Chapter 1 Chapter 1

This was the 17th wedding with my fiance, Rafael Holloway. For every one of the previous 16, he'd left me standing alone at the altar for his fragile sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan. I walked down the aisle holding his arm when the baby in my womb gave a sharp kick. "Our baby's been waiting for this day, too," he whispered and squeezed my hand with a smile. When the priest began the vows, all eyes in the chapel turned toward us. That was when his phone rang with a call. It was from Natalia again. Rafael's expression went stone-cold, and his grip tightened subconsciously. "Don't answer it, Rafael." My eyes were locked on him. A torn look swirled in his eyes as his thumb hovered over the decline button. Then, the call ended on its own. I was about to breathe out in relief when the second call arrived. "Gianna, maybe it's an emergency. She never calls this much," he muttered, trying to free his hand from my grasp. But I held on and reminded him. "Our baby is waiting to hear his father say 'I do.'" His eyes widened at the words, then he tore his hand free as if my touch burned him. "She's Antonio's only daughter!" I wasn't surprised to hear that line again. Antonio Sullivan, his father's right-hand man, had died taking a bullet for him. Before his death, his final words, "Take care of Natalia," ruined my life. When Rafael checked his phone and read the text from the hospital, his voice cracked. "She took sleeping pills!""Again? Last month, she took pills too, and the nurses discovered that the bottle was never opened." I scoffed. "Gianna!" he barked my name and shot me a deeply disappointed look. "Before Antonio died…""He entrusted his daughter to you for protection! He never gave you a knife to stab into my back! "Look around you! Our family, men, and unborn baby are all waiting for you to say 'I do'!" When the phone rang a third time, Natalia's weak sob came through the speaker. "Rafael, help me…" Rafael's eyes turned cold as he pried off my fingers like I was the crazy one. "Please! A wedding can wait, but a life can't!" That was such a familiar line and excuse he'd given on our 16th wedding cancellation. "Rafael!" My voice echoed through the hall, but he'd turned, looking more final than the last 16 turns. Whispers rippled among the guests. Some scoffed, some pitied me, and most shook their heads as if they weren't surprised. They wouldn't be because the first wedding had ended the same way. Natalia had suddenly collapsed, and Rafael had rushed her to the hospital. I'd chased him to the hospital in my wedding gown, only to see her lying pale in bed and clutching his sleeve. When she saw me, her eyes flashed triumphantly. Rafael never saw the mocking smile she flashed while hiding behind his shoulder. Our fifth wedding had been an intimate garden ceremony. I'd waited all day in a simple dress for my fiance, who never arrived, while the elders sneered behind my back. "Can't even secure her own wedding…" The cunning elders of Southern Silenzio had never hidden their contempt for me, a Northern Silenzio origin. "So what if the Rossetti family's Principessa is clever? She still can't hold the Don's heart." Later, Rafael held me and comfortingly promised I'd never be looked down upon again. The tenth time he disappeared mid-reception, one of his younger cousins joked at the dining table. "Rafael, just marry both Gianna and Natalia! It'll save you the trouble of coming back and forth!" He shot his cousin a glance before leaving without looking back. This time, I would no longer wait. "The wedding's off. There won't be another." The Southern elders seemed shocked, and even the former Don, Rafael's father, who never bothered to look my way, lifted his head. The priest stammered, "M-Ms. Rossetti, m-maybe we can…" "I said, the wedding's off," I repeated. Rafael's father narrowed his eyes. "No one dishonors a Holloway wedding." I unflinchingly met his stare and snapped back, "Then tell your heir to come back and finish it." Under shocked stares and gasps, I lifted my hands and unpinned the tiara given by Rafael's father. It was a family heirloom passed down to every Holloway bride who swore fidelity at the altar. "No!" He jumped to his feet, but it was too late. I smashed it to the ground, and diamonds scattered across the floor, stunning all guests present. The moment I turned away, I felt lighter than I ever had. … Back in my room, I sat at my vanity and slowly wiped away my makeup. When Rafael called, I picked up, only to hear Natalia's giggles through the line. "Thank you for spending my birthday with me, Rafael." I almost laughed. Sleeping pills followed by birthday parties, huh? She wasn't even bothered to commit to the act now. Rafael's voice sounded lazy and honeyed with reassurance as he