Goodbye, My Once‑Upon‑a‑Time

After I was brought back from the kidnapping, my mafia boss husband, Jonathan Caruso, arranges for me to live in a new villa.

"You've suffered so much over the years, Nat…"

Jonathan caresses the scar on my face, sympathy and pain evident on his face.

As I listen to his words, I just smirk in return.

Sure, he's been keeping up a loving and devoted facade. Unfortunately for him, I've always known that he doesn't want me to survive at all.

After all, he's the one who has delivered me into the dark and damp water prison three years ago as a wedding gift for Governor Frederick Romano in order to marry his daughter, Kelsey Romano.

I sat in an unfamiliar room, eating the strawberries Jonathan Caruso had brought me while watching the feed from a hidden camera.

Jonathan, who had rushed out moments earlier, was now at the hospital. He had his arm around Kelsey Romano, whose belly was visibly swollen, as he accompanied her to a prenatal checkup.

Watching the two of them being openly affectionate with one another sent a sharp pain straight through my chest.

I tossed the strawberries aside and called Jonathan.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his clear voice carrying a touch of indulgence.

On the screen, Kelsey frowned slightly and glanced at him. Jonathan didn't notice at all and simply guided her into the ultrasound room.

"I was scared," I said. "I woke up, and you were already gone. I was afraid it was just a dream. I was afraid I hadn't really escaped."

The memories I'd buried surfaced all at once, and although I'd meant to sound fragile on purpose, my voice faltered anyway, a real tremor slipping through.

"It's okay, Nat. That's all over now. I'll be home soon. I'll stay with you."

He sounded tender, almost convincingly so.

True to his word, he didn't say another thing to Kelsey. He turned and left the hospital without looking back.

I shut off the camera feed, my chest tightening. The way he walked away so decisively was the same as it had been back then.

Jonathan returned to the mansion not long after, carrying a strawberry cake.

Barefoot, I rushed straight into his arms.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes again? I brought you a strawberry cake."

The words were painfully familiar, just as they were three years ago.

Jonathan had always liked buying me strawberry cake, and I'd always thrown myself into his arms like this, telling him how much I'd missed him all day.

"John, I missed you so much."

The words caught him off guard, and his expression froze for a moment, as if he'd slipped into a brief daze. Then, his gaze landed on the scar on my face, and clarity returned instantly.

I noticed the change and felt a flicker of mockery surface in my eyes.

We both knew there was no going back.

Jonathan helped me onto the couch, feeding me cake while gently brushing his fingers over