After 18 Wedding Escapes, I Married the Mafia King Chapter 04
The night breeze hit us the moment we stepped out of the bar.
Raven burst into tears.
“How dare they talk about you like that?”
“Why do they all think you can’t live without him?”
I lowered my gaze to the marriage license in my hands.
At night, it looked dim. Like a heart that had finally gone cold.
“It’s okay.”
“Starting today, whatever they think doesn’t matter to me anymore.”
—
The next morning, Riccardo came to pick me up for a wedding dress fitting.
A black Bentley was parked downstairs.
As soon as I got in, Riccardo closed the file he’d been holding and handed me a cup of hot milk.
“Got it on the way.”
“Your stomach isn’t great. Have something before we get there.”
I accepted the cup. The warmth seeped into my palms.
For a moment, I didn’t even know what to say.
My marriage to Riccardo was an alliance.
After my grandmother passed away, several relatives from the Vercetti family started eyeing the shares I’d inherited.
The Morello and Vercetti families had an old pact.
When Riccardo proposed marriage, I hadn’t refused.
There wasn’t any love between us.
Before we got married, we’d only met in formal settings three times.
Yet he remembered that I had stomach problems.
He remembered that I didn’t drink anything cold.
He remembered how my fingers had been ice-cold when I walked out of the office yesterday.
Stefano and I had been together for seven years. He never had.
—
When we arrived at the bridal boutique, I followed him inside.
That’s when I realized the entire second floor had been booked for the event.
The manager greeted us with a smile.
“These are all the designs Mr. Morello personally selected last night.”
“The gown Miss Vercetti saved from that magazine feature has also been flown in.”
I went still. I’d only posted that dress once on social media.
The caption had been simple.
[If I ever get married, I want something simple. Like this.]
Stefano had replied with a single word.
[Basic.]
After that, I’d never mentioned it again.
Riccardo seemed not to notice my surprise.
He simply stepped forward and held open the fitting room curtain for me.
“If you don’t like it, we’ll find something else.”
“Today is only about what you like.”
Suddenly, my eyes stung.
So this was what it felt like to be valued.
It wasn’t being rushed. It wasn’t being brushed aside. Or hearing that “it’ll do.”
It was having someone actually remember the little things you said—and take them to heart.
After I tried on the third dress, the manager brought over a list of available wedding venues.
“Miss Vercetti, these are the venues available next week. You and Mr. Morello can take a look.”
I scanned the first page.
Then I stopped. At the very top were two familiar names.
Groom—Stefano Greco.
Bride—Juliana Rossi.
The reservation date was three days later.
The exact same day as my wedding.
—
On the wedding day, Riccardo and I arrived neither early nor late.
Outside the ballroom next door, pink and white roses covered nearly every surface.
Stefano stood among a crowd of friends, dressed in a groom’s tuxedo.
Someone laughed and bumped his shoulder.
“Don Greco, you’re really going all out this time.”
“You’re actually giving Juliana a wedding?”
Stefano looked down and adjusted his cufflinks. His expression was as casual as ever.
“Juliana’s been in love with me for years. I know.”
“Her health isn’t great, and she’s always been insecure. Today’s just about indulging her a little.”
Stefano smiled. “Once Juliana’s wedding is over, I’ll go find Lillian.”
“She’s thrown enough tantrums by now.”
“I’ll sweet-talk her a little. She’ll come around.”
“Then I’ll do right by her. Marry her for real. Make it legal.”
He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was as if none of it had mattered.
Not the seven years I’d spent with him.
Not the eighteen trips I’d made to City Hall.
Not even the marriage license I’d tossed onto the table in front of him the day before.
To him, it all seemed like nothing more than a moment of anger.
Behind him, Juliana’s face stiffened for a split second.
But then she ducked her head, that shy smile slipping right back into place.
“Stefano, having this day with you is already enough for me.”
“I’m more than happy.”
The people around them immediately began teasing again.
“Juliana’s such a sweetheart.”
“If Lillian were half as sweet as Juliana, Don Greco would’ve married her years ago.”
Then suddenly, the group fell silent.
As if sensing something, Stefano looked up.
The moment his eyes landed on me, his entire body froze.
