Chapter 1

(Valeria’s POV)

On the day of the wedding rehearsal, I arrived at the Romano family's private estate only to find my fiancé, Matteo Romano, the future Underboss of the Romano Crime Syndicate, arguing with my best friend, Luciana Costa, about the carpet that would be laid down the aisle during the wedding ceremony.

Luciana chased after him through the grand hall and smacked his arm several times before he finally raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine, fine. Dark gray it is. Whatever you want. Happy now?"

Matteo's indulgent tone made several nearby capos and Romano family staff exchange amused looks.

"The Underboss and his bride really are close," one of them whispered with a grin.

Matteo didn't correct them. Luciana only bit her lip, the tips of her ears turning red as she stood beside him.

No one noticed me when I entered.

It wasn't until one of the staff members happened to glance toward the doorway that his expression changed. He quickly lowered his head and said, "Forgive us. You've mistaken them. This is the bride."

Luciana immediately turned around. The moment she saw me, she hurried over and linked her arm through mine.

"Valeria, do something about your future husband. He's been giving me a hard time all morning."

She pouted.

"I'm your best friend. How could I not know what color I like? But he still wanted to argue with me."

Matteo walked over leisurely.

"Who's giving who a hard time? You've been hitting me for the last hour."

"Because you deserved it."

I stood quietly nearby, watching Matteo and Luciana argue back and forth as if I wasn't there.

A strange numbness settled over me because this wasn't anything new. Even back in the academy, they had always been like this, teasing each other, making decisions together, and somehow deciding everything that concerned me without ever asking what I wanted.

The Romano family might have been preparing this wedding under the eyes of capos, family elders, and their most trusted men, but this was supposed to be my wedding too. But no one had even thought to ask whether I liked the dark gray carpet.

If my opinion didn't matter in the smallest details of my own wedding, perhaps my presence as the bride didn't matter to them either.

***

While they continued bickering, Matteo noticed the bouquet prepared for the ceremony.

His brows immediately furrowed.

"Replace those flowers."

He let out a soft laugh before glancing at Luciana.

"I clearly remember someone saying she hated pure white flowers at weddings. Said they looked like..."

"A funeral."

Luciana stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Valeria, you're not upset, right? I only mentioned it once. Who would've thought your man would remember something so small? I forgot I ever said it."

The Romano family servant holding the bouquet glanced at me nervously before lowering his head.

I followed his gaze to the flowers in his hands and immediately recognized the white bellflowers.

They had always been my favorite.

Matteo once promised that they would be the only flowers decorating our wedding, a small promise I had treasured for years.

Now, seeing them in someone else's hands, I could only wonder if he had forgotten that promise or simply stopped caring about it.

"Replace them."

Even if I protested, nobody would listen.

Luciana and Matteo continued going over every detail of the wedding, from the table settings and chair decorations to the Romano family crest banners hanging throughout the reception hall.

Even the colors chosen for the celebration were changed to match Luciana's taste, as though her preferences mattered more than those of the woman who was supposed to stand beside Matteo at the altar.

The wedding planner finally approached me quietly.

"Signorina D’Angelo, those were all choices you personally approved before. You spent months arranging them."

"It's fine."

I smiled faintly.

"Let them change whatever they want."

After all, I no longer planned to attend this wedding.

Soon after, Luciana wanted to try on my wedding dress, and Matteo had no problem with it.

He simply said, "Luciana knows what kind of formal gowns suit the Romano family. If she sees anything wrong, she can give some advice. There's nothing wrong with that."

I watched Luciana hurry into the dressing room with my wedding dress. The bitterness in my heart finally reached my voice.

"If her opinion matters that much, maybe she should take my place for the whole rehearsal. She can check the ceremony herself and make sure everything is perfect."

Matteo looked at me in surprise.

I met his eyes without saying anything else. His brows slowly tightened, and he looked like he wanted to explain himself, but the words seemed to get stuck.

But before he could, the dressing-room door opened.

Luciana stepped out wearing the gown. She spun once before smiling brightly at Matteo.

"Well? How do I look?"

