My Mafia Husband Faked His Death to Test Me; I Face Death With the Family’s Women

My husband, Julian Shelby, was the Don of the Shelby family. My father was his underboss, the man he trusted most. When word came that a rival family had executed them, I was getting ready for our big celebration with the other women of the Shelby family. Just like that, a day of celebration became a bloodbath. One of our men had raced back to the estate with the news. He looked at me and sank to the floor, devastated. "Donna! The Don is dead! They stuffed your father into a gas drum and burned him alive, and both your brothers were cut to pieces." He'd been shot too. The moment he finished speaking, the rival family's men surrounded the estate. They sent word inside. "Every man gets shot. The women get sold to underground casinos and brothels in Southeast Asia." My mother set her jaw and kept her composure. She had someone lock the estate gates, brought out 18 pistols, and handed one to every woman. Then she said, "Our men gave their lives for the honor of the Shelby family. "We're going to show everyone that no one gets to humiliate a Shelby woman! "We'd rather die on our feet than live on our knees." Seventeen shots rang out. When they stopped, 17 bodies lay on the floor. I made sure none of them was breathing. Only then did I rip off my necklace, Julian's pledge of love. It was made from the bullet Julian had taken for me years ago, the one that nearly killed him. After the doctor dug it out of him, he had it turned into a necklace so I could keep it with me always. I loaded it into my gun and shot myself in the heart. My hatred for whoever had wiped out the Shelby family was so fierce that I died with my eyes open. But what I didn't know was that 18 lives had been lost over nothing more than a loyalty test! Chapter 1 As blood poured from my chest, I heard a soldier complain outside the door, "The Don spoils that Catania princess way too much. "She kept pushing for this loyalty test. She says everyone's watching. "They want to see what the Shelby women do without their men. Do they just give up? Or do they keep the business running, care for the children, and uphold the Shelby name on their own? "She says it's for the women's own good, and the Don and the others went along with this nonsense!" Another soldier chuckled. "So the Donna and the others have one bad night. What's the harm? "Tomorrow the Don comes home with news of a big win and tells them it was just a loyalty test. Then it all blows over, right?" I listened, and the pain in my chest came in waves. I looked at my family lying dead across the floor. Regret tore through me. I wanted to scream for help. One of the soldiers outside spoke up. "It's way too quiet in there. Not even crying. Did something happen?" Another soldier stopped him. "Did you forget the princess's orders? Guard the door. Nobody comes out." The first soldier protested, "But that's the Donna locked in there! If something happens to her, what do we tell the Don?" The other soldier said, "The Donna? The Don's been busy keeping the princess happy for days. You think he has time to worry about her?" I heard every word they said. I thought back to when Julian brought Bianca Catania to the Shelby estate a year earlier. He'd gone out of his way to please her from the start. He introduced her to me himself, saying, "Valentina, this is Bianca. She's my best friend, and she's the Catania family's princess. "She said she'd like to stay with us at the estate for a little while, so I brought her home." That little while had stretched into a full year. Every time Julian and my brothers came home from a trip, they brought her back a gift. Vivian, my brother Luca's wife, came to me about it. "Ever since Bianca moved in, your brother's been colder and colder to me. "When I told him I didn't like it, he said I was overthinking things." Anna, my oldest brother Marco's wife, had told me the same thing. At the time, I hadn't thought much of it. I figured Bianca was a guest from an allied family. They didn't want her to feel left out, so they gave her a little extra attention. Only now could I see how stupid I'd been. But it was too late to do anything about it. I heard the soldier outside say, "This whole loyalty test is just the Don trying to make the princess happy. "He wants to show the Catania family how seriously the Shelby family takes this alliance! "You open that door and upset the princess, you're the one the Don punishes." Now I finally understood. It had started as an "obedience test" Bianca had set for my husband, Julian. My husband hadn't been set up. My brothers hadn't been cut to pieces. My father hadn't been burned alive in a gas drum. My vision started to blur. The pain in my chest was unbearable. I thought back to that afternoon, when we were getting ready for the celebration. I could still hear my mother and sisters-in-law laughing. My four-year-old daughter, Emilia, had hugged her teddy bear and smiled up at me. "Mommy, is there anything I can help with?" By the time I learned it was only a game, it was too late. They were all dead, and there was no way out for me either. When the house fell silent, the soldiers outside stopped talking for a moment. One soldier said, "Why'd it get so quiet? I'm going in to check." The other said, "They probably went to bed. Don't go in there and bother the ladies." I knew there was no point calling for help now. I hated Julian and Bianca so much that I couldn't close my eyes, not even at the end. I took my last breath with my eyes wide open, fixed on the estate gates. Chapter 2 My soul left my body and drifted to Julian's side. They were in a castle near the Shelby estate. It was named after me. Julian had bought it in my name before we got married. He knew I loved castles. The day he bought it, he promised me, "Valentina, my wife, we're going to get married in a castle that belongs to you." And he kept his word. He gave me a lavish wedding