Our honeymoon was cut short by a riot.
To help his first love, Riva, escape, my new husband, Carr, shoved me out of the car to draw the gunfire.
I was left stranded and utterly alone in a war-torn street.
At the depths of my despair, my dear friend Don John appeared like a savior.
He rescued me. He walked with me out of the shadows. He proposed to me. And when he learned I was pregnant, he was beside himself with joy.
But at the happiest moment of my life, I overheard him talking to my ex-husband, Carr.
“Once Mona’s baby is born, the cord blood can save Riva.”
Carr asked him, “Marrying a woman you don’t love and having a child with her, all for Riva—is it worth it?”
John gave a bitter smile. “You were willing to risk your life for her. I can sacrifice mine.”
“As long as Riva is healthy and happy, anything I do is worth it.”
So this marriage—the one that had seemed like my salvation—had been a conspiracy from beginning to end.
Both of my husbands had only ever loved Riva.
If that was how it was, there was no reason for me to keep struggling to hold together a loveless marriage.
But after I faked my death and disappeared, Don John clutched what he believed was my body and wept himself hoarse.
The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 09 I hadn’t thought John’s words were anything more than words. Two weeks later, the news was everywhere. **”Don of the Cromwell Family Breaks Into Riva’s Home—Riva Killed on the Scene, Husband Carr Critically Injured.”** On television, reporters stood behind police tape. *”According to police sources, Carr suffered severe damage to
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 08 John didn’t leave. He paid a small fortune to buy the old house next door, didn’t even change the furniture, and simply moved in. For a long stretch after that, he came to the flower shop every day. He sent me flowers—I set them at the entrance and sold them
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 07 That day, I was arranging sunflowers in a vase. The wind chime above the door rang. I looked up and saw John standing in the sunlight. He had lost a great deal of weight. His black overcoat made him look colder still, and his eyes were shockingly red. He walked
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 06 John saw the news in the cathedral. The traffic camera footage had been leaked online. A woman, alone, weeping as she drove. Rounding a curve. Losing control. Slamming into the guardrail. And then the fireball. The comments poured in. *”That’s the Donna of the Cromwell family? Mona? I thought Don
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 05 Once home, I dug out every gift John had given me over the years. I used to believe those were tokens of love. Now, looking closer, I saw them for what they were—free extras thrown in whenever he bought something for Riva. Even in the photos of us together, his
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 04 John dragged me into an emergency room. “She’s Rh-negative! Draw from her!” I tried to struggle, but two nurses pressed my shoulders down. I heard myself say, “John, it hurts.” John stood off to the side, his fingers curling into fists. But he didn’t tell them to stop. “It’ll be
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 03 Once every detail was agreed upon, I sent them the video I had recorded outside the VIP hospital room. “When the news of my death breaks, release this along with it.” I printed out divorce papers and sat on the sofa to wait. By the next day, John still hadn’t
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 02 After the procedure, I sat on a bench in the hallway, my face pale. John rushed in, cradling a box of donuts. He crouched down in front of me, his voice so tender it could have fooled a woman for a lifetime. “Mona, I brought you the pastries you like.
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The “Deceased” Donna Chapter 01 Our honeymoon was cut short by a riot. To help his first love, Riva, escape, my new husband, Carr, shoved me out of the car to draw the gunfire. I was left stranded and utterly alone in a war-torn street. At the depths of my despair, my dear friend Don
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