Matteo's gaze quickly moved from me to Luciana. The look in his eyes made my chest tighten. It hurt far more than I wanted to admit.

“It looks beautiful,” he said.

The dress had been tailored specifically for me, so it naturally did not fit Luciana properly.

But Matteo seemed to forget that, or simply did not care. When Luciana suggested changing the waist and adjusting the size, he agreed without hesitation.

Only after they finished discussing alterations did Luciana glance at me through the mirror.

"Valeria, don't be upset. I'm only trying to help. If you look beautiful on your wedding day, it makes me look good too."

Matteo finally looked at me again.

"Just follow Luciana's suggestions. She's a fashionista."

He smiled casually.

"She has much better taste than you."

I said nothing, and Matteo took my silence as agreement before turning back to Luciana. I watched them stand side by side with their backs toward me, as if I were no longer part of the conversation.

I quietly looked away. If the wedding dress could be changed to fit her, then perhaps they could replace the bride as well.

Without saying another word, I turned and walked out of the Romano estate.

Before leaving, I took only the bouquet of white bellflowers.

After getting into my car, I carefully placed the white bellflowers on the passenger seat and sat there for a long moment, lost in memories. Matteo had proposed to me with white bellflowers, and when I first confessed my feelings for him, I had brought him the same flowers. They had always meant so much to me.

Maybe they had never meant anything to him.

When I returned to the Romano estate and turned on the lights, the first thing I saw was our engagement portrait leaning against the wall. I stood between Matteo and Luciana, with her smiling brightly as she held my arm while Matteo rested a hand on my shoulder.

But his eyes were not on me.

They were fixed on Luciana.

Back then, Luciana had insisted on joining our engagement photos and argued with Matteo until he agreed.

In the end, the portrait became a photo of all three of us.

How had I failed to see it?

Perhaps I had seen it, but I just never wanted to admit it.

My phone suddenly rang. Matteo's name appeared on the screen.

I answered.

But it wasn't Matteo speaking. It was Luciana.

"Valeria? Why did you leave? We've been looking for you everywhere."

I leaned against the couch.

"I wasn't feeling well, so I came home."

Matteo's voice sounded in the background.

"See? I told you she's fine. She's probably exhausted from work again."

Then Luciana spoke again, "Get some rest. Matteo's taking me home first. I spent all day helping with your wedding, and my back is killing me."

Matteo laughed.

"I'll drive you home and give you a massage too. I learned a new technique."

Their playful laughter continued for a few seconds before the call ended. I stared at my phone, unable to move, and that night, sleep never came.

While scrolling through social media, I saw Luciana’s latest post. The first photo showed her sitting beside Matteo with glasses of expensive whiskey on the table. The second showed a man’s hand resting over another hand, and the ring on that hand was unmistakably my wedding ring.

The caption had only three words:

Fits perfectly now.

I stared at the screen.

Matteo hated alcohol.

Years ago, a single drink was enough to make him sick.

But when Luciana went through her first breakup, he spent an entire night drinking with her until he ended up in the hospital.

The funny part was that I was supposed to be Luciana's best friend. But I learned about her breakup from someone else.

And I only discovered Matteo had spent the night comforting her after receiving a call from the hospital. Since then, whenever Luciana invited him out for drinks, he never refused.

I pressed the like button, then refreshed the page. The post was already gone.

A moment later, a message from Matteo appeared.

[Still awake?]

I stared at it but didn't reply. A sharp ache burned behind my eyes, but my heart remained strangely calm.

Maybe I had finally become numb.

I picked up my phone and dialed another number.

"Professor, some time ago you asked if I wanted to join your overseas business management program. Is there still a place available?"

The man laughed with obvious relief.

"There is. I've been saving one for you. If you come, I'll have everything prepared within a few days."

After ending the call, I contacted the wedding planner.

"Sorry for calling this late."

There was a brief pause.

Then I spoke calmly, "I need to change the name of the bride on the wedding documents."

The planner sounded confused.

"Change it to who?"

I looked down at the bouquet of white bellflowers resting beside me.

"Change it to Luciana Costa."