LOGINAlexander sat beside me on the bed in our bridal suite. He gently took my hand."I know what you're still worried about. He's waiting outside. Go talk to him. I'll be right here. I'll always protect you."I looked up at Alexander, deeply moved. I knew I could not keep letting his love pay the price for what Lucas had done.I turned and walked out.Lucas was crouched in the corner of the hallway.His hair was a mess, as if he had not touched a comb in days. His once straight shoulders had slumped. He looked nothing like the powerful heir of the Romano family.It was almost as if he had decided he would never leave until I came out.When he heard me behind him, he turned in disbelief. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up."Ivy! I knew you'd come see me. I knew you couldn't just let me go. You still have feelings for me, don't you?"He rushed over and pulled me into a tight embrace."I shouldn't have hit you. I never should have laid a hand on you. Please, give me one more chance. Let me
A week passed in the blink of an eye.To make sure I would not get tired, Alexander arranged for our wedding to be an evening reception."As long as my princess doesn't have to exhaust herself, I'll celebrate our wedding however you want."While I was getting ready, my phone alarm went off.When I opened it, I found a flood of messages from Lucas. Most were filled with regret, but he had become more frantic with every message.He kept insisting that he was coming to find me.My biggest fear was that Lucas had discovered where I was and learned that I was getting married.Where was he now? Was he nearby?What exactly was he planning to do?Chloe noticed how uneasy I had become and asked softly what was wrong.I said nothing. I only forced a calm smile.I was terrified he would destroy the peaceful life I had finally found.When the ceremony began, I stood on the bright red carpet. Alexander stepped out of the black car and came toward me, looking handsome and composed.Everything was pe
Alexander came home with me.Before we went inside, he had bought so many gifts and prenatal supplies that the delivery men needed several trips to carry everything upstairs.Even after all that, he kept checking the bags, worried he had forgotten something or that he had not prepared enough.Before knocking, Alexander stood outside the door in a perfectly tailored suit, looking more nervous than I had ever seen him.He made me check his tie again and again, asking if anything looked out of place.I tried not to laugh as I nodded."You look perfect. You're tall, handsome, and completely impossible to improve on."The moment the door opened and he saw my mother, the six foot one man who could command a room with a glance suddenly struggled to get a full sentence out.At last, he took a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head."Please let me marry Ivy. I swear on my name as the Don of the Moretti family that I'll spend the rest of my life protecting her and making her happy.
"Who the hell is that man?!"The man carried himself with quiet elegance. He greeted everyone around the table, including the family elders and the capos, with easy confidence.I pulled out the chair beside me and urged him to sit.Before anyone could react, I turned to Chloe."As promised, you're the first person I'm introducing him to. This is my husband, the father of my baby, and our old classmate, Alexander Moretti, the new Don of the Moretti family."Chloe's eyes widened. She stared at him, struggling to get the words out."Wait. The chubby kid? How did he turn into... this?""When did you two get back in touch? How did things move so fast?"I explained everything, without leaving anything out."His family moved part of its business overseas, so he went abroad to study. He returned six months ago, took over several of the family's legitimate holdings, and launched his own development company. I happened to be hired to design the interiors of one of his properties.""As for how he
Lucas pushed me away and got up to meet the woman at the door. Even his voice turned soft."Anna? What are you doing here? I told you I was just visiting a friend."I raised my head through the pain and finally got a clear look at that familiar face.Anna Rossi, the cherished princess of the Rossi family, one of the Romanos' most powerful rivals.The Rossis controlled the southern waterfront and had enough influence to stand against the Romanos. Anna had the best education money could buy. She was also the only woman who had ever turned down Lucas.Even after all these years away, she could still pull at his heart with no effort at all.She gave me a small, graceful smile."Well, she's your old friend. And Ivy and I have met a few times. Of course I came."I politely asked her to sit down. I didn't feel a thing.Anna's eyes landed on the pile of baby things by the bed, and she covered her mouth in surprise."Oh no. I didn't bring anything for the baby. Next time, I promise."Lucas jump
"Hey, Lucas. Think Ivy's gonna confess again? In front of the whole family this time?""How many times is that now? Man, I'm tired just watching her."The room burst out laughing.Then came Lucas's lazy voice."Let her. She wants to be my girlfriend. Other than that, she's pretty easy to have around."Someone laughed and pushed him. "What if one day she just stops talking to you?""She won't."Lucas answered like it was nothing. "She'll never leave me."I stood outside the door. My hand, which had been about to push it open, slowly lost all its strength.That was the first time I didn't use a joke to hint at how I felt.When dinner ended, Lucas stopped me himself and asked, awkwardly, if I had something I wanted to say.I shook my head. My silence seemed to make him angry. He took me straight to a hotel, insisting out of spite that I spell it out for him.I still don't want to think about what happened after that.When he woke up the next day, he was convinced I had set him up. He woul







