My Mafia Husband Forgot Me Until I Was Dying

Twenty-four hours had passed since Celeste Moreau was caught in the crossfire of a bloody ambush, yet the rumors only spread faster. What had begun as quiet speculation among soldiers and informants had, by morning, reached every major crime family in the city. In private lounges, gambling dens, and smoke-filled back rooms, people spoke of how Don Sebastian Vieri had abandoned his own affairs without hesitation to remain at Celeste's bedside. With every retelling, Elena's place as Mrs. Vieri seemed to disappear a little more.

If the gossip had survived this long, it was because Sebastian had never bothered to deny it.

The Vieri estate was unnaturally quiet. Seated alone before the unlit fireplace, Elena stared at the medical report trembling in her hands while the specialist's grave warning echoed relentlessly in her mind.

"Mrs. Vieri, the poison has already spread through your bloodstream. There is still a chance to stop it, but treatment cannot wait much longer. If it reaches your nervous system, you may lose your memories... your ability to recognize the people around you... perhaps even your life. You need your husband here. The procedure requires his authorization."

She had called Sebastian immediately. She never mentioned the diagnosis, asking only that he come to the estate as soon as possible. He agreed without hesitation and told her to wait.

So she did.

Hours passed, but he never came.

When her calls went unanswered, she contacted one of his captains instead. The man fell silent for a moment before answering with visible reluctance.

"Don Sebastian left before dawn, Mrs. Vieri."

"Where?"

He lowered his eyes.

"Miss Celeste Moreau was critically wounded during an attack by the Moretti family."

Elena did not need to hear anything else.

She slipped on her coat and walked out of the private clinic. The winter air stung her face, but it was nothing compared to the cold settling inside her chest. Her fingers hovered over her phone, tempted to call her older brother, Valentino Ravenwood, before she quietly locked the screen again. He was handling negotiations overseas, and the last thing she wanted was for him to abandon everything because of her.

By the time she returned to the estate, she had called Sebastian more times than she cared to count. Every attempt ended the same way—with silence.

She had never been the kind of wife who demanded his attention. As the head of the Vieri syndicate, Sebastian carried responsibilities that reached far beyond their home, and she had accepted that long ago. Yet for the first time since they married, she found herself wishing he would answer, even if only to tell her he was busy or to remind her that business came first. Anything would have been better than being ignored.

Instead, there was nothing.

Elena leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes, exhaustion settling over her like lead.

The Ravenwood and Vieri families had shared an alliance for decades. She and Sebastian had grown up together, raised among bodyguards, strategy meetings, and blood-sworn promises. Their marriage had united two of the most powerful syndicates in the country, and everyone believed they were the perfect couple.

She had mistaken his quiet nature for the certainty of a man who no longer needed to prove his love.

Only now did she realize how wrong she had been.

For Celeste, Sebastian had crossed the city without a second thought.

For his own wife, he could not spare a single hour.

The shrill ring of her phone cut through the silence before despair could swallow her whole. She ignored it once... then twice. When it rang a third time, she finally glanced at the screen.

Mother-in-Law

Elena answered after a brief pause.

"Elena," Margaret Vieri said gently, "have you managed to get hold of Sebastian?"

"No one can take your place," Margaret said firmly. "I'll speak to Sebastian myself and have him come home. Whatever happened, he owes you an explanation."

A faint smile touched Elena's lips, though it went unseen.

She wanted to tell her mother-in-law that an apology would not change anything. Whatever had broken between her and Sebastian was theirs to bear. Margaret and Vittorio Vieri had treated her like a daughter from the day she married into the family, and she refused to let her own heartbreak become another burden they had to carry.

"Thank you, Mother," she replied softly. "But you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. I just... don't think I can face the family or the capos tonight."

"Then don't," Margaret answered without hesitation. "Leave the council and tonight's meeting to your father-in-law and me. The business can wait. You need to rest."

**

Not long after the call ended, Elena's phone vibrated again.

This time, it was Sebastian.

She answered almost immediately.

His voice came through the receiver, calm and detached, stripped of the warmth she had once believed belonged only to her.

"It's late. Why have you been calling me?"

