He Rigged the Vows, I Chose His Uncle

Mamma's eyes went wide. "Regina, do you even hear yourself? Samuele Moretti is a—"

I cut her off. "I know exactly who he is. He used to be the underboss, the one who stepped back because of his heart condition."

"Then why would you—"

I pushed to my feet and walked to the window. "Because I'm done. I'm done waiting around for someone who never deserved me in the first place."

Mamma stayed quiet for a long moment before she finally exhaled. "If this is your decision, our family will stand with you."

"This is my decision."

…

The next day, I got a reply from Rina Moretti, the Donna. As Samuele's mother, she was stunned by the idea of this marriage.

Daniele and I already had a marriage contract that the whole city loved to laugh at, and on top of that, Samuele had a heart condition. Most people didn't want to marry a man they assumed was already halfway to the grave.

Either way, Donna Moretti adored Samuele, so she agreed almost immediately.

The marriage gifts arrived soon after. They came with the most profitable dock at the port and protection rights for three city districts.

There was jewelry too, along with limited-edition bags and expensive paintings. Donna Moretti said Samuele had insisted on giving it all to me.

Staring at everything laid out in front of me, my chest tightened. Their value outmatched anything Daniele had ever promised. It seemed Samuele understood respect in a way Daniele never had.

The doorbell rang, and through the window I spotted Daniele's red sports car parked outside. He and Sofia walked up to the house hand in hand.

"Ms. Sterlini, Mr. Moretti is here," the maid announced.

"Let them in."

Daniele swaggered into the living room with Sofia trailing behind him.

He wore that smug little smile, completely sure I was still in the dark. His custom suit fit perfectly, his hair slicked into place, and as usual, he looked every inch the charming mafia playboy.

But I knew exactly what he really was.

Daniele dropped onto the couch and crossed one leg over the other. "So. How's the wedding prep going? Did you check every detail? The guest list… and our marriage contract?"

He leaned on the words "our marriage contract", his eyes glinting with a smug, mischievous satisfaction.

"All checked," I said evenly.

His grin widened. "Bene. This is the biggest moment of your life. Wouldn't want anything to go wrong, eh?"

Sofia chimed in, trying to sound casual. "Daniele, what about that necklace? Didn't you say you'd show it to me?"

A flash of excitement lit his eyes. So that was the real reason he'd shown up.

He stood and walked toward me. "Right. Regina, take off that necklace. It's the one my mother left for my future wife. Sofia wants to try it on, just to see how it looks. Don't be offended. You'll still get it when you marry me."

I touched the diamond necklace at my throat. It was the Morettis' heirloom, and I'd worn it for five years.

Every stone had seen exactly how stupidly loyal I'd been to Daniele. Every night, I'd run my fingers along the necklace and picture our wedding.

And now he wanted to hand it to Sofia.

I looked at them as a wave of disgust rose in my chest. But I didn't refuse. I wasn't marrying him anymore, so keeping it didn't matter.

I unclasped the necklace and tossed it onto the coffee table without a second thought. The diamonds caught the sunlight, glittering like pieces of my shattered expectations.

Daniele froze, thrown off. He clearly hadn't expected me to give it up that easily.

Sofia immediately grabbed the necklace and clasped it around her neck. She did a quick spin in front of the mirror. "It's gorgeous!"

"It suits you," Daniele said, though his eyes stayed on me, hungry for even a flicker of jealousy or anger.

Too bad for him. I just watched their little performance, calm as stone.

Daniele cleared his throat and tried to sound reasonable. "Regina, I'll give the necklace back after the wedding. There's no rush. She just wants to try it on for a moment."

I stood and walked to my desk, pulling out a velvet box. "Since you're taking the necklace back, you might as well return this too."

I pointed to his chest, where a sapphire-set family crest pin gleamed against his tailored suit.

Daniele's expression shifted instantly. I'd had that pin custom-made for him, engraved with the Moretti family crest.

He froze, staring at me in shock. "Regina, you want me to give the pin back? What's that supposed to mean? You don't want to marry me anymore?"