Chapter 4

The moment Raffaele saw me, he strode over.

"The opera ended at eleven. Where have you been?"

"I called you more than a dozen times. Why didn't you answer?"

I stepped away from his reaching hand and opened the door.

"My phone was on silent. I didn't hear it."

He followed me inside, still visibly annoyed.

"Don't pay attention to the story on the news. The reporters exaggerated everything. There is nothing between Gianna and me."

It took me a moment to remember the report about him shutting down the street.

"It's fine. I'm used to stories like that."

Raffaele stopped short.

Perhaps my answer finally forced him to remember everything he had put me through. For once, a trace of guilt surfaced in his eyes.

Then he produced a velvet box. Inside was an enormous blue diamond ring.

I froze for a moment. I had dreamed of this scene more times than I could count.

I'd imagined Raffaele sliding a ring onto my finger and giving our seven years together the ending I had always believed they deserved.

Now, as I stared at the diamond, I felt nothing.

I set the box carelessly on the table.

Raffaele's expression shifted. He followed me into the room, frowning.

"You really have changed, Sofia. Why aren't you even..."

He trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

In his mind, I should have been overwhelmed with joy. I should have put on the ring, thrown myself into his arms, and forgotten every hurt he'd ever caused me.

The thought brought a thin, perfunctory smile to my face.

"It's a beautiful ring."

"Do you like it?" He watched me with an almost boyish expectation in his eyes.

My smile remained in place. "I suppose I do."

There had been a time when I treasured even a rose he had plucked for me in passing.

How could I possibly dislike a diamond that valuable?

Raffaele visibly relaxed, and a smile touched his mouth.

"Good. I meant what I said, Sofia. I'll be dressed for the occasion when you propose for the fifty-third time. I'll handle the setting and every detail. All you have to do is show up looking like the most beautiful bride in the world."

"I'll arrange the venue, the ring, and the guests. And you are not going to punish me over something this trivial again."

I looked at his earnest face.

“All right. Whatever you want.”

He paused. At last, he seemed to hear the indifference beneath my answer.

He reached for my hand.

Before he could touch me, his phone rang sharply.

He listened for only a few seconds before looking at me with an apologetic expression.

"The warehouse at South Harbor was hit. Two of our men are dead. I need to deal with it now."

I didn't call him on the lie. I could hear Gianna's voice clearly through the phone.

"I understand. Go."

My calm acceptance seemed to unsettle him. Panic flickered in his eyes.

He pressed his lips together as if he meant to explain, but in the end, he said only, "I'll wear my formal suit tomorrow night. We'll make the proposal everything it should have been."

"I'll introduce you to the world as my Donna. I won't keep you waiting this time."

Then he hurried away.

I closed the door, tossed the diamond ring into a drawer, showered, and went to bed.

The next morning, someone rang my doorbell.

When I opened the door, I found Gianna standing on the other side.

She was still wearing the silver-blue gown from the night before, but the gentle expression she had worn at headquarters was gone.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Raffaele is finally going to accept your proposal tonight."

She gave a soft laugh.

"All I had to do last night was call him once. He left you alone and came straight to me."

"If he really loved you, why would he choose me every single time?"

The smug curve of her smile reminded me of the woman I'd been seven years ago, so certain I would one day become Raffaele's Donna.

"If he treats you so well, why hasn't he married you?" I asked.

"You should have made your case last night. You should have told him to bring you the diamond ring and make you his Donna instead."

Gianna's face changed instantly. Humiliation sharpened her voice as she hissed at me.

"The only reason you're still at his side is that you saved his life and helped him take control of the Moretti family."

"If he didn't feel indebted to you, why would a man like Raffaele ever marry you?"

I didn't have the strength to argue with a fool.

I took the ring from the drawer and held it out to her.

"You can have his ring. You can have tonight's proposal, too. Let's see if you're brave enough to take it."

Gianna stared at me in disbelief, as if she were waiting for the trap to reveal itself.

After a moment, she snatched the ring from my hand.

"Fine. As you wish!"

She turned on her heel and swept away like a proud swan.

I closed the door and let out a slow breath. Then I picked up the suitcase I had packed days ago and left for the airport.

Just before boarding, I received a message from Raffaele.

[“Tonight, you won’t have to ask me. This time, I’ll be the one proposing. Make sure you’re there.”]

I smiled, blocked his number, and deleted every contact connected to the Moretti family.

By the time my plane climbed above the clouds, the proposal livestream had begun.

Viewers who had tuned in to mock me were stunned to find Raffaele in front of the cameras instead.

Dressed in a flawless black suit and holding a bouquet of my favorite lilies of the valley, he waited for his bride to walk toward him.

The footsteps drew closer. Then his eyes widened.

He roared at the woman standing before him.

“Why is it you?”