The Great Godmother

By the fifth year of my marriage to James Hill, he began pretending to be his late twin brother, the late Don of the family. With that, he took over all of a Don’s duties and the role of my sister-in-law, Hilary’s husband.

Every time after he slept with her, he would cut his arm open, kneel before me, and beg for forgiveness.

“Pia, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Once Hilary gives birth to the heir and secures her position, I’ll fake my death and come back for you.”

He told me his twin brother had died saving him, so he had to fulfill his brother’s last wish.

During the year he pretended to be his brother, James slept with Hilary ninety-nine times. After a full year, Hilary finally gave birth to the family’s heir.

I truly believed James would fake his death as promised, then take our son and me away from this bloody life. However, I saw him with Hilary in his arms, teasing the tiny baby she carried.

“Hilary, I’ll stay with you and our child until he’s ready to take over as the next Don.”

Silently, I wiped my tears and went back to my room to pack my suitcase.

My son saw me crying and ran into my arms, gently wiping away my tears with his little hands.

“Ma, Aunt Hilary already had her baby. Why isn’t Papa coming home yet?”

I placed my clothes into the suitcase as I told him softly, “Because he doesn’t want us anymore. But don’t be sad, sweetheart. I will build us a home.”

If James wanted to raise an heir, then I would return to North Atlantis’s most powerful mafia family, take my rightful place as my father’s heir, and become the Godmother of the Mafia.

Back then, just to be with James Hill, I ignored all opposition from my family and married him under a false identity. My dad—the Don of the Gerald family in North Atlantis—saw how determined I was and made a wager with me. If, after five years of marriage, I wasn’t happy, I’d return home and inherit his position.

At that time, I had sworn to him that James would never let me lose. However, in the end, our love couldn’t even last five years, and now, I was packing to leave him.

[If you’re unhappy, don’t force it. I’ll always be waiting for you, and so will the family.]

Tears welled up as I read the message Dad had sent.

Just then, James came home. Seeing me in tears, he quickly pulled me into his arms. “Pia, it’s been a tough year for you. Why aren’t you asleep yet? Were you waiting for me?”

He didn’t know that on all those nights he “spent” with his sister-in-law, Hilary Cook, I never really slept. I always left a light on in the living room, listening for the sound of the door opening, hoping he’d come home.

Tonight, he came back earlier