Chapter 2

The line stayed silent so long that I thought the call had dropped.

"Elena, my princess."

At last, my father, Salvatore Siciliano, spoke.

"You've finally come to your senses."

I held the phone so tightly my knuckles went white.

"Yes, Father. I'm sorry for being so reckless."

My father sighed.

"In three days, I'll send someone for you."

When the call ended, I leaned against the cold hallway wall and slid down to the floor.

Warm yellow light spilled through the gap in the door behind me. On the frosted glass, I could see Matteo's silhouette bend down and kiss Raffaella's forehead.

His voice drifted out in bits and pieces, sweet as honey.

I closed my eyes.

Three years earlier, when I walked out on the Siciliano family, my father stood behind the estate's iron gates. He didn't stop me. He only had someone take my suitcase.

I knew what that meant. He was taking back everything that proved who I was.

Just a few days later, my father's enemies found me anyway and cornered me by the sea.

I threw myself into the ocean without a second thought, and that was how I got away.

It was Matteo who dragged me out of the water.

My left arm had been slashed open with a knife. He tossed me a roll of bandages.

I sat on a rock and bandaged my arm myself.

He looked surprised. "You a doctor?"

I shook my head.

He swayed, then sank to one knee in the sand. "Sorry. I might... need a little help."

I reached out to catch him without thinking. That was when I saw he'd been stabbed in the side. Blood had soaked the hem of his shirt.

I rolled him over, tore strips of cloth, pressed down on the wound, and bandaged it in one smooth motion.

He watched me. "You're not a doctor, but you know how to dress a wound like that?"

My fingers tightened for a second. "None of your business."

He laughed. "But I want to get to know you."

I froze and looked up at him.

Moonlight fell across his face. He winked, his gray eyes crinkling like a cat's.

It was the first time anyone had ever said they wanted to get to know me.

I was the princess of the Siciliano family. No one around me had ever dared claim to know me. No one even dared get close.

And nobody dared talk to me in that easy, teasing way.

Matteo was the first.

When I finished bandaging him, I laid him down and leaned against a rock beside him.

The sea wind blew over us, and his voice shook as he spoke. "If we make it out of here alive, I'll buy you dinner. There's a place on the North Side that makes amazing seafood risotto."

Sunrise painted the horizon red. I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Later, Matteo introduced me to Raffaella. He put my hand in hers and said, "I just know you two are going to be great friends."

Raffaella pulled me into a hug. "You poor thing, how did you end up like this? Don't worry. From now on, we'll look out for you."

After that, everything fell into place. Matteo took me out for risotto and brought me to the fishing docks to watch the sunrise. When my crooked landlord threw me out, he handed me a key.

"Elena, as long as I'm around, you'll always have a place to stay."

But the sweet days didn't last long.

Not long after I moved in, Raffaella had trouble with her apartment, and Matteo brought her home too.

I'd filled that empty apartment with my life. After Raffaella moved in, I watched every trace of me disappear, bit by bit.

Looking back now, I'd only ever been a guest. They were the ones who really lived there.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Matteo.

"Are you mad? I was too worked up earlier. I'll come to your dress fitting tomorrow and apologize in person."

I didn't reply. I'd planned to move out first, but my mother's wedding dress was still at the tailor's. Three generations of Siciliano brides had worn it.

Before she died, she placed it in my hands and said something I never forgot.

"Elena, when you find someone worth it, wear this."

Too bad I'd picked the wrong man.

The next day, I showed up at the tailor's right on time.

Matteo was standing outside the shop. Raffaella had one arm looped through his.

When he saw me, he smiled. "I was short with you yesterday. I'm sorry. I cleared my schedule to come to your fitting."

He walked over and reached to put his arm around my shoulders.

I stepped aside.

His hand hung in the air before he pulled it back. His smile stayed in place, but his eyes narrowed. I knew that look. He was annoyed.

"Elena, stop it." He lowered his voice, half coaxing, half warning. "Yesterday was my fault, and I said I'm sorry. Raffaella got up early for this. Don't ruin it."

"He's right, Elena." Raffaella walked up to me, her expression carefully composed to look sincere.

"Don't be mad at Matteo. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have called him yesterday. He really does care about you. He kept talking about you all last night."

She reached for my hand, and I put both hands in my pockets.

Raffaella's hand froze in midair. For a moment, her smile stiffened.

"Okay. You two talk. I'll go try on my gown."

She shrugged and went into the shop.

Matteo frowned. "Elena, what is your problem?"

His voice turned cold. "I skipped a meeting on the North Side to be here with you. What more do you want?"

"I didn't ask you to come." I looked at him. "Matteo, the wedding's off."

Matteo stared at me for three seconds, then let out a short laugh. "Off? Elena, do you hear yourself? The invitations went out, the venue's booked, the guests have been told, and now you want to call it off?"

"Yes. I'm calling it off." I walked into the shop. "Mr. Antonelli, could you please box up the wedding dress for me? I'm taking it with me today."

"Where are you going to go without me?" Matteo stepped in front of me, blocking my view.

"That's my business."

"Elena, are you threatening me?" His voice dropped, heavy with menace.

I opened my mouth, but before I could answer, a sharp tearing sound came from the fitting room.

Then Raffaella screamed.