Chapter 2

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Lunavere glittered across the city, while my phone filled with messages about the wedding preparations.

My wedding dress stood before the tall windows overlooking the sea, its white train spilling across the floor to the edge of the carpet.

Luca stood on the terrace, the sea breeze ruffling his black hair and revealing the sharp, handsome lines of his brow.

Then came several gunshots.

My phone slipped from my hand and crashed to the floor, and my entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

On the day we'd been attacked, I'd been trapped in my seat, surrounded by the deafening roar of gunfire.

Ever since then, even the sound of a car door opening or closing had been enough to make my heart leap in alarm.

Luca knew how badly the sound affected me. Yet in the video, he let the gunfire continue while Viola laughed and clapped.

"This is perfect! Let's do it right after we exchange rings. Now that's a true Sicavellan wedding, forged in blood and steel!"

The wedding planner hesitated. "But what about the bride…?"

Viola cut her off. "She's been with Luca for eight years. Are you telling me she still hasn't gotten used to it?"

Luca offered no response.

Messages continued flooding the group chat.

"Luca even brought out the Valentino Famiglia's treasured heirloom jewelry, Elena. You've finally been acknowledged!"

"I've never seen him put this much effort into a woman before. He's really gone all out for this wedding."

Viola quickly responded with a voice message.

"You're giving Luca credit for the wrong things. I came up with the ceremony myself, and I tried on more than a dozen wedding dresses before finding the one that would best complement Luca's outfit."

Someone else chimed in. "You're making Luca sound worse than he is. Remember when you wanted to go skydiving for your birthday? He canceled the party just for that. Dozens of guests had already arrived, and he had them sent straight back to their cars."

"And what about that yacht dinner? You didn't want to meet the Rossi Famiglia's son, so Luca ordered the yacht to leave. The poor guy was left waiting at the pier for two hours."

Someone else added, "Back then, we honestly thought you'd be the one to become Luca's Donna."

I stared at that last message for so long that my screen eventually went dark.

So when Viola disliked something, she could simply refuse, and Luca would never hold it against her.

He was willing to offend guests, scrap plans, and even disregard the dignity of the family's elders for her sake.

But when it came to me, all I ever received was a reminder to know my place.

However, Luca hadn't always been this way.

Back then, I was just an ordinary college student. At my very first formal dinner, I was so nervous that I didn't even know how to hold a wineglass properly.

When someone asked which family I belonged to, I was so flustered that I couldn't answer.

The man let out a mocking laugh, but before he could sneer at me or make another cruel remark, Luca's bodyguards had already dragged him out of the venue.

Back then, everyone called me Cinderella. They said I'd hit the jackpot by catching the eye of the Valentino heir.

Once upon a time, I'd believed it, too.