The Mafia Don Rejected Her… Then Learned She Was Dying Chapter 01
During Thanksgiving break, my university assigned a simple project:
[Find a way to express your love and appreciation for your parents.]
My parents had died years ago.
So instead, I used the assignment as an excuse to confess my feelings to the man who had raised me.
Alexander Foster.
The young Don of the Foster crime family.
The man who had adopted me after I was orphaned.
The man I had loved for years.
I sent him a single message.
[I love you.]
The chat showed typing… on and off for nearly two hours.
But no reply ever came.
Then, finally, my phone buzzed.
Only one sentence appeared on the screen.
[Don’t entertain feelings you should never have had.]
Everything changed after that.
Alexander threw me out of his mansion.
He dismissed the soldiers assigned to protect me.
He destroyed the private phone that existed solely for me to contact him.
His men were instructed not to allow me into any property owned by the Foster family.
“Don Alexander’s orders,” they told me coldly. “Neither traitors nor those associated with them are welcome.”
Even worse, whenever I appeared within his sight, he would immediately turn around and leave.
As though merely looking at me was unbearable.
Six months later, I was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer.
It had already spread to my brain.
…
In order to make him stop looking at me with disgust before I disappeared forever, I agreed to marry the Caporegime he had personally chosen for me.
Only then did Alexander finally speak to me peacefully again.
“How are things with Adrian?” he asked. “Are the wedding preparations underway?”
“They’re going well.”
My eyes stung with unshed tears.
I couldn’t bear to ruin this rare conversation, so I told him about the wedding I had secretly dreamed of.
“Yes. We’ve started planning everything. The venue will be inspired by the lavender fields of Provence. The wedding rings will feature purple diamonds. The design is lavender-themed too…”
The more I spoke, the darker his expression became.
Finally, he cut me off.
“As long as it’s being handled.”
His voice was low and firm.
“Just remember one thing. I’ll always be your brother. We’ll always be family. And this will always be your home.”
His gaze swept across my room, now mostly empty.
“Have you already moved your belongings to Adrian’s place? That’s fine. Whatever you’ve taken, I’ll have someone replace.”
My nose burned.
I forced a smile and shook my head.
“Thank you, Alex. But that’s not necessary.”
I lowered my eyes.
“Besides… I probably won’t be coming back very often.”
What I didn’t tell him was that my belongings hadn’t been sent to Adrian’s home.
They had been shipped to Switzerland.
My attending physician, Dr. Liam Carter, had arranged an appointment with one of Zurich’s leading lung cancer specialists, Professor Strucker.
Three days from now, on the day Alexander married his fiancée, Elena Moretti, the second daughter of the Moretti family…
I would leave for good.
Whether the surgery succeeded or failed, I would remain in Switzerland for the rest of my life.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Alexander’s face.
Just as he opened his mouth, I interrupted him.
“Alex, do you know what kind of flowers Elena likes?”
“Cherry blossoms.”
The answer came instantly.
Then his eyes narrowed.
“What are you asking for?”
I swallowed back my tears and turned toward the sprawling lavender field outside the window.
Years ago, Alexander had planted it himself for me.
My voice was so quiet it nearly disappeared into the evening breeze.
“I wanted to prepare a wedding gift for you and your wife.”
His expression hardened.
“There’s no need. She lacks nothing.”
I lowered my head and smiled bitterly.
I’d forgotten.
With Alexander by her side, Elena would never want for anything.
Just as I never had.
He had once relocated one of the family’s most important strongholds closer to the estate simply because I felt safer there.
Silence settled between us.
The night wind drifted through the open window.
I shivered instinctively.
Ever since getting sick, I couldn’t tolerate the cold anymore.
“Alex, I’m tired.”
I stood.
“I’m going to bed.”
As I walked away, I could feel his eyes following me.
They remained on my back until the bedroom door closed between us.
…
The next morning, I woke up with no memory of the previous day.
Nothing.
Even the conversation with Alexander had vanished.
Only when I checked the reminder app on my phone did everything become clear.
Two Days Until Departure.
Today’s Tasks.
That was when I remembered what I needed to do.
In the end, I personally uprooted the entire lavender field.
Then I replaced it with rows of cherry blossom trees, their buds just beginning to bloom.
That afternoon, after taking cough medicine in advance, I met Adrian.
I told him the truth.
About my diagnosis.
About my decision to leave the country for treatment.
And I begged him to keep it secret.
Shock flashed across his face.
“Serafina… this…”
He hesitated.
“I can’t betray Don Alexander.”
A soft laugh escaped me.
“It’s okay.”
I looked down at my hands.
“He doesn’t care about me anymore.”
Then I forced a smile.
“Think of it as doing a dying woman a favor. For God’s sake, if nothing else.”
Adrian was silent for a long moment.
Finally, he sighed.
“All right.”
Then I handed him another document.
“Could you look this over for me?”
The moment he opened it, his expression changed completely.
His face filled with disbelief.
