at the head of the Commission of the Five Families.

His sharp profile was a fixture on the cover of the underworld's most exclusive magazine for several consecutive issues.

Even the oldest Valerian families were lining up to offer him their daughters.

All the women in Altoria envied my good fortune.

But the first thing I did after waking up was pick up the divorce papers, the ink still fresh, and handed them to his childhood sweetheart, Jessy.

"My lawyer will handle the divorce. The properties and assets are yours. Santino is yours. The children are yours, too."

Sitting across from me, Jessy couldn't believe it, her eyes wide with shock.

"Are you crazy, Alessia? Is this some kind of trick?"

"How could the woman who has been Donna for six years give it all up so easily?"

I lowered my gaze, my tone calm. "Since they all prefer you, I figured it was time to step aside."

"Just have Santino sign it and press his signet ring into the wax seal."

"Once the divorce is final, I'll leave Veridia for good."

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

I would never again be a Donna in name only.

I woke up, and I was 28 again.

I had twin heirs, and my husband was Santino, Veridia's most feared Mafia Don.

He sat at the head of the Commission of the Five Families.

His sharp profile was a fixture on the cover of the underworld's most exclusive magazine for several consecutive issues.

Even the oldest Valerian families were lining up to offer him their daughters.

All the women in Altoria envied my good fortune.

But the first thing I did after waking up was pick up the divorce papers, the ink still fresh, and handed them to his childhood sweetheart, Jessy.

"My lawyer will handle the divorce. The properties and assets are yours. Santino is yours. The children are yours, too."

Sitting across from me, Jessy couldn't believe it, her eyes wide with shock.

"Are you crazy, Alessia? Is this some kind of trick?"

"How could the woman who has been Donna for six years give it all up so easily?"

I lowered my gaze, my tone calm. "Since they all prefer you, I figured it was time to step aside."

"Just have Santino sign it and press his signet ring into the wax seal."

"Once the divorce is final, I'll leave Veridia for good."

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

I would never again be a Donna in name only.

...

"Alessia, what game are you playing now?" Jessy's long, red nails tapped against the rim of her crystal glass. Her brow furrowed.

"No games. I'm just... exhausted." I met her malicious gaze, my voice calm.

"Don't you know how many women would kill for the title of Donna, just for the right to share his bed?"

"Of course I do. So, I'm giving you the chance."

I held her gaze, a bitter smile touched my lips.

Jessy was silent for a while, but finally, she dropped the act.

She snatched the thick legal document. Her eyes flew over the clauses, and a look of absolute joy bloomed on her face when she saw the transfer of properties and assets.

"Fine, Alessia. Since you're so insistent, I'll graciously accept your generous offer," she purred, her eyes gleaming with smug triumph. "

"But you'd better remember this. Once something is mine, even if you crawl back and beg me on your knees, I will never give it back."

"As you wish." I nodded to her. "I won't go back on my word."

This marriage had slowly drained the life from me.

I was truly done with the torment of my past life.

Jessy stood up and, in her stilettos, walked over to a secluded booth by the floor-to-ceiling window.

She leaned back against the leather sofa and dialed a number.

The moment the call connected, her voice turned sultry and sickeningly sweet.

"Santino, darling, I'm at the private club on the Sapphire Avenu. Could you swing by and pick me up? There's something I need to talk to you about."

I sat on the cold chair, a heavy weight pressing on my chest.

I rarely called Santino, not wanting to disturb his busy schedule.

On the rare occasions I had to call him for urgent family matters, he always had his secretary put me off.

The issues would be handled, but I never got to hear his voice.

But now, not even ten minutes had passed before the Don himself, a man constantly consumed by the family's brutal business, strode through the club's doors.

Through the window, I watched Santino walk in.

He wore a dark, custom-tailored suit that did little to hide the powerful lines of his muscles, giving him an aggressive air.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs. He was, admittedly, a man women found impossible to resist.

My twins, Leo and Sofia, spotted Jessy and immediately broke away from their bodyguards to rush toward her.

They buried their faces in her chest.

"Auntie Jessy!" Sofia squealed.

Her small hands clung to Jessy, refusing to let go.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Santino's voice was gentle, a tone he reserved only for Jessy. "The opera, or head back to the penthouse?"

Jessy smiled, a sly curl to her lips, and pulled the divorce agreement from her purse.

"Before that, a small piece of business needs the Don's seal of approval..." She deliberately flipped the document to the last page.

Santino took the stack of papers without so much as a glance at the title.

He pulled out a pen, signed his name, and pressed his family's signet ring, the symbol of his absolute power, firmly onto the paper.

