The Mafia’s Lost Bride

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On my wedding day, Ethan Cross bombed the hotel to stop the ceremony.

He dug me out of the rubble with his bare hands.

Looking at me with my lost memories, he hid the wild joy in his eyes and said in a trembling voice that he was my lover.

But Ethan's devotion to me only lasted five years.

That day, he smoothly removed his wedding ring and gently cradled his assistant's pregnant belly.

"Have my child. I'll give you whatever you want. Just don't let Aria find out."

But he didn't know the assistant secretly recorded this and flaunted it to me.

"You old hag! Ethan loves me. It's time for you to step aside!"

What he knew even less was that I had recovered my memory.

Before him, my true love was named Nathan Kane.

That man was gorgeous, but also a crazy mafia boss who never forgot a grudge.

And I was just like him.

Ethan Cross was finished.

Ethan hid his mistress extremely well.

Too bad the girl's courage and ambition were both enormous.

This girl named Summer Collins came straight to my door, belly protruding, to provoke me.

"Aria, I'm carrying twins. The doctor said they're boys."

"Their father feels bad that pregnancy is so hard on me. He's been giving me massages every night lately, and only goes home to his wife after I fall asleep. He can't wait to meet the babies!"

I lifted my eyes with a smile, coldness flashing through them.

"Has the father of your children never told you what kind of person I am?"

If Ethan was so eager to see the children, shouldn't I help him out?

Half an hour later, an express delivery package was sent to Ethan's company.

While I enjoyed afternoon tea, I watched the company surveillance footage.

When Ethan received my package, his cold, stern features instantly melted into gentle spring water.

But the moment he opened it, his expression changed dramatically.

Inside was a medical certificate for a miscarriage.

Along with his and Summer's children.

An hour later, Ethan came home.

Summer was lying on a temporary hospital bed. The moment she saw him, she burst into heartbroken sobs.

"Ethan, she killed our children! Those were the babies you've been dreaming about!"

"I want her dead!"

Pain flashed through Ethan's eyes.

He grabbed my wrist, his cold, hard voice clearly suppressing tremendous rage.

"Aria, she's just a young girl fresh out of college! Did you really need to be this ruthless?"

In five years of marriage, this was the first time he'd been harsh with me.

And it was for another woman.

I threw my phone in front of him.

The chat history was full of intimate videos between Ethan and Summer.

Along with messages insulting me and demanding I step aside.

"Your mistress sent these to provoke me. As your wife, I was very hurt watching them. Isn't it okay for me to retaliate?"

Ethan froze.

He glanced coldly at Summer.

Then his eyes softened as he half-knelt before me, holding my hands.

"Aria, you misunderstood."

"I just didn't want you to suffer through childbirth. I planned to bring the baby home for you to raise after she gave birth."

"I swear on my life, the only person I'll ever love is you, Aria."

I believed what he said was true.

Back when we were considering having children, he directly signed up for a childbirth simulation experience.

That was the first time I'd seen Ethan cry.

He held me tight with heartache.

"Aria, how can childbirth be this painful? Let's not have children, okay? I can't bear to see you suffer."

But because he couldn't bear to see me suffer...

He had another woman carry twins for me instead?

I turned my head with a mocking look, just in time to see Summer's eyes widen in disbelief, turning bloodshot.

I laughed softly.

"Ethan Cross, you're the truly ruthless one, stabbing both of us with a single sentence."

"So now, what do you plan to do?"

"In the past, when someone made me angry, you'd ruin them without a second thought and drive them out of the city."

Ethan's eyes swept over Summer with cold indifference.

But his trembling hands betrayed him.

After a long moment, he said:

"Aria, I apologize on her behalf."

"What will it take for you to calm down and let me take her away?"

A violent energy suddenly surged in my chest.

No matter how prettily he spoke or how cold his eyes looked, he was still protecting her!

Expressionless, I swept the porcelain in the house to the floor, shattering it everywhere.

Without hesitation, Ethan took off his shoes.

Barefoot, he stepped on the broken shards.

He picked up Summer and walked away step by step.

The bright red blood mixed with porcelain white, making my eyes tremble.

Though Ethan was crazy, he was an extreme egoist.

Since I'd known him, he'd only been hurt for me, only suffered losses because of me.

My expression grew colder inch by inch.

Ethan still didn't know I had recovered my memory.

What he knew even less was that I might have actually developed some feelings for him.

For a few moments, I'd even wondered if I should continue pretending to have amnesia and stay with him forever.

But now...

A ruined man and a woman who stole my man.

I would make them both pay dearly!

After that day, Ethan sent me gifts in different ways every day.

But he ran to Summer's place daily.

Tonight's excuse was that he had a last-minute business dinner and would be home a few hours late.

The moment Ethan finished lying, Summer's message arrived.

