Chapter 5

After the christening, the family gathered in the church hall for a group photo.

Bianca bustled around helping the photographer, Alex Brooks, get everyone into position. She had just finished when Alex waved her over.

"Could Mr. Rinaldi's fiancée stand on his right, please?"

For a second, the whole room went silent.

Bianca didn't correct him right away. She instinctively looked at Matteo.

A few family members quickly started laughing.

George Lombardi, one of the family's old-timers, waved his cane and teased her. "Even the photographer thinks you two are a couple. Bianca, why don't you just go stand next to Matteo? You'd look so natural together!"

More laughter broke out. Plenty of people were doubled over.

But even more of them were looking me over.

Bianca gave a rueful smile and shook her head.

"George, please. Elena's right here. Keep talking like that, and she won't want to be friends with me anymore."

She came over and hooked her arm through mine affectionately.

"I'm just used to helping Matteo host these things. Without me, I'm not sure these two could even pull off their own engagement party."

"That's true enough," someone chimed in with a laugh. "Matteo doesn't understand women, and Elena's too quiet. What would this family do without Bianca?"

Matteo ignored me so openly that the photographer mistook Bianca for his fiancée—even with me standing right beside him.

My hands curled into fists inside my sleeves, and before I could stop myself, I said, "So what you're saying is, you don't need me?"

The man who'd been joking went white in an instant and shot a frightened look at Matteo.

But lucky for him, offending a "fiancée" like me wasn't going to get him into any trouble.

When Matteo said nothing, Bianca jumped in to smooth things over. "What are you talking about? I'm just helping out. Of course you're the future Donna of the Rinaldi family, Elena!"

I shook off her arm and looked her straight in the eye. "Then where do you want to stand? Between Matteo and me, or on his other side?"

Bianca's smile froze. "That's not it at all," she said quickly. "Elena, how could you think that... Of course I have my own spot."

Matteo frowned. He didn't seem to like this kind of bickering.

He didn't say a word in my defense. Instead, he calmly turned to Alex and gave him his instructions.

"Hurry up and get this done. Don't waste our time."

In the end, Bianca stood on Matteo's right anyway, shoulder to shoulder with him.

As for me, I stayed where I'd been all along, on his other side, half a step away from him.

As the shutter clicked, Matteo angled his body to shield Bianca from the cold air blowing in through the door.

He never forgot to look after her, but he ignored me again and again.

The moment was frozen in that photo, and a few days later, it went up on the hallway wall.

The way Matteo had turned made it look as though he had his arm around Bianca. The two of them were right in the center of the frame.

The distance between Matteo and me looked like a river I could never cross.