"Do we really need such formalities between us?"

"Does Auntie Jessy have a new job?" Leo looked up sharply, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Papa, can Auntie Jessy take us out to play? Sofia and I want to be with her forever! We never want to be stuck at the estate looking at... Mother's boring face again."

At the mention of me, my son's expression soured.

They hadn't even acknowledged their own mother's presence since they walked in.

Santino frowned slightly, but seeing the longing in his children's eyes, he nodded. "Alright. Once this busy period is over, I'll have Jessy spend more time with you."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Jessy cooed, leaning against Santino, her thigh brushing almost imperceptibly against his suit trousers.

"My new apartment has a huge swimming pool. Leo, Sofia... and you, Santino. You can come play whenever you want."

Her gaze went soft as she looked at Santino, and the two children erupted in excited cheers.

Sofia even stood on her tiptoes to kiss Jessy's cheek. "Auntie Jessy is the best! A million times more fun than my mother!"

It felt as if a dull knife was twisting in my chest.

The despair of being utterly abandoned by my own family caught in my throat, making it impossible to breathe.

I couldn't stand the sight of this sickening "family of four" a moment longer.

I grabbed my clutch and stumbled out, desperate to escape.

The moment the cold wind hit my face, the shadows of my past life crashed down on me.

In my last life, my marriage to Santino was nothing more than a transaction, an alliance between two Mafia families.

I gave him twin heirs, and in return, I spent countless nights waiting in a cold, empty estate, enduring his endless neglect.

And I knew it was all because of Jessy, the woman he had placed on a pedestal.

Years ago, when Jessy ran off with another man in search of a more thrilling life, Santino locked himself in the basement and smoked for an entire night.

Too proud to chase after her, he turned around and married me, the "perfect Donna" who served his family's interests.

Santino had been the god I worshipped in my youth; every socialite in New York dreamed of being his wife.

So, when my family announced the engagement, I thought I had found heaven.

But every day of our marriage was hell.

I gave him all my love, only to be met with his constant distance and indifference.

He never mentioned divorce, not even when Jessy came back.

But at the dinner table, at banquets, his eyes would be glued to her, openly.

What broke me the most was that Leo and Sofia, the children I had carried for nine months, also naturally preferred Jessy.

They grew distant from me, their feelings bordering on hatred.

Eventually, the broken marriage drained the life out of me. I was gravely wounded in the crossfire of a family feud.

Covered in blood, I reached for Santino, but when Jessy whispered, "I'm so scared," he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the helicopter without a backward glance.

In my final moments, I watched him coldly give the order to retreat, cutting off my only chance of rescue.

It never even occurred to him to look for his wife.

As the flames consumed me, my body convulsed in agony.

Despair tore through me as I lay in the ruins.

If there was a next life, I swore I would never endure that agonizing pain again.

It was late when I returned to the estate, but I had no desire to sleep.

I started to methodically erase any trace of myself.

Santino's custom tailored suits I had meticulously designed, the plush dolls I had hand sewn for the children, the family portraits I had painted with my own hands…

I threw them, one by one, into black trash bags.

At the same time, I informed the butler to cancel all the charity galas and social events for the following month.

"Alessia, what the hell are you doing?" Santino's deep, cold voice came from the doorway.

I turned around. He was loosening his tie with one hand, the children trailing closely behind him.

His dark eyes were filled with open impatience, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Why is Mother stealing my things!" Sofia cried, running over.

When she saw her favorite stuffed bunny, the one I had stitched together by hand, being shoved into a cardboard box, her face flushed with anger and she let out a piercing shriek.

Leo also shot me a hostile look and demanded loudly, "Do you have to defy Papa with this ridiculous stunt?"

Santino's sharp, cold gaze fell on my face, as if he were looking at some hysterical woman making a scene.

"As the Donna of the Genovese family, are you really going to throw a tantrum over something so trivial and make us a laughingstock?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum," I said, meeting his eyes, my voice devoid of emotion.

"You're lying!" Sofia pointed at me. "You're just jealous that Auntie Jessy gets all of Papa's affection! That's why you're stealing our things, just to get us to notice you! You're so mean!"

"When I'm a little older, I'm moving into Auntie Jessy's apartment," Leo said, holding his sister's hand tightly and yelling at me. "And I'll never come back to see you again!"

Santino did nothing to stop their cruel words, merely watching me with a cold expression.

"Enough." He spoke coolly, his long fingers idly turning the blood-stained signet ring on his hand.

