Chapter 3

At 3:00 am, the pain in my abdomen was unbearable, and I was drenched in cold sweat.

When I couldn't take it anymore, I called Arturo.

He didn't answer the first time.

The second time, someone picked up.

It was Elena. "Rachele, Don Venturi just fell asleep. The wound on his arm opened up again, and he just had it treated. Don't wake him over something so minor."

Arturo's sleepy voice came through the phone. "Elena, bring me the medicine."

Elena didn't hang up. Instead, she raised her voice. "Don Venturi, Rachele is calling to ask if there'll be a seat for me at the wedding next month."

There was a pause before Arturo answered. "You can have the VIP seat. No one from Rachele's family is coming anyway. Leaving it empty would only make us look bad."

"No!" I forced myself to sit upright despite the pain. "That seat is for Papa!"

Elena gave a disdainful smile but said nothing.

Arturo took the phone. "Rachele, your father is just some thug from the slums. Giving him a VIP seat at the wedding will only invite people to mock you for where you came from."

I gritted my teeth and shot back, "Where I come from is my business. It has nothing to do with you."

Arturo's voice was full of irritation. "It's just a seat. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I yanked the IV needle from the back of my hand, and blood welled up.

"I'd sooner leave that seat empty than let Elena have it," I snarled. "If you insist on changing it, I'm calling off the wedding!"

He reined in his anger. "Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

…

The next morning, the wedding planner, Richie Garcia, came to my hospital room with a new seating chart.

Elena stood quietly behind Arturo.

I glanced at the chart. Elena's name was clearly listed for the VIP seat.

Richie looked uneasy as he handed me the wedding schedule.

"Ms. Bellandi, there's one more thing you need to know. You're still weak, so Elena will walk you down the aisle and hand you over to Don Venturi."

I laughed in disbelief. "She's walking me down the aisle?"

I rejected the idea without a second thought. "This is my wedding to Arturo. I don't need her walking me down the aisle."

Elena lowered her head. "I don't mind staying out of the ceremony. It's just… If I suddenly disappear during such an important part of the wedding, people will assume there's bad blood between us.

"I'm only doing this for the family's reputation."

She always knew how to make stealing the spotlight sound like she was doing it for the good of the family, making me look unreasonable instead.

Arturo walked over, his arm wrapped in thick bandages.

He held out an elegant-looking box and placed it in my hands.

When I opened it, inside was an exquisite veil made out of pearls.

I froze for a moment. "Didn't you say this pearl veil was kept in a museum and couldn't be loaned out?"

Arturo took the veil from the box. "I had someone arrange for the museum to loan it to us. As long as you cooperate and wear it down the aisle, we can work out the rest."

Three years ago, I had lingered over this veil at an auction.

He had promised me then that I would wear it when we got married.

Now he had finally placed it in my hands, but only to make me give in.

"I'll wear it if you keep the VIP seat for Papa and keep Elena from walking me down the aisle," I said.

He agreed without hesitation. "Deal."

I thought that maybe, for the sake of our child, we could still make this work.

But Richie went pale. "Don Venturi! The veil was resized to fit Ms. Donati, and she will wear it throughout the rehearsal. We'll only give it to Ms. Bellandi for the actual wedding."

Elena hurried to explain. "Rachele, don't get the wrong idea! Don Venturi was only worried that you hadn't recovered yet. He knows how much you love this veil.

"I promise I won't damage it during the rehearsal."

I was shaking with anger as I put the veil back in its box. "So, this veil was never really meant for me."

Arturo's expression darkened. "You'll be the one wearing it when we get married. Isn't that enough?"

He stepped closer. "Rachele, I'm willing to give you the finest things I can. Can't you stop being so petty?"

I laughed bitterly. "Fine. Then I'll lend her the groom, too. Why don't you marry her? Would that be enough?"

A vein throbbed in Arturo's forehead. "Rachele, say that again!"

I looked at them calmly. "The wedding is over."

As soon as I said it, Elena clutched her chest and collapsed to the floor.

She started crying. "Rachele, are you trying to use the cancellation to force Don Venturi to send me away?"

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to leave. I'll go."

Arturo suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Are you threatening me? You know I could never abandon Elena and go against my conscience.

"And I would never cancel the wedding!"

I shook off his hand. "I'm not threatening you."

"Then take it back and wait for the wedding like you're supposed to," he said.

He turned to Richie and ordered him to proceed according to the original plan.

Arturo treated my decision to leave as nothing more than something I had said in anger. Everyone assumed I would eventually give in.

Richie handed me a tablet. "Don Venturi, there's also a pre-wedding interview with the press.

"They asked how you knew your partner was the love of your life. You already submitted your answer yesterday."

There was only one sentence on the screen.

"When death comes, my body will choose to protect the person I love most."

Beside it was the photo of him shielding Elena as they made their way through the reporters after the attack on the yacht.