"Ha ha, are you regretting it now, old hag?"

"So what if you killed my child? He just feels more sorry for me now.

He makes me healthy meals every day."

In the video, a tall man wearing an apron was busy in the kitchen.

Ethan never used to cook. For me, he learned from chefs everywhere.

Now the dishes he made for Summer were all my favorites.

Staring at the food in the video, I could even recall the familiar aromas.

My mouth filled with nausea.

Damn Ethan! He ruined all my favorite dishes!

Summer's laugh was full of malice and showing off.

"He also said he'll give me another child tonight, while you..."

"Old hag, you're finished."

The moment the voice message finished playing, my car was violently struck.

I looked up to see a dozen tattooed, bald muscle men with clubs surrounding me.

"So you're the one who bullied my little sister Summer?"

I raised an eyebrow and calmly called Ethan.

As usual, he answered after just one ring.

"Ethan, Summer called her gang friends. They've surrounded me with their men."

His voice on the other end sounded somewhat helpless.

"Aria, stop making things up, okay? She's just a college graduate. How could she..."

I smiled and cut him off directly.

"I won't resist whatever they do. Whether you come or not is up to you."

With that, I hung up.

The night wind was cool.

I counted the traffic lights in a daze.

Ethan appeared quickly.

He'd encountered traffic on the way and abandoned his car to sprint here.

The man was gasping, his chest heaving violently, his shirt vaguely outlining his muscular chest.

I stared for a moment, then smiled slightly.

Actually, I'd lied to him.

The muscle men who'd tried to do something to me were now sprawled all over the ground.

Ethan stared at me through clenched teeth.

Finally, his gaze fell on my scratched leg. With heartache and defeat, he crouched in front of me.

With extreme gentleness, he held my calf and applied medicine.

"You're only acting this way because you know I love you!"

He had a thousand complaints in his heart, but this was all he dared to express.

In that instant, my heart stirred again slightly.

For once, I felt the urge to explain.

"This wasn't staged by me. Summer really did call them here."

But Ethan said without hesitation:

"I asked Summer. She swore it wasn't her. She's a very innocent girl, not like..."

His words cut off abruptly.

But I understood.

Not like mevicious and cunning.

My expression darkened. I grabbed my phone and called my lawyer right in front of Ethan.

"Please prepare divorce papers for me. I'll come pick them up right now."

I kicked Ethan out of the car and turned it around.

He actually stood directly in front of my car.

The night wind lifted his hair. His eyes were defiant yet crazed.

He gritted his teeth, his voice practically squeezing through his throat.

"Aria, if you want a divorce, run me over first!"

The bright headlights illuminated his insane expression.

I met his gaze and stepped on the gas.

The piercing sound of brakes rang out.

I stopped just a few centimeters away.

But Ethan didn't retreat at all, staring at me with hot, crazy eyes.

This time it was my turn to grit my teeth. "This lunatic!"

I fled in panic, turning to leave in another direction.

A few days later, I received another message from Summer.

Unexpectedly, her attitude this time was surprisingly humble.

"Aria, I'm here to apologize. I really know I was wrong."

"I know I made you angry. Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?"

She sent an address, saying she wanted to invite me to relax.

And apologize in person.

I went.

An enormous rose garden appeared before my eyes.

Summer stood in a white dress in front of intensely red rose bushes, waiting for me with a smile.

Like a hostess, she used a key to open the estate's gate.

When I glimpsed the huge photograph by the flower bushes, my body stiffened.

In the photo, Summer and Ethan held hands, lying in the flowers kissing.

The scene was beautiful and warm.

And the date it was taken was five years ago.

Before I lost my memory.

Summer's pretentiously proud laughter came from beside me.

"Aria, actually I knew about you long ago. I even helped Ethan come up with ideas to pursue you."

Only then did I learn that Summer had known Ethan much longer than I had.

She was a poor student he sponsored.

Ethan brought her out of the mountains. When she had nowhere to live, she stayed at his place.

The corridor was filled with photos, every single one of Summer and Ethan together.

This rose garden was built by him for her.

Listening to Summer introduce their past photo by photo.

My palms actually went a bit numb.

She smiled as she looked at my wedding ring.

"Every gift Ethan gave you, I helped him choose."

"Including this wedding ringhe only bought it because I liked this style."

I knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, or rather not telling it completely.

The wedding ring was something Ethan first selected from dozens of styles.

He brought them to me and let me choose personally.

But that didn't stop me from being disgusted.

Expressionless, I pulled off the ring and casually tossed it into the rose bushes.

Seeing this, Summer's eyes curved with satisfaction.

"Mr. Cross really likes you. I'm so unwilling to accept it."

"But it's okay. People always get tired, right! I acted understanding in front of him, saying I didn't want anything, just that when he thought of me, he could spare me a little of the love you didn't want."

