The Mafia Don's Regret: Too Late To Love

My husband, the city's most ruthless Don, left me standing at the altar to comfort a woman with a sprained ankle.

I thought our marriage was a protection pact, but when a kidnapper held a knife to his childhood sweetheart's throat on a rooftop, Cedric made his choice.

He physically shoved me-his pregnant wife-toward the blade to save her.

I survived the fall, but our unborn baby didn't.

Yet, there was no apology.

Blinded by her lies, Cedric accused me of staging the attack out of jealousy. He had me thrown into the family dungeon, where I was beaten while still bleeding from the miscarriage.

He didn't know two things.

First, that his "perfect" sweetheart had voluntarily sterilized herself years ago and could never give him the heir he craved.

Second, that I had terminal cardiomyopathy. My heart had an expiration date, and I had only days left to live.

On my 27th birthday, I asked him for one final kindness: a midnight ride on the Ferris wheel where we had our first date.

He promised to be there, but he was late again, attending to her needs.

So I went up alone.

When the carriage came back down, it was empty.

All I left behind were my shoes and a medical file that would destroy him.

Chapter 1

Kacie Oliver POV

My husband didn't kiss me when the priest gave him permission.

Instead, he checked his phone. I watched the blood drain from his face before he turned and ran out of the church without a single backward glance.

He left me standing at the altar with a heavy diamond weighing down my finger and the heat of a thousand pitying stares burning into my back.

Now, hours later, I sat on the edge of the mattress in the Master Suite of the Moon Estate.

The silk of my wedding dress had turned from a luxury into a cage. The corset dug mercilessly into my ribs, restricting the breath my failing heart already struggled to pump.

Three years.

That was the expiration date the doctors gave me. Cardiomyopathy. My heart was a traitor in my own chest, expanding and weakening until the day it would simply give up.

I didn't want to wither away. I wanted to burn bright before the darkness took me. I wanted danger. I wanted passion. I wanted Cedric Moon.

The door creaked open.

I didn't turn around. The scent hit me first-gunpowder, exhaust fumes, and the sharp, metallic tang of copper.

It was the smell of the Capo dei Capi, the Don of the Moon Crime Family. The smell of a man who held the city's underworld in a chokehold.

"You're still dressed," Cedric said. His voice was a low rumble, rough as gravel under tires.

I looked at the clock on the bedside table. 3:00 AM.

"I was waiting for my husband," I said, my voice quiet but steady. "I thought he might show up to his own wedding night."

Cedric walked into my line of sight. He was tearing off his tuxedo jacket, tossing it carelessly onto a velvet chair. His white shirt was stained with something dark on the sleeve. Not wine.

"It was a Code Red, Kacie. You know what that means."

"I know it means Jayden called you," I said.

He froze, his fingers pausing on the buttons of his shirt. He looked at me then-really looked at me-with those icy blue eyes that had terrified rival Dons into submission.

"She was in a convoy. Ambushed. It was a targeted hit."

"Was she hurt?"

"A sprained ankle. Shock."

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. He had abandoned me at the altar, humiliated me in front of the entire Outfit, the Russians, and the Triads... for a sprained ankle.

"I stood there, Cedric. For an hour. Your mother told the guests I was feeling faint because of my condition. She told them I was the weak link."

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "My mother is traditional. She protects the family image. And Jayden... her father took a bullet for me. He died so I could stand here today. I swore a Blood Oath to protect his daughter. That comes first. Always."

Always.

The word tasted like ash.

I remembered the night we met. It wasn't a fairy tale. I had crashed an underground casino gala, looking for trouble, looking to feel alive.

I found him in a VIP corridor, stumbling, his skin gray. Neurotoxin. A rival family had dosed him.

Any sane person would have run. Instead, I dragged him into a supply closet. I kept him awake. I dialed the private doctor number on his burner phone. I saved the life of the most dangerous man in the city.

He had looked at me then with a possessive intensity that made my weak heart stutter. He married me to protect me from the enemies who saw my face that night. A Protection Pact.

But looking at him now, washing the blood of his enemies off his hands in the en-suite sink, I realized the protection only went one way.

"Take the dress off, Kacie," he ordered. It wasn't unkind, but it carried the weight of a man used to being obeyed. "It's late."

"Did you carry her?" I asked.

He paused, water dripping from his hands. "What?"

"Jayden. Did you carry her out of the wreckage?"

"She couldn't walk," he said defensively.

I remembered the way he carried her two weeks ago when she stubbed her toe at a barbecue. Like she was glass. Like she was the one made of porcelain, not the woman with the dying heart.

"I see," I whispered.

I stood up, my legs trembling. I reached for the zipper at my back, but my fingers couldn't find purchase.

