Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I didn't answer. I just carefully put the broken pieces of the pendant into my bag.

After a long while, I gave him a sad, thin smile. "There's no need, Zio."

Then I walked away quickly.

【LUCIAN】

Zio?

Ever since she told me how she felt, she'd never called me that again.

No matter how many times I insisted, she refused to change back.

And now, out of nowhere, she'd called me Zio herself.

I stood there lost in thought until Bianca shook my arm and I came back to myself.

"Lucian, what's wrong?"

I immediately softened my voice. "Nothing. Don't let what happened bother you. Stella isn't a bad person. I've just spoiled her all these years, so she's a little willful."

Bianca paused, as if she hadn't expected me to stand up for Stella. She nodded understandingly, then wrapped her arms around my waist and pouted.

"Lucian, once my surgery's over, let's get married, okay? I can't wait to start my life with you."

I tapped the tip of her nose. "Okay. Whatever you want."

"Really? Then I'm going to be the most beautiful bride in the world."

【STELLA】

For the next several days, I stayed at school, filling out the paperwork for the teaching program.

I left early and came home late. We lived in the same house, but I never ran into Lucian once.

That day, I carried a huge box of every love letter I'd ever written to the fireplace, ready to burn them all.

As I was burning the very last one, his sharp voice came from behind me. "What are you doing?"

I didn't say anything. But he saw the paper that hadn't burned yet.

His face went dark. He strode over and gripped my wrist hard, his voice low and rough with warning. "Stella, what game are you playing now? Trying to get my attention this way?"

"Is this fun for you?"

I lowered my head and pulled free of his hand. "You're overthinking it."

But that only convinced him more. He announced coldly, "Ten days from now, Bianca and I are getting married. You can come."

My face went white as paper. I forced a smile. "Congratulations."

In ten days, I'd already be teaching in Alaska. I probably wouldn't get the chance to go to his wedding.

But I didn't say anything. I turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, he called me back.

"Bianca says a wedding only happens once in your life. She doesn't trust anyone else to plan it."

I didn't understand. "So?"

"So I want you to plan this wedding. I raised you. You'll know exactly what I want."

I lowered my eyes and smiled, hiding the self-mockery and irony in them.

"Zio, I really don't love you anymore. You don't need to humiliate me like this."

With that, I walked out of the estate.

I took a cab back to school. I still had some forms to fill out.

When I finished and walked out of the office, I suddenly felt countless eyes on me, along with snickering.

"Oh my God, is it real? Rich people are so twisted."

"It's always the ones who look the most innocent who are the dirtiest in private."

"I've already got the title for the novel. The Mafia Don's Caged Canary."

Before I could figure out what was going on, my roommate grabbed me in a panic. "Stella, check online, quick!"

I pulled out my phone, and a headline jumped out at me:

THE MORETTI HEIR'S FORBIDDEN AFFAIR EXPOSED

I clicked on it, unable to believe it. It was an explicit video, pixelated.

The faces in the video were clearly Lucian's and mine.

And the me in the video was shamelessly begging him for it.

My eyes went red and my fists clenched. "This video is fake. I've never done anything like this!"

"I believe you, Stella. Somebody obviously paid to push this to the top. You have to find out who's spreading this. You can't let them get away with it!"

I immediately took a cab back to the estate. I wanted to talk to Lucian.

As soon as I started up the stairs, I saw him blocking the top.

Before I could open my mouth, he looked down at me coldly, his voice icy and mocking.

"So this is what you call not loving me anymore?"

"You're a girl, and you'd ruin your own reputation just to wreck my wedding to Bianca? Do you have any shame at all?"

I bit my lip hard. I wanted to say something, but not a single word came out.

I never imagined he'd think of me like that. In that instant, I lost every ounce of strength to defend myself.

But he thought I was guilty. A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and his expression grew even colder.

"Stella, if you think public pressure is going to force me to marry you, you're dead wrong."

"I, Lucian Moretti, will never marry anyone but Bianca as long as I live!"

The moment he finished, Bianca stepped out from behind him.

She walked toward me, step by step, her voice full of contempt. "Ms. Rossi, a girl should have some self-respect, not throw herself away like this."

I tried to explain, but she gave me a hard, secret shove. Behind me were fifty marble steps.

The next second, she pretended to twist her ankle and fell forward toward the stairs too.

In that split second, Lucian didn't hesitate. He grabbed Bianca's hand.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of me tumbling down the steps that he noticed me at all.

I curled up in a ball from the pain, biting my knee. Big tears rolled down silently, as if crying could ease that terrible pain.

His pupils shrank, and he raced down the stairs, taking them two and three at a time. "Stella, are you okay? Are you hurt?"