said, "Gianna, Natalia's fine now, so shall we do the wedding in a few days? I've booked Littlewood Chapel; you mentioned you love the frescoes, right?" He always promised next time, like there was still something left to save. "Whatever," I murmured. Oblivious to the subtle finality in my voice, his voice softened. "Oh, and how did the checkup go? Is the baby healthy?" "Yeah, perfectly," I muttered, resting my hand on my belly. He chuckled softly with relief. "That's great. When I get back, let's—" "Rafael," I said, cutting him off. "Is Natalia's birthday party over yet?" There was a brief silence before his laugh sounded over the phone. "Are you jealous?" Instead of answering, I ended the call and pulled out a flight ticket from the drawer, headed for the Northern Silenzio mafia headquarters in Montrava. It came with an invitation card with gold-embossed script shimmering under the lights. "Welcome home, Ms. Rossetti."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

When I was about to fall asleep that night, I heard the soft click of the door lock. The thought that Rafael might be back surprised me a little. Standing by the bedroom door, I listened to the soft sounds coming from the kitchen. Lately, he'd started doing this. He'd suddenly return home, fuss around in the kitchen, and hurriedly slip out with some deliciously cooked food. Once, I caught the sweet aroma drifting from the oven and thought he had a surprise for me. "What are you making?" I asked and curiously peered. He didn't even look up as his hands swiftly packed the lemon tarts straight out of the oven into a box. "Natalia said she was craving this." He assembled the box carefully and even tied a perfect bow with a ribbon. "I'm hungry too." I stared at the golden crust and gulped. He paused and then remembered my love for lemon tarts too. "Shall I get Susan to make you something? Or could you order in?" After he left, Susan Barlowe made me a plate of over-salted pasta. And now, I was no longer curious about what the midnight treats were and who they were for. My throat felt a little dry, so I got up and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. In the kitchen, the air was heavy with the rich sweetness of coffee, cocoa, and mascarpone. He was making tiramisu. He layered biscuits, soaked them in a coffee liqueur mixture, spread the cream, and dusted cocoa powder on top. He was so focused that he didn't even notice me standing at the door until I fetched a glass. "Gianna?" He spun around and instinctively shielded the counter with his body. "Aren't you asleep yet?""Just thirsty," I said flatly. "This…" He glanced at the tiramisu and panicked as if I might rush over and shove it into my mouth. "You can't eat this! There's coffee liqueur and raw egg in here. It's bad for the baby!" Sensing his panic, I almost laughed. Three months ago, when I had terrible morning sickness, he hadn't poured me so much as a glass of water. And now, he was fussing over Natalia's dessert. "Relax. I'm not interested in your sweets," I commented as I dried my hands. He opened his mouth to explain, but his phone rang with a call, and Natalia's name blinked on the screen. "Rafael, I think I have a fever…" her weak voice came through. Rafael's expression twisted with an annoyed frown on his brows, yet his gaze softened. "You took those random pills again, didn't you? Hang in there. I'm coming." After hanging up, he packed the tiramisu in a box with practiced ease. When tying the ribbon, he went the extra mile to fix the curve of the bow. "Do you remember tonight's supposed to be our wedding night?" I suddenly asked, my heart tight with the last shred of hope. "Don't start," he said without looking up. "It's Natalia's birthday, and someone has to keep her company.""This is the 17th time." I could hear a tremor in my voice. He finally looked up at me with the same tired conflict in his eyes. "Please, Gianna. You know Antonio…""...asked you to protect her." I finished for him and smiled. "Go. Don't keep her waiting." When his car pulled away, I checked my phone and noticed that Natalia had posted five minutes ago. "Running a fever at 103 degrees Fahrenheit, but Rafael promised me a surprise!" The picture showed a thermometer at 98 degrees Fahrenheit. As I set the phone down, my mind drifted back to three years ago when I met Rafael for the first time. Mafias from the North and South gathered in Montrava to negotiate, and I was there as the Northern financial advisor. When Rafael burst in with his Southern men, all the bodyguards drew guns. He walked straight to me, dropped to one knee under their watchful stares, and pressed a golden revolver into my hands. Looking up at me, his emerald-green eyes were alight with a love-at-first-sight awe. "Gianna Rossetti, there's a bullet in