Chapter 3

The following evening, I stepped aboard the yacht where Renato's welcome reception was being held.

I spotted Elio almost immediately. He stood among a cluster of guests with a glass of wine in his hand, laughing and talking as if he owned the place.

As if he sensed me watching, he glanced over.

For one fleeting second, surprise flashed in his eyes.

I looked nothing like the understated woman he'd seen at the harbor yesterday. Tonight, I wore a floor-length red gown with my curls falling loosely over my shoulders. The gown was Renato's favorite.

Elio's gaze lingered before he finally walked over. "Looks like you took my advice after all."

His arrogant expression returned as though that brief moment of admiration had never happened.

"If you'd listened to me four years ago, you wouldn't have spent all this time struggling on your own. At least you've finally learned where you belong.

"Marianne has already given the Ricci family its heir. But if you behave tonight and don't cause me any trouble, I might still consider making you my Donna."

I nearly laughed.

"Now go." He tipped his chin toward a deserted corner of the yacht. "Stay where you belong."

I gave him a cool glance, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.

The main deck had been transformed for the reception. Flowers spilled from elaborate arrangements beneath strands of warm lights, and uniformed servers moved between elegantly dressed guests carrying silver trays of champagne.

It was the section reserved for the evening's guests of honor.

"Where do you think you're going?" Elio grabbed my arm.

I stopped.

"That area is reserved for the most important guests," he hissed. "Don Costa and his Donna will be arriving any minute. What are you trying to pull now?"

I looked down at his hand until he released me.

"I'm going where I'm supposed to be," I said, raising an eyebrow. "That's my place."

Elio's jaw tightened.

"Not this again." His patience was clearly wearing thin. "Wake up, Stella. Do you seriously think you're someone important now?"

"Elio." Marianne appeared beside him.

Her gaze swept over me, and a mocking smile tugged at her lips.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't have the nerve to show up."

Then her eyes dropped to my hand. The smile vanished.

Her face darkened the instant she saw the ruby ring still sitting on my finger.

"Stella!" she snapped. "You're still wearing that fake?"

Her voice rose sharply enough to cut through the conversations around us.

"Are you doing this on purpose? Do you actually want to insult the Don and get all of us killed?"

One conversation after another died away.

Within seconds, every eye around us was fixed on me.

The other guests turned toward us, their attention immediately drawn to the ring on my finger.

They might not have known who I was, but everyone in these circles knew about the five-million-dollar ring Renato had bought at auction. And thanks to Marianne, they had all just been told the one on my hand was a fake.

Whispers spread across the deck.

"Don Ricci," one of the guests finally asked, "do you know this woman?"

Elio hesitated.

For one brief second, our eyes met.

Then he stepped away from me, deliberately putting distance between us.

"No."

One word.

After five years together, he denied even knowing me without batting an eye.

Marianne's expression immediately turned triumphant.

"You heard him." She lifted her chin. "Now take off that ridiculous ring, throw it away, and get off this yacht. Immediately."

She clearly expected me to crumble from humiliation and run.

Instead, I stayed exactly where I was.

I looked from Marianne to Elio, my expression cold. "Are you sure you want to throw me off this yacht?"

My lack of fear only seemed to infuriate her more.

Marianne lunged forward and seized my hand, trying to wrench the ring from my finger.

"Let go." I tried to pull away, but I was trapped near the edge of the deck with nowhere left to retreat. Dark water churned below us.

In the struggle, someone's wineglass crashed to the floor.

Before I could regain my balance, Marianne shoved me down.

I landed hard among shattered glass and spilled red wine. Pain shot through me, but I clenched my teeth and forced the words out.

"Stop. I'm Don Costa's wife…"

"Oh, please, Stella." Marianne's eyes curved with amusement, but her voice dripped with contempt. "You're still clinging to that fantasy? You really are obsessed with becoming a Donna. Do you honestly think claiming to be Don Costa's wife is going to scare us?"

Before I could stop her, she grabbed my hand again.

She forced my fingers apart and tore the ring from my hand. Pain stole the rest of my words.

Elio wasn't even looking at me anymore. His attention had shifted anxiously toward the marina, as though the only thing that mattered was making sure Renato didn't arrive in time to witness the scene.

"Get her out of here," he ordered. "Take her back before she causes any more trouble."

Just as the men in black suits started closing in on me, the entire marina fell silent.

Every conversation stopped at once.

People froze where they stood, then turned toward the same direction and lowered their heads. No one dared make a sound.

Elio's expression changed instantly.

He grabbed me off the deck and hauled me to my feet before quickly pushing me behind him, trying to hide me among the crowd. "Don't start anything. If you want to walk out of here alive, keep your mouth shut."

But I barely heard him. My eyes had found the man approaching from the other end of the marina.

And his had found mine.

The moment Renato saw me, his entire expression changed. His eyes lit up. Then the most feared Don in North Amrea quickened his pace and headed straight toward me.