After I Refused the Ninth IVF Attempt, the Don Was Consumed by Regret

The night Cassiano Vireli became Don, his wife took a bullet meant for him, and the shrapnel tore into her ovary. Doctors gave her nine rounds of ovarian stimulation at most. He missed the first eight, each time because of Livia, the woman who controls every hour of his day.

By the ninth round she lies feverish on the anesthesia bed, waiting for his signature, while Livia posts that the Don cleared his schedule to sit with her at a clinic. Cassiano never asks his wife; he only promises to be there Monday. When Livia's calls pull him away again, his wife cancels the retrieval, revokes his authorization, and quietly contacts a divorce lawyer.

Six years of marriage, and he still cooks pasta for another woman at three in the morning. The files from eight failed rounds all bear his name and a blank signature line. This time, she stops waiting.