"Guess what?"

Summer laughed exaggeratedly, as if remembering something happy.

"He took the initiative to sleep with me!"

"You, the white moonlight, became a mosquito blood stain after he caught you. He's tired of you!"

"So I advise you to be smart and get lost. Mr. Cross will be mine sooner or later!"

I stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled sweetly.

"If you're this cheap, then I feel relieved."

Summer froze, looking at me suspiciously.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"This way I won't feel any guilt."

Under her confused gaze, I kicked over the shelving.

Collectible wine shattered all over the floor.

I pulled out a lighter. The flickering flame illuminated Summer's terrified face.

The next second, fire engulfed the entire estate.

Ethan arrived quickly.

Seeing me and Summer in the flames, his eyes nearly split with rage.

Summer screamed at the top of her lungs:

"Ethan, save me! The fire's about to reach me!"

"I just lost two children for you!"

I watched Ethan with interest and mouthed words to him.

"Between the two of us, who will you save first?"

The wild, unrestrained fire dragon licked at the sky.

Illuminating the man's struggling expression.

He soaked himself thoroughly and rushed toward Summer.

At the same time, I heard his anxious voice.

"Aria, I know what you're capable of. You can escape on your own, but Summer can't!"

He scooped Summer up in his arms.

Through the rolling flames, I saw Summer turn her head and flash me a triumphant smile.

I smiled back at her.

Arms crossed, standing still without moving.

The flames burned more and more fiercely.

Ethan glanced at me not moving and hesitated for half a second before gritting his teeth.

In the end, he put Summer down and rushed over to cover me with his wet jacket, pulling me to escape the fire.

I stared at him with half disappointment.

What a shame. If he'd just chosen to leave me behind, I could have used that as grounds for divorce.

As for what the other half of my emotions were, I didn't want to think about it.

After rescuing me, Ethan went back for Summer.

After we got out, the corridor's flower stands collapsed.

They fell right on Summer's leg.

When Ethan carried her out, she was crying her heart out.

I knew Ethan was angry.

As he passed me, he slammed heavily into my shoulder.

He ordered coldly:

"Take the lady to the hospital with us!"

On the hospital bed.

Summer's leg was wrapped in thick bandages. She obediently held Ethan's hand.

"Ethan, don't be angry. I'm fine."

"I don't blame Aria for making trouble at the estate, and I don't blame you for not saving me first. It's my own fault..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, but she stubbornly refused to let tears fall.

She looked like she'd suffered a great injustice no matter how you looked at her.

Ethan's eyes filled with heartache and guilt.

He even ignored my presence and directly cupped her face, kissing and comforting her tenderly.

Then he frowned at me.

"Aria, you trespassed on Summer's estate, set fires, and hurt people. Don't you think you should apologize?!"

I smiled provocatively, resolute.

"I won't."

Ethan's frown deepened.

Summer said with false sincerity:

"Ethan, don't force Aria. Don't fight because of me!"

She suddenly smiled at me quickly and operated something on her phone.

The next second, media reporters flooded into the hospital room.

"Are you Mrs. Cross?"

"We heard you won't let any woman near Mr. Cross.

This assistant was just doing her daily work, and you directly set a fire to hurt her. Is this true?"

Dense microphones and cameras pointed at me.

Ethan's expression became panicked.

Five years ago, to hide me after I lost my memory, he'd gone to great lengths.

He spent hundreds of millions creating false leads to lure my lover, who was desperately searching for me, out of the country.

He blocked the media, forbidding any reports or public photos showing my face for five years.

He took big strides toward me.

But at that moment, Summer pretended to be pushed down by the media and cried out in pain.

"Ethan, my stomach hurts so much. Did my wound open again?"

"Forget it, forget it. You should go check on Aria first. I can find a doctor myself."

"After all... this isn't the first time you've abandoned me for her."

As she spoke, she shed bitter tears.

Ethan's eyes froze.

Across the crowded cameras and heads of the media, he looked straight into my eyes.

"Again? You arranged these media yourself, didn't you?"

"Aria, I won't fall for your tricks this time."

"Summer is right. I've spoiled you too much these five years. It's time you learned a lesson!"

With that, he picked up Summer and turned to leave.

"Summer, I'm sorry. I'll never let you get hurt because of her again!"

Over his shoulder, Summer gave me a flaunting look.

This time, she'd finally won.

I held my sides laughing until tears came.

Ethan desperately hid me for five years.

Turns out all it took was one Summer to make him let his guard down.

The hospital room door slammed shut.

I looked at the camera and smiled as I tucked my hair behind my ear.

I knew he would definitely see me.

As long as I gave him the slightest clue, he would spare no effort to find me.

My former beloved, mafia boss Nathan Kane.