Chapter 3
The decision to leave had crept up slowly, like shadows gathering in a room you didn’t realize was getting darker until it was too late. It wasn’t one event or one betrayal that pushed me to this point. It was a collection of moments–each one more painful than the last–that I could no longer ignore.
At first, I thought Audrey was just another part of the business. She was new, inexperienced, and Marco, as always, was patient with her, training her. He even told me that she reminded him of himself when he was younger. “She‘ ll learn fast,” he said one evening, his eyes gleaming with a pride I hadn’t seen in a long time. I smiled and told myself it was normal, that it didn’t mean anything.
But then things started to shift. Dinners missed, conversations that turned cold, and whispers behind closed doors. The way Audrey looked at him was different, and I saw how his gaze lingered on her a little too long. It wasn’t something I could put my finger on at first, but I felt it—like something breaking inside me, slowly but steadily.
I waited, hoping that it would pass. I convinced myself that Marco and I were stronger than this, that his loyalty was with me, not her. After all, we’d been through so much together. But that hope was just another lie I told myself, one of many over the years.
It wasn’t until the night of the ambush that everything became painfully clear. The attack had been quick, chaotic. I barely had time to react before the bullets started flying. I was cornered, my heart pounding in my chest as the gunfire rang out. In the midst of the chaos, I searched for Marco. He was supposed to have my back. That’s what we did–we protected each other.
But when I found him, he wasn‘ t looking for me. He was with her, pulling Audrey to safety. And in that split second, as I watched him choose her, something in me shattered beyond repair. It wasn’t about the mafia, the business, or even the danger we faced. It was about us–or rather, the lack of us. He had made his choice long before that night, and I had been too blind to see it.
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Chapter 3
That realization had stayed with me, growing louder in my mind until I couldn’t silence it anymore. Now, as I stood in our shared bedroom, packing my things, I knew I couldn’t keep pretending. The room felt so empty, though it was filled with memories of a life that once held promise. I opened the closet and reached for my suitcase, pulling it out and setting it on the bed.
I didn’t need much. Just enough to leave and not look back. As I folded my clothes, my eyes landed on something small and delicate at the foot of the bed—a piece of lingerie. Not mine. I had found it weeks ago, tucked under the edge of the mattress. I had tried to ignore it then, to tell myself it was nothing. But now, it was a symbol of everything that had gone wrong.
I picked it up and tossed it onto the bed, a silent, damning testament to the lies I had allowed to fill my life. I wasn’t angry anymore. I was just tired.
Marco was away again—another trip with Audrey, though we both knew it wasn’t business. They’d left together, without a second thought about me. But this time, when he came back, I wouldn’t be here.
I walked to the desk by the window, my hands trembling slightly as I reached for a pen and a piece of paper. What do you even say in a moment like this? How do you explain years of betrayal in a few sentences?
I took a breath and began to write.
“Marco,” I started, “I’ve tried to ignore what‘ s been happening for so long. I’ve tried to believe that we could fix things, that you would see me again. But you haven’t. You‘ ve chosen Audrey time and time again, and I’m done pretending I don‘, t see it. I can’t live like this anymore, waiting for you to remember me. I deserve better.”
The words felt final, but right. I folded the note and placed it on the bed beside the lingerie. Let him figure it out when he got home.
With my suitcase in hand, I walked out of the bedroom, the door
clicking softly behind me. I didn‘ t of a decision that should have been
It was time to leave, and this time, t
Chapter 3
clicking softly behind me. I didn’t feel regret or guilt—just the weight of a decision that should have been made a long time ago.
It was time to leave, and this time, there would be no coming back.