The Three Mafia Men's First Love

Serena's POV I walked out of the apartment door with my big suitcase. After more than a month of shift changes and overtime work, I finally had time to start our long-awaited cruise trip with Daniel. The trip was so meaningful especially since we are already engaged, we will get married and build a family after this trip. Thinking of this, my heart was full of warmth and joy. For 28 years, I have been alone. As a child in an orphanage, I had no family. Now, I would finally have a real family. Maybe in two or three years, I will have my own children and let the family be a big one. But the second I stepped outside, that excitement curdled into confusion. Daniel’s mother, Sophie, stood by the car, wrestling a massive suitcase into the trunk like she had every right to be there. My steps slowed, a frown forming as my eyes flicked to the front seat. Daisy, Daniel’s younger sister, was sprawled across it, feet propped up on the dashboard, a lollipop dangling from her mouth as heavy metal blared through the speakers. She bobbed her head to the beat, completely unbothered. I stopped in my tracks, my stomach twisting as unease crept up my spine. This wasn’t right. This was never part of the plan. I turned to Daniel, who stood beside the car, rubbing the back of his neck, his expression already guilty. My heart pounded as I forced my voice to stay even. "What is this?" Was I daydreaming? It was a personal trip not a big family trip. Why Sophie and Daisy here? He let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh…I might have forgotten to mention it. Mom and Daisy are coming with us." I stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking, but he didn’t. Sophie slammed the trunk shut and turned toward me, smirking like she had just won a prize. "I haven’t seen the ocean in years, and Daisy’s never been on a cruise. We figured, why not? It’ll be a fun family trip." We. We figured. I repeated in my head. That just included them and Daniel, I was not part of them. "This was supposed to be a trip for the two of us.” A special trip to light even more flame to our bond, I didn’t say. Daniel stepped closer to me and took my right hand. "Serena, I promise They won’t get in the way." They were already in the way. I took almost one month to plan for our pre-wedding trip. Daniel knew that. He know how excited I was for the trip. But he invited his family to our trip without telling me, especially when Sophie and Daisy’ s attitude toward me was always unwelcome. "Please, Serena. Forgive me for this time." Daniel kissed my cheek and his dark eyes filled with hope. He always acted like this when he wanted to get something from me. I stepped back, shaking my head. His behaviour was a betrayal. He ruined our trip. Sophie or Daisy would cause me trouble and make this trip a disaster. Sophie had made it clear from the beginning that she didn’t approve of me, always making snide remarks about how unnatural it was for a woman to earn more than her fiancé, constantly reminding me that Daniel should be the provider. She had even suggested I quit my job entirely, help Daniel get into medical school, and be a proper housewife. And Daisy? A spoiled, reckless mess who had dropped out of school, spent her time partying with questionable people, and only spoke to me when she needed money. I tried to meet their requirements but they kept demanding too much. I am an orphan and in some way, I long to have a family and someone who cares about me. But they just take my goodness for granted. My pulse pounded as I forced my voice to stay calm. Something new just occurred to me, forcing the gears in my head turn. "Daniel, how exactly did they get tickets? The cruise wasn’t cheap." I was a doctor and Daniel was a nurse, but the trip was still expensive for us. His hesitation stretched a second too long, and a cold feeling spread through my chest as I stared at him, "Daniel." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I got them the tickets from our joint account." The ground beneath me might as well have cracked open. "You what?" My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care that we were in public. I blinked quickly to let the tears not flood down. I saved the money for our family, for our future house and for our children. But Daniel used the money for others not even telling me first. He flinched, hands raised in defence. "But we share that account, right?" Yes, we shared that account but I contributed 70% of that account because I made 3 times as much as Daniel. "You should have talked to me first," I said, my throat tightening. "I didn’t want to upset you," he said quickly. "I thought if I just," "Hope I’m not late!" When I thought nothing would worsen today, a new voice cut in, making my blood run cold. I turned, my breath catching in my throat as Vivian walked up to us, smiling like she belonged there. Her long, dark hair cascaded in perfect waves, and her fitted dress hugged her in all the right places. She was stunning, effortless, the kind of woman who made people stop and stare, and worst of all, she was Daniel’s ex. A very uncomfortable feeling rose in my chest and I almost wanted to vomit, "You also invited her?" Before he could speak, Daisy groaned dramatically. "Oh, relax. I invited her." She popped her gum, grinning. "Vivian’s a family friend. And if she’s not coming, then I’m not going either." I clenched my fists so tightly my nails bit into my palms. My gaze snapped to Sophie, hoping, just hoping, she would at least pretend to be neutral. But she wasn’t even trying. Arms crossed, she tilted her head, her tone laced with condescension. "This isn’t about you, Serena. You’re being unreasonable. Vivian is practically family." I took a deep breath, my chest constricting with barely contained anger. "She’s his ex." Sophie scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. "So? That was years ago." I turned back to Daniel, silently begging him to do something, say something, fix this before it spiraled any further. Instead, he sighed. "Serena, please don’t make a scene." A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat. Make a scene. I was the only one fighting for our relationship, while he stood there, spineless, letting them walk all over me. Daisy smirked, clearly enjoying my silence, and before I could speak, she grabbed Vivian’s hand. "Leave her alone. Let’s get in the car." Sophie pulled open the backseat door and ushered Vivian inside. The car was full. There was no room for me. I was the fiancée, yet I was standing outside like an afterthought while his ex-girlfriend slid comfortably into the backseat of our car. Daniel turned to me with an apologetic smile. “Serena, you can just take a taxi to the dock. We’ll meet you there." A taxi. Like I was a guest on my own trip. Like I was an outsider, while Vivian was the one who belonged. I wanted to scream, to demand he fix this, to tell him that if he got in that car, we were done. But I didn’t. The car disappeared in my sight. A strong grievance overwhelmed me. Why my life was full of drama? I tried my best to fight for what I wanted. Good work and salary could be earned via my diligence but love was not something like that. My love for Daniel’ s family was not something treasure for them. Not even for Daniel. Would I be Daniel’ s first priority after we married? I stood there for almost ten minutes. The answer was NO. Daniel would not let me be his first. He couldn’t get rid of his family in his whole life. If I married him, it meant in my lifetime, I would need to always make concessions and sacrifice my own benefits. This was my horrible future. The only way to avoid this was to give up this marriage.