The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 23

~ Damon -

Keeping the peace in his own household was the single most important thing that a mafia king needs to do. Otherwise, how would people respect him? How could his followers obey him?

Damon was beyond appalled when he came home and saw the state of his compound. Someone had breached through the gates. No one had done this since the Red Wedding those years ago, and he vowed to never let that happen again. These people that breached the compound, Dylan and Lucas, they seemed to have no fear of him. Or maybe they were more concerned about Violet than about him. Either way, it did not look good, especially since his enemies were stalking the estate. If word got out that the Van Zandt compound was so easily infiltrated by two normal guys, his reputation would be in the toilet.

And then there was the issue with Violet.

Her disobeying him in front of his men was one thing, but her choice to side with the infiltrators was another thing. Loyalty was perhaps the single greatest commodity in the mafia world. Once that trust was broken, there was no going back. Not love, not mercy, not anything can mend a broken trust.

When Violet asked to leave, it hit Damon especially hard. This wasn't the first time she chose to betray him, but this was the last time. If he let her walk all over him without any repercussions, what kind of a man would he be? "I love him," he remembered her saying.

Ah, yes. And then there was the issue of love. Damon was convinced from day one when he received the report about Violet that this Lucas guy was in love with her. Why else would a guy be so kind and helpful, and spend all of his time with her if he didn't want anything in return?

Even though she didn't feel the same way, it was only a matter of time before Violet starts feeling something. And today, his suspicions were proven true. Violet admitted it, loud and clear, she was in love with him too.

That was the last straw for Damon. If there was no loyalty and trust in this relationship, there was never going to be a future for them. No matter how much he loves her, no matter how he'd kill for her, this was beyond his power. She crossed the line for everything he stood for. He just couldn't do it anymore.

Even a man in love was only a man. So what's a man to do in this situation?

Damon decided to let her go. She didn't shoot him with a bullet this time, but it hurt just the same. With an aching chest, Damon staggered up the stairs and locked himself inside his study. He figured that his men would free Dylan and Lucas, and soon the three of them would leave the estate, never to return again.

Damon's hand was shaking as he reached for the bottle of scotch on his desk. He didn't even bother pouring them in a glass. He just chugged them straight down, feeling the fire burned his throat.

"Never again," he said to himself. "I knew this love bullshit was never gonna work out for me. Never again will I let this happen..."

With an angry groan, Damon pushed his entire desk until it flipped and fell over with a loud thud. Papers were flying and glass frames were breaking. Damon then threw the bottle of scotch to the wall and it shattered into a million pieces. KNOCK KNOCK *

The sudden knock on the door caught Damon's attention. For a split second, he thought it might be Violet coming for him. But the door slowly opened and revealed Beau at the doorway. "What?" Damon hissed angrily.

"Boss, they uh... they just left the estate..." Beau was shocked to see the state of his study, but he acted calmly. "Should I get the car? They shouldn't be too far..."

Damon thought for a moment. He could jump on a car and chase after her. He could force her to stay. He had the persuasiveness to do that. After all, he did kidnap her a few weeks ago and got her to agree to stay. But then Damon realized that if he had to do all that just to get her to stay, maybe he shouldn't bother. Because despite the promises and dreams they made with each other, when push comes to shove, she'll always choose to leave. She'll choose someone else. And that wasn't something that he could control. "No," Damon said after a beat of silence.

"Boss..." Beau tried to protest, but Damon simply shoved past him.

"Leave them alone," he ordered.

Without turning back, Damon just kept walking, exiting the study until he reached his room. He locked the door behind him and just stood for a moment. The room smelled like her. It was like she was here, but she wasn't. Damon inhaled the air deeply and felt his chest breaking even more.

And suddenly, a single tear trickled down his face. He couldn't stop or control it. He tried clenching his jaw as hard as he could, but that didn't help. The great Damon Van Zandt was now crying. All because of a girl. Closing his eyes, Damon leaned against the door and slumped down to the floor. His face was cold and stoic, but his eyes were filled with unstoppable tears.

"I can't be your wife, Damon..." she croaked.

"Why not?"

"Because you're... you. And the kind of life that we're gonna have... that's not the life I want..."

Damon remembered all the words she said to him before. He realized now that a girl like Violet was never supposed to be the wife of a man like him. She deserved a gentler, safer, more loving home. Maybe somewhere out in the suburbs. Someplace with a river or a creek where she could raise her children in peace. And most likely with someone completely different to him. Someone more like that guy, Lucas. Why'd you come back to me then? Why'd you come back just to tear me down again?

