I had been with my childhood sweetheart Dante for eight years. We were finally going to get married. But the night before the wedding, I accidentally overheard him talking to his unerboss, David. “Tomorrow, once we leave the house, don’t go to the church. Drive the wedding car straight to Sinclair Manor.” “Sinclair Manor?” Dante’s voice was low.“Serena’s family went bankrupt. They owe the Sinclair family tens of millions. Her father wants to marry her off to repay the debt… to that old Sinclair godfather.” ” I can’t watch her life get destroyed. Bella will have to take her place.” David froze.“Boss… so you won’t ruin Serena… but you’re fine ruining Bella?” Dante answered calmly.“The Sinclair godfather is ninety. He’s already dying.” “After a couple of years, once he’s gone, I don’t care Bella’s been married before. I’ll still marry her.” David hesitated.“But do you really think Bella will go along with it?” Dante thought for a moment.“Tomorrow, my mother will put something in the champagne Bella drinks before she leaves.” “When she wakes up… she’ll already be in the Sinclair godfather’s bed.” “It’ll be done. She won’t have a choice.” I heard everything. I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a sound. I just turned around and went back to my room and waited for the wedding that would never really be mine. When Dante found me again, trying to win me back, I was already five months pregnant. Just like he once said, the deal was already sealed. Now he was the one with no choice left. ****** The next morning, makeup artists and bridesmaids arrived early at the Moretti Mansion. Serena came too. The moment she saw me in my wedding dress, her eyes turned red. “Bella… I’m so jealous. You get to marry someone you love. You’re so lucky.” “Not like me. My father is forcing me to marry a ninety-year-old man to pay off debts.” She wiped her tears, then glanced at Dante.“But luckily… someone secretly took me to city hall yesterday. I’m already legally married. The old man can’t marry me even if he wants to now.” I froze. I thought being forced into a substitute marriage was already bad enough. I didn’t expect Dante had already registered marriage with her. My best friend Clara leaned in and whispered,“Why is she even here today? This is your wedding.” “And she’s crying on purpose. Is she trying to curse you or something?” “It’s fine,” I said quietly, patting her hand. Because this was never really my wedding anyway. Dante was just acting normal… to get me into the car and carry out his plan. Dante walked into the makeup room and glanced at me. “Almost done. Let’s go. Don’t be late.” He didn’t even really look at me. But when he passed Serena, he stopped to fix her coat collar. Then his eyes landed on my necklace. An emerald necklace. Only the godmother of the Moretti family could wear it. “Bella, Serena isn’t wearing any jewelry today. She looks too plain.” “Let her borrow your necklace for the day.” Clara immediately snapped.“Dante, that’s Bella’s necklace!” Dante frowned slightly.“It’s just a necklace. What’s the difference?” “This isn’t just—” “Clara,” I cut her off. “Let her have it.” Serena was the daughter of the Romano godfather. For two years, Dante always used that as an excuse. “Don’t offend the Romano family.” So I gave in again and again. My work. My pets. My clothes. My jewelry. And now… even my husband. Eight years, and in the end, it was all a carefully planned lie.
