My Mafia Don Loved Me Only After I Died

As the tyrant ruling the underworld, Victor was ruthless and bloodthirsty, showing no mercy to anyone.

Women who tried to climb into his bed usually didn’t even get a whole corpse, yet I was the only one he kept by his side.

I’d taken a poisoned bullet for him, and nearly bled to death on the rotting floor of a safe house giving birth to his son.

He once kissed the bullet scar on my shoulder and promised me that when he sat on the godfather’s throne, I would be his only family matriarch.

But the moment he slipped on that black onyx ring symbolizing power, he carried another woman into the master bedroom of the manor.

I burst for the door, and he ordered his bodyguards to pin me outside, forcing me to listen to their sounds of passion all night long.

I banged on the door like a madwoman. He slammed it shut on my right hand, crushing my fingers—my painting hand—in the heavy oak frame.

I finally caved when he threatened to cut off my mother’s hospital treatment.

That night, he pinned me hard to the bed. “Lilith is fragile. Stop acting like a bitter woman.”

“She’s the only one worthy of standing by my side.”

Even my ten-year-old biological son, Leo, turned his back on me.

“Mom, will you stop being crazy!” Leo shouted, shielding Lilith.

But the so-called fragile little angel they spoke of snuck into the hospital and swapped my mother’s heart medication for a lethal blocker. It was also her who lured me into the manor’s underground cold storage and locked the door tight from the outside.

When Victor finally dragged me out of that frigid darkness, he didn’t even glance at my frostbitten skin.

“Lilith’s having morning sickness and feels terrible. I need to take care of her.” He kicked an empty duffel bag at my feet. “Move out.”

“Victor, you decorated that room for me with your own hands.” I leaned against the frosted wall, wiping the black, poisoned blood from my lips.

Victor frowned in impatience. “Lilith has suffered so much. She deserves the best.”

I stared at him, unblinking.

“I’m dying, Victor.”

Victor froze abruptly. The next second, he locked his hand around my neck and lifted me off the ground.

“What the hell do you want!” he roared, his scorching breath fanning my face. “Threatening me with your death? Do you really think I won’t throw your mother out onto the streets!”

He tossed me to the floor like trash and pulled out his phone to call the hospital. “Discontinue all treatment for Evelyn’s mother. Now.”

He hung up.

I crashed to the ground, gasping as icy air flooded my frozen lungs, sending me into a violent coughing fit. Spots of black blood splattered his leather shoes.

“Do whatever you want.” I gasped for breath. “She’s already dead, killed by your delicate, innocent girl anyway.”

“You’d make up such a disgusting lie about murder just to frame Lilith?” he snarled through gritted teeth. “It seems crushing your fingers last time didn’t teach you to keep your mouth shut.”

He pulled out a vintage silver switchblade—an antique I’d bought for his self-defense. He pressed the cold blade to my palm.

Victor stared into my eyes, unyielding, and sliced down hard. Tendon snapped, flesh and blood gushed open.

A blinding, searing pain exploded through me in an instant.

When we first met, I’d been sketching people in the park to pay for medical bills. He said watching me draw was the only peace he ever knew. Now, he’d maimed my hands with his own. He’d never loved my talent—he only loved possessing me. With Lilith in his life, my hands were useless to him now.

Leo stood at the door, watching my blood pool on the floor, utterly unmoved.

“Victor…” Lilith’s frail voice called from outside.

Victor sheathed the bloodied knife, didn’t spare me another glance, and stepped right over my body.

I clutched my mangled hand to my chest and looked at the son I’d nearly died for. “Leo… you’re the only family I have left.”

Leo crossed his arms, a perfect replica of his father’s cold, unfeeling expression.

“Stop lying! Lilith’s pregnant! You’re just trying to make her mad on purpose!”

He kicked a towel at my face. “Clean this mess up.”

My vision began to blur. The doctor had warned me that the poisoned bullet all those years ago had destroyed my internal organs, and the extreme cold of the storage unit had pushed my body to the brink of death.

Footsteps approached, and Lilith hurried over.

At the sight of the blood on the floor, she let out an overly dramatic gasp, dropped to her knees, and squeezed out fake tears.

“Evelyn, I’m so sorry! I had no idea the cold storage door locks from the outside!”

“Don’t be scared, Lilith,” Leo rushed over to help her up at once. “Dad and I are here. This rude woman won’t dare hurt you!”

“If you really don’t like me, I’d rather go back to the slums with my baby…”

“She won’t dare!”

Victor pulled Lilith behind him. He turned, grabbed a bottle of high-proof bourbon from the bar cart, and without a moment’s hesitation, twisted off the cap and poured the alcohol directly into my wound.