Chapter 2

Nico caught up with me outside the chapel.

"Who are you marrying?" he demanded, stepping directly into my path to force me to a halt. "Serena. How could I not know about this?"

"Why would I need to tell you?" I met his gaze coldly.

He glanced back at the open doors, then lowered his voice. "I know you're upset. But Livia's the wife God chose for me. I can't change that. I have no choice."

I had heard enough through the chapel door the night before to know he hadn't left his future with Livia to chance. Now he wanted me to help him pretend otherwise.

"You can stop using God as an alibi for your own betrayal."

"Listen to me." He moved closer. "Livia's a good person. She won't mind having you in the house."

I stared at him.

"Once I take over, you can move in. She doesn't understand the business. You can handle the docks and the arms deals with me. You'll have all the authority of a Donna. Just not the title."

He waited, as if I'd needed him to explain how little I was losing.

"You want me to run your underworld empire in the shadows while she plays your perfect little wife in the light?" I let out a harsh laugh.

"Livia will be my wife. That's what the ceremony means. But you and I can still—"

"No."

"Don't be difficult."

I tried to pass him, but he blocked me again.

"Our families need this alliance," he said. "You're the Valenti heiress. You know what's at stake."

"Then you should have thought about that before choosing someone else."

His jaw tightened. "Being Donna is a title, Serena. You'd still have me."

He actually believed that would be enough.

"I don't want a place in your house. I don't want a share of you. Move."

"Fine. If the wedding matters that much, we'll have a ceremony for you too. You can marry me alongside Livia."

I didn't waste another breath on him. I swung my hand and slapped him across the face, pouring every ounce of my disgust into the blow. The sharp crack echoed in the quiet courtyard.

For a moment, he only stared, a red welt rapidly forming on his cheek. Then he touched his cheek and raised his hand.

Someone caught his wrist before he could hit me.

Matteo Rinaldi stood beside us. He was Nico's uncle, the younger brother of Nico's father, Enzo. I had grown up among the Rinaldis, but Matteo and I weren't related. Nico's father might have been the older brother; it was Matteo whom people moved out of the way for.

Nico went still.

"Un-Uncle Matteo."

Matteo held his wrist a moment longer. "You were about to hit her."

"She slapped me."

"I saw." Matteo’s voice was dangerously calm.

He released Nico's arm. Nico stepped back, rubbing the place where Matteo had held him.

Voices were rising inside the chapel. Through the doorway, I could see Livia surrounded by guests who no longer looked ready to congratulate her.

Matteo glanced toward them.

"You chose a bride. Go stand beside her instead of harassing Serena. Clean up your own mess."

Nico looked at me, still angry, still expecting me to soften. Then someone inside said Livia's name sharply, and he hurried back through the doors.

I hadn't moved. My palm hurt. So did the thought that, after everything else, Nico had been willing to strike me.

"Thank you," I said.

Matteo looked at the hand I'd pressed against my skirt, then at my face. His dark eyes were impossible to read, yet intensely focused on me.

"The wedding is in seven days," he said. "You still have time to walk away."

He wasn't asking me to prove anything. If I said no, I believed he would let me leave.

I stepped closer to him, closing the distance between us.

"I'm not walking away."

His expression eased, and he offered me his hand. I took it because I wanted to, his long fingers wrapping warmly around mine.

"Then I'll see you at our wedding."