Chapter 3

Tobias was just summoned to the front hall by his underboss, Pierre.

The senior elders of the major families had already arrived, and the final details of the ceremony required his personal confirmation.

After he left, the hand he had just been holding slowly began to stiffen, my fingers curling inward bit by bit.

Before long, the door opened again. Angelina, the head housekeeper responsible for family etiquette, walked in, carrying a black lace shawl and the official Donna signet ring.

"We're running out of time. Let's get the Donna ready first."

I gave no response.

Rhea let out a cold sneer. "Just change her. Once she gets to the altar, she can't keep putting on this attitude."

Two housekeepers stepped up, supporting me by my arms from either side. But the moment my body lifted off the couch, I collapsed completely, my head slumping limply onto one of their shoulders.

Startled, Angelina quickly held up my shoulder.

"Donna?" She called out once more, but I remained entirely unresponsive.

Panicked, Rhea looked away, her eyes flickering with unease. "She was just texting Tobias, threatening to cancel the wedding. Of course she's giving everyone the silent treatment now."

As she spoke, she picked up the Donna signet ring from the table.

"If you don't get up right now, I'll have someone take the ring back to the chapel. It's not like you want to wear it anyway."

Angelina frowned. "Miss Rhea, the Donna really doesn't seem to be in the right state."

"I was just trying to snap her out of it," Rhea insisted defensively, though her voice lacked its earlier confidence.

Angelina continued draping the shawl over me. But as the collar shifted slightly, a large patch of severe, inflamed redness was exposed across my skin.

Her face turned pale instantly. "What happened to the Donna's neck?"

Rhea abruptly pulled the collar back up, her voice betraying her guilt. "It was already like that earlier. Didn't Dr. Matteo already check on her?"

Standing to the side, I glared at her.

Dr. Matteo hadn't even finished his examination, yet she could lie through her teeth without batting an eye.

Still uneasy, Angelina insisted, "We should call Dr. Matteo back again."

Before the words fully left her mouth, the door swung open, and Tobias stood at the entrance.

Seeing the group crowded around me, the slight warmth on his face evaporated instantly. "Who allowed you to touch her?"

Terrified, the two housekeepers immediately let go, and my body began to tilt sideways.

Tobias rushed forward in a few quick strides, catching me tightly in his arms.

He looked down at my disheveled shawl, his expression growing darker by the second.

Rhea's eyes instantly filled with tears. "We're just doing this for your own good! Sicily's entire elite is waiting out there. Are you really going to stand alone at the altar and make a fool of yourself?"

Tobias snapped his gaze toward her.

"Enough." His voice was terrifyingly cold. "She is my Donna. It is not your place to lecture her."

Rhea froze, unable to suppress the surge of hurt in her eyes.

Tobias didn't give her another look. He gently carried me back to the couch, arranging the black shawl around my shoulders.

"I didn't handle things right today," he whispered, his tone softening. "If you're angry, take it out on me."

A moment later, someone brought in a sheet of wedding vows.

"Don, please double-check the vows one last time."

Tobias looked down at the paper. The next second, his face flushed red.

There was a line on the paper written in his own handwriting: [From this day forward, regardless of family, friends, or anyone else, I will never put you second again.]

He stared at those words, his jaw clenched, before finally taking my hand back into his.

"I'm sorry. Once the ceremony is over, I will handle everything regarding Rhea properly."

The chapel bell began to toll outside. Pierre lowered his voice from the hallway, reminding him, "Don, ten minutes left."

Tobias closed his eyes briefly before slowly pushing himself up.