My Second Life: Ditching the Mafia Don

The man I love more than anyone in this world, Don Carlo Guardia, has spent ten years loathing me because of his one true love, Margherita Carrettiere. We torment each other until the final days of my life, when he sets aside all his Famiglia's affairs and stays by my deathbed, patiently feeding me my favorite grapes. "Giovannina, if I were given another chance, I wish I had never met you," he tells me with bloodshot eyes. Three days after I am laid to rest, before the entire Famiglia, he raises a gun to his temple and ends his life at my grave. When I open my eyes again, the first thing I hear is the heated argument echoing through my Famiglia's council chamber. A rival Famiglia has obtained all the evidence of our underground financial network. Their terms are clear. If we want this war to end, we must hand over one of our heirs to stand trial. In my previous life, my Papa, Guglielmo Carrettiere, cannot bear to sacrifice me. So, he sends my younger sister, Margherita, who suffers from a heart condition, in my place. Ultimately, she dies a tragic death. Consequently, Carlo spends the rest of his life resenting me. I rise to my feet and speak up before the astonished eyes of my Famiglia's Consiglieri. "Papa, please hand me over. As for the marriage alliance with the Guardia Famiglia… have Margherita take my place." Now that I've been given another chance at life, I choose to give up on Carlo and fulfill his wish to be with Margherita. Chapter 1 Giovannina's POV Everyone looked at me in utter disbelief. My Papa, Guglielmo Carrettiere, sprang to his feet. "Are you sure, Giovannina? Do you know what you're saying?" The long table was lined with the Carrettiere Famiglia's Consiglieri on both sides, yet not a single one of them said a word. The council chamber fell dead silent. Half an hour ago, we had received an ultimatum. Information had leaked during the delivery of an underground arms shipment managed by the Carrettiere Famiglia, costing the lives of dozens of allies. According to the Alliance Treaty, the Carrettiere Famiglia had to hand over one of its heirs to stand trial. If not, the Alliance Famiglie would revoke our rights and place everyone in the Famiglia under an indefinite death sentence. The only people who could be handed over were me or my stepsister, Margherita Carrettiere. I met Papa's gaze and responded calmly, "I can go. Let me stand trial." Margherita was my Papa's stepdaughter and the woman Carlo Guardia loved. In my previous life, Papa had chosen to hand Margherita over for the greater good, which ultimately led to her corpse being discovered at Capello Manor. From that moment on, Carlo had loathed me. For a decade, he believed I simply couldn't bear to give up my position as heiress to the Carrettiere Famiglia. He believed that I was the one who deserved to die. We'd tied the knot, yet he detested me. Hence, our marriage had existed only in name. He'd only deigned to grace me with his presence when I was terminally ill and on my deathbed. I never imagined that after I breathed my last, he would take off the ring that symbolized his status as a Don and shoot himself in front of my gravestone, right before the eyes of his entire Famiglia. This time around, all I wanted was to stay as far away from Carlo as possible. Papa fell silent for a long time, looking at me with a deeply conflicted expression. I was the heiress that the Famiglia had poured all their blood, sweat, and tears into raising for over two decades. Margherita, on the other hand, had suffered from a heart condition since birth, and Papa felt he owed her far too much. Yet, he had also failed my Mamma in the past. Thus, if he surrendered me, it would weigh heavily on his conscience, too. After a long, internal struggle, the look in Papa's eyes remained unreadable. "Giovannina, you know what's at stake here. Are you out of your mind?" This time, I wouldn't live such a weary life again. I slowly slid the signet ring belonging to the Carrettiere Famiglia's heiress off my right index finger. It clinked as it hit the long table, and I placed it in front of Papa. I said firmly, "From this moment on, I renounce all my claims to the Famiglia's legacy. I'll give the right of succession to Margherita." I paused for a moment before continuing, "Furthermore, I hereby declare that my engagement to Carlo Guardia is off." With that, I left Capello Manor without a backward glance. … My engagement to Carlo had been arranged by the Dons of our respective Famiglie. Now that it had been called off, I had to make a trip to Guardia Manor. The moment I crossed the threshold, I heard a heated argument echoing from the main hall. Carlo's Papa, Matteo Guardia, was so angry that he hurled the cup in his hand. "Have you lost your mind? The Carrettiere Famiglia has agreed to surrender an heir to stand trial. Margherita's about to die for her Famiglia. Giovannina's the one who is betrothed to you!" Clad in a bespoke black suit, Carlo stood ramrod straight and said resolutely, "I won't marry Giovannina or make her this Famiglia's Madre. Margherita's the only woman in my heart!" "Are you really going to break your engagement?" Matteo's expression was grim. I strode forward. "I'm the one who's breaking the engagement." All eyes turned toward me, and just like the council chamber back home, a heavy silence settled over the grand hall of Guardia Manor. It was no different from my previous life. For Margherita's sake, Carlo had been willing to forfeit his chance to become the Don of the Guardia Famiglia just to call off our engagement. In his eyes, Margherita was more important than anything else. At the time, I had been so hopelessly in love with him that when Matteo was about to cripple one of his arms, I