Elena lowered her eyes to the medical report still resting on her lap.

"It's nothing important."

Silence settled between them.

Then, muffled voices drifted through the line before a woman spoke from somewhere nearby.

"Don Sebastian... Miss Celeste is awake. She's asking for you."

"I'll be right there."

The call ended before Elena could say another word.

She remained seated in the silent room, staring blankly at the screen until it went dark, the emptiness left by the disconnected call spreading through her chest.

Sebastian and Celeste had once been inseparable.

Long before Elena entered his life, they had been regarded as the golden pair of the underworld. The heir to the Vieri syndicate and the only daughter of the Moreau family had grown up attending the same gatherings, surviving the same assassination attempts, and standing beside each other through wars that had reshaped the city's criminal landscape. Everyone believed they would eventually marry and unite two of the most influential mafia dynasties.

Elena had loved Sebastian from the sidelines for as long as she could remember.

She never confessed. There was no point.

Then, everything changed during the summit that ended the decades-long conflict between the Ravenwood and Vieri families.

Instead of renewing ties with the Moreau family, Sebastian announced before every don, underboss, and consigliere that he intended to marry Elena Ravenwood, sealing an alliance that would strengthen both syndicates. The decision stunned everyone, including Elena herself.

She had been too shocked to refuse.

That night, she almost confessed that she had loved him for years, but Sebastian had already begun treating the engagement as another obligation he intended to honor without complaint. Their wedding followed a few months later, celebrated as the union that had brought lasting peace to two powerful crime families.

Elena entered that marriage believing she had been given the life she had dreamed of.

Instead, she found herself sharing a home with a man whose heart had never truly crossed its threshold.

She spent years convincing herself that Sebastian simply wasn't expressive, that men raised to inherit empires built on blood and violence rarely knew how to show affection.

Only now did she realize he had never forgotten how.

He had simply reserved that part of himself for someone else.

The ache in her chest grew unbearable. She brushed away the tears gathering in her eyes before reaching for her phone once more.

There was only one person she could still call.

Her brother answered almost immediately.

"Elena?"

"I'll be coming back to the Ravenwood estate in a few days."

A brief silence followed.

"Is Sebastian coming with you?"

She looked out the window where the city lights glittered beneath the night sky, each one marking a territory controlled by one family or another.

"No. Just me."

Valentino's voice hardened with concern.

"Did he do something?"

Elena closed her eyes.

"No. Do you remember when I told you I wanted to finish the finance program in Switzerland? I think it's finally time. Sebastian has enough on his plate with the syndicate. Maybe he'll come see me when things settle down."

Valentino did not sound entirely convinced, but he let the matter rest.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Tell me when you're leaving. I'll be waiting for you at the airport."

After speaking with her brother for a little while longer, Elena ended the call.

Silence settled over the room once again.

Her gaze drifted to the medical report lying on the coffee table. After staring at it for a long moment, she carefully folded the document and locked it inside a small mahogany box, as though hiding it from sight could delay the fate it carried.

Sebastian returned to the Vieri estate a week later.

He did not come home alone.

Celeste was with him.

Instead of arranging a hotel or one of the family's countless safe houses, he had her settled into the mansion next door—a luxurious estate that Valentino had given Elena as a wedding gift when she married into the Vieri family. Although the property had been transferred to her name years ago, she had never lived there, sending only a housekeeping staff every few weeks to maintain it.

Now another woman would be calling it home.

Throughout their marriage, Elena had rarely challenged Sebastian's decisions. Whenever disagreements arose, she was always the one to compromise, believing peace was worth far more than winning an argument.

For the first time, she wanted to ask whether he truly thought this was appropriate.

The question reached the tip of her tongue...

...then quietly disappeared.

She had already decided to leave.

There was no point arguing over a house she no longer intended to keep.

Without another word, she returned to packing the books that lined the shelves, arranging them neatly inside wooden crates.

Perhaps noticing how distant she seemed, Sebastian finally broke the silence.

"It's only temporary. Celeste was discharged this morning, but the doctors insisted she stay somewhere secure while she recovers. The estate next door has the best security perimeter outside the main compound."

