Alle Kapitel von When She Blooms, They All Wither: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 9

"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, am

Marco hurried over, nervously grabbing my hand. "Anna, don't get the wrong idea. We were just playing a game. I—"I laughed and cut him off. "It's fine. I don't mind. I trust you."He stammered, flustered, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Everyone, keep it down! I won't forgive anyone who even scares my lady the slightest."Sofia appeared, gliding toward us in a tight slip dress, her sway all confidence. "Long time no see, Anna. I heard you two are getting married. Congrats. You're so lucky to find a man who loves you… unlike me."Before I could respond, Marco blurted out, "Who says no one loves you?"She covered her mouth, giving an ambiguous smirk. The party fell into an awkward silence until someone tactfully changed the subject, and the noise picked back up.Marco kept glancing at me nervously, like he wanted to explain, but I didn't care anymore. I ignored his hesitations and walked to a corner to sit.He followed, poured me a drink, but his eyes couldn't stop darti

At dawn, Marco went straight to Sofia's place.I clenched my teeth, enduring the unbearable pain from my shattered wrist, and sent him a breakup message. Then, I grabbed my documents, called a cab, and headed straight for the airport.On the plane, everything had happened too fast. I only swallowed two painkillers in a hurry. When the medicine wore off, the fever hit me hard. Cold sweat soaked through my clothes.A kind flight attendant noticed something was wrong. When she opened my coat, she saw my wrist hanging at a strange, twisted angle. She immediately called the purser and announced the cabin, asking if there was a doctor present.Through the gaze of my fading consciousness, I saw a tall, blurry figure kneel before me. "High fever and wrist fracture. There's fever medicine in my bag… Hand me the gauze."His voice was deep and urgent, but steady. There was something in it that calmed people without trying.In my groggy state, I heard him say, "You're burning up. Come on, op

On the day of the wedding, Mamma was fixing my hair when she suddenly received a phone call. She left in a hurry, but I didn't think much of it.It wasn't until I was walking down the aisle, my hand in Papa's, that I looked up and met a pair of eyes from the front row of the hall.Marco.His face was pale as death, his whole body swaying as if he could collapse at any moment. When he saw that the bride was me, he froze completely. Then, like a wild animal that had lost control, he tried to rush straight onto the aisle."Anna!" he shouted hoarsely, almost hysterical. "Don't marry him!"Guests turned their heads in surprise. A group of well-trained guards stepped forward immediately and dragged him away without hesitation.Held back outside the chapel doors, Marco watched Ethan and me exchange rings with bloodshot eyes.After the priest finished the long vows, I spoke my answer clearly. "I do."He stood there frozen, a loud ringing filling his ears. Like a puppet with its strings

Marco Rossi's POVThree hours after I fired the shot that shattered my hand, the bleeding finally stopped.I closed my eyes. The pain wasn't just skin and muscle. It felt like something was gnawing at the bone, something I had done to myself.The doctor said I was mentally well. Maybe they were right. But I had to make Anna see and know that I was willing to atone for what I did to her.She wouldn't answer my calls, though. She left my messages unread and didn't even glance my way.On her wedding day, she walked down the aisle in her dress, but I was too insignificant to grab her attention. I called her name, and she didn't pause for me.I watched her exchange rings, watched her smile, and watched as she said, "I do."On my birthday, Enzo asked me what I wanted. I said I just wanted to make a phone call. He laughed softly and asked to whom, and I said, "My fiancee."He shook his head and sighed. "Don, did you forget again? Your fiancee is already married to someone else."I di