Home / The Don Chose Her Eight Times, I Married Another Man / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Don Chose Her Eight Times, I Married Another Man: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

It was almost midnight when Vito got back.He and Elena had finally finished watching that old movie.Supposedly, it had been her late parents' favorite."Elena feels much better. She says that at our next wedding, she'd love to wear the heroine's pink gown from the movie and be your maid of honor again."Vito loosened his tie as he came up behind me.He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and murmured in my ear, "You're not still mad at her about that little slip-up last time, are you? Ivy, she really didn't lose your ring on purpose.""Of course not."I kept my face blank as I packed the folded clothes into a large suitcase, then pushed his arms away.But he didn't notice anything was wrong. Just like the previous seven times, he tossed off the same easy promise."Ivy, I promise you, this is the last time."Next time, I promise I'll give you the grandest wedding there is."His words couldn't reassure me anymore.After all, he'd postponed our wedding eight times for his adopted

Chapter 2

A few days later, I went to a dinner party with Jessica at a private seaside club in Palermo.On paper, it was about negotiating Mediterranean smuggling routes and dividing up port revenue.In reality, the Colombi family had organized it so the major families could trade favors and carve up territory."Darling, I'm so glad you finally came to your senses. You know Luciano's had a thing for you since high school."Jessica straightened the ribbon on my gown and said the ruby ring he'd given me suited me perfectly.During the wine tasting, a commotion broke out near the entrance.Vito walked in with his arm around Elena's waist. In a tailored dark gray suit, with four heavily armed Colombi guards at his back, he cut an intimidating figure.Elena wore a soft white gown and clung to Vito's arm.Our eyes met across the crowd.Elena followed his gaze and smiled at me. "Ivy, I thought you were still mad at me and wouldn't want to come to tonight's dinner with Vito."Jessica stepped forward to

Chapter 3

I'd thought the dinner would be the last time I saw Vito before the wedding.But the night I handed over the Colombi family's accounts and access to its shipping routes, Gabe passed along word that Vito wanted to see me.I could have refused, but I agreed and waited for him on the terrace of the Falconi estate.He drove over alone, without Elena or a crowd of guards.In the fading light, he seemed less arrogant than usual."Gabe told me you went to the office yesterday and handed everything over?"I answered flatly, "Yes."For a moment, neither of us spoke.Vito seemed to think it over."That's fine, actually. Once we're married, you'll need to focus on having heirs and running our home."Elena never finished college, but she's smart. She should be able to pick it up quickly.""I cut him off. "Is that all you came to ask? Don't you need to be with Elena?"Vito answered without thinking."She's a grown woman. She doesn't need me beside her every minute."The moment the words were out,

Chapter 4

I heard Vito and Elena had a huge fight.It started over the slippers that didn't belong to her.The sprained ankle was fake, as usual, but cutting my slippers to shreds had made Vito angry with her for the first time.He scolded her for acting like a puppy that refused to grow up.But when Elena jumped from the second-floor landing in a fit of rage, he was scared out of his mind all the same.Vito called me from outside her hospital room."I'm sorry, Ivy. I can't take you to the opera tonight either."But don't worry. The wedding in three days will go ahead as planned."This time, no matter how much Elena cries, I won't give in."I just laughed it off."It's fine. I've already seen the opera."As for the wedding, you're welcome to cancel it like before.""Ivy."There was anger in the way Vito said my name."I can't believe you're still acting out over this."Elena broke her arm, and I still didn't cancel the wedding. How could you say something so cold?""I just don't want to stand ar

Chapter 5

At five in the morning, Vito stood in his dressing room, straightening his tailored black tuxedo.The cuff links were the birthday gift I'd given him last year: a pair of plain silver anchors.I'd told him I hoped he'd always find his way home, like a ship returning to harbor after a storm.He'd barely glanced at them before tossing them into a drawer, and he hadn't dug them out until today.He was looking forward to the moment I noticed them, picturing that old look of adoring happiness on my face."Don."Gabe, the man he trusted most, knocked at the door."As you ordered, I put a small dose of sedative in Ms. Rossi's milk."Vito sighed softly."Let's hope this time she sleeps ten hours or more, right through the wedding."Tell her I'll see her when she wakes up. She can make as much of a scene as she wants then. But today, I won't make Ivy wait again."Vito straightened his collar one last time, then drove himself to St. Mary's Cathedral.He'd promised to take me on a honeymoon to th