Elena offered a faint smile without looking at him.

"She's welcome to stay," she said calmly. "Just let her know the property won't be mine for much longer. I'm transferring ownership. A few families have already expressed interest, so there may be brokers coming and going over the next few weeks."

A slight crease appeared between Sebastian's brows.

"Why would you sell it? Are you short on money?"

She slipped another book into the crate before answering.

"No. It was my brother's wedding gift, but it's been empty for years. I'd rather see someone live there than let it gather dust."

Sebastian studied her in silence.

Between the Ravenwoods and the Vieris, they owned more estates than either of them could count. He knew perfectly well that money had nothing to do with it.

Still, something in her expression told him she had no intention of explaining herself.

As he turned toward the door, his eyes landed on the stack of wooden crates.

"I thought you were reorganizing the library. Why are you packing everything?"

Elena closed the lid of one box.

"I've been meaning to donate most of these to the university library. They're only collecting dust here."

He accepted the explanation with a small nod before another thought crossed his mind.

"I almost forgot. What did the specialist say the other day? Everything happened so suddenly that I never got the chance to ask."

Elena's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the edge of the crate.

The doctor's warning echoed through her mind with painful clarity.

The poison.

The treatment that could no longer be delayed.

The husband whose signature had been needed... but who never came.

She lowered her gaze.

"It wasn't anything serious."

Sebastian accepted the answer without pressing further.

"Celeste's condition is more complicated than we expected. The attack left her badly shaken, and she's still afraid someone will come after her. I'll be staying next door for a while until she's fully recovered."

Elena simply inclined her head.

"Take good care of her."

There was no bitterness in her voice.

No accusation.

No disappointment.

Her calm acceptance unsettled him far more than anger ever could.

For a brief moment, Sebastian found himself waiting for her to ask him to stay.

She never did.

Without another word, he left.

Elena remained where she was, watching through the tall windows as he crossed the courtyard toward the neighboring estate, where Celeste was waiting.

A faint, sorrowful smile touched her lips as her vision slowly blurred.

Every corner of the Vieri mansion held pieces of the future she had once imagined. She had chosen the antique furniture in the living room, the paintings lining the hallways, the wine collection in the cellar, even the spare suits hanging untouched in his dressing room, believing that one day this house would truly feel like their home instead of the headquarters of a crime empire.

Now every memory felt like a quiet reminder of everything she had failed to keep.

After sealing the last crate, she reached for her phone, intending to call Clara and ask if she wanted to have dinner together.

Before she could dial, the screen lit up with Clara's name.

Elena answered immediately.

"Elena," Clara said, her voice tight with worry. "Don't open the family group chats. And whatever you do... don't look at the news."

A knot formed in Elena's stomach.

Instead, she opened the encrypted messaging channel used by the Vieri organization.

Hundreds of unread messages flooded the screen.

Photos.

Videos.

Rumors repeated so many times they had already become accepted as fact.

According to everyone in the syndicate, Don Sebastian Vieri had finally gone back to the woman he had loved before his marriage.

Celeste Moreau was no longer being treated as an honored guest.

She was already being spoken of as the woman who truly belonged by his side.

Following Clara's instructions, Elena unlocked the Vieri syndicate's encrypted communication network, where soldiers, captains, and trusted associates exchanged intelligence almost as quickly as rumors.

The first post that appeared on her screen had been uploaded by Celeste.

No matter how far life takes me, my heart will always find its way back to you.

Attached beneath the caption was a short video.

Sebastian stood inside the kitchen of the neighboring estate, his sleeves rolled to his forearms as he prepared a bowl of herbal soup himself. It was an ordinary moment, but anyone who knew the Don of the Vieri family understood how extraordinary it really was. Sebastian never cooked. He barely had time to sit down for a proper meal, let alone spend an afternoon caring for someone with his own hands.

The comments multiplied by the second.

Some congratulated them, saying the city's most admired couple had finally found their way back to each other.

Others were even crueler.

They claimed Elena had only become Mrs. Vieri because Celeste had disappeared years ago. Now that Celeste was back and Sebastian had chosen to stand beside her again, they called it fate correcting a mistake that should never have happened.

