Chapter 2

My father’s excitement pierced straight through my heart.

I swallowed back the sob rising in my throat. “Okay. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

After the call ended, George’s voice followed, calm and unhurried. “The wedding will be held at the best hotel in the city. The flowers are being flown in on a private jet. We hired the most famous photographer for the wedding photos. It will be the wedding you wished for.”

I dug my nails into my palm, forcing my voice to stay steady. “So you think that’s enough? Because you spent a lot of money, I should cooperate with this ridiculous wedding?”

“I’m not forcing you.” He slipped one hand into his pocket and looked at me the way he would in a business negotiation. “But you’ve been with me for seven years. Without me holding you, you can’t even fall asleep. Can you really leave me? And your father, a single dad… Think about how long he’s been waiting for this day.”

As if certain he had won, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Don’t throw away what we have over an irrelevant woman.”

My chest felt heavy. “Then why don’t you divorce that ‘irrelevant woman’ first?”

A flicker of impatience passed through his eyes.

“Once the wedding is held, everyone will know you’re my only wife. In the future, our child will be the Grimaldi family heir. She won’t appear in our social circle and get in your way. You two never have to meet for the rest of your lives. I’ve done everything I can to satisfy you. Don’t be greedy.”

Greedy? Wanting my future husband to belong only to me was considered greed?

I clenched my teeth and said, “George, get out.”

He blinked. “Baby–”

I tore the ring off my finger and hurled it at him with all my strength, interrupting him, “Get out!”

He didn’t dodge. The diamond cut across his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. He bent down, picked up the ring, and studied me with an unreadable expression.

“I know you’re just saying this out of anger. You’ll regret it later. I should’ve had a child with you sooner. Then, you wouldn’t be hung up on this. You would’ve chosen to stay by my side.”

A chill ran through my body, and my hand moved instinctively to my lower abdomen. In his eyes, even a child would only be a tool to tie me down.

I turned my face away as I couldn’t bear to look at him.

“I’ll give you some time to calm down. I’ll come back in a while,” he said.

When the door closed, I slid down against the wall and sat on the floor. The happiness I thought I could almost touch had turned out to be nothing but a bubble—one poke, and it burst.

My phone suddenly rang. It was a neighbor from my hometown.

I took a breath and tried to sound normal. “Mr. Benny?”

But his voice was cautious, probing.

“Bella, have you been very busy lately? Have you been checking on your father’s health?”

My heart clenched. He was right. For the past three months, all my energy had gone into wedding preparations.

He continued, “He fainted in the yard today, and we sent him to the hospital. The doctor says his condition is serious… Did you know that?”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

“It’s late-stage cancer. Your dad didn’t want us to tell you. He doesn’t have much time left. He seemed more energetic after hearing about your wedding. He said his final wish is to walk you down the aisle… and hand you over to a man he trusts.”

The call ended because my tears kept falling onto the screen. I covered my face and cried silently for a long time until no more tears would come. Only then did I dial the number I knew by heart.

George answered almost immediately. “Baby, what is it?”

My expression was empty as I forced myself to speak, my voice hoarse. “Our wedding… will go on as planned.”