Chapter 6

My husband, Luciano, stood in front of me.He wore a black suit and gazed at me tenderly, as if I were the only person in the world.In that moment, I knew I didn't want to waste another second on Vito.I wouldn't keep Luciano waiting, not even for a second.I spoke softly into the phone. "Vito, there are tens of thousands of churches in the world and countless couples waiting for their happily ever after."But the man I'm marrying will never be you."I hung up and slipped my arm through Luciano's.The priest opened the Bible and began to read the vows in a warm, solemn voice.Jessica, my maid of honor, stood beside me in a little pink dress, her eyes wet."Luciano Falconi, do you take Ivy to be your wife, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love her, honor her, and protect her, until death do you part?""I do."Luciano's voice was low and steady. He didn't hesitate."Ivy, do you take Luciano to be your husband, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,

Chapter 7

Vito's POVThe line went dead.I gripped the phone as a panic I'd never known before flooded through me!"Gabe!"I spun around, grabbed Gabe by the collar, and slammed him against the wall."When you went to pick her up two days ago, what did she say?! Where the hell is she?!"My voice shook with anger and, even more, fear."She must have been kidnapped. Was it that bastard Bassi, or that snake Orelli?! All those strange things she said on the phone, someone was forcing her to say them! She was trying to tell me something! No, I have to save her! I have to!"Gabe's face was turning purple, and he struggled to speak."Don... please, just calm down."When I went to the Falconi estate two days ago, Miss Ivy did say something strange..."I glared at him."What did she say?""She said that if someone was waiting on the road to ambush her, she just wouldn't go to the church. Problem solved."Gabe's voice trailed off, and he looked away."I thought she was just talking. I didn't think much of

Chapter 8

The sea wind was strong, but I didn't feel cold.Luciano stood beside me, his warm hand resting against the small of my back like a seawall against a storm.I could hear the smile in his voice."Don't be afraid. We're free."I looked at him, rose on my toes, and kissed him.But the sudden roar of an engine soon shattered the calm.The sound grew louder and louder, like a beast howling out of control.I turned instinctively and saw a speedboat tearing across the water straight toward the cruise ship.A man stood at the bow.Even from that far away, with the wind blurring his face, I recognized him at once.Vito.The speedboat was covered in roses.Red, white, and champagne-colored roses were piled high, a grand declaration that had come far too late.All I felt when I looked at them was bitter amusement.I remembered the afternoon Elena had merely frowned, covered her nose, and mentioned a pollen allergy. Without a second thought, Vito had the rose garden I'd spent three years tending

Chapter 9

Jessica sat across from me in a wicker chair, swirling a half-full glass of sparkling water. The look on her face was priceless."He's lost it. Vito Colombi, the almighty Don, has been camped outside my house for three days like a puppy that's lost its bone."I paused in the middle of trimming the flower stems."So what does he want?""To see you."Jessica rolled her eyes."He asked me where you were, where the ship went, even whether Luciano was hiding you."I told him you're doing great. Better than great."I said nothing and looked down at the white roses blooming in the vase.Vito.That name was like gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I couldn't shake it off, and it made me sick.He was used to controlling everything. To him, I was still the Ivy who would be waiting exactly where he'd left her.He thought all he had to do was crook his finger or send me a pile of expensive gifts like before, and I'd come running back."Look, is that him again?"Jessica held out her phone. An un

Chapter 10

Vito's POVOutside the window, the sky went from ashen gray to pitch black, then dragged its way back to gray.I didn't turn on the lights.A shipping manifest lay open on my desk. I'd stared at it for three hours without taking in a single number.Gabe hesitated in the doorway for a long time before knocking tentatively."Don, the shipment in Naples has been held up for a long time. The port keeps asking for your signature.""Get out."I snarled, my nerves already raw.Ivy had been gone for more than two months.On that last call, she'd told me she wasn't coming back.She'd have the baby at the estate in Siena and stay there until the child turned one.I didn't believe it.Until the cruise ship returned.The wedding guests returned.Ivy's family and friends returned. Even the Falconi family came back to the city, one by one.Everyone except Ivy.And her new husband, Luciano.I refused to give up, so I went to Ivy's parents' house.They'd watched her grow up, and they'd always been p

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