A few even described it as justice.

As though Elena's heartbreak were something to celebrate.

She read every message in silence, her expression never changing.

Only Clara's voice broke through the stillness.

"Elena," she asked carefully, "what's going on? Did you and Don Sebastian separate?"

After a long pause, Elena managed a faint smile.

"Not yet."

"Then why is he spending every waking minute with her?" Clara demanded, unable to hide the anger in her voice.

Elena let out a quiet laugh that sounded far more tired than amused.

"Easy," she said. "I was actually about to invite you to dinner before you called."

"Are you still at the estate?"

"I am."

"Good. Stay there. I'll pick you up."

"I'd like that," Elena replied softly. "I don't feel like going out alone tonight."

**

Clara arrived less than half an hour later.

By then, Elena had showered, changed into a simple black dress, and braided her hair. They left the Vieri compound together and drove into the old quarter, where an aging restaurateur who had served three generations of mafia families still ran a quiet Italian restaurant tucked away from the city's busiest streets.

It had always been one of the few places where Elena could breathe.

Their meals had barely arrived when Elena finally spoke.

"Clara... I need the name of a lawyer who specializes in family agreements between syndicates."

Clara looked up in confusion.

"What for?"

Elena wrapped both hands around her teacup.

"I've decided to divorce Sebastian."

The color drained from Clara's face.

Before she could ask another question, Elena continued.

"The specialist found something during my examination. The poison has already spread farther than they expected. If the treatment doesn't work..." She paused briefly. "I may not survive it."

Clara's eyes filled with tears almost instantly.

"When did you find out?"

"The same day Celeste was attacked."

Elena lowered her gaze.

"The procedure required my husband's written authorization before they could begin. I called Sebastian, but by then he'd already left for Celeste."

She spoke without bitterness, almost as though she were recounting someone else's story.

"If I have to undergo treatment, I'd rather do it back home with my family."

Clara reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

"You can forget about Sebastian," she said through trembling breaths. "You're not going through this alone. If you're leaving, I'm coming with you."

Elena smiled gently before squeezing her friend's hand.

"I'll be alright."

Her words sounded calm.

Neither of them believed them.

**

When Elena returned to the Vieri estate later that evening, Sebastian was waiting in the living room.

He looked up from the documents in his hands.

"Where were you?"

"I had dinner with Clara."

She removed her coat, handed it to one of the house staff, and sat across from him.

After a brief silence, she met his eyes.

"Sebastian... do you remember that trip to Sicily we always said we'd take together?"

Years ago, shortly after they married, they had promised to visit the village where the Vieri family had first begun building its empire. It was meant to be their first real vacation away from negotiations, shootings, and endless obligations.

Every year, something had gotten in the way.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair.

"You still remember that?"

"I do."

He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head.

"Celeste still isn't well enough for me to leave the city. Until the people behind the ambush are dealt with, I won't be going anywhere. Maybe after everything settles down."

Elena had expected that answer.

Once, even that small promise would have been enough to make her happy. She would have spent weeks planning the itinerary, choosing hotels, and imagining the time they would finally spend together.

Now she simply nodded.

"Alright."

Nothing more.

Her calm acceptance left Sebastian with a strange sense of unease.

His gaze wandered across the living room before stopping above the marble fireplace.

A slight frown crossed his face.

"Our wedding portrait..." he said slowly. "Where did it go?"

Elena followed his eyes before answering with effortless composure.

"I took it down."

She looked at the empty wall for a moment before adding with a small smile,

"The frame needed cleaning. It had been collecting dust for a long time."

Sebastian sat quietly in their bedroom, absently turning his phone over in his hand as silence settled between them like an unwelcome guest. Neither of them spoke again. After a moment, Elena rose from the sofa and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom.

When she came out, the scent of rosemary and lavender lingered in the air, her damp hair falling over one shoulder as she towel-dried the ends. Sebastian was sitting on the edge of the bed, still holding his phone.

"Clara called," he said. "She mentioned she found the attorney you were asking about and said she'd send you his contact information."

For the briefest moment, Elena felt her heartbeat falter.

