Don Begged, Donna Walked Chapter 01
I found a pair of unfamiliar silk stockings tucked inside Vincenzo Falcone’s suit jacket pocket, and that was the moment I resolved to walk away from our ten-year romance for good.
I only took a single painting and my late son’s urn when I left.
I even swallowed my pride and issued a public statement clearing his name alongside Adelaide Ricci.
“There was never a third party between Mr. Falcone and me.”
“I’ve been nothing but delusional and stuck with one-sided love all these years.”
“I fabricated lies about him cheating with his secretary out of petty jealousy, and I offer my sincere apologies to Ms. Ricci.”
I asked if he was finally satisfied.
A mocking huff sounded through the phone line.
“Could’ve just done this sooner.”
“As a reward, I’ll squeeze time in for your prenatal visit.”
“But I’m flying to Iceland with Adelaide tomorrow to catch the northern lights. She’s been in a funk and needs to unwind.”
“We’ll push the doctor’s appointment back till I’m home.”
I ended the call softly. “There’s no need.”
I’d already wasted a full decade waiting around for him.
If he’d paid me even a shred of attention, he would’ve spotted the clinic backdrop behind me.
“Caterina Vitale? We’re prepping you for your abortion.”
…
This shabby out-of-the-way clinic was my first stop after walking out.
Ten years ago right here, Vincenzo had dropped to his knees beside my mother’s hospital bed right here and sworn an oath.
“I’ll love Caterina for the rest of my life and never let anything hurt her.”
A decade later, I sat in this very spot to get an abortion here.
Beneath an old oak tree at the back of the clinic’s lot sat a rusted metal box we’d buried together years ago.
We’d promised to open it together after ten long years passed.
The box was rusted all over, but the paper slips inside stayed mostly intact.
Vincenzo’s bold, looping handwriting marked the first question.
Vincenzo: [Dearest Caterina, my future Mrs. Falcone, how did you spend these first ten years by my side?]
I stared at the affectionate pet names scrawled across the page, bitter irony coiling tight in my chest.
I picked up a pen and wrote down every happy future I’d once dreamed up for us.
Caterina: [Our first year together, you emptied every cent from your wallets just to buy me a tiny engagement ring. I cherished it more than anything.]
I’d worn that tiny ring on my ring finger every single day for ten years, treasuring it above all else.
It couldn’t compare to even a tenth of the size of the diamond ring Adelaide wore now.
Caterina: [As your family business flourished, you married me right away to ease my insecurities. You splurged on an extravagant seaside wedding, and I’d cherished every bit of it back then.]
In reality, his business continued to expand, and women swarmed around him endlessly.
Every time I brought up marriage, Vincenzo dodged the topic entirely.
We drifted along for ten years, no marriage license, no wedding ceremony.
Caterina: [By our eighth year of marriage, we welcomed our first baby. He was born to our whole family’s delight and looked just like you.]
We did have a son once.
Stillborn, his skin bruised blue before he ever drew a single breath.
Caterina: [On our tenth anniversary, I fell pregnant again, honey wanted a little sister.]
Now I carried another child, conceived solely because Adelaide wanted a baby to keep as a pet.
Vincenzo said his secretary was a career-focused woman unwilling to ruin her figure or sacrifice her schedule.
Caterina: [Every single day married to you filled my heart with pure happiness.]
Ten years tangled in this toxic love left nothing but unending disgust churning in my stomach.
The second prompt was written by me.
Caterina: [After ten years together, what would Mr. Falcone name the most vital part of our relationship?]
I already knew his answer would’ve been trust.
After all, he’d always snap impatiently.
“Caterina, can’t you learn to trust me? Nothing inappropriate has ever happened between Adelaide and me.”
“Ady’s a sharp, hardworking girl who clawed her way up from nothing, quit glaring at her with such untrusting eyes.”
I’d spent ages convincing myself their bond was strictly professional work-related.
But their lingering stares and secret touches told a far different truth.