He Married Her for Duty and Lost Me Forever

On the day I was supposed to try on my blood-bound gown beside the man I had been promised to for seven years, I came to the atelier with my heart full of happiness. The boutique was one of the Family's quiet fronts, all silk and shuttered windows, and as I stepped through the door I happened to hear Dario speaking low with one of his men.

"You sealed the union with Lucia before the Family yesterday. At the table, witnessed. And now you're standing here bringing Caterina Russo to try on her gown. You don't worry what she'll do to you when she learns?"