3

At the entrance to the ballroom, I stopped dead.

The cream-and-gold decor was gone, replaced by blue.

The cake my mother had carefully decorated was gone too, replaced by a towering champagne display.

The old songs I loved had been swapped for pop hits, while the photo wall filled with pictures of Enzo and me was now a guestbook board.

I had waited three years for this wedding and spent three months planning every detail. Now I barely recognized the place. I could hardly breathe.

Enzo said casually, "Chiara liked it, so I let her change it. Honestly, her taste is better than yours."

I kept my voice as steady as I could and asked, "Enzo, do you remember whose wedding this is?"

Enzo looked at me as if the answer were obvious.

"Of course. But your design was too unique. A wedding is for everyone, not just you. Chiara knows how to please a crowd better than you. What's the problem?"

His complete lack of guilt killed any desire I had to argue.

"Fine. I understand."

My lack of reaction seemed to unsettle him.

"Nora, if it bothers you that much, we can have another ceremony later."

Chiara walked over and cut him off.

She was carrying a large bouquet and smiling brightly.

"Nora! I changed the flowers to roses. Romantic, isn't it?"

Before I knew what I was doing, I ripped the roses from her arms and slammed them onto the floor.

My mother was severely allergic to pollen, so I had deliberately chosen hydrangeas, which produced almost no airborne pollen, as the main decorative flowers.

I'd also made Enzo personally tell the staff to keep all flowers away from my mother's seat.

Enzo knew all of that, yet he still stepped in front of Chiara, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me back.

"Chiara meant well. What are you doing?"

Chiara immediately burst into tears.

"Nora must be angry at me for testing her today! But the advisor ordered those tests. She agreed to them. I just carried them out. How is that my fault?"

Every guest in the room turned to stare.

Some whispered. Others raised their phones.

Enzo looked around the room, frowning.

He strode up to me, tore the veil from my hair, and announced loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Chiara will take your place during the ceremony. When you've calmed down, I'll give you your place back."

With that, he led Chiara into a side room.

Everyone stared at me. Some looked sorry for me. Others were curious or openly amused.

Once, their stares would have hurt. Now I felt nothing.

All I cared about was my mother.

I hurried back to the bridal suite and threw open the door.

It was empty. My parents were gone.

Panic shot through me. I raced down the hallway, throwing open doors and screaming their names.

Then I heard my mother's faint voice coming from a VIP room with its door slightly open. "Ms. Lombardi, Nora has waited three years for this wedding. Could you please let this be the last test?"

Chiara answered carelessly, "That isn't up to me. The advisor's rules are the rules. If she wants to marry the future Don, this is the price she has to pay. But there is another option."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "Nora says your asthma is severe and that pollen will kill you. I don't believe her. Prove she wasn't lying, and maybe I'll let this last test slide."

I burst through the door.

"Mom, don't!"

Too late.

The roses slipped from my mother's hand. Her body went limp, and she collapsed.