"I have turf disputes to settle. Throw away whatever you want. Just don't make a scene. Act with the dignity a Donna should have."

The moment the door closed, my tears finally hit the carpet.

My heart felt as if it had been crushed, and every breath was a stab of pain.

How could they not know the devotion I had poured into those gifts?

I had pricked my fingers countless times making that bunny and spent three sleepless nights agonizing over every detail of those clothes and paintings.

I wiped away my tears messily and looked at the chaos around me.

Suddenly, a desolate laugh escaped my lips.

Don't worry, I would never maintain that ridiculous dignity again.

Not in this lifetime.

Ever since Santino signed the divorce papers, I had stopped managing the household.

I no longer woke before dawn to iron Santino's shirts, nor did I spend hours in the kitchen perfecting his morning espresso.

I no longer wasted my energy hand crafting the children's organic lunches, nor did I bother with Sofia's complex allergy friendly diets or Leo's extracurricular schedules.

All those duties of a devoted wife and mother, once my sole mission, were now abandoned.

At first, no one at the estate even noticed anything was wrong.

After all, I was dispensable in most situations.

It wasn't until Santino's routine fell into disarray, his tailored shirts emerging as a wrinkled mess, and his meals becoming entirely unsuited to his tastes.

It wasn't until Leo threw a tantrum because his school project had been left untouched.

It wasn't until Sofia couldn't find her custom matched hair ribbons for a classmate's birthday party.

The staff ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, utterly incapable of replicating the meticulous care the Donna had always seamlessly provided.

The estate was in chaos, inside and out.

When Santino pushed open my bedroom door, I was leaning against the window, reading an old art history book.

The light from the hallway silhouetted his form.

"How long are you going to keep up this farce?" He stood at the door, not entering.

I closed the book and looked up at him, my gaze calm and empty.

"This isn't a farce."

"Then why have you abandoned all your duties as Donna?"

The masculine scent of cigars and cordite that clung to him, a scent I once craved, now only made me sick.

"Still throwing a fit over Jessy?"

"I'm not throwing a fit." I set the book aside. "I'm simply not going to do it anymore."

Santino strode forward, his large hand slamming down on the back of my chair. "Give me a reason."

"I'm tired."

"The family has plenty of people. Let one of the women eager to take my place do it."

I vividly remembered how, in my last life, I had poured every ounce of my being into this family.

The menus for his sensitive stomach had to be personally cooked by me. The mud and stains on his coats, crafted from delicate materials that strictly forbade machine washing, had to be painstakingly scrubbed and treated by my own hands.

I took pains to hire the best tutors for their etiquette lessons. I even personally sanitized every corner of their playroom so they wouldn't get sick.

And what did I get in return? Santino saved all his tenderness for Jessy.

The children became completely dependent on "Auntie Jessy's" sweet smiles.

And me? I was left to burn to death in the cold ruins.

"Alessia." His voice dropped, turning icy. "If you have a problem with me, say it to my face. Don't play these games like some classless woman."

I gave a self-deprecating smirk. "I've told you, I'm not playing games. I just..."

Before I could finish, the study door was pushed open.

Leo and Sofia stormed in, their small faces twisted in anger.

"It's because Mother doesn't want to do any work, right?" Sofia's voice cut in.

"We want Auntie Jessy to be our new mother! She plays all sorts of new and exciting games with us!"

Leo chimed in loudly, "Auntie Jessy is prettier than you, smarter than you, and a million times better than you! She's the one who deserves Papa. She should be the real Donna!"

Santino just stared at me, as if waiting for me to surrender, to beg for his forgiveness like I always had.

But I just took a deep breath and said softly, "If you all think she's so wonderful, then bring her to the estate. I have no objection."

The air in the study instantly froze.

His expression darkened.

"Are you sure?" he asked, enunciating every word as he grabbed my wrist.

It hurt, but I pulled away, my own words clear and firm. "Absolutely."

"Papa, let's go!" Sofia tugged at Santino's clothes impatiently.

"I want Auntie Jessy to move in right now! I bet she'll buy me the most expensive things!"

"Once Auntie Jessy is here, we won't need you anymore! You can go wherever you want. The Genovese family doesn't need you!"

Santino gave me one last, deep look. Seeing that I remained completely still, not even a flicker of an eyelash, he let out a cold snort and turned, leading the two triumphant children away.

I sat frozen, listening to their fading footsteps, before slumping against the door and sliding down to the cold floor.

Soon, they would get exactly what they wanted.

And I would finally be free of this Don, his family, and the life that was burying me.

