I Loved the Mafia Boss, But He Returned to His First LoveChapter 1
After I learned that his former lover, Maria Lee, had returned from Paris—polished, ruthless, and newly refined in the arts of negotiation, strategy, and power—my partner, Don Zaldy Corell, began to distance himself from me.
At first, it was almost imperceptible. A casual mention of Maria’s successes abroad. The faint pride in his voice whenever her name surfaced during discussions about expanding influence and territory. He spoke of her sharp instincts, her talent for maneuvering high society and underground circles alike. But soon, the pattern became too obvious to dismiss.
Zaldy was spellbound. He followed her movements obsessively, assigning men to watch over her, clearing schedules for her convenience, orbiting her presence like a loyal underboss desperate for approval.
When Maria established her new headquarters in Providence—a sleek, well-guarded front masking her growing criminal network—Zaldy didn’t simply show up to offer support. He made her empire his priority. He poured money into her operations, rerouted connections, and devoted time and attention to her affairs in ways he had never once done for me.
I had been by Zaldy’s side for four long years—through negotiations, bloodshed, alliances, and quiet nights behind the iron gates of Corell Manor. Yet none of that could rival the magnetic pull of his resurrected past. Whenever Maria entered a room, his gaze followed her. Every decision he made seemed to revolve around her presence, and I felt myself fading into the background of his world.
The day of my graduation arrived—a milestone I had dreamed of sharing with him for years. He had promised he would attend. Instead, I stood alone as the ceremony began, while Zaldy traveled with Maria to New York for an elite international fashion and business summit designed to launder influence through art and luxury.
I was left fielding questions, swallowing humiliation, offering excuses on his behalf to people who already knew the truth.
When I confronted him later, he brushed off my pain as if it were a minor inconvenience.
“Don’t exaggerate,” he said coldly. “Look around you. You live in a fortified estate. You’re guarded, funded, protected. Maria doesn’t have that. She’s rebuilding her power base alone in Providence. She needs my backing.”
And what about me?