had thrown myself in front of him to protect him. In tears, I had used my position as the heiress of the Carrettiere Famiglia to keep our engagement intact. In the end, we remained engaged to each other. However, time had eventually proven that the engagement I had desperately held onto had only become a source of torment for both Carlo and me. Carlo's expression darkened, as if he had never expected those words to come from my mouth. Glaring at me menacingly, he demanded, "What game are you playing this time?" He spat out, "Giovannina, you'd better pray you mean what you say. I've never loved you. Our engagement was nothing more than a decision made by our Famiglie. Regardless of whether Margherita's the one who is ultimately sacrificed, I'll never marry you!" A dead silence fell over the hall. Everyone held their breath, waiting for my response. I didn't lose my composure as I did in my previous life, nor did I plead with him to stay. Ignoring Carlo, I took out the contract I had prepared beforehand from my handbag and handed it to Matteo. "This is the proof of the annulment of my engagement to Carlo." Carlo froze for a moment, staring at me in utter disbelief. Matteo was caught equally off guard. "Giovannina, don't do this…" I plastered a smile on my face. "I have no interest in forcing someone's hand, nor do I want a man whose heart belongs to another woman." There wasn't a single trace of sorrow on my face as I turned to Carlo. "Carlo, from this moment on, you're free. Whoever you walk down the aisle with from here on out has nothing to do with me." Carlo stared at the contract in Matteo's hands, an inexplicable sense of unease rising within him. Bewildered, he grasped my hand and demanded, "What's the meaning of this? You know full well that Margherita's the one being handed over, yet you still want to call off our engagement. Do you want Margherita to die?" I wasn't sure if other people would die or not, but I might. As it turned out, in Carlo's eyes, I had always been someone who would stop at nothing to get what I wanted. Holding his gaze, I leisurely said, "So what you're saying is… I'm the one who should be handed over to die?" The air went still for a moment. Carlo appeared hesitant before his expression returned to its usual indifference. "You've been trained as an heiress since you were a child. Unlike Margherita, who has a weak heart, you can survive this." I jeered. So, because she was different from me, I should be the one to endure all of this. Because I was capable, I was the one who deserved to die. I raised my head and looked at Carlo calmly. "I'll pay back my Famiglia's debts. As for you? I don't want you anymore." My voice was barely above a whisper, yet he heard me loud and clear. His pupils contracted, and he instinctively reached out to grab my wrist. "Giovannina!" he rasped. I pried his fingers open, one by one, and walked straight out of Guardia Manor. Not a single sound followed me into the night. I thought to myself, "Carlo, this time, I've given up everything, including you." Chapter 2 Giovannina's POV After I returned to Capello Manor, I began packing my belongings. Those who were sent to stand trial weren't allowed to take anything with them. Even their Famiglia name would be stripped away. From the moment I stepped onto the trial grounds, I would cease to exist in this world. Yet, Mamma's belongings were here, and I had to protect them. I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. Almost no one who was sent to stand trial ever survived. In my previous life, after Margherita was sent to trial, her body was shipped back disfigured beyond recognition. The entire underworld said that no one could ever come out of that place alive. In that case, what about me? How long would I be able to hold out in there? Before I left, I intended to visit Mamma's grave one last time. However, the moment I stepped outside, I was stopped by Carlo. He seized my wrist in a vice-like grip and seethed, "Giovannina, I order you to go apologize to Margherita right this instant." I looked at him in total confusion, unaware of what had happened. "Are you seriously trying to drive your sister to her death, you vicious woman?" He dragged me back into the manor. "You're not leaving this estate until you apologize to her! Regardless of what you were going to do, you must apologize to Margherita! The one who should stand trial has been you all along!" In my previous life, after Margherita died, he had said the exact same thing to me with red-rimmed eyes. He had refused to listen to my explanations and insisted on locking me inside the manor. Looking at him with teary eyes, I begged him to let me go. I didn't have much time left. When Papa surrendered me, he had specifically requested one day's time for me from the Alliance. Carlo looked me in the eye before letting go of me and softening his tone. "I won't hurt you." He paused before adding, "As long as you apologize to Margherita, you can leave right now." My heart went numb. I stopped resisting and let him lock me up. I had observed my surroundings. Even if he didn't release me, I could still escape. The only problem was the thickets of brambles Margherita had planted along the perimeter walls years ago. It took me a great deal of effort to get through them, and my hands and legs inevitably got cuts and scrapes in the process. Ignoring the pain, I forced myself to leave Capello Manor. Chapter 3 Giovannina's POV I spent a long time at the cemetery before heading back. As soon as I walked in, I was met with the sharp, pungent scent of antiseptic. Carlo was bandaging Margherita's arm. His movements were incredibly gentle, and his voice was barely above a whisper, as if he was afraid of hurting her. Margherita curled up in his