The Mafia Don Rejected Her… Then Learned She Was Dying Chapter 05
His fingers trembled as he opened the file.
The very first message in the chat history made
his blood run cold.
How long can someone survive with Stage IV lung
cancer and brain metastases?
Alexander’s heart clenched.
He scrolled frantically.
Every exchange between Serafina and her doctor
felt like a knife carving into his chest.
Brain metastases.
Stage IV lung cancer.
She had been diagnosed three years ago.
Three years.
She hadn’t been lying.
She had really been sick all this time.
He had seen her coughing up blood.
He had seen the bottles of medication she tried so
hard to hide.
And yet he had stubbornly convinced himself it
was all an act. Another desperate attempt to get
his attention.
The realization hit him like a freight train.
When Serafina learned she was dying, how
terrified must she have been?
How alone?
And what had he done?
Pushed her away.
Dismissed her.
Scolded her for being childish.
A sharp pain tore through his chest.
Gripping the phone, he copied down the doctor’s
number and dialed immediately.
The line connected.
“Hello. Is Miss Serafina one of your patients? I’d
like to discuss her condition.”
The doctor hesitated.
“Serafina? And you are…?”
“I’m her legal guardian. Alexander Moretti.”
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then the doctor sighed.
“Miss Serafina’s case is complicated. She was
diagnosed at Stage IV. By the time we discovered
the cancer, it had already spread to her brain.”
Alexander closed his eyes.
The doctor continued.
“She initially responded well to chemotherapy, but
unfortunately developed drug resistance later.”
“At that point, we recommended a clinical trial in
Switzerland. One of the leading cancer centers
there was testing a new targeted therapy for
patients with her mutation profile. She agreed to
participate.”
The tendons in Alexander’s hand stood out as he
tightened his grip around the phone.
Part of him desperately wanted this to be a lie.
A cruel story she’d invented to make him stay.
But reality shattered that fantasy without mercy.
“Doctor…”
His voice came out rough.
“How much time does she have left?”
The doctor fell quiet before answering.
“If the disease continues to progress, especially
with the brain metastases… without effective
intervention…”
He paused.
“Only a few months.”
Alexander stopped breathing.
The pressure in his chest became unbearable.
The doctor continued gently.
“Brain metastases can cause headaches, memory
loss, cognitive decline, confusion…”
His voice softened.
“To be honest, Miss Serafina has probably already
begun experiencing those symptoms.”
Memory loss.
That was why she’d forgotten promises.
Why she often seemed distracted.
Why her eyes sometimes looked lost.
Alexander swallowed hard.
He could barely speak.
“The later stages of her treatment are being handled by Professor Strucker’s team in
Switzerland. If you want more details, I’d
recommend contacting them directly.”
“Thank you.”
The second the call ended, Alexander began
searching for Professor Strucker.
Within minutes, he found contact information
hidden among the records in Serafina’s cloud
storage.
He turned toward Tommy, who had rushed over
after hearing the commotion.
“Book me the first flight to Zurich.”
Immediately.
As soon as he reached the main floor, a furious
voice stopped him.
“Alexander!”
The Don stood at the foot of the staircase, his
face dark with rage..
“She’s your sister. You’ve blurred every line that
should never have been crossed. Have you lost
your damn mind? You’re humiliating this family!”
His cane slammed against the marble floor.
“You are going back and finishing that wedding.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“Serafina is seriously ill.”
His voice was unwavering.
“I’m going to Switzerland to be with her.”
The Don’s eyes flashed.
“If you walk out that door today, we’re done.”
Another violent strike of the cane echoed through
the mansion.
“Everything you have came from me. The power.
The authority. The position. I gave it to you, and I
can take it away.”
Alexander met his gaze.
“She has no one else.”
His voice was quiet.
“But she has me.”
“I have to go.”
A sharp crack split the air.
The slap snapped Alexander’s head to the side.
The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
Slowly, he ran his tongue across the inside of his
cheek.
Then looked back at the Don.
“You finished?”
His voice was low.
“Good.”
He turned and walked away.
This time, he never looked back.
Hours later, after a flight that felt endless, the
plane finally touched down in Zurich.
Alexander drove like a man possessed.
Traffic lights became suggestions.
Speed limits ceased to exist.
Nothing mattered except reaching her.
At last, he arrived at the rehabilitation center.
His gaze swept across the grounds.
And then he saw her.
Sitting alone on a bench in the garden.
The woman who had haunted every second of his
journey.
I was staring blankly at the snow–covered
mountains in the distance when a familiar voice
broke through the silence.
Hoarse.
Unsteady.
Desperate.
“Serafina.”