She couldn't help wondering whether Clara had told him anything else.

Keeping her expression composed, she simply nodded before taking a seat at the vanity. She reached for a small bottle of argan oil and worked a few drops through her hair, carefully avoiding his eyes in the mirror.

Sebastian watched her reflection for several seconds.

"What do you need a lawyer for?"

Elena kept her attention on the strands between her fingers.

"I'm helping a friend."

"You could've asked Romano. He handles all of the family's legal affairs." His voice was calm, but there was a quiet scrutiny beneath it. "Why involve Clara?"

Without missing a beat, Elena answered, "Because I don't know Romano well, and I'd rather keep my friend's business away from anyone connected to the Vieri organization."

The lie came so naturally that even she was surprised by how effortlessly it left her lips.

Sebastian studied her for another moment before saying nothing more.

By the time she finished drying her hair, he had gone into the bathroom.

When he returned, the bedside lamps had been dimmed, and Elena was already beneath the covers.

She wasn't reading.

She wasn't scrolling through her phone.

She simply lay on her side with her back facing him, her eyes already closed.

The silence between them felt colder than the marble walls surrounding the Vieri estate.

Ever since returning with Celeste, Sebastian had sensed that something had changed.

Elena spoke less.

She smiled less.

It was as though she had quietly stepped farther away from him without ever leaving the room.

Unable to ignore the feeling any longer, he moved closer and slipped an arm around her waist, gently pulling her against him.

"Elena," he murmured, "what's wrong?"

The moment his hand touched her, her body tensed.

He noticed it immediately.

Only then did he realize how long it had been since they had shared even the simplest moment of affection.

He leaned forward, intending to kiss her forehead, but before he could, Elena turned just enough to rest her palm lightly against his chest.

"I'm tired," she said softly. "Can we just sleep tonight?"

Sebastian let her go without argument, but the question lingering in his mind refused to leave.

"Are you upset because of Celeste?"

Elena smiled.

It was polite.

Gentle.

Completely devoid of warmth.

"Why would I be?"

She held his gaze before quietly adding,

"What right do I have to be angry?"

The answer unsettled him far more than if she had shouted.

She should have questioned him.

She should have demanded to know why he had spent an entire week with another woman before bringing her into the estate next door.

She should have argued.

Instead, she had accepted everything with a calmness he could no longer understand.

After several moments of silence, Sebastian spoke again.

"Celeste's well known in our world. People love to gossip, especially when powerful families are involved. There isn't anything between us, Elena. Don't believe everything you hear."

Elena remembered the post Celeste had shared on the syndicate's private network.

She also knew Sebastian had seen it.

He had never asked for it to be taken down.

He had never denied a single rumor.

Years ago, when people whispered that Elena had stolen him from Celeste, he had remained just as silent.

Some silences spoke louder than words ever could.

Keeping her voice perfectly steady, she asked,

"What rumors?"

She looked at him with quiet sincerity.

"I've been busy these past few days. I haven't really paid attention to what's being said."

Relief briefly crossed Sebastian's face before disappearing.

"It's nothing worth worrying about," he replied. "Get some sleep."

Elena closed her eyes.

Within minutes, her breathing became slow and even.

Sebastian, however, remained awake.

An unfamiliar sense of unease lingered in his chest, refusing to loosen its grip.

Long after the estate had gone quiet, he slipped out of bed and headed downstairs.

As he walked past the study, something caught his attention.

The door had been left slightly open.

He pushed it wider.

Several wooden crates sat neatly stacked against one wall, each carefully labeled and sealed.

Sebastian stopped in the doorway.

Elena had told him she was only sorting through her books.

Instead, she had packed nearly the entire library.

His gaze drifted to an open crate resting nearby.

Inside lay the ornate silver frame that had once held their wedding portrait.

The frame was still there.

The photograph was gone.

A strange feeling settled over him, one he couldn't quite name.

He stood there for a long while before taking out his phone.

Ignoring the late hour, he called Matteo, his underboss.

The line connected after several rings.

Without wasting time, Sebastian asked quietly,

"Did the doctor ever send over Elena's medical records after her examination?"