My Legal Husband Took a Bride

Chiara's friends weren't loud, but their voices were clear enough for both me and Chiara, who had been watching me the whole time, to hear every single word.

Vittore's expression darkened.

As Chiara was sticking close to him, he pushed her aside before striding over to me and holding my hand. "Don't listen to their nonsense. They're just a bunch of youngsters who don't know any better. You know I love you…"

I gently pulled my hand back, looked up at him, and gave a very faint smile. "I don't mind."

Vittore's hand froze in midair.

I picked up my coat. "You should stay with Ms. Romano. She's the star tonight. I'll just hail a cab home."

After I spoke, I ignored the complicated expression that flashed across his face. I walked straight through the crowd and left that suffocating place.

…

I had just reached the middle of the alley in front of my apartment when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded behind me. From behind, a muscular arm grabbed me by the neck, and another hand clamped over my mouth.

I was then violently dragged into a shadowy corner piled with junk.

"Listen up, you bitch!" the man snarled, breathing hard as he pressed the blade of a knife against my throat. "I know you live with that wretched Chiara Romano! Tell her to cough up my money! She owes me five million dollars, and I want every last cent back!"

Chiara? Money?

His breathing was ragged, his emotions clearly unstable. I knew that resisting outright would only get me killed.

"O-Okay… Okay," I managed. "I'll make a… video call right now… You can talk to her directly… It'll be better that way…"

"Try anything funny, and I'll kill you on the spot!"

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone. Chiara wasn't in my contact list, but Vittore was.

Soon, the screen lit up, and Vittore appeared. I could see familiar bookshelves behind him. He was in his study. "Francesca?"

A second later, Chiara leaned into the frame. She was wearing a revealing nightgown, her hair slightly damp from having just showered, and she was pressing herself right up against Vittore.

I shouted with everything I had, "Vittore! I'm being held hostage! The guy is looking for Chiara! He says Chiara cheated him out of his money!"

I shifted the camera, doing my best to capture the knife pressed to my neck and the man holding it.

The man snarled into the phone as the blade dug into my throat, "Chiara Romano! You bitch! Did you really think I couldn't find you just because you're with the Ferri famiglia?"

Vittore's gaze snapped to Chiara, his face turning icy. He stood up to grab his coat.

But in the next second, Chiara let out an exaggerated gasp. "What? Vitorre, what… what is the meaning of this? Francesca, even if you're angry with me, you can't do something like this just to get Vittore's attention! This is dangerous, and honestly… way too childish!"

Vittore stopped what he was doing. He stared at the screen, the worry and shock on his face slowly replaced by a cold, cutting suspicion.

Vittore's voice dropped, sharp with suppressed fury. "Francesca, where are you? What is this about? Do you have any idea what time it is? Is pulling something like this supposed to be funny?"

Tears welled up in my eyes from panic as I felt the knife draw closer, the pain impossible to ignore. "I'm not pulling anything, Vittore! This is real! Listen to me—"

"That's enough!" Vittore cut me off harshly.

He had clearly run out of patience, the disappointment in his eyes undisguised. "I don't have time for this childish stunt! I already told you I'm only taking care of Chiara temporarily. If you're going to throw a tantrum, at least pick a decent way! Chiara's right. I'm beyond disappointed in you!"

"Vittore, no!"

Chiara said lightly, "The wine's ready. It's perfect now. Let's go have a drink, Vittore. I never thought Francesca would be this willful…"

With that, the call ended just like that.

The screen went dark, reflecting my pale, despairing face.

Behind me, a rough, chilling laugh sounded. "It looks like your life's worth nothing to them, pretty lady."

The last thing I saw was the glint of the knife as he swung it toward me. There were only four days left… I might not… make it that long…