I grew up inside an orphanage owned and funded by the Family, a quiet institution hidden behind iron gates and thick stone walls meant to keep the world—and its dangers—out. I spent most of my childhood sitting in the courtyard with borrowed paints, working beneath the open sky, imagining a future far beyond the reach of the Corell syndicate. I dreamed that one day someone powerful would notice my talent, take me under their wing, and allow me to pursue art without fear or obligation.
More than anything, I wanted to be a painter of consequence—to make a name for myself, to build a gallery that belonged solely to me, a place where my work could exist freely without bearing another person’s shadow.
After I completed the orphanage’s formal education program, fate intervened in the form of a formidable woman: the matriarch of the Corell crime family. She summoned me personally and offered what felt like an impossible gift. She would finance my education at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze—one of the most elite art institutions in the country.
There was, of course, a price.
In exchange, I would be bound to her son, Zaldy Corell—the future Don. He was five years older than me, hardened by loss, and still openly haunted by the woman who had left him years earlier. Maria Lee had gone to Paris, where she refined her influence, sharpened her ambitions, and elevated her status among Europe’s elite criminal circles.
I hesitated. I was barely eighteen. Zaldy was twenty-three and already feared within the organization.
“Does he know about this arrangement?” I asked quietly, my fingers clenched in my lap.
“Yes,” the matriarch replied after a pause. Her gaze softened just enough to disarm me. “He has agreed.”
Out of gratitude—and obligation—I accepted. She had been the only source of kindness I’d ever known, the only person who saw something worthwhile in me. Refusing her felt impossible.
Zaldy and I entered the arrangement as strangers, not lovers. Still, I clung to the naïve belief that time might soften him, that proximity could become affection. While studying, I worked relentlessly to build independence—applying for grants, selling paintings to private collectors, and doing everything in my power not to rely on Corell money.
None of it mattered.
To Zaldy, I was an inconvenience. He remained distant, emotionally sealed off, acknowledging my existence only when required. I wasn’t his partner—I was a tolerated fixture in his household.
At our formal union ceremony, he offered no tenderness. The moment the vows were completed, he turned away. On the rare nights he came to my room, alcohol clung to him. His touch was mechanical, empty—never affectionate, always a reminder that my presence in his life was an obligation, not a choice.
One night, he staggered in late, leaning heavily against the doorframe, his eyes dull and unfocused.
“Sami,” he slurred, smirking faintly, “why do you never come see me?”
“You’ve never asked,” I answered carefully. “And let’s not pretend this arrangement was ever something either of us wanted.”
He laughed sharply and crossed the room, grabbing my arm with careless force. “You’re here because of my mother,” he said coldly. “Without her, you’d be nothing.”
“Yes, Zaldy,” I whispered, swallowing the sting in my throat. “I know.”
The years passed like that. I endured everything out of loyalty to his mother—the woman who had saved me from obscurity. I even declined an offer to study abroad, afraid it would disappoint her.
No matter what I accomplished, I could never displace the ghost of Maria Lee. I was a stand-in. A shadow occupying a space meant for someone else.
After one particularly brutal argument, something inside me finally settled. My mentor’s words resurfaced in my mind.
The fellowship is yours if you want it. Italy is waiting.
It wasn’t just an opportunity—it was a way out. A door opening after years spent trapped in a life that was never truly mine. That night, I made my decision.
The next morning, Zaldy barely acknowledged me at breakfast. His attention was fixed on his phone, messages scrolling endlessly across the screen. Whatever tension lingered from the night before had already vanished from his mind.
I cleared my throat. “Zaldy,” I said quietly, “what would you think if I pursued my master’s degree in Italy?”
He waved a dismissive hand without looking up. “Do whatever you want.”
I steadied myself. “And if I’ll be gone long-term…should we dissolve this arrangement?”
For the briefest moment, I hoped he would react—question me, object, feel something.
He didn’t.
“That’s fine,” he muttered, still scrolling.
Relief and heartbreak collided in my chest. The truth was undeniable now. I had never mattered.
He hadn’t noticed when I stopped managing his schedule, preparing his suits, or handling his personal affairs. I’d quietly passed those responsibilities to the household staff, and he never questioned it.
“Very well,” I said, standing. My plate remained untouched. Hunger had abandoned me entirely.
My gaze fell on his phone just as a notification lit up the screen. The contact name glowed unmistakably.
The name burned into me. Every ounce of his loyalty, his attention, his devotion—it all belonged to her.
The phone rang. He answered instantly.
“I’ll be there shortly,” he said, his tone obedient, gentle, unwavering.
I smiled bitterly.
At last, I understood the role I had always played in his life—unseen, replaceable, and never truly claimed by the man I once loved.