here. If I ever cheat on you, use it." The room erupted in gasps. Father smashed a glass in fury, while the Southern elders called him reckless and insane. But I understand the weight of that gesture. It meant placing the Don of Southern Silenzio's life in the hands of the enemy. Later, he told me Antonio nearly lost his mind over it and raged that he'd handed the symbol of Southern Silenzio's power to the heir of their Northern rivals. But he just shrugged and dismissively said, "We'll be family anyway." Back then, Natalia was just an inconvenience to him. Whenever she was brought up, he'd always seem annoyed. "Antonio's daughter is a dead weight I can't shake off." The first time I saw her was at our engagement party. Standing in the corner, she was dressed in a white chiffon dress, looking pale and demure. "That's Natalia?" I nudged Rafael's elbow. He didn't even glance her way. "Yeah. Should've stayed home if she's so sickly and fragile. Annoying as hell." Then, he snapped his fingers for an attendant. "Bring that lady in the corner a blanket and some warm milk." Later, I noticed that their dynamic was a contradictory mix of annoyance and devotion. "Natalia's too needy," he'd complain, but memorize every allergy she had. "She's such a pain," he'd grumble, but he was the first to arrive whenever she was hospitalized. "Can't you be independent and thoughtful of others for once?" That was the sentence he'd always say before leaving our wedding and running to her side. My phone rang sharply and yanked me back to the present. It was Bianca Spade, one of my few friends who knew everything, and the Principessa of a family in the North. Her voice was sharp with rage. "Gianna, did you see that bitch's new post? Why is Rafael there when you're having your wedding today? Has he gone off to that sick bitch's birthday when he's supposed to be with you for your wedding night! "And he made tiramisu for her! Did he ever make you anything?" I stayed silent and could feel my fingers go cold. "Gianna? Say something! Don't tell me you let it slide again!" Bianca panicked. "There's no wedding night, Bianca. The wedding's off," I calmly announced. The line went dead for two seconds as if Bianca's legendary temper was plugged. Then, a sharp inhale followed. "He did it again? During the vows?" "Yes." Her voice pitched high in rage and disbelief. "17 times, Gianna! And you're pregnant! "What does Rafael think he's doing? Is she really his sister?""Not by blood. She's Antonio Sullivan's daughter." I corrected her in a flat voice. She cursed. "Fuck Antonio! Does his dying wish mean you have to waste your whole life paying for it? "You're a Rossetti, Gianna. Since when are you this subservient?" "I'm done groveling," I declared and looked at my pale, tired, but unshakably steady expression in the mirror. "Bianca, do me a favor." "What?" I calmly said, "Find me an ob-gyn. After the abortion, I'm going back to Montrava."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

As the morning sunlight spilled into the kitchen, I hummed an old Northern tune, frying bacon and a sunny side up egg at my own pace. This was a farewell feast I'd gotten myself. I pulled out a chair and sat down. Just as my fork touched the soft yolk, the door opened with a soft click. Rafael walked in, reeking of Natalia's perfume and holding a huge bouquet of flamboyant strelitzia. It was a kaleidoscopic mix of bright orange and gold with stiff stems sticking out from the sides. I hated those flowers and always thought they looked cheap and forced, like a dressed-up turkey ready to be served. But Natalia loved them. She said they were hardy like the version of herself she longed to be. "Morning, Gianna." His voice was rough from a night up, but he seemed in good spirits. He dumped the tacky bouquet on the far end of the table and dropped into the seat across from me. Then, he said, his tone jokingly unhappy, "Natalia was a handful last night and kept whining that the new painkillers weren't working. Her body's so delicate that anything sets her off." As he rambled, he instinctively reached for my bread. I picked up my plate and avoided his hands. He froze, and only now did he notice that there was just one set of breakfast on the table. Raising an eyebrow, there was a spoiled, entitled tone in his voice as he asked, "Where's mine? Come on, Gianna. You can't just think of your baby and starve your husband." When he noticed my cold expression, realization belatedly hit him. So, he leaned in and grasped my hand. "About what happened at the chapel yesterday, I'm sorry, Gianna. Natalia was really sick then, and Antonio…" The same old script, huh? When he noticed I didn't react, he immediately changed the subject. Turning around, he grabbed the ugly flowers and thrust them into my arms. "These