All Chapters of The Bride Adrian Couldn’t Keep: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

At my words, my mom was busy rewriting the invite, my dad breathing easy for the first time in six years. "Nicolo's a good choice. We told you Adrian wasn't worth it. You're finally awake."I'd hit the wall. It was time to let go.Adrian called right after I finalized the gown details. "I pulled some family strings to book that top master chef you’ve been begging to try for months. Meet me at the restaurant noon." I almost refused, but we needed a clean break for both ourselves and our families.When I was back, Adrian was already waiting at the door. He tried to reach for my hand. I turned sideways to avoid his touch, walking straight to the restaurant. He stared at his hand frozen in mid-air, speaking impatiently. “Don’t be childish. Torino struck without warning. Bianca had no one else to turn to. You do remember I swore to protect them after Rico died in that shootout, don’t you?”I said nothing and sat down, reaching for the custom menu the chef had prepared. He tugged his tie

Chapter 2

By then, I was surrounded by other family members holding up their phones, a torrent of abuse closing in. I’d thought he’d have something to say in my defense, but instead he blamed me. “Seraphina, I didn’t think you could be this vicious. Find time to apologize to Bianca and Lia.”With that, he drove off without a second glance, leaving me to face the humiliation alone. It was only when the Bellini family’s head butler arrived with guards and dispersed the crowd that I could leave.My white gown stained. My heart broke.I sent the driver away and walked the Sicilian coast back to our castle.When I pushed open the door, Adrian was sitting on the living room sofa smoking a cigar. I saw the clear disgust in his eyes. “You’re back?”I looked at him calmly, speaking, “Adrian, we’re done.”He froze, staring at my face. “Is this just about what happened at the restaurant? Seraphina, I thought you’d understand. If I’d defended you there, Bianca and Lia would have been the ones hurt.” He paus

Chapter 3

I flashed back to that night two years prior. In another act of Torino family retaliation, they’d abducted me, five months pregnant with our child, from the desolate Palermo streets.Adrian had assembled his men for the rescue, only to abandon the mission at Bianca’s frantic call. She’d faked a life-threatening medical crisis for Lia, and he’d rushed the girl to the hospital, losing critical hours of rescue time.By the time my father led the Bellini family’s armed guards into the warehouse where I was held, gunning down Torino’s men, I had already slipped into unconsciousness, and our baby was gone.I'd forgiven him that time. Now, he'd forgotten every bit of his guilt and every promise he’d made."Seraphina?" I woke to Adrian's face. I blinked, trying to tell if it was real or a hallucination, when Lia leaned in and curled her lip. "See? I told you Aunt Seraphina was faking it."The second my eyes cleared, Adrian pulled Lia behind him, shielding her tightly.I pushed myself off the f

Chapter 4

After I arrived at Hawaii, Adrian returned to the castle only to find it locked. He called me at once, his voice filled with fury and demand. "Seraphina, what the hell have you done? Do you still want me to marry you or not?"A cold, deep voice answered. "Who the hell are you? She's my wife. You don't get a say."Then the phone was hung up.Refusing to accept defeat, he leveraged the family’s clout to seize the estate illegally, and hold his own fake wedding ceremony there with Bianca.My phone was ringing, it was the property manager from the family trust, telling me everything in the estate. My heart was broken already, so I didn't care what Adrian was doing there. I just told the manager to take back the estate and sell it as soon as possible.On the morning of the wedding day, in front of the dressing room mirror, my parents looked at me wearing my wedding gown, their eyes glistening with tears. "Seraphina, you are the pride of the Bellini family."“We’ve watched Nicolo grow up ri

Chapter 5

My gaze moved past him, to the woman stepping down from the wedding carriage. Just as I’d expected, it was Bianca. I’d never thought they could sink to such depths of shamelessness.They’d dared to seize the coastal dowry estate of the Bellini family, gifted to me by my parents, and use it as the venue for their own wedding.Adrian rushed forward, saying, “Seraphina? It’s really you. What are you doing here?”The smile faded from my face. “If you can be here, why can’t I?”“Seraphina, let me explain. Bianca said she and Rico never had a proper family wedding before he died, and she wanted to experience the ceremony just once. That’s the only reason I agreed to go through the motions with her.” “None of it is real. It’s just a show for the underworld circles. There’s nothing between Bianca and me. Don’t get jealous and throw a fit over this.”I shook my head gently. “Don’t worry. I’m not jealous, and I’m not throwing a fit.”Adrian let out a heavy breath of relief. “That’s good…”He ha

Chapter 6

Adrian stared after the fading wedding carriage, the sound of its wheels on the cobblestone road hammering like a sledgehammer against his chest. Bianca stepped forward and reached for his arm. “Adrian, Lia’s waiting for us on the beach. We need to get back. I never thought Seraphina would be seeing another man behind your back, let alone marry him this fast. But don’t worry. Lia and I will always be here for you.”“Shut the hell up!” It was the first time Adrian had ever sworn at Bianca. He glared at her with bloodshot eyes. “Seraphina would never betray me. She promised she’d marry me!”He shoved Bianca out of his way with brutal force, stormed toward the sedan, and raced off in the direction the wedding carriage had gone.At the gates of the luxury hotel in Hawaii, the wedding poster for my union with Nicolo stood front and center. The photo showed Nicolo and I side by side, the family’s ancestral vineyards and castle rising behind us.Adrian’s legs felt like they’d been nailed t

Chapter 7

The wedding march began, and the ceremony officially started. Adrian hid in the shadows at the back of the crowd, staring at me standing on the stage. This ceremony was supposed to be his. The man standing beside me was supposed to be him. He’d destroyed it all with his own two hands.He drank nonstop, glass after glass of wine sliding down his throat.It wasn’t until the officiant said to the groom “You may now kiss the bride,” that Adrian’s legs gave out beneath him. He stumbled backward, and hit the floor hard. The deafening crash sent the entire hall into an uproar. “We need a doctor! Someone’s passed out! He’s completely drunk, get the family physician! Which family is he with?”Adrian heard the chaos around him, but his eyes were fixed only on me, standing on the stage. He stared into my eyes, desperate to find a flicker of concern, of panic, of anything at all for him.But my gaze was calm, empty, sweeping over his face like he was nothing more than a stranger. Then I looked

Chapter 8

Adrian cut her off with a snarl.“If it wasn’t for you and your daughter manipulating me at every turn, Seraphina would never have left me. She’d never have married someone else! You two ruined everything for me. Get out of my sight. Now.”Lia burst into tears, terrified by his shouting. Bianca’s face twisted with fury. “You’re the one who begged to take care of us! You’re the one who loved the attention, the way we both fought for you! Don’t act like you’re the victim now! You deserve to be abandoned by Seraphina! I would have left you years ago if I were her! You’re nothing but a spineless coward, Adrian!”With that, she grabbed Lia’s hand and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.The room fell deathly silent. Bianca’s words echoed in Adrian’s head. He knew he was wrong, but it was too late.He dialed Seraphina’s number, only to be met with a permanent busy signal. He reached out to every mutual family ally they had, and every single one told him to let her go.

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