"I promise to give you the best and most comfortable life, Clara. I'll work hard so we can live in a mansion, and we'll have many maids that you'll never need to lift a finger. I'll replace this ring with a diamond one, and you'll have every designer item in every store. I swear, you'll never have to worry about money again," Donovan had said before standing to kiss me. "And I promise to love you unconditionally," He whispered as our lips parted.
I had known Donovan for so long. He was always competitive and determined, someone who wouldn't stop until he achieved his dreams. I watched him rise from humble beginnings, starting with just a small nightclub at the edge of town.
Back then, I was the only one who believed in him. I even funded the nightclub to keep it from going under. Life wasn't easy for us, but we were happy, working side by side and loving each other through it all.
Then everything changed.
One night, Donovan met a customer at his club who introduced him to the underworld of Red Water Heights. He showed him how fast money could be made through illegal dealings, through the mafia, and that's when everything began to spiral.
That's when Casa Nostra was born.
Donovan's earnings began to skyrocket, doubling and tripling compared to what he made from the nightclub alone. His ambition to become rich consumed him, and he poured all his time into mastering the mafia world.
True to his nature, he succeeded.
But when he became victorious, our marriage suffered defeat.
At first, it was just the lack of time. But soon, he wouldn't come home for days, sometimes weeks, and he never explained why. Then came the bruises from the arguments he had been on. Donovan would return home battered, and once, he was even shot, barely escaping death.
When he survived, I begged him to leave the illegal life behind, to walk away from Casa Nostra and focus on other legitimate businesses.
I pleaded for a normal life and for us to start a family together. But instead of hearing me, he lashed out. That was the first time he ever laid hands on me.
Afterward, he even tracked down the man who shot him.
Donovan was able to kill him. And somehow, he got away with the crime, as if nothing had happened.
That was the turning point.