บททั้งหมดของ He Married Her for a Game, So I Disappeared: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

The marble floors of New York City Hall glinted coldly under the fluorescent lights. One minute remained until our scheduled appointment. Vincenzo’s phone went straight to voicemail for the forty-seventh time.I leaned against a marble pillar.Then my phone pinged.My informant had sent me a screenshot from Seraphina’s private Instagram story.Truth or dare went way too far. We actually got married.Below the caption was a photo.Seraphina and Vincenzo were holding a freshly signed marriage certificate.The city clerk’s stamp was still visible at the bottom.Vincenzo’s fingers pinched Seraphina’s cheek, a lazy smirk on his face.His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar.The same shirt I had pressed for him that morning.Three months earlier, I had brought him that custom silk shirt for our engagement photos.He had been cleaning his Beretta 92F, not even looking up. “It’s just a family formality. Stop being so dramatic.”My thumb hovered over the screen. I liked the post and type

The next day, I went to the Luccarelli office as usual. No one would have guessed anything was wrong.I spent the morning going over reports and signing papers, handing off my projects to Antonio one by one. The other employees whispered among themselves.“Did she and Vincenzo fight again?”“They always fight. They’ll make up by the end of the week. We all know they love each other!”“Vincenzo’s probably just busy with that Seraphina girl. You know how he is.”Antonio pulled me aside at lunch. “Elena, are you sure about this? Vincenzo and his family will be furious if you cancel the engagement.”“I’m not marrying him.”Antonio sighed. “Alright. But take some time off, okay? You’ve been working too hard. The office will be here when you get back.”That afternoon, a delivery arrived at the office: a dozen red roses and a black American Express card. The note was in Vincenzo’s messy handwriting: “Stop being a brat. Come home when you’re done pouting.”I handed the roses to my assistan

Seraphina was still curled up in that hospital bed, pretending the fall had shaken her to her core. But Vincenzo wasn’t looking at her anymore. All he could see was my face and the way I had walked out of that Long Island ballroom without a single glance back.He thought I was acting petty. He had always thought that. For three years, every time he disappointed me, every time he chose Seraphina over me, I would retreat for a day or two, then return. He had taken that for granted.“Vincenzo?” Seraphina’s voice was soft, reaching for his hand. “What’s wrong? Is Elena still mad?”He pulled away so sharply she flinched. For the first time in three years, there was no warmth in his eyes when he looked at her.“Enough,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Stop acting.”Seraphina’s face paled. “What are you talking about? I—”“I said enough.” He stood up, grabbing his jacket. “The doctor said you’re fine. Go home. I have things to do.”He walked out, leaving her staring after him in sho

Vincenzo had to clean up the mess Seraphina had made first.He went back to the Manhattan apartment. Seraphina was there, sitting on the couch, watching TV. She had made herself at home.When she saw Vincenzo, she stood up, smiling. “Vincenzo! You’re home! I was worried about you. You’ve been working so hard—”“Pack your things,” Vincenzo said, cutting her off. His voice was cold and emotionless.Seraphina’s smile faded. “What?”“I said pack your things. You’re leaving.”“Leaving? Where am I going?” She started to cry. “Vincenzo, what did I do? I’m sorry if I did something wrong. Please don’t send me away. Luca would never have wanted—”“Don’t you dare say Luca’s name.” Vincenzo’s voice rose. “You have no right to say his name. He would be ashamed of you.”He threw the manila folder on the coffee table. The contents spilled out. Seraphina stared at the bank statements and text messages, her face turning white.“I kept my promise to Luca,” Vincenzo said. “I took care of you for three ye

Vincenzo went back to New York.He threw himself into his work. He worked twenty hours a day. He made the family stronger than it had ever been.But he was never happy.He never dated anyone. He never even looked at another woman. His heart was still in Sicily.He called Antonio every month, just to ask how I was. Antonio would tell him that I was fine. That I was running the Luccarelli family’s European operations. That I was happy.Vincenzo was glad. Even if I was not with him, he was glad I was happy.Six months later, the annual Sicilian Cosa Nostra Summit was held in Palermo. Every influential Don from around the world was there, but Vincenzo kept his promise and stayed away. He stayed in New York, never setting foot in Sicily again and never disturbing my peace.I showed up at the summit, calm and poised in a sleek black silk gown. I moved freely among the crowd, handling all the business and diplomatic affairs with effortless authority. Before long, Nicola Rizzo, Don of the p