The Don Chose Her, I Chose Left Chapter 04
Wedding band melodies and loud guest chatter echoed throughout the Russo-owned five-star hotel all evening long.
I sat all alone inside the top-floor private penthouse bridal suite, the very same luxury condo Julian and I had purchased as our first shared property years into our relationship.
I’d picked out every single detail inside this space myself, from bed linens and ceiling light fixtures down to every small decorative trinket scattered across the room.
All my early excitement and hopeful wedding day dreams felt utterly ridiculous in hindsight.
Sofia burst through the suite’s front door minutes later, boiling with unbridled anger.
“That bastard Julian Russo’s been plotting this scam from day one!”
“The second you left the ceremony space, they swapped out all your couple photos on the screen for his old snapshots with Bianca!”
“He even pulled out a hundred-thousand-dollar high-end designer wedding gown just for her!”
“Thirty extra banquet tables got added last minute for every single distant relative and friend from the Marino Family clan!”
“He’s blatantly using your scheduled alliance wedding as cover to legally wed Bianca instead!”
“The Bellandi Family’s senior leadership skipped today’s event, and he’s exploiting that gap to humiliate you openly!”
Sofia’s rant hit every single ugly truth dead-on.
Julian’s cruelty knew no bounds after eight years of shared history.
He’d packaged his outright betrayal behind fake family traditions without a single shred of remorse.
All his flowery lifelong promises meant absolutely nothing now.
“Everything’s fine.” I patted Sofia’s shoulder gently to calm her down, shifting into the comforting role for once.
“Rest easy.”
“I won’t swallow this unfair loss quietly.”
Close to eight o’clock that night, Julian finally stumbled into the bridal suite thoroughly intoxicated from endless wedding reception toasts.
His footsteps wobbled slightly, yet a smug grin stayed fixed on his lips.
“The wedding ceremony’s fully wrapped up now, Elena.”
“I dropped Bianca off safely back at her lodging.”
“No more contact between us ever again.”
“Okay.”
He sank down onto the edge of our bed and reached out attempting to drape an arm around my shoulder.
“You’re not upset with me today, right?”
“Not at all.” I shook my head.
A relieved smile bloomed across his face.
“Thank you for being such an incredible, forgiving partner.”
“Starting tonight we’re officially lawfully wed.”
“I’m gonna spend my whole lif—”
His cell phone’s sudden ringtone cut his declaration short.
As soon as he picked up the call, Bianca’s tearful whimpering poured through the speaker.
“Julian, I slipped and fell going up the stairs a minute ago.”
“I’m bleeding pretty badly…”
Julian’s facial features darkened instantly once he hung up.
“Elena, I have to rush over there.”
I tilted my gaze up toward him, tone icy and sharp.
“You just swore a moment ago you’d cut all ties with her permanently.”
“I promise this is the very last time.” Julian lifted three fingers once more in earnest pledge.
“Thirty minutes tops, I’ll be right back.”
His empty vows held zero credibility left in my eyes.
A heart already wandering elsewhere couldn’t be chained down with empty promises.
“Go ahead then.” I gave him free rein to leave.
Julian grabbed his suit jacket and bolted out the door without an ounce of hesitation.
Dead silence filled the expansive bridal penthouse again.
Shortly afterward, the suite door creaked open slow and quiet.
A tall, sharply handsome man strolled inside, tailored designer suit fitting flawlessly across his frame with lazy amusement etched into his features.
“Elena.”
“Finally decided to call me in?”
Thirty minutes passed right on schedule, and raucous teasing voices echoed down the hallway from his guys.
“Julian said we should pass on the traditional shivaree!”
“He partied nonstop with Bianca all night long and he’s got nothing left for his bride tonight.”
“Eight years with her, he can’t ditch his wedding-night obligations on us.”
“Hell yeah, we’re crashing the suite to pull our shivaree prank on him!”
His guys laughed loud, and the crewmen kicked the suite door clean off its latch.
Every single grin froze solid the instant they laid eyes on what waited inside the room.
Down at Bianca’s temporary hotel room, her injury was nothing more than a minor shallow scrape across her thigh.
Julian carefully patched up the small wound before standing to take his leave.
“Bianca, I need to head back now.”
“We should limit all future contact moving forward.”
“Tomorrow’s the day Elena and I sign our legal marriage paperwork at City Hall.”
“I intend to build a proper life alongside her from here on out.”
“I’ve already fulfilled your wish of walking you down a wedding altar today.”
“Reach out to any of my guys from now on if you ever need help.”
“They’ll handle whatever issues pop up for you.”
Bianca’s eyes instantly flooded with tears, her hands clamping tight around his wrist to stop his departure.
“Spend just one final extra day with me, Julian?”
“I’m stuck all alone in this unfamiliar city with no one nearby for company…”
Impatience simmered thick inside Julian’s chest.
He’d promised only thirty minutes away, yet over an hour had already slipped by.
Elena was definitely waiting frustrated back in the bridal suite.
His phone buzzed nonstop with incoming calls from his inner circle, all blowing up his device repeatedly.
He muted the ringer out of irritation and clicked open a private encrypted group chat instead.
A single text preview made his pupils blow wide with instant shock.