are just for you; your favorite! There's a surprise inside. Wanna see?" Grinning mysteriously, he slipped behind me and guided my hands to peel open one of the blooms. "In here." My fingers fumbled with the petals until a dark red velvet box tumbled into my hands. A pair of earrings lay inside. I froze. The stones had decent clarity, but when the light hit, there were visible spiderwebbed flaws trapped inside. As I took a closer look at the color and cut… a wave of absurdity crashed over me. "Do you like them?" His voice was warm, expecting praise. My body started shaking in absolute rage as I kept my stare on the pair of earrings. Of course, I liked the earrings. They were made from the pigeon-blood ruby I'd given to be made into my wedding gift! Half a year ago, he told me it was sent to a jeweler, and I'd been looking forward to seeing the final piece. Now, I knew that the jewelry carrying the centerpiece sat on Natalia's vanity, and I was being handed its scraps. Just the fact that he tried to pacify me with such a pair of shabby earrings and tossed me scraps of my own gemstone like some pitiful handout filled me with fury. "Gianna?" Rafael gently nudged my shoulder when I didn't answer. I shut the box and dropped it onto the table. "Don't you like them?" he asked, frowning, and sensed that I was being extra unreasonable today. As he set the box aside, the forced warmth on his face faded and was replaced by a flicker of irritation. He cleared his throat and seemed to finally remember today's real agenda. "Gianna, there's something else… Natalia told me she wants to play Goddess Freyella this year for next month's Harvestide." I froze, and Rafael was still rambling. "You know how fragile she is. She's been feeling down lately and mentioned twice that she'd love to play Goddess Freyella…" Harvestide was one of Southern Silenzio's biggest celebrations. Traditions dictated that Goddess Freyella be played by the Don's wife or his sister, if unwed. And here I stood, pregnant with his baby yet not his legal wife after countless failed wedding attempts. So, by the letter of our laws, Natalia had every right to fight for it. Studying my face, Rafael was starting to grow impatient. "...You know she's weak, and now, there's this one thing that makes her happy. She's always wanted to play the goddess as a kid. "When Antonio was around…" He brought me the flowers I hated. He handed me a jewelry piece containing my ruby, scraped and cut, and gave another woman jewels cut from its heart. Now, he'd strip me and my unborn baby of the rightful place at a celebration symbolizing the family's legacy and legal lineage, just to make another woman happy. A strange, calm relief settled in my chest. I'd never cared about titles and roles, but at that moment, I saw the truth with painful clarity. To Rafael, Natalia deserved all the attention, while I was just a convenient afterthought. "Sure. Let her have it," I said and lifted my head to flash him a calm, almost gentle smile. Rafael hadn't expected the clean decision either and seemed caught off guard. "Y-You're okay with that?" "It's just a role. If it makes her happy, it's hers." I dabbed my lips with a napkin. A grin bloomed across his face as all prior irritation vanished, and he reached out for a hug. "I knew it! You've always been understanding, Gianna. That's the grace a true Don's wife should have…" Suddenly, there was a buzz from the phone in his pocket again. The custom ringtone was Natalia's composed piano recording of "To My Beloved Holloway." Annoyance flickered across his face before melting into that habitual helplessness of feeling needed. "I'm sorry, Gianna." He shot me a look that said, "You'll understand, right?" and answered the call as he headed for the door. "Hey, Natalia. What's wrong?" On the other end, Natalia must have said something because he quickly replied, "Okay, I'm coming." After hanging up, he grabbed his car keys. When he reached the door, he turned around and said, "I promise this is the last time, Gianna! We'll have the wedding tomorrow! After the baby's born, you'll have all my time and all of me!" He sounded confident, and the look in his eyes was so sincere, like this was finally a promise that would hold. I expressionlessly watched him leave in a rush. Last time? There wouldn't be a next chance, Rafael. … The next day at Littlewood Chapel, the wedding site was transformed into a grander display than the day before. Pure-white roses and lilies lined the aisle all the way to the altar, and the air hung thick with the scent of expensive perfume. Guests murmured as their eyes occasionally drifted to the empty bride's seat. Dressed in a perfectly-tailored black suit, Rafael stood at the altar and patiently adjusted his cufflinks. He felt good today. Natalia's little mood swing last night had been easily soothed with just a few honeyed words. And I, ever so dutiful, hadn't made a fuss either. Today, everything would go smoothly, except that the bride wasn't here yet. Just then, his right-hand man, Matteo Steele, pushed through the crowd. Looking pale, he rushed over to Rafael's side and whispered in a low, urgent voice, "Don Holloway, Ms. Rossetti's gone! She isn't at the estate, her room's empty, and her bags are gone too!" Rafael froze. "What did you just say?" "Our men reported that she went to an ob-gyn…"