Damon wished he could ask her this question. He let her go before, but then she chose to come back. If she really wanted to leave, why didn't she leave then? Why did she have to be so cruel, pretending to give him hope and playing with his heart like this? "He thinks I have Stockholm syndrome and that's why I keep coming back here,"

Damon's body stiffened instinctively. That was it. That was the answer. It all made sense now. She didn't really love him. He tricked her into loving him. So everything she felt for him was a lie. Of course, it was.

An angel couldn't possibly love the devil...

SEVERAL DAYS LATER -

Damon locked himself in that room and he didn't come out for days. He had his pills, his alcohol, and his cigarettes in that room, so basically everything he needed. No matter how many times Beau, Talia, or Elena knocked on the door, he never answered. He even turned off his phone, refusing to talk to anyone.

Every day, he was still crying and riddled with thoughts of her. Every time he thought about her, his chest would twist and ache. The pills and alcohol could only do so much. Clearly, he was not in a great shape, maybe even worse than before. Damon couldn't let people see him like this. So he planned on never showing himself to anyone until God knows how long it takes for him to get over her.

*BANG! BANG! BANG! *

The loud pounding sound on the door woke Damon up early this morning. That sounded important, but Damon only groaned and turned his face into the pillow.

"Damon! Why the hell have you not been answering the phone?!"

That was Adrian's voice. It seemed that he had returned home from the meeting in France. He probably had important things to tell Damon regarding the Big Four and Hugo DeSantis, but Damon couldn't care less at the moment. "Damon! Open the goddamn door, now!" Adrian sounded persistent.

"I'm busy," Damon groaned in response.

"You have no time to be busy! This is an emergency!"

The doorknob kept rattling and the pounding continued. It didn't look like Adrian was going to give up. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Damon pulled himself off the bed and staggered to the door.

"What?" he hissed as he opened the door. His hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and he was only wearing a pair of slacks. Adrian looked him up and down and narrowed his eyes knowingly.

"You haven't heard, haven't you?" Adrian sounded worried. "You haven't spoken to any of the Big Fours?"

Damon only yawned and cracked his neck, looking absolutely unenthused.

"Just tell me, what is this big emergency?" he said with a bored stare.

Adrian's face was stern. He pushed Damon back and made his way into the room. Then he closed the door behind him before he spoke

"I figured out why Hugo was avoiding us. He's planning a secret marriage between Celina and Roberto Benigni's oldest son. He wants to combine both their empires. If that happens, we're not gonna stand a chance!"

Damon's face suddenly turned serious. Now it made sense to him why Hugo was pulling away. He was building an army, the biggest mafia army the world has ever seen. And since he didn't trust Damon as an ally anymore, the Van Zandt family might be their next target. "Damon, are you listening to me?" Adrian persisted, pulling Damon's face in his hand. "Do you realize how dangerous he'll be if he has the North and South under his control?"

"Of course, I know!" Damon scoffed and shoved Adrian's hand away. "He's gonna come for us next!"

Adrian and Damon held a staring contest. Only the two of them knew just how dangerous Hugo could be. And despite all the power they have now, they weren't strong enough to fight against both the South empire led by the DeSantis family and the North led by Roberto Benigni.

"I've been trying to tell you this all week, but they say you're not talking to anyone," Adrian's tone was calmer, but he was still on edge. "Why the hell are you locked up in here, punishing yourself?"

Damon didn't answer him. He had no good answer except he was having a pity party, wallowing in the pain of losing her.

"Look, she made her choice and you made yours. You've tried everything. You gave it all you got. Now it's time to move on because the world's not gonna wait around for you to get better!" Adrian said sternly. "This is a matter of life and death, Damon. Our life and death,"

Damon never saw his consigliere this anxious before. Not even when they were fighting the Maranzano family. There was perhaps no greater threat facing their family than this one. Not since the Red Wedding.

"When's the wedding?" Damon said as he went to get his suit.

"This weekend,"

"Alright. I'll need you to stay home and take care of the estate. I'll go deal with DeSantis,"

"What are you gonna do?" Adrian narrowed his eyes in confusion. "You can't just stop the wedding!"

Damon straightened his suit and grabbed a tie. He didn't bother putting them on, he had no time. With quick steps, he went for the door, only turning around to give Adrian one last look. "Yeah? Watch me,"