Chapter 2

Gabriele's face turned deathly pale as he whispered, "But Marcella is already engaged."

Matteo sneered coldly. "What does that matter? Once Mr. Alonzi has chosen someone, even if she were married, she'd still have to marry him!"

Gabriele collapsed onto the floor in fright, while my Madre, Ginerva Fontana, fainted on the spot.

I stared at the betrothal agreement in my hands, its cover boldly inscribed with the words, "A Match Made in Heaven."

How utterly ironic.

Helping Mamma up, I forced a bitter smile and murmured softly, "I'm willing to marry Giovanni."

"Mr. Alonzi dislikes publicity. Before the wedding, the Alonzi family does not wish to hear any ambiguous rumors, understood?" Matteo added sternly.

Gabriele nodded, trembling.

Satisfied, Matteo set down the betrothal gifts and left.

Mamma stared at the jewels and antiques scattered across the floor, overwhelmed with grief. "Marcella, what are we going to do? You're my only daughter. The Alonzi family is far from decent, and Giovanni is nothing but a violent, dying man.

"How are you supposed to live on from here? It's all your Padre's fault for dying so suddenly and leaving behind this wretched illegitimate child to stir up trouble! Now, anyone can just step all over us whenever they want.

"And you!" Mamma glared fiercely at Gabriele, her tone so full of hatred it felt as if she could devour him alive. "You ungrateful traitor! How could you help some outsider harm your own sister? Don't you have any conscience at all?"

A flicker of guilt flashed in Gabriele's eyes as he silently lowered his head.

I wiped away Mamma's tears and forced down the ache in my heart to comfort her.

"Mamma, don't worry. To put it bluntly, his short life might just be my chance at a long one. As long as I can endure, I'll eventually be free."

Just then, Elena and Riccardo walked in hand-in-hand. When she saw the betrothal gifts scattered on the floor, a trace of envy flashed in her eyes.

"Marcella, how impressive. Even if you can't marry Riccardo properly, you're still willing to throw in so much."

Riccardo wrapped his arm around Elena's waist and smiled mockingly at me. "Just moments ago, you turned me down. So, what's with the eagerness now?"

Mamma stood up and shouted at Elena angrily, "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Marcella wouldn't have—"

Just as her hand was about to strike Elena's face, Riccardo landed a sharp blow across my cheek.

Then, he snapped at Mamma, "From now on, Elena is my wife. As an elder, I won't disrespect you. But whatever you do to Elena, I'll do to Marcella. This slap is a warning."

Clutching my face, I fell to the ground.

A flicker of smug satisfaction flashed in Elena's eyes before she buried herself in Riccardo's arms, sobbing pitifully.

"If my Madre were still here, she would've protected me just the same."

Riccardo held Elena close, comforting her. "Don't be afraid. From now on, I'll stand up for you. No one will dare to bully you again."

Mamma helped me up and glared furiously at Riccardo. "After all the years you and Marcella spent together, how could you treat her like this now?"

Elena leaned weakly against Riccardo, weeping softly. "As long as Marcella doesn't mistreat me, I'm willing to share everything with her."

Before I could speak, Riccardo roared, "No! Elena, you're simply too gentle-hearted. If I don't teach Marcella a lesson and keep her in check, she'll surely target you again."

I stared coldly at the loving couple and sneered. "As if I'm dying to marry you. Just who do you think you are? How dare you boss me around like this?"

Riccardo tightened his arm around Elena and sneered back at me. "Let's see if you'll regret it in three days' time."

Before leaving, Riccardo threw the wedding dress I had custom-made onto the floor and walked away without looking back.

As I watched them leave, I let out a cold laugh.

In three days, I would indeed be getting married. But unfortunately, it wouldn't be to Riccardo.