arms. "It doesn't hurt at all. It's just a minor injury." His brows were knitted as he chided, "Who allowed you to go to the training grounds on your own? What if your wound gets infected?" The concern in his eyes was impossible to hide. Despite being married to him for a decade, I had never seen that look on his face. Margherita lifted her head, and the moment she spotted me, a triumphant look flashed across her face. Then, she lowered her eyes and hastily adopted an innocent, harmless expression. "You're back, Giovannina." She gently tugged at Carlo's sleeve and whispered, "I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose, Giovannina. Don't blame her, Carlo." His hand froze in midair. When he looked up at me, his eyes were as cold as ice. "Giovannina, if you actually cared about Margherita, you wouldn't have let her take the fall for you." I remained rooted to the spot and didn't say a word. I was well aware that the injury on Margherita's arm was self-inflicted. In my previous life, she had done the same thing. To avoid being handed over by our Famiglia, she had deliberately injured herself at the training grounds to prove to everyone that she wouldn't survive the ordeal. Her injury wasn't serious, yet it was enough to keep Carlo by her side all night. However, those who were sent to face trial were already regarded as traitors. Who could possibly survive it? It was this very incident that cemented Carlo's belief that I had forced my own sister to die in my place, all for the sake of the succession. I hadn't expected her to pull the exact same trick in this life. Margherita's eyes slowly misted over, and she bit her lip. "Don't blame Giovannina, Carlo. If only I were as capable as her, you wouldn't be caught in such a bind. If I had a healthy body like hers, I could stand trial and still make it back alive." Right after saying that, she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling subtly as though she had suffered some great injustice. Carlo shielded her behind him and looked at me. "Giovannina, you should be the one to stand trial. I won't allow anyone to force Margherita again!" he spat out. I lowered my gaze and slowly smiled. As it turned out, in this life, even after I had willingly given up my position as heiress of the Carrettiere Famiglia and decided to stand trial, Carlo still chose to believe Margherita. Margherita had known all along that I was the one standing trial, yet she obviously hadn't told him. She wanted Carlo to misunderstand me for eternity. But none of that mattered to me now. I dragged my exhausted body up the stairs, one step at a time. When I walked past Carlo, he noticed the injuries on my body. His forehead creased as he asked how I had gotten them. It had rained outside that day, and the rainwater had seeped into my wounds, making them sting slightly. Looking at the two of them wrapped up in each other's arms, I refused to waste another second on them. And so, I ignored Carlo and trudged upstairs. Chapter 4 Giovannina's POV I was about to turn in for the night when someone knocked on my bedroom door. When I opened it, I found a medical kit on the threshold. I recognized it instantly; it was the one Carlo always carried with him. He used to do this in the past, too. He'd awkwardly bring me the things I wanted. However, I no longer needed him. Having been trained as the heiress of the Famiglia my entire life, I had always toughed out minor injuries on my own. I thought this time would be no different. Yet, I'd overestimated myself. Realizing the sudden spike in my body temperature, I decided to go downstairs to look for the medical kit. The moment I stepped out of my room, Margherita trailed after me. "Giovannina, are you really going to stand trial?" she chirped. I stopped in my tracks. A smile slowly crept onto her face, and the malice in her eyes was impossible to hide. "Giovannina, once you leave, I'm afraid you'll never be able to come home again." She sauntered up to me and chuckled lowly. "No one ever comes back from the trial alive. Soon enough, you'll be six feet under with that useless Mamma of yours!" My pupils contracted, and anger surged through me as I seized Margherita. "I dare you to say that again!" Margherita no longer pretended to be afraid like she used to. In fact, she looked triumphant and smirked arrogantly. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Your Mamma was nothing but a dog on a leash for the Carrettiere Famiglia until the day she died, and you won't be any better than her!" Rage consumed me. My entire body trembled, and I wanted nothing more than to teach Margherita a lesson. I was about to make a move when Carlo appeared at the top of the stairs. He yelled for me to stop and marched up to us. "Giovannina, she's being sent off to face trial tomorrow. Can't you be nice to her for one night? If I hadn't been here, were you planning to push her down the stairs?" he fumed. "I wasn't," I growled. My head was beginning to feel heavy, and the figures before my eyes began to blur. Carlo didn't believe me. His gaze was ice-cold as he chided, "You've truly let me down. You're nothing like your Mamma. She was gentle and kind-hearted, but you… you're nothing but cruel! How could I possibly marry a woman as vicious as you?" I braced myself against the wall to stay upright. Then, mustering every ounce of strength left in me, I slapped Carlo hard across the face. He instinctively raised his hand, intending to hit me back, but he froze when he noticed my flushed face. I glared at him, my voice hoarse yet crystal clear. "You don't deserve to speak of Mamma! Listen here, Carlo; I'm the one who's going to stand trial, not Margherita!" As soon as the last word rolled off my tongue, everything plunged into darkness.