Chapter 1

The wedding that was about to take place turned into chaos. It was all because the bride mysteriously disappeared, and the commotion caused the Marino family to be in a state of frantic panic.

“You have to replace your sister and get married, Bella,” said Veronica, her adoptive mother.  

“Why me, Mom?” she looked at her adoptive mother with a sorrowful gaze.  

“You can’t refuse in a situation like this because there’s no one else but you who can replace Bianca to be Dominic Costa’s bride.”

“But Mr. Costa only wants Bianca. How could he possibly want to marry me?” She felt like her adoptive mother had gone mad for asking her to replace her sister in marrying Dominic Costa, who clearly wanted Bianca as his bride.

“I’ve already told you, you can’t refuse, Belladonna. I’m the one who raised you and took care of you. So you have to repay me by marrying Dominic Costa. Show your devotion to me as my daughter. If you don't marry him, our family business will be ruined!"

“But Mom? Isn't that fraud?”

“We will talk to Dominic Costa, so just do it. You must remember that I am the one who raised you, and if it weren't for us, you would have been dead on the streets at that time.”

Belladonna merely lowered her head and forced herself to hold back her tears.

Their first daughter, her older sister, was supposed to marry. But she unexpectedly left, claiming she wanted to pursue her career, and because of her disappearance, the Marino family was forced to find a replacement bride. Tragically, it was Belladonna who had to sacrifice herself to take her place.

She was only an adopted child of the Marino family. During a heavy snowfall, Phillip Marino found her in a thick pile of snow when she was still a baby. If her adoptive father hadn't found her, she would most likely have died.

Belladonna was a lovely twenty-two year old with slightly curled blonde hair and teardrop-shaped emerald green eyes. Her gaze was always melancholy, and she was a gentle girl. However, no one knew that she had a rare disease.

She never told anyone about it. She only found out a few weeks ago, when she went to the hospital for a checkup, that her illness was causing her to lose her memory. Her memory would deteriorate every day, and if she did not receive proper treatment, she would forget everything, even herself.

“Do it, Bella. Do it for this family. Bianca and Dominic Costa's wedding is coming up soon. So you have to replace her, as she will likely leave to pursue her career,” her mother added. “You have to show your devotion as the daughter I raised, and you have to repay me in this way.”

Belladonna lowered her head again upon hearing her mother’s words. She did owe a debt of gratitude to that family, even a debt of life. However, marrying Dominic Costa was not a good choice, especially since that man would surely turn her down.

She and Bianca were polar opposites. They had different body types. Bianca was drop-dead gorgeous, with long, straight hair. She also had a perfectly proportional body; after all, she was a model. Perhaps that was why Dominic Costa wanted Bianca. As for her, she and Bianca were like night and day.

“Do it, Bella. You have to save our family business by marrying Dominic Costa,” her adoptive father demanded this time. Of course, there was no way she could refuse his order.

“But I’m sick, Dad!” she pleaded weakly. She had to tell him about her illness so he would understand the rare disease she suffered from.

“Don't lie and pretend that you're sick, Belladonna!” Veronica went over to her daughter and grabbed her hand. “There's no time left, you have to get dressed right away because the wedding is about to start. Don't let Dominic arrive before you're ready.” She dragged her daughter to a room right away so she could get dressed for the wedding.

“I'm not lying, Mom. I'm really sick!”

“Enough!” her mother shouted, stopping in her tracks.

"Just this once, Bella. I beg you to replace your sister and marry Dominic. If it weren't for our family business being on the brink of bankruptcy, Bianca would never agree to marry him. Everyone knows who he is. You should understand why your sister ran away from this marriage, and I hope you are willing to take her place to save our family business."

“Dad?” Belladonna turned, looking at her father. She seemed to be asking her adoptive father for help. Still, he couldn't do anything and remained silent because now everything depended on Belladonna. Whether she was willing or not to replace Bianca and marry Dominic Costa.

“Belladonna!” her mother shouted again because they didn't have much time left.

She had no choice but to replace her sister and marry Dominic, even though she didn't want to. However, she owed a debt of gratitude to that family, and as a child they had saved, she was obliged to repay the Marino family.

The wedding dress that was supposed to be worn by Bianca now clung to her body, despite the dress not being quite right for her, as it had been specially designed for her sister, who had a perfect figure. However, it didn't look bad on her either.

She shouldn't have done it, as she knew that she was bound to face big problems in the future because of the marriage. But for the sake of repaying the debt, she was powerless and couldn't refuse her father and mother's wishes.

“Madam, Master requests Miss Bella to hurry, as the groom has arrived.” When a servant delivered the news, Belladonna swallowed the lump in her throat hard. If she were honest, she was extremely scared.

*****

Outside, a man stepped inside, looking dashing in his black tuxedo. He wasn't coming to a funeral, but to his own wedding.

Dominic Costa stared intently around him, making anyone who looked at him dare not look back for long. All heads bowed as he walked across the room, and no one dared to speak. His men followed behind him, no less intimidating than Dominic himself.

As soon as he arrived, the atmosphere became tense. Everyone felt an overwhelming pressure, and no one dared to speak because they were all afraid of him.

Dominic was the most influential businessman in the city. He controlled all business, both in high society and the underworld. He was known as the most notorious mafia boss of the Costa family, so no one dared to challenge him.

Phillip Marino was deeply in debt to Dominic. He couldn't pay back the millions of dollars he owed him. Therefore, Dominic offered a marriage proposal, but what he truly desired was Phillip's biological daughter, Bianca Marino, whom he secretly admired. But what happened?