Chapter 1

The moment I moved to pull the dress off Capucine, Matteo stepped in and put her behind him.

"Are you insane?" He grabbed my wrist, his voice full of impatience. "You're going to lose it in front of everyone over one old dress?"

"Old dress?" I stared at him, my voice shaking a little.

He did not look at me again. He turned away and bent his head, gentling his voice for Capucine. "Don't be scared, I won't let her hurt you. Just take it off and give it back to her, it's not a big deal."

Capucine bit her lip, her eyes red, and slid the gown off.

Matteo took it, brushed the cat hair off the skirt, and held it out to me.

I looked down at the ruined gown in my hands.

For a second the image came rushing back of my mother sitting by the window, sewing it.

She was very sick then, her fingers so swollen she could barely hold the needle, but she smiled anyway. "When my Liana wears this dress, she's going to be the most beautiful bride in the world."

Matteo was there the day I tried it on.

The light was perfect, and the pearls along the skirt glowed one by one.

He leaned against the doorframe and watched me turn in a circle, then came over and kissed my forehead. "Liana, from now on you don't just have your mom's love. You have me too, and I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

I believed him.

To marry him, I flattered his impossible parents and made myself as small as dust.

His mother said the engagement rings only counted as sincere if the bride forged them herself, so I fumbled with strips of silver, burned blisters onto my fingers, and spent a month producing a decent pair.

I thought I had endured every humiliation and finally reached the one day I deserved to be treated well.

What I got was this.

"Matteo." I gripped the dress and looked up at him. "Don't you know what this dress means to me?"

He faltered, his eyes sliding away before he spoke. "Of course I know."

"Then why did you let this happen?"

"It's already happened!" He waved a hand, irritated. "Capucine didn't do it on purpose. Her cat has always been a menace, she just wasn't watching. Making a scene like this over a dress, is it really worth it?"

I laughed.

He knew that it was the wedding dress my mother had sewn for me with the last of her life. He knew I used to hold it and cry every night. He knew that in the days before the engagement I took it out and looked at it again and again.

Yet he had still stood there and watched it happen, then said lightly that it was only a dress.

Capucine came forward then and tried to take my hand. "Liana, don't say things you don't mean. I'm the one who didn't watch the cat. Don't blame Matteo.

"I'll buy you a new one later, that's all. The style was out of date anyway, it would have been embarrassing to wear it to the party..."

"Shut up."

I slapped her.

The crack of it echoed through the hall. Capucine's face turned to one side, and five red finger marks rose fast on her cheek.

She froze for two seconds, and then the tears came.

Matteo's face went completely dark. He pulled Capucine into his arms and cupped his palm over that side of her face.

"Liana!" he growled. "Do you know what day this is? A gown can be remade, an engagement can be moved. You hit her in front of all these people?"

He took a deep breath, his eyes going cold. "Apologize to Capucine!"

I looked at Capucine in his arms. "Not a chance," I said coldly.

The next second my head snapped to one side and the skin by my ear burned.

Matteo's hand was still up in the air. He seemed stunned himself by what he had just done.

I held my cheek and stared at him, unable to believe it.

Panic flickered in his eyes, then anger buried it. "You've gone too far! Over a dress? Capucine already apologized and you still put your hands on her?"

Capucine sniffled against him. "Liana... I know you've never liked me, but I really didn't do it on purpose..."

"Enough." I took a step back and tightened my grip on the gown. "Matteo Rizzi, you and I are done."

He stood there stunned.

I did not look at him again. I turned and walked toward the door.

His voice came from behind me, but he was not calling me.

He said gently to Capucine, "Stop crying. She's just angry, she'll be fine in a couple of days, and I'll make her come apologize to you..."

I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the hall.

The night wind poured in and dried the last of the tears on my face.