there. On our wedding day, he kissed the back of my hand. "Valentina, from now on, you're the Donna of the Shelby family. "I love you. I don't care where you come from." He said he loved me. He didn't care that my father was only his underboss, or that my family didn't have the same standing as his. But now, just to make Bianca happy, he had played her game and hurt his own family, all in the name of a "loyalty test." As soon as my soul drifted into the castle, I heard Bianca's voice coming from the dining room. "Julian, Uncle Oleg, Marco, Luca, you've all spoiled me rotten. Won't the Donna come after me when she finds out?" My father smiled. "Valentina is my daughter. I know her. She's the Donna of the Shelby family, and she sets the example for all the women in it. "Looking after you is part of her job. She won't make a fuss over something small." Bianca looked over at him. "Uncle Oleg, why are you so good to me?" My father's expression softened. "You remind me so much of my daughter. The way she was before she got married. Nothing ever scared her." Marco laughed. "Bianca, you're an honored guest of the Shelby family. Your father and Julian's father have known each other for years. "Out of respect for your father, playing along with your little games is no big deal." Bianca frowned and looked at him. "Marco, your wife, Anna, was complaining to Valentina. She said you care more about me than you do about her." Marco's smile froze. "When was this?" Bianca took her time answering. "Last month. My maid overheard them talking." She turned to Luca. "And Luca, your wife, Vivian, said plenty of things to Valentina that I didn't like hearing either. "If my maid hadn't told me, I'd never have known the Shelby women had such a problem with me. I'm just a guest here." Luca's and Marco's faces darkened. Even my father shifted uneasily. "Bianca, they were wrong. Think of this as their punishment. "All we want is for you to be happy at the Shelby estate." Bianca cut him off. "Uncle Oleg, your wife has said her fair share of nasty things about me behind my back, too." I was standing right there. Every word out of Bianca's mouth was a lie. My sisters-in-law had only complained to me that my brothers were being cold. They had never said one bad thing about Bianca. My father said nothing. Bianca smiled. "It's fine. Once they've been punished this time, I'll let it go." Julian said, "Bianca, you're so gracious. Here's to you." Julian raised his glass and clinked glasses with her. "We only won the Bellavista Casino because the Catania family had our back." Then he took out a solid gold pocket watch. Engraved on the back were the Shelby family crest and Bianca's name. I knew that watch. My name used to be engraved on it. It was the Donna's symbol of rank. I still remembered the day he gave it to me. He'd said, "Valentina, the name on this watch will always be yours. "My love for you will only grow deeper, as surely as time keeps moving." Now I was dead, and the time he'd spent loving me was over too. Julian handed the watch to Bianca. "I've had this gift ready for you for a long time. Think of it as an apology on Valentina's behalf." Bianca asked casually, "Isn't this the watch your family gives the Donna?" Julian said, "We don't need all those rules. These days it only goes to the woman who's done the most for the Shelby family and holds the highest place in it." I stared at Julian's face. It suddenly looked like a stranger's, and my throat tightened. Bianca was all smiles. "Julian, let's do a different test next month, okay?" Julian asked, "What do you want to play now?" Bianca walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Tell her you want to marry me, and see if she divorces you." Julian looked at her and laughed a little. "Okay. Deal." I watched them, numb, even as the pain in my heart made my whole body tremble. Julian, we're out of time. You'll never get to test me again! Chapter 3 An hour later, the party in the dining room broke up. My soul followed Julian onto the terrace on the castle's second floor. Bianca leaned against the railing with a glass of wine in her hand. Julian stood beside her. His tie had come loose, but he hadn't taken it off. He looked so grim that Bianca spoke first. "Julian, you're awfully quiet tonight." Julian yanked off his tie. "I broke my wedding vows. I lied to my wife." Bianca turned to look at him. "It's just a little test. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Julian relaxed a little, but he still looked troubled. "It's been two hours, though. Why haven't we heard a thing from the estate?" Bianca laughed. "It's only been two hours. What do you want to hear? Screaming? Pounding on the doors?" She turned around to face Julian. "Don't you think she's too perfect as a wife? So perfect it's suffocating?" Julian was quiet for a while. "Bianca, my wife has done so much for me. I still owe her two lives. "But if she abandons her duty to the Shelby family in this test and runs off to save herself, then she's broken her wedding vows too." Bianca frowned. "Isn't that the main reason you agreed to let me test her? I also want to know if she'd walk out on the Shelby family." Julian said, "Yes. Those two lives still weigh on me. If she breaks her vows too, I'll feel a little better." Then he fell silent and looked off toward the estate. Those two lives were the deepest wounds in our marriage. I married him at 20 and got pregnant with our first child the next year. Eight months into my pregnancy, I took a bullet in the stomach to save Julian. We lost the baby. He was already a fully formed little boy when they took him from me. I drowned in that grief and stopped eating. Julian stayed by the bed and begged me not to leave him. He fed me himself and stayed with me through the worst of it. It took me three years to recover. Then I gave birth to our first surviving child, a boy named Antonio. When Antonio was a month old, Julian cradled him and turned to