CHAPTER 15

A month had passed, and the long-awaited wedding day had finally arrived.

‘This is it,’ Rhea thought to herself, her heart pounding with nerves.

She was finally getting married—to a man, or more accurately, a gay man who had simply noticed her on the street the day her landlady threw her out. Now, she stood alone on the terrace of the room that Lucas’ mother had graciously prepared for her. The makeup artist hadn’t arrived yet, so she stepped out to breathe and gather her thoughts.

She released a heavy sigh. In a few hours, she would be walking down the aisle—without her father by her side, just as he had once promised. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about her family, especially on a day like this. After all, it had always been their dream to see her in a wedding gown, smiling her way to forever.

Yet despite everything, Rhea felt grateful. It still surprised her that Don Lucio had volunteered to escort her down the aisle, even though they barely shared a bond. He still intimi