The Don's Favorite lover Vanished (by Melissa Z) novel Chapter 1

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# The Story of a Girl Who Loved a Man Made Entirely of Secrets

## Chapter 1

For a decade, I existed as Don Vincenzo’s hidden treasure, a secret tucked away from the world. I had spent countless nights dreaming of a ring—a promise of forever. Instead, after the passionate moments we shared, he shattered my hopes by announcing his engagement to another woman. In that instant, the realization hit me like a cold wave: I was nothing more than a vessel for his desires.

Just an hour ago, we were lost in a whirlwind of passion, his body moving against mine with a ferocity that left me breathless.

“Yes… like that…” I gasped, feeling the intensity of each thrust reverberate through me. My nails dug into his shoulders, anchoring me to the moment, desperate to hold onto the fleeting pleasure.

His lips crushed against mine, a hunger in his kiss that felt more consuming than ever before.

But when it ended, I found myself curled in his arms, my fingers tracing the jagged scars that adorned his chest—a map of battles fought and won, yet here I was, a casualty of his heart.

“Tomorrow night, you’re coming to the family dinner,” he announced, his voice slicing through the heavy silence that enveloped us.

My heart raced as I looked up at him, disbelief flooding my senses.

For ten long years, I had shared my body, my soul, and my secrets with him, yet never had he invited me to meet his family.

“Vincenzo,” I sat up, my voice quivering with a mix of hope and fear. “Is this it? Are you finally going to make me yours?”

He arched an eyebrow, a smirk dancing on his lips as he shot me a sideways glance.

“Official?” He exhaled a smoke ring, the sharpness of his tone cutting through the air. “What’s there to make official? The dinner is merely to welcome my fiancée. Katerina Petrov, the princess of the Russian Bratva.”

His words crashed over me like a tidal wave, each syllable a dagger that pierced my heart.

My breath hitched, and for a moment, everything around me faded into a blur. “You’re getting married? Then what the hell am I?” The question escaped my lips, raw and desperate.

The playful smirk on Vincenzo’s face vanished, replaced by an intensity that made my skin crawl. He leaned closer, his voice low and taunting.

“Don’t tell me, Chiara,” he purred, tilting my chin up with a finger. “You didn’t genuinely believe you could become the lady of the Russo family, did you?”

I stared at him, disbelief etched across my features.

“Her. When did this decision come about?” I demanded, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and betrayal.

“Six months ago.” He turned and walked towards the bathroom, leaving me to grapple with the wreckage of my heart. “It’s for the alliance. For the family.”

Six months.

The realization hit me like a freight train. I recalled all those business trips he took to Europe, the nights I spent waiting for him, filled with longing and anticipation.

While I lay in our bed, he was forging a future with someone else, someone who would take my place.

I followed him into the bathroom, my reflection in the mirror a ghost of the vibrant woman I once was. My skin bore the marks of our encounters—once trophies of passion, now mere reminders of my shame.

“Do you love her?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Love?” He turned on the shower, steam quickly enveloping us, obscuring the reality I didn’t want to face. “Chiara, I thought you were smarter than that. This is business, not a fairytale.”

He stepped into the shower, water cascading down his sculpted body, each droplet glistening like diamonds.

Just minutes ago, I had craved that body, but now, it filled me with a sense of nausea.

“Katerina is young, beautiful, and advantageous. She brings the entire Eastern Bloc with her.” He grabbed a towel, his gaze sweeping over my exposed form. “And you… well, you have your own purposes.”