my father and my brothers. "Someday he'll be the Don of the Shelby family." When Antonio was six, Julian took him swimming in the pool. Standing by the pool, he answered a call about the Bellavista Casino. He was on the phone for 20 minutes. He never noticed our son fall in. By the time he hung up, Antonio was lying at the bottom of the pool. I held my son's body and sobbed. Julian sank down beside me and said he'd failed as a father. Julian looked at Bianca again. "Valentina's been with me for so many years. She's seen it all. "She'll hold up." Bianca watched him. "And if she can't?" Julian looked past the terrace railing toward the harbor. "Then there's nothing we can do. The test has already started." Bianca gave a thin smile and said nothing. Standing right in front of them, I remembered a night years earlier. Julian's enemies had slipped into the estate after midnight. Julian was in his study, and none of his men were with him. I told him to escape through the window. Then I went out the front door to draw them away. I was shot twice. By the time Julian came back with his men, I was lying on the ground, barely breathing. He held me, his hands shaking. "Valentina, I swear to God. "No matter what happens in this life, I'll never let you face anything alone again." I believed him. But now he was carrying out the "loyalty test" another woman had asked for. He'd already broken that vow. Julian took off his jacket and draped it over Bianca's shoulders. "Go get some sleep. It'll all be over tomorrow morning." Bianca nodded and followed him back inside, down the hallway. I reached out to touch Julian, but my fingers passed right through his shoulder. Julian turned his head toward me, as if he'd felt something. He stared for a moment. Then he looked away, turned, and left without looking back. Chapter 4 At four that morning, Julian woke up from a nightmare. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, still breathing hard. He threw on a jacket and went to wake up my father and my brothers. My father was getting dressed when he asked, "What is it? Did something happen at the estate?" Julian told them, "I had a terrible dream." He described it. In the dream, he was standing in the main hall of the Shelby estate. The lights were out, and the sky beyond the windows was gray. "I saw Valentina. I wanted to go to her and hold her and tell her I was home. "I told her I was sorry, but she just kept backing away. She wouldn't even look at me. "I looked down and saw a hole in her chest. The blood had dried, and the edges were black." Nobody was sleepy anymore. Luca had been yawning, but the story jolted him fully awake. Julian kept going. "Valentina... In the end, she backed into a light and disappeared." Still uneasy, he pulled out his phone and called the soldier guarding the door. It rang a few times before the soldier picked up. "Don, what do you need?" Julian asked, "Did you hear anything from the estate last night?" The line went quiet for a second. "No, Don. Everything's fine." "You're sure?" The soldier answered, "I only heard the door lock. Nothing else." Julian gripped the phone and said nothing. "Don?" Julian said, "Go take a look." "Now?" "Now." The soldier hesitated. "Don, it's after four. If I go in there and wake them up... "And besides, Ms. Catania said..." Julian cut him off. "Bianca told you to guard the door. She didn't tell you not to even look." The soldier was quiet for a few seconds. "Yes, Don. Whatever you say. I'll go check." He kept the line open. Julian and the others heard footsteps, then a door opening, then silence from the hallway. The soldier came back on the line. "Don, the door's locked tight. There's no sound inside. Everything should be fine." Julian let it go. "We'll deal with it in the morning." He hung up. But for the rest of the night, I never saw any of them close their eyes. At daybreak, they called for Bianca and set out. When she came out of the castle, the cars were already waiting at the door. The trunks were packed with apology gifts. My father had bought my mother's favorite coffee. Marco had a ruby ring for Anna. Luca was clutching a brand-new Barbie doll for his daughter, Sofia. Julian took out a jeweled gold brooch. It was his new gift for me. He said to my father, "I think Valentina's going to love it. Once she sees it and she's happy, this whole test thing will blow over." By the time the cars pulled up to the estate gates, it was broad daylight. My father saw the two soldiers at the door and called out. "Did anything happen at the estate last night?" One of the soldiers bowed his head. "Everything went exactly the way Ms. Catania arranged. "No matter what sounds came from inside, I never opened the door." Julian stopped short. "What did you say?" The soldier answered, "I never left my post, Don. Nobody got out." Julian demanded, "What did you hear in there last night?" The soldier lowered his head. "Not long after we delivered the news, we heard gunshots. Muffled." My father grabbed him by the collar. "I told you to go in and check if you heard anything! Who told you to just stand there?" The soldier went even paler. "But didn't you tell us to do what Ms. Catania said? Not to open the door no matter what we heard?" Luca's grip tightened on the Barbie doll. "What else?" The soldier answered, "Then there was a dragging sound. Like someone pulling a chair." Luca asked, "For how long?" The soldier couldn't bring himself to look up. "Seven or eight minutes." Luca ran to the front door and pounded on it. "Sofia! Daddy's home!" He knocked again and again. No one answered. "Move!" Julian went to the smart lock beside the door and entered the code three times. A message came up on the screen. [Locked from the inside. Master authorization required.] Only when he pressed his own thumb to it did the lock finally release. The door swung open, and Julian strode inside. "Valentina, I'm home..." His voice cut off. Eighteen bodies lay in front of them.