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All Chapters of Beg All You Want, Don: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Isabella reclined on a leather seat and waved her phone at Dante.“See? Sienna won’t even answer my video call. She seriously can’t take a joke.”Dante stood at the helm, one hand on the wheel. He frowned.“The signal’s probably bad out there.”“Oh, please.” She dropped the phone into her lap. “She’s pissed again. We’re twins, but she’s been like this our whole lives. One little joke, and suddenly everyone’s out to get her.”She rolled her eyes.“Always looking at everyone like they owe her something.”I hovered above the freezing water, watching them.Below me, my body sank between the rocks.I could still feel the moment my gown had filled with water. The weight pulling at my hips. My nails scraping uselessly against the rock.Dante had chosen that dress himself.During the fitting, he’d stood behind me with his hands on my waist, watching the tiny diamonds catch the light.“Wait until you see it at night,” he’d murmured. “You’ll look like you’re wearing stars.”Now they glimmered fa

Chapter 2

Isabella caught his wrist.“Dante, wait.”Her voice was hesitant.“She’s still mad. What if she makes you mad at me? You know she won’t let this go until someone takes her side.”His thumb hovered over the screen.Mom sighed.“She’s right. Sienna always has to win. Call her now, and she’ll think throwing a fit gets her whatever she wants.”Dad settled into an armchair and lifted his whiskey.“Leave her out there a little longer. Maybe she’ll learn to laugh at herself.”He looked at Dante.“She’s about to become the Moretti Donna. She can’t expect you to drop everything whenever her feelings get hurt.”I hovered between the sofa and the fireplace, staring at my parents.Maybe she’ll learn.There was always something I needed to learn.How to wait. How to give things up. How to make myself smaller so Isabella never had to feel bad.I’d been offered a place in a prestigious design fellowship in Milan.They’d chosen six graduates from hundreds of applicants. I’d submitted my portfolio with

Chapter 3

Isabella’s smile faltered.“Still thinking about Sienna, Dante?”He didn’t look at her.“She spent three months altering that dress. Tonight was supposed to be the first time she wore it for pictures.”He’d chosen the gown, but I’d changed the neckline, reshaped the train, and sewn every stone back on by hand.“When we pick her up, I’ll take her pictures myself. She worked too hard on that dress to go home without any.”Isabella pressed her lips together.Dante looked out toward the rocks.Another firework burst overhead, briefly lighting the water. His eyes narrowed.“The tide’s higher than I thought. I can’t see her.”Isabella stepped beside him.“She’s probably sitting on the highest rock,” she said quickly. “Or floating with the life ring. You’ll see her once you get closer.”Mom rubbed her hands together.“She must be freezing. We’ve seen enough fireworks, Dante. Go get her before she catches cold.”He nodded and started toward the yacht.Isabella stayed where she was. Then she ga

Chapter 4

The SUV entered the hotel’s underground garage through a private gate.Two Moretti soldiers waited by the elevator. One took Dad’s coat; the other pressed the button for our floor.Mom linked her arm through Dad’s.“Don’t let Sienna turn this around on us,” she said. “She needs to understand how far out of line she’s gone.”Dad adjusted his cuff.“She’ll take that post down and apologize to her sister before breakfast. I won’t have either family embarrassed in front of our guests.”Dante watched the floor numbers climb.At the suite, he scanned the key card and opened the door.Darkness.He switched on the lights.Nothing had changed since we’d left. My scarf still lay over the armchair. The hotel’s welcome card stood beside an untouched fruit basket.There was no coffee on the table.Mom looked around.“Where is she?”Dante went into the bedroom.The bed was made, its white coverlet smooth beneath the rose petals the hotel staff had scattered that afternoon.He checked the bathroom.E

