He Played Dead, I Played the Headlines Chapter 09
Third person POV
On the way back, Matteo kept thinking about Annie. The more he thought about it, the less he could believe she would marry someone else for no reason. Then he convinced himself that she must have been forced by her family.
He had noticed long ago that William liked Annie. But so what? She still chose Matteo in the end.
Since that was the case, he was confident that once he showed up, she would come back to him.
With that thought, he dialed her number. He couldn’t wait to tell her that he was back. He imagined her moved to tears once she found out.
But when the call connected, no one picked up. The endless ringing made his heart pound uneasily.
He opened his laptop and searched for information about Annie and William’s wedding.
But here was nothing! There wasn’t a single trace online.
He had no choice but to order his men to investigate.
Days passed, but there was still nothing. Until finally, on the day of the wedding, he caught a lead.
He rushed to the location, his heart racing the entire way.
But another thought crossed his mind. If he brought the media along and documented himself crashing the wedding, wouldn’t that give him the upper hand over the Valente family?
The commentators in the live chat scoffed.
“Matteo really lives in his own fantasy world. Has he ever looked in a mirror? He thinks he can compare to William? If William had spoken a little more back then, Matteo wouldn’t even be in the picture.”
“He really thinks Annie would ditch the Valente heir for him? He’d be lucky if he even makes it past security. The Valentes are armed and untouchable.”
“Annie finally came to her senses. Why settle for trash like Matteo when there’s someone like William?”
As expected, when Matteo arrived, no matter how many times he declared his identity, the guards ignored him completely. Until finally, he snapped, “Do you know who I am? Can you handle the consequences of offending me?
The guards couldn’t help laughing. “You’ve got it backward. You should be asking what happens when you offend the Valente family.”
Feeling humiliated, Matteo’s expression darkened.
But the few men he brought with him were no match for the guards. And forcing his way in would only end badly. So, they could only wait outside.
When the wedding ceremony ended, Annie stepped out of the church in her wedding dress. Bathed in sunlight, she looked breathtaking.
Matteo was suddenly hit with a wave of regret. He believed that a beautiful woman like Annie should belong to him.
Ignoring everything else, he shouted her name. But he was too far away. Annie didn’t even glance in his direction.
He kept calling after her, even urging his men to shout with him. He was certain that once she heard his voice, she would run to him. He believed that in her eyes, he had always been the best. How could that Valente guy ever compare?
But no matter how much Matteo shouted, Annie never looked at him. In the end, he could only watch as she got into the car and left with William.
With the guards holding Matteo back, he couldn’t chase after her even if he wanted to.
As night fell, he had no choice but to go home. The moment he walked in, Carla rushed forward and hugged him, My son, you’re finally home. Did you see the news? That bitch Annie actually betrayed you and married someone else.”
Matteo pushed her away impatiently. “That’s because she thought I was dead. Once I show up, she’ll come back to me.”
He then went straight to his room. But the moment he opened the door, he was shocked.
Everything that belonged to Annie was gone. Even their photo had been smashed on the floor.
He called the household staff over, demanding answers. They all insisted that it wasn’t them. So, he turned to Carla. “Mom! Why did you throw out Annie’s things? Why did you break our photo? Do you know how much she loved that picture?”
Carla waved her hands defensively. “I didn’t do it. It must’ve been Annie. She’s framing me.”
Matteo sighed. “You always blame Annie like this. Do you really think I can’t tell?”
Carla looked wronged, but Matteo refused to listen to her.
The commentators in live chat burst into laughter.
“This is too funny. Karma really comes full circle. And this time, it’s her own son delivering it.”
“I thought Matteo really didn’t know it before. Turns out, he was just pretending all along.”
Annie’s POV
I read the comments and smiled.
The truth was, I had seen Matteo that day at the wedding. I didn’t know where he got the confidence to think I would run to him without hesitation.
Watching him shout my name from afar, all I felt was amusement.
William had asked me, “What are you laughing at?”
I replied, “An idiot.”
William followed my gaze, then reached out and took my hand.
That night, after the wedding, William’s gaze toward me grew more intense. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed me down onto the bed. He then started kissing my forehead, soft and lingering, slowly trailing downward.
I was nervous and unprepared, so I tried to push him away.
But he caught my wrists. “I can’t?”
I avoided meeting his eyes. “I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
William let out a low chuckle and asked, “Can I at least kiss my wife?”
I nodded shyly.
His kisses were gentle yet forceful. As they deepened, the air between us grew warmer and heavier.
As his breathing turned ragged and deep, I tried to push him away again. But the next kiss only came more firmly.
Strangely, I soon found myself sinking into it. At some point, William brushed his lips against my ear and murmured, “Can I?”
I didn’t answer. But my arms slowly wrapped around his waist.
