Falling for the Mafia’s Lie

One immigration application ended my marriage—

and erased me from my husband’s world forever.

I was Arabella Ashford—

the wife of the man everyone wanted to marry.

An Italian mafia heir—Born into power, wealth, and fear.

A bloodline successor watched by international law enforcement,

forbidden to cross borders, permanently barred from U.S. territory.

They said he adored me—

built me a private estate so I’d never hear the city,

sent me flowers for no reason, just to make me smile,

remembered every little thing I liked, every habit and quirk,

No one saw the truth.

And while the world called him perfect—

he was putting another woman in my place,

and another life in her womb.

So I made my choice.

I filed for permanent residency overseas.

With that one signature, I erased myself from his world.

From that moment on, he would never find me again.

This was the price of his betrayal.

He didn’t realize I was losing him that day.

When he discovered the woman he betrayed was already beyond his reach.

That was when he lost everything.

He gave up his position.

Walked away from his inheritance.

Turned his back on a throne men would kill for—

all to cross an ocean he was never allowed to enter.

Ashford POV

I could hear the whispers around me, soft and curious.

The immigration officers murmured about my marriage, about him—the man who supposedly adored me.

They couldn’t understand why I would walk away from someone who loved me so fiercely.

I tugged at the corner of my lips, letting a hint of mockery curl there.

Back in college, everyone envied the way Dominic Conti loved me.

Back then, I was the golden girl of my school’s shooting team.

And Dominic Conti was the future heir of a powerful mafia family.

People said he was distant and restrained.

Cold, disciplined, untouched by desire.

His private life was famously clean—

no scandals, no women, no one allowed within arm’s reach.

Until that networking gala.

That was when he met me.

He fell in love at first sight.

From then on, he pursued me obsessively.

Jewelry came without price tags.

Fireworks lit the sky for three nights straight, announcing his love to the world.

Once, I joked about craving the chocolate croissants from a bakery across town,and he didn’t hesitate—he drove through a storm just to hand me a warm box.

His coat drenched, his hands trembling from the cold, but his eyes only on me.

But the day I truly decided to accept him—

was the day my parents died.

He was away on business, far from the city.

Yet he abandoned everything and rushed back without hesitation.

When he reached me, he was disheveled, exhausted, his eyes bloodshot.

He pulled me into his arms and whispered hoarsely,

“Arabella, don’t cry.

You still have me. I’ll stay by your side forever.”

I looked into his eyes.

My heart skipped.

It’s him, I told myself.

He’s the one.

And yet—