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"What the fuck did you just say? What the fuck is she doing there?" A rush of cold unease hit Rafael's chest, followed by overwhelming suffocation. Before he could process his thoughts, his phone started buzzing violently. He snatched it up, silently praying that it might be me. But it was Natalia. If it were before, her call might have stirred only helplessness and weary indulgence. But now, all he felt was irritation and bitter disappointment. She could barely hide the delight in her voice as she said, "Rafael, I heard the wedding hit a snag…" Rafael could feel his temples throb. Looking around, he could see the glee written over every guest's expression. "Natalia, I don't have time—""I can step in!" she anxiously cut him off. "I'm right outside the chapel. The Holloways can't afford this humiliation, and I can—" He hung up on her with a hard slap of his phone. In that split second, he understood exactly how I must have felt, standing at the altar. This was what it felt like to be abandoned and left behind. "Matteo! Cancel the wedding!" His roar snapped the stunned Matteo back to life. "What? But Don Holloway, the guests…" Matteo's jaw dropped at the command. "I said, cancel it! Contact every airport and port, and find Gianna now!" he snarled, tearing the ring from his finger and hurling it to the floor. When he stormed out of the chapel, Natalia stood by the door in a wedding gown as her pale cheeks flushed pink in the morning sun. She reached for his sleeve. "Rafael, I can—""Get out of my way!" He shoved her aside so hard she fell straight into the flower beds. Wretched, she sat there in the crushed roses with disbelief written all over her face. "H-How could you…" But Rafael didn't have a second to waste on her. All he could think about was why I'd gone to the ob-gyn. For a pregnant lady to be at the ob-gyn, perhaps I was there for just a routine checkup. But no matter how hard he tried to shove it away, another thought kept clawing back into his mind. "Ouch! My chest hurts!" Natalia whimpered pitifully and pressed a hand to her chest, using her favorite trick. His steps halted briefly before he kept walking and barked. "Find her a doctor!""Rafael!" Natalia's cry faded behind him. He threw himself into the car and sped toward the hospital his men had named. Along the way, he dialed my number over and over, but I never answered. "Damn it!" He couldn't piece together where it'd all gone wrong when he'd handled everything so perfectly. When he finally reached the hospital, the nurse I'd arranged was already there, waiting for him. "Where is she?" Gone was every trace of his usual calm as his suit was a mess. His eyes pinned deadly on the nurse, burning holes through her skull. "Ms. Rossetti had me give you this." He took over the pregnancy test sheet from the nurse and skimmed through the lines. "17 weeks pregnant… Elective termination of pregnancy…""No way!" His furious roar rang through the hospital. No one dared make a sound under the weight of that fury. Again and again, he punched my number into his phone. "The number you've dialed is no longer in service." The cold, mechanical voice sounded cruelly polite in the silent hallway. Matteo came sprinting in breathlessly. "Don Holloway, Ms. Rossetti boarded a private flight to Montrava this morning, and members of the Northern mafias picked her up at the airport!" Hope flared in his eyes. "Get the car! I'm going to Montrava myself!" But Matteo looked troubled. "Your father ordered a lockdown, so North Silenzio is enemy territory now…""Fuck enemy territory!" Rafael roared. "That's my wife! I can prove—" He froze, realizing that he'd never given me that name. So now, I wasn't his wife, and our child wasn't his heir. The family butler was trembling as he stepped forward and held a box. "Ms. Rossetti left this for you and said it's a wedding gift." Rafael snatched it open to reveal the golden revolver. Its barrel was engraved with the day we first met, and it was now scored with 17 fresh hash marks. They represented 17 unfinished weddings and broken promises, while I'd stood there waiting as he'd walked away. Clutching the box, he collapsed to the floor, his head bowed in defeat.