Chapter 5

One officer held up a clear evidence bag.Inside were a torn piece of my wedding gown and my driver’s license.Mud and blood stained the fabric. A few tiny diamonds still clung to it.“We recovered these with her,” he said. “We need you to come to the hospital to identify her.”Mom stared at the bag.Then she laughed.It was a thin, strange sound.“What are you talking about?”She pushed his hand away.“Sienna put you up to this, didn’t she? She’s angry. She wants to punish us.”She looked past him.“Sienna?”The hallway was empty.“Sienna Bellini, come out here!”Her voice rose.“You’ve made your point!”“Mrs. Bellini.” The older officer lowered his voice. “This isn’t a prank. I’m very sorry.”“No.”Dante stepped into the doorway.He stared at the bag, his eyes moving from my ID photograph to the torn fabric.I’d been twenty-one when that picture was taken.Dante had driven me to the DMV. He’d made me laugh just before they called my number.There was nothing left of that smile on the

Chapter 6

Dante’s knees hit the floor.“No… How could this happen?”He gripped the edge of the table, staring up at my face.“There was room to stand. I saw you standing there.”His voice broke.“You were a good swimmer. How could you have drowned?”Tears ran down his face.“The water was near freezing,” the officer said quietly. “With the tide coming in and currents that strong, even a good swimmer could struggle. Especially weighed down by a wedding gown.”Dante shook his head, staring at me.“But I left you a life ring. Why didn’t you use it?”An officer spoke from the doorway.“The recovery crew didn’t find any flotation equipment with her.”Dante turned.“I put it there myself. Right beside the mooring line.”“Yes,” Mom said from the chair where an orderly had settled her. “It was orange. Right beside her.”Dante looked toward Isabella.“You were closest when we pulled away. Was it still there?”She pressed herself against the door.“I don’t know.”“You don’t know?”“It was dark. I wasn’t l

Chapter 7

The officer examined the phone. My account was still open, the post on the screen.“Miss Bellini, did you post this?”Isabella’s lips parted. Nothing came out.“There must be some mistake,” Mom said. “Bella wouldn’t do that. Why would she?”Dante stared at Isabella.“Then explain why you have Sienna’s phone.”“Answer him,” Dad demanded. “What did you do?”The officer lowered the phone.“We’re retaining this as evidence. We’ll need a statement from you, Miss Bellini.”“No—wait.” Isabella reached toward him, then stopped. “I posted it! It was me!”Mom’s hand fell from her mouth.“Bella… why?”Dante could barely stand, but his eyes never left her face.“You made us think she was safe. What the hell were you thinking?”“I thought she’d get back eventually!” Tears streamed down Isabella’s cheeks. “I didn’t know she was going to die!”He pointed toward the table.“She was alone out there. The tide was coming in. You knew I was going back for her, and you stopped me?”“I just wanted her to be

Chapter 8

Two hours later, the ballroom was ready.The white flowers remained. So did the aisle, the candles, and the place where Dante and I were supposed to stand.At ten, the guests began arriving.Outside, photographers waited behind velvet ropes.A Moretti wedding was news.The music changed.It was time for the bride to enter.Everyone turned toward the ballroom doors.They stayed closed.A minute passed. Then another.Guests shifted in their seats. Someone glanced at a watch.“Where is the bride?”Dante stood at the front in his custom black tuxedo, a white flower pinned over his heart.He heard them.He didn’t move.At last, the doors opened.Dad walked with the ring box in both hands.Mom followed him down the aisle, carrying an open velvet jewelry case.Inside lay my great-grandmother’s emerald bracelet and matching earrings—the ones she’d promised I would wear on my wedding day.Guests exchanged puzzled looks as my parents stopped in front of Dante.Dad handed him the rings.Dante tur

Chapter 9

The Moretti wedding made every news outlet in the city.By noon, strangers knew my name.Isabella kept screaming that it had only been a prank. Her voice echoed down the hotel corridor long after the officers led her out.Then Dad collapsed.Mom dropped beside him. Someone called an ambulance. Guests hurried toward the exits while paramedics pushed through the ballroom doors.Dante stayed by the altar.When the room finally emptied, he picked up my ring.“They’re gone, Sienna.”His thumb moved over the diamonds.“It’s just us now.”I stood beside him.He couldn’t see me.Our house waited behind the Moretti estate’s guarded gates.The staff had filled it with flowers. Champagne chilled beside two glasses. My slippers waited by the bed.Dante carried the miniature café upstairs and set it on my nightstand.He placed the ring box beside it.“Look. I finished it.”He pressed a switch beneath the base.Tiny lights glowed inside the café, illuminating our booth and the flowers by the window

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