When She Blooms, They All Wither

"Mamma, I think I'll accept the marriage alliance."

The living room was pitch black. My voice was soft, but in the dead silence of the night, it sounded clear and numb.

Mamma was overjoyed. "Brava! Now, you don't have to worry about the wedding because your papa and I will handle it all. I'm confident the man we picked will be a good match for you.

"Not only that, I promise his character and his family are first-rate. After all, my daughter deserves the very best."

"Grazie, Mamma."

"And happy birthday, amore. Right—you should say a proper goodbye to the Don of the Rossi family. You've been in Liberty City all these years, and he's taken such good care of you. We must invite him to the wedding."

I fell silent for a moment before answering, "Sure."

A sound came from the doorway. The lights in the living room flicked on.

Marco Rossi stopped when he saw me sitting there. For a second, he looked surprised. Then, he smiled and walked over, pulling me into his arms. "Who upset you, amore?"

He rubbed his face against my neck, leaning in like he wanted a kiss. I turned my head away to dodge him. "You smell like whiskey. Go take a shower first."

He squeezed the palm of my hand. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you, amore. I'll make sure I get nice and clean."

As he got up, it seemed like he remembered something. "Oh, by the way, who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

I looked at him. "My mamma."

His furrowed brow relaxed. He turned and draped a tourmaline necklace around my neck. "I knew it was meant for you the moment I saw this. Amore, you'll look stunning in it with the wedding dress. I can't wait for our wedding."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my face blank, and forced a bitter smile.

No, there wouldn't be a wedding… because we weren't getting married, Marco.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. I hadn't meant to look, but as I got up, my eyes caught the contact name, Sofia.

"Marco, Luca wants to break up with me again. He doesn't want me anymore. What should I do? I need you now."

My hands and feet went ice-cold all at once, and my breath hitched for a second.

When Marco came out of the shower, I was pouring water. He picked up his phone out of habit, his expression unreadable the moment he read the message.

He rushed to the bedroom to throw on clothes. As meticulous as he usually was, he didn't even notice he had buttoned his shirt wrong this time.

At the door, it seemed he finally remembered I was standing silently by the table. He hurried back. "Amore, there's an emergency in the family. I have to go right now. Don't wait up for me tonight."

With that, he pressed a half-hearted kiss to my forehead and left.

The door slammed shut, and the apartment sank into silence. I lowered my head, staring at the puddle spreading across the table. I grabbed a napkin and carefully wiped it dry.

I sank onto the couch, clenching the crumpled napkin in my hand, while that glaring message kept replaying in my mind, along with Marco's panicked expression.

So, it was all because of Sofia Colombo, the woman who had tangled Luca and me up in three years of on-and-off drama. Now, she even wanted to steal Marco from me.

I laughed bitterly and shook my head at myself. Maybe this was just fate messing with me. Mamma was right—I did deserve the best. The man I was meant for had never been Marco or Luca.

I didn't know what kind of man Papa had arranged for me to marry, but one thing was clear—he wouldn't come near me with ulterior motives like Marco, and he wouldn't leave me exhausted and drained like Luca.

I took a deep breath, wiped away my tears, and headed into the kitchen.

Soon, this would all come to an end.

Before the refrigerator, I took out a birthday cake. After lighting up the candles, I solemnly made a wish before the clock struck midnight.

"Happy birthday to me."