Cedric was there in an instant. His large, calloused hands brushed my skin, sending a jolt of electricity down my spine. This was the drug I was addicted to. His touch.

He pulled the zipper down slowly. The dress pooled at my feet.

"You are my wife," he murmured against my ear, his breath hot. "You carry the Moon name now. No one can touch you."

"Except you," I said.

"Especially me."

He kissed my shoulder, his lips lingering on the pulse point. For a second-just a second-I let myself believe the lie. I let myself believe that the heat in his eyes was love, and not just the obligation of a debt he felt he owed me.

Then, his phone buzzed on the dresser.

He pulled away immediately. The cold air hit my skin like a physical slap.

He looked at the screen. His jaw tightened.

"I have to take this," he said, turning his back on me. "Go to sleep, Kacie."

I watched him walk out to the balcony, answering the call on the first ring.

"Jayden, calm down," he said, his voice dropping to that soothing, gentle tone he never used with me.

I stood alone in the center of the room, naked and shivering, realizing that the three years I had left were going to feel like an eternity in hell.

Kacie Oliver POV

I woke up to the sound of the shower running.

My body felt heavy, anchored to the mattress by a fatigue that went deeper than my bones. Groaning softly, I rolled over, reaching for the space beside me. Empty.

The sheets were cold. Cedric hadn't slept in the bed.

A quick glance confirmed he had slept in the armchair by the window, fully clothed, with his gun resting on the side table like a dark sentinel.

I got up and walked to the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar. Steam billowed out, carrying the scent of cedar and expensive soap.

I pushed the door open. Cedric stood under the spray, his head bowed against the tiles. The water sluiced over the scars on his back-a map of violence and survival.

"Cedric?"

He turned. His eyes were red-rimmed and haunted. He looked exhausted.

"You're awake," he said, his voice rough.

I stepped into the shower with him, still wearing my silk robe. The water soaked through the fabric instantly, plastering it to my skin like a second layer. I didn't care. I needed to feel him. I needed to know he was real.

He pulled me against him, his wet hands gripping my waist with bruising force. He kissed me, hard. It wasn't gentle. It was aggressive, desperate, like he was trying to mark his territory.

"We'll have a real wedding," he muttered against my lips, his hands roaming over my body. "Later. When things settle down. We'll fill this house with sons. Heirs for the Family."

I clung to him, my nails digging into his shoulders. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to be the mother of his children, even if my heart gave out in the process.

"Cedric," I gasped, pulling back slightly. "We need to talk about Jayden."

His body went rigid against mine. The passion evaporated instantly, replaced by cold stone.

"Not now, Kacie."

"Yes, now. She was outside the door last night. I heard her footsteps. She's suffocating us."

With a sharp twist of the handle, he turned off the water and stepped out, snatching a towel. "She's traumatized. Someone tried to kill her yesterday."

"Someone is always trying to kill someone in your world," I said, wringing out my robe as water pooled at my feet. "Transfer her. Send her to the West Coast division. She can be safe there."

Cedric whipped around, his eyes flashing. "She is family. I don't exile family."

"She's not your sister, Cedric. And she doesn't look at you like a brother."

"You're being unreasonable," he snapped. "Jealousy doesn't suit you. It makes you look weak."

Weak. The one thing I couldn't afford to be.

The day passed in a blur of silence, but by evening, the tension had simmered down into a fragile truce.

Cedric had set up a projector in the bedroom. He turned off the lights, and the ceiling filled with a swirling nebula of purple and blue stars.

It was a gesture. A small one, but it was something.

"I'm sorry about the reception," he said, lying beside me on the bed, staring up at the artificial galaxy. "I know it hurt you."

I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. A strong heart. "It did."

"I'll make it up to you."

Suddenly, his burner phone rang. The harsh, jarring sound shattered the peace.

I felt his muscles tense beneath my cheek. He didn't even look at the caller ID. He just answered.

"Jayden? What is it?"

I sat up, pulling my knees to my chest. I could hear her frantic sobbing through the speaker.

"They're saying things, Cedric! The men... they're saying I staged the ambush. They're saying Kacie told them to say it!"

Cedric sat up slowly. The air in the room dropped ten degrees.

"Who is saying that?"

"Everyone! It's all over the internal comms. Kacie is leaking secrets, Cedric! She's trying to push me out!"

He hung up the phone and looked at me. The tenderness was gone. In its place was the cold, calculating stare of the Don.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I didn't do anything," I said, my voice shaking. "I've been here with you."

"You have access to my laptop. Did you send messages? Did you start these rumors?"

"No! Cedric, she's lying. She's manipulating you."

He stood up, grabbing my arm. His grip was tight, bordering on painful. "Get dressed. We're going to the hospital."