Serena put on my necklace, a smug smile on her face. “Dante, this necklace suits me so well. It’s like it was made for me.” She smiled sweetly, almost mocking.“Where did you buy it?” That necklace was personally put on my neck by Dante. When he was twenty, after the bloody gunfight at the harbor, he finally became the godfather of the Marchetti family. He was still covered in blood that day, but he was smiling as he held that necklace. “Bella, I’m not hurt.” “When we get married, you’ll wear this necklace.” “I want the whole world to know you’re my only wife.” “Bella, I’ll give you the best of everything.” Back then, Dante really loved me. He couldn’t stand seeing me suffer even a little. He wanted to give me everything. But everything changed after Serena appeared. The bridesmaids didn’t notice the tension between us and started cheering. “Kiss her! Kiss her!” Dante gave in to the teasing and leaned in to kiss me. But at that moment Serena suddenly “lost her balance” and fell straight into his arms. Dante reached out instinctively and their lips accidentally met. The room went dead silent. Clara snapped. “Serena, you did that on purpose!” “I’m sorry… I just lost my balance…” “Lost your balance? Out of everyone here, you just had to fall into Dante’s arms?” “Enough.”Dante helped Serena up, looking slightly annoyed.“She twisted her ankle. It’s normal.” Then he looked at Clara coldly.“Is this really something worth getting angry over?” “This is not a small thing—”Clara was about to explode, but I stopped her. Because in the past two years, Dante always said the same thing. Last year, Serena stole my three-month project. He said it was a small thing. Half a year ago, she ruined our anniversary. He said it was a small thing. Last month, she killed my cat of six years. He still said it was a small thing. Every time, he told me not to argue. So this time…I really didn’t need to argue anymore. Just then, Dante’s mother walked over with a glass of champagne. “Bella, I’ve finally waited for you to grow up and get married.” She handed me the glass with a gentle smile.“Come on, drink this blessing champagne.” I stared at the bubbles in the glass. For a moment, I froze. I lost both my parents when I was young. For more than ten years, the Moretti family adopted me and treated me as their own daughter. But now the two people I trusted most were about to push me into hell. I knew exactly what this drink meant. But I still took it and drank it all in one go. Dante took my hand.“Let’s go. It’s time.”
When I was little, Dante used to hold my hand like this. When I was twelve, my parents died in a car accident. I was devastated and hid away, not eating or drinking for three whole days. Dante found me and took me home, barely alive. He held my thin hand and said firmly, “Bella, from now on, my home is your home, my parents are your parents.” “Don’t be afraid, I’m here. I’ll always protect you.” His hand was still as warm and broad as before. But it no longer belonged to me. At the manor gate, a row of black SUVs were neatly parked. Dante opened the door and gestured for me to get in. Clara followed and sat beside me. But Dante didn’t get into the same car. He stood by the door, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. “Bella,” he said, adjusting my veil with a smile, “Take good care of yourself.” Clara’s tone was displeased: “What are you still standing here for? Get in the car!” Dante smiled and pointed to the car behind: “I’ll take the other one. I’ll escort you from behind.” With that, he slammed the car door shut. Clara frowned, her confusion deepening: “What’s wrong with Dante today? Why is he acting so strangely?” “Nothing’s wrong,” I explained softly, “He just wants me to be Serena’s substitute bride.” “What?” Before I could reply, Clara suddenly realized something was wrong. “Wait, driver, stop!” “You’re going the wrong way. Why are you driving that way? Turn around.” “Clara,” I interrupted her, “the driver isn’t wrong. I’m going to Sinclair Manor.” “Sinclair Manor?” I told Clara the whole story. Clara trembled with rage upon hearing this: “Damn it! How could Dante treat you like this? Has he lost all his conscience?!” I remained calm: “The Moretti family raised me for so many years; consider it repaying a debt of gratitude.” “They raised you for over ten years, but you saved Dante’s life back then. That debt of gratitude has long been repaid!” “Besides, these past two years, when Dante had intermittent back pain and couldn’t move, you took care of him without leaving his side!” “You’ve given him so much; why should he treat you like this?” Clara was right. In terms of repaying a debt of gratitude, I had already repaid it long ago. However, it no longer mattered. Thoughts drifted by when my phone chimed with a message. It was from Serena. [Bella, today is truly a joyous day! Dante just gave me a wedding gift. Isn’t it beautiful?] I stared blankly at the emerald bracelet in the picture, feeling as if I had fallen into an ice cave. This bracelet is a keepsake from my mother, passed down through generations in my family. Because I was too young at the time, Dante’s mother kept it for me. They promised to return it to me after my wedding. How could he give it to Serena without my consent? “Stop!”
Watch👉 https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/20260701jGQ8HTtFsF 🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “Novelix” app 🔍 search for “ni931632”, and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix
Leave a Reply