All Chapters of I Died Before "I Do": Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Early the next morning, Cesare barged into my room and kissed me good morning, slow and lingering."Noemi, I was gonna take you to pick out your diamond ring today, but the Family's got an important meeting later." He looked almost apologetic. "So I had Sotheby's send over all this year's limited editions. You pick whatever you want."He paused, then added, "Oh—and that 8.21-carat One of a Kind from Harry Winston. I told 'em to hold it for you. See if you like it."Like always, what Cesare gave me were one-of-a-kind treasures.He said they stood for his one-of-a-kind love.Except that love had already been split—and given to someone else.After setting everything up, Cesare hurried out of the estate.I stayed in bed. Quiet. Waiting.I knew that unfamiliar number would send another update soon—Just like the first time, when it exposed the hidden home he kept.Less than half an hour later, a video popped up on my phone.The Don who was supposed to be at a Family meeting stood

Cesare froze when he heard Noemi had fallen.The next second, he bolted for the cliff like a madman. Below—nothing but a bottomless drop. No sign of her.He leaned over, ready to throw himself after her. Paulo and the staff grabbed him, hauling him back with everything they had."Let me go!" His eyes burned red. "Noemi!"It took Paulo and a few others to drag him away from the edge.Cesare collapsed into the freezing snow, still fighting them. His eyes stayed locked on the darkness that swallowed Noemi. He wouldn't look away. Not even for a second.'No. She can't just be gone.'Right there, he threw every resource he had into the search."Move!" His voice came out raw, eyes bloodshot. "Tear this damn mountain apart."I want Noemi found."Paulo had never seen Cesare like this.The Don who could bargain with a gun to his head now couldn't even stand without two guys holding him up.Rescue teams moved fast. Helicopters circled the gorge. Two crews rappelled down the cliff, che

When Cesare woke up, it was already the next evening.He shot upright in the hospital bed, staring at the door. His throat worked for a long moment before the words scraped out."Where's Noemi?"Paulo stood beside the bed, head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes.Cesare grabbed his collar. "Answer me!"His eyes burned red.Paulo's face went pale, voice shaking. "Don... while you were out, the search team followed procedure. They... sent the body for cremation."Cesare's pupils tightened. The blood in his veins went cold.He let out a hoarse roar. "Who gave the order? Without my say, who the hell cremated her?""It was the search team..." Paulo forced the words out. "The cliff conditions were brutal. The body had already started to..."They were afraid she wouldn't rest in peace, so they sent her to the funeral home first."By the time we got there, it was already..."Cesare shoved him aside before he could finish and stormed out of the hospital room barefoot.When he rea

Not long after Fiona left, hurried footsteps rushed up outside the door.Paulo hesitated a few seconds, then knocked softly, voice low. "Don, we found something important."Cesare didn't look up. His voice came out hoarse. "Come in.""We found... Signorina Naldoni's phone."Paulo held up a clear evidence bag. Inside was a cracked phone.Cesare's head snapped up. He went completely still."The tech team restored the data."Cesare took the phone, his fingers trembling as he unlocked it.The moment he opened the gallery, he froze.Photos of him and Fiona filled the screen—at the house he'd bought for her, at restaurants, at the hospital. Shots of him taking her to prenatal checkups. Cooking for her. Fiona smiling with her arm around him.One after another. Clear.All shot from hidden angles.Cesare's face drained of color.He scrolled and opened a video.On the screen, Fiona held a ring up to the camera—the 'One of a Kind' piece he'd promised Noemi."So you wanted the One o

A few days later, Marcello figured everything was locked down.He pulled in a few senior capos already fed up with Cesare and marched into the council room, ready to force a public vote to strip Cesare of the Don title.The door swung open.Marcello stopped cold.Cesare sat at the head of the table.No decay. No weakness. Just a quiet, hardened stillness.He'd been ready for this.Marcello's face darkened. "You—"Cesare lifted his eyes, slow. Exhaustion lingered there, but the cold cut deeper."These past few days," he said quietly, "I've been thinking about all the rats hiding in the dark."His gaze locked on Marcello. "Never thought one of them would be you."Marcello's expression shifted. He sneered. "What's the point of saying that now?"Years of resentment burst out. "Back then, I should've been next in line. You stole my seat for that woman. Now look at you—losing your mind over her. You got no business sitting there."His stare turned sharp. "You loved her that much