On her first day at the Genovese estate, Jessy began bossing the household staff around.

She was making a grand show of redecorating the main living room.

"This Altorian handmade solid wood furniture is so heavy," she said, running a dismissive hand over a tabletop before turning to Santino with a seductive smile.

"Santino, can we replace it with those gilded imperial-style sofas? Something that suits your status as the Don of Veridia."

Santino didn't even bat an eye, simply instructing the butler beside him, "Do as Jessy says."

I stood there like a ghost, numbly watching as several family soldiers in black suits took down the art prints I had personally selected from the artistic capital of Solaria just six months ago.

They were Renaissance-era antiques, gifts I had spent over half a month acquiring at auction to celebrate their acceptance into a top-tier private school.

Leo and Sofia trailed behind her silk skirt like two loyal puppies.

They pointed excitedly, "Auntie Jessy, the carpets and curtains have to go too! The things Mother picked are so old-fashioned and boring, it's like living in a museum!"

Jessy bent down and kissed their foreheads gently. "Of course, darlings. We'll change everything to be just the way you like it."

My hands gripped the cold marble banister so tightly my nails threatened to snap, but just as quickly, my grip went slack.

Those prints and art pieces were things I had scoured galleries across the continent for, things I had chosen for them by hand. Some I had even designed myself, brushstroke by brushstroke.

While I was pregnant, I endured the discomforts of carrying them, wanting only to give them a home filled with culture and taste.

The pieces were made with the most expensive pigments and infused with calming lavender oil, because when they were little, they were allergic to many common decorative materials.

And now, they were being tossed into a junk truck in the courtyard like cheap trash.

Over the next few days, the once tranquil estate was transformed into something unrecognizable.

Santino and the children indulged Jessy's every whim, as if she were the true Donna of the family.

"Jessy, put that down." Santino caught her wrist as she made a show of directing the workers moving a vase.

His long fingers rested lightly on her delicate skin. "Your hands are for playing the piano and caressing the children, not for this."

"Auntie Jessy, I'll get your bag for you!" Leo scurried over, taking her handbag like a little gentleman.

I had never seen such a fawning expression on the face of this spoiled Mafia heir.

"Miss Jessy just needs to relax and take care of herself, to prepare for the family's future," the butler said obsequiously, handing her a freshly poured glass of champagne.

"Leave the heavy lifting to us."

The irony was laughable. I once thought I was the rightful mistress of this family, so I had always treated them with the utmost respect, conducting myself with grace.

But the moment I was out of favor, they seamlessly moved on to a new Donna, rendering all my efforts worthless.

Jessy had simply walked in, done nothing, and become the pampered princess everyone doted on and protected.

Their hushed whispers were not as quiet as they thought.

"The Don is so generous with Miss Jessy. Look at the way he looks at her, like he could eat her alive. He barely even spares a glance for the Donna."

"Tell me about it. And look at the young master and young miss, always clinging to her. I bet we'll be calling her the new Donna soon enough."

The last flicker of feeling in my heart died.

I retreated to my bedroom, quietly packing the few old clothes I had left, and waited for the right moment to leave for good.

That afternoon, my phone buzzed incessantly with messages from Jessy.

It was a series of photos and short videos documenting her and the children's "family time" at the equestrian club.

She had shamelessly paraded them around the parents' lounge at the club.

In the video, Leo and Sofia were surrounded by the children of other mob bosses and wealthy businessmen.

They proudly held Jessy's hand, boasting, "This is our... new mom! She's the hottest woman in all of Veridia!"

The other children let out feigned gasps of awe. "Wow! Your new mom looks like a silver-screen movie star! Her perfume smells amazing!"

"Your Papa is the Don, and your new mom is so beautiful and stylish. Your family is so cool!"

"So, does your new mom cook for you and help with your homework?" another wealthy kid asked, clearly not understanding the situation.

In the video, Leo and Sofia froze for a second.

Then they mumbled, "Oh, that's all our nanny's job. You guys have seen her before, she's the one who used to come pick us up."

My fingers trembled violently. The cup slipped from my trembling hands, shattering on the floor and splashing black coffee across the expensive carpet.

I slowly knelt, picking up the shards with my bare hands, and suddenly, I laughed. It was a laugh filled with nothing but sorrow.

So, all these years, in the hearts of my own flesh and blood, I was never a mother. I was never worthy of being the Donna.

I was nothing more than a glorified nanny.

But it didn't matter anymore.

This "cheap nanny" was about to resign, permanently.

From now on, their charming, beautiful "real mom" could deal with their tantrums and homework.