"Why?"

"You're going to apologize to her. Publicly. You're going to tell the men that you respect the hierarchy and that Jayden is untouchable."

"I won't," I said, pulling against his grip. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You will do it because I am your husband and I am your Don," he growled. "Get in the car."

The ride to the hospital was silent. I stared out the window, watching the city blur past like a bad dream.

When we arrived at her private suite, Jayden was sitting up in bed, looking perfectly manicured for someone who had just survived an assassination attempt. Her hair was flawless, her skin pristine.

When she saw Cedric, she burst into fresh tears.

Cedric let go of my arm and rushed to her side. He stepped between us, his broad back blocking my view of her, shielding her from me as if I were the villain.

I stood by the door, tasting the bitterness of truth on my tongue.

The Don protects what he values.

And he wasn't protecting me.

Kacie Oliver POV

The air in the hospital room was stifling, a nauseating cocktail of sharp antiseptic and cloying lilies.

In the corner, a cameraman from the Family's PR team stood like a sentinel, recording every frame. Jayden was live-streaming directly to the Outfit's internal network.

"I just want everyone to know I'm okay," Jayden murmured to the camera, her voice trembling with practiced perfection.

She looked small and fragile in the hospital bed, a stark contrast to the pure malice in her eyes when she flickered her gaze toward me.

"It was just an accident. I know... I know Kacie didn't mean for the rumors to start."

She paused, looking at Cedric for validation. He nodded at her, encouraging her performance of benevolence.

"I forgive you, Kacie," she said, turning the camera slightly so I was forced into the frame. "We're sisters now."

I felt bile rise in my throat. It was a masterful trap. If I denied it, I looked like a heartless monster. If I accepted it, I admitted guilt.

"Thank you, Jayden," I said, my voice flat. "I'm glad you're recovering so quickly from such a... traumatic event."

I straightened my spine, seizing the only opening I had.

"We should do a blood test," I added, looking directly at Cedric. "Just to make sure there are no lingering toxins. Given the severity of your reaction."

Jayden's eyes widened in genuine panic. "No! I hate needles. Cedric, please, don't let them stick me."

Cedric stepped forward, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. "No tests. She's been through enough."

He looked at me with heavy disappointment. "Stop pushing, Kacie."

I turned and walked out of the room without another word.

I didn't stop walking until I reached the elevator. I considered letting the doors close and simply walking right out of the hospital, disappearing into the night.

But where would I go? I had no money, no allies, and a heart that could give out if I ran too fast.

That evening, dinner at the Moon Estate was a torture session.

Cedric's parents, Carroll and Burt, sat at the heads of the long mahogany table like statues of judgment. They were the Old Guard-ruthless, traditional, and entirely charmed by Jayden.

"Jayden, darling, you must eat," Carroll cooed, pushing a plate of roast duck toward her. "You need your strength."

She didn't even look at me. To her, I was nothing more than a vessel too cracked to carry a strong heir. A waste of a marriage license.

I picked at my food, my appetite nonexistent.

Under the table, I caught a glimpse of movement. Cedric's hand was resting on Jayden's knee. He was rubbing her leg in slow, soothing circles.

I dropped my fork. It clattered loudly against the china, shattering the polite silence.

"Is something wrong, Kacie?" Burt asked, his voice sharp.

"I'm not hungry," I said quietly.

Cedric didn't remove his hand. He was peeling a shrimp with his other hand, placing the meat delicately onto Jayden's plate. He leaned in, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle.

I felt invisible. I was a ghost haunting my own marriage.

"Oh, Cedric made his special fish soup," Jayden announced, her eyes gleaming. "He only makes it for special occasions. Remember when we were kids? You made it for me when my dad died."

"I remember," Cedric said softly.

"Here, Kacie," Jayden said, standing up. She picked up the tureen. "Let me serve you. It's delicious."

She walked around the table to my side. She leaned down, bringing the heavy bowl close to my face, invading my personal space.

"You know," she whispered, her voice dropping so low that only I could hear the venom, "there was a betrothal contract. Between me and Cedric. Long before you came along with your sob story."

My hand shook. I jerked back instinctively, hitting the ladle.

Hot soup splashed over the rim, scalding my arm.

"Ow!" Jayden screamed, dropping the tureen.

It shattered on the floor. She threw herself backward, clutching her foot dramatically. "She burned me! Cedric, she burned me!"

I stared at the red, blistering skin on my own arm. The pain was sharp, immediate, and real.

But Cedric wasn't looking at me.

He was already out of his chair, scooping Jayden up into his arms.

"It's okay, I've got you," he said, panic in his voice.

He rushed her out of the dining room, stepping over the broken pottery and the soup pooling around my feet.

He didn't look back.