Chapter 2

I didn't even have the energy to argue with him anymore. I turned and walked straight back to the master bedroom.

I had the next day off, so I woke up late.

Before I even opened my eyes, I heard easy laughter coming from the living room.

I pushed open the door just in time to see Carlo at the entryway, changing his shoes.

His dark hair was soaked with sweat, his tight athletic tank top clinging to the hard lines of his muscles. In his hand, he held two exquisite paper bags.

Ava was behind him, her cheeks flushed, laughing and out of breath.

"Your stamina is insane. You almost ran me into the ground today."

Carlo looked back at her, his eyes soft.

"That's what you get for keeping me up all night. I'll go slower tomorrow, maybe shave off a couple of miles."

In the second year we were together, I had tentatively asked if he could take a walk with me around the neighborhood after dinner.

He always said he was stretched too thin.

I brought it up a few more times after that. He said that managing those streets was stressful enough; when he came home, all he wanted was absolute quiet.

And yet, for three years straight, he had woken up an hour early every single day, rain or shine, to go running with Ava.

Without ever missing a day.

Seeing me standing in the hallway, Carlo's movements paused for a second.

"You're awake?" I didn't say anything.

He held out the paper bags. "Brought breakfast. Come eat with us."

I glanced at the clear pastry boxes inside the bags.

Hazelnut croissants and almond bread.

Ava's favorites, but things that could send me into anaphylactic shock.

The first time I was rushed to the emergency room for accidentally eating nuts, Carlo had sat by my bedside, his face pale, and sworn to God he would never let it happen again.

But the next breakfast he brought home would, once again, be filled with hazelnuts and almonds.

It was a habit ingrained in him from twenty years with his childhood friend, Ava.

He knew perfectly well that even a trace of nut fragments on the utensils could make my throat swell shut, that I could suffocate.

But now, his subconscious only had room for Ava's preferences, even if they could kill me.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. "Carlo."

I called his name softly.

He looked up. "Why can't you ever remember that I'm allergic to nuts?"

The curve of Carlo's lips instantly froze.

Ava immediately bit her lower lip, looking at me with an expression of pure innocence.

"Oh, Lindia, that's my fault. I was the one who insisted we go to that shop, I guess he just forgot."

"He won't forget next time, right?"

Carlo nodded along. "Right. I'll get you something else tomorrow."

Tomorrow, tomorrow. In all my years with him, I had heard countless tomorrows.

But ever since they started their morning runs, in all those countless "tomorrows," there was never anything on the table I could actually eat.

I closed my mouth, not wasting any more words.

Ava, already acting like she owned the place, confidently headed for the master bathroom.

"Carlo, I'm just going to take a shower. I'm all sweaty and gross."

"Go ahead. The new silk robe is on the second shelf. I changed the aromatherapy to that scent you liked last time."

I knew that cabinet. It was always stocked with Ava's things: Italian silk robes, orange blossom-scented shower gel, and Ava's personal body massage oil.

But Carlo was the kind of man who couldn't even be bothered to change a lightbulb.

A lightbulb could be out for a week, and he wouldn't even look up.

Yet he kept inventory of Ava's bottles and jars better than the damn butler.

This was supposed to be our home.

But in that moment, standing in my own living room, I felt like a stranger.

A dull ache tightened in my chest.

I went back to my room, changed, and grabbed my bag on the way out.

Carlo finally sensed something was wrong. "Where are you going?"

"Out to run some errands."

He didn't press further, just lowered his head and began meticulously cutting Ava's bread into small pieces.

The moment I stepped through that door, the cold wind slapped my face, and I felt like I could finally breathe again.

My schedule for the day was tight. I had a lot to do.

I had to return the heavily embroidered custom wedding dress and cancel the venue at the cathedral.

The family's long-time designer greeted me with a perfect smile at her studio.

"Miss Lindia, is the Capo with you today?"

"I've made samples for both of the lace patterns you were undecided on last time. We're just waiting for Mr. Carlo to help you make the final decision."

She trailed off, her smile fading slightly when she noticed I was alone.

I gave a nonchalant smile.

"I came by myself."

"I won't be needing a fitting. I'm here to cancel the order."

The old woman's expression soured, but she was the most professional in the business and knew the rules. She didn't ask any more questions.

After all, no other bride-to-be in this city had come for six fittings without her fiancé showing up even once.

The first few times, she had even tried to make polite excuses for me.

"The Capo must be busy with business at the docks again, I presume?"

By the sixth visit, she had learned not to mention Carlo's name at all.

She would just silently come up behind me, zip up the dress, and smooth out the long train.

After the cancellation was processed, she handed me the receipt, her eyes filled with a trace of pity.

"Miss Lindia, a woman like you, so pure and beautiful, will one day find someone who truly cherishes you."

I was taken aback for a moment, then I sincerely thanked her.

But the moment I walked out of the shop, my eyes began to sting uncontrollably.

Even a stranger who had only seen me six times could tell Carlo was no good for me.

And it had taken me five years to finally see it.

By the time I processed the refund from the cathedral and canceled the security team and the florist, the sky was completely dark.

My phone screen lit up. It was Carlo's mother, the family matriarch.

"Lindia, come to the family estate for dinner tonight."

She paused, then added in a gentle tone:

"Carlo and Ava are already here. We're just waiting for you."