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CHAPTER 64

Author: Nancy Grey
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-23 05:55:45
Dahlia’s POV

Andrea had been living with us for almost a week now, and somehow, her presence had changed the whole atmosphere in the house. The place didn’t feel as quiet or heavy anymore. There was laughter echoing down the halls now—hers and mine. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed having someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t constantly serious or thinking about security and responsibilities.

Andrea was so full of life. She talked fast, laughed loud, and had this way of pulling me out of my own head without even trying. She was effortlessly beautiful too—her long dark hair always shining, her smile easy and bright. Even though she was Luca’s cousin, she felt more like a best friend to me. We spent almost every moment together since she arrived.

Sometimes we would sit in the garden with tea and pastries, gossiping about random things like the way the guards never smiled or how Luca always looked like he was in a photoshoot even when he was just reading emails. Other times, she wou
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  • SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON   CHAPTER 140

    Dahlia’s POV“I did,” I said softly. “And I did. For years.”I leaned back in my chair, my hands shaking now, resting in my lap. “I put you first in everything. Always. Your needs came before mine. Your mistakes became my responsibility. When you ran, I stayed. When you fell, I picked you up. When you messed up, I cleaned it all away.”Her eyes flickered, but she said nothing.“I gave up so much for you,” I went on. “I swallowed my feelings. I kept quiet. I let you talk down to me. I let you hurt me, again and again, because I thought I owed you.”She laughed bitterly. “You do owe me.”“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t. Not anymore.”She leaned forward, her voice sharp. “So that’s it? You’re just throwing me away now that you’re living my life? Married to my husband?”“He’s not your husband,” I said, my chest tightening. “And I’m not living your life. I built my own.”Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re only there because I wasn’t.”“That’s not true,” I replied, my voice lo

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    Dahlia’s POVI sat there staring at her, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to escape my chest. The café suddenly felt too small. Too loud. Every sound around us blurred together, like I was underwater.“So,” I said slowly, my voice low and tight, “you really came all this way thinking I’d just… move aside.”Denise shrugged, like it was obvious. Like it made perfect sense.“You were never meant to be there in the first place,” she said. “That life was mine. Luca was mine.”I let out a shaky breath. “You ran away,” I reminded her. “You left. You chose to disappear.”She rolled her eyes. “Because I was scared. You know how I get.”That sentence.That excuse.It snapped something in me.“You don’t get to say that like it fixes everything,” I said, my voice rising despite myself. “You don’t get to vanish and leave me to clean up your mess, and then come back and ask me to give you my life.”She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Luca already thinks you’re me. He marrie

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  • SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON   CHAPTER 137

    Dahlia’s POVI laughed quietly. “Already?”“Yes,” he said immediately, like there was no other answer.My chest warmed. “I miss you too.”I sat down on the bed and pulled the blanket around myself. “How are things going over there?”“I’m handling it,” he replied. “Everything is under control. You don’t need to worry, my beautiful wife.”I smiled at the words, feeling comforted just hearing his voice. “I know.”Then I heard someone call his name in the background. Luca turned his head slightly, listening, his attention being pulled away.“I have to go,” he said, looking back at me. “But I’ll call you later.”“I know,” I said softly. “Go take care of things. We’ll talk later.”He smiled then. That slow, private smile that always made my heart skip. “Be good,” he said.“I will.”“Goodbye, princess.”“Goodbye.”The call ended, and the room felt too quiet afterward. I stared at my phone for a long moment before placing it beside me. My hand drifted back to my stomach again, my fingers curl

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