A woman dressed in white stared back at her, the intricate lace of her bridal gown hugging her frame, the delicate veil cascading down her back like a ghost of the past she couldn’t outrun.
She looked… beautiful. Perfect.
And yet, all she could think about was how none of this felt real.
She raised a trembling hand, touching her reflection as if to confirm she was truly there.
How did it come to this?
Just days ago, she had been living in blissful ignorance. And then Luca had walked through her front gates, and everything had unraveled.
Her chest tightened as memories flooded back—the moment after he had left that night, after shattering the carefully crafted lie her life had been built upon.
Flashback: The Night After Luca’s Revelation
The silence after Luca’s departure had been suffocating.
Anaya had stood in the middle of the room, still reeling, her thoughts a chaotic storm.
Then, her mother had stepped forward.
Her mother’s eyes were red-rimmed, her face pale with sorrow. When she reached for Anaya’s hands, she didn’t pull away.
“I’m sorry, beta,” her mother whispered, her voice thick with guilt. “I swear, we never meant to hurt you.”
Anaya couldn’t speak, her throat locked with emotion.
“We thought we were doing the right thing,” her mother continued, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “We left because we wanted you to have a normal life. To be safe. I—” She swallowed hard. “I should have told you sooner.”
For the first time, Anaya saw it. The raw regret in her mother’s gaze. The love. The pain of a woman who had made an impossible choice.
And despite everything, Anaya knew it was real.
Her mother truly believed she had done what was best.
Anaya’s father stood beside her, his face unreadable, his posture rigid. He said nothing, only nodding in silent confirmation of his wife’s words.
It was his way. He had never been one to offer apologies, only actions.
And then there was her sister.
Siya, who had always been her anchor, her safe place.
But now, there was no comfort in her gaze—only pity.
Real. Unfiltered.
Like she knew exactly how much Anaya’s world had shattered and hated that she couldn’t fix it.
Siya, reached out, squeezing Anaya’s hand tightly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I love you, di. No matter what.”
Anaya had exhaled shakily, feeling the finality of it all settle into her bones.
There was no escape from this.
And maybe… there never had been.
Flashback ends
A knock on the door snapped her back to the present.
“It’s time,” a voice called softly.
Anaya inhaled deeply, one last moment of quiet before stepping into the storm.
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Wedding Hall
The hall was grand, the air thick with tradition and the weight of what was about to happen.
Luca stood at the front, his expression unreadable, his dark suit crisp and imposing.
He looked exactly as she remembered—except for the slight shift in his eyes when he saw her.
If she didn’t know better, she would have thought it was awe.
But she did know better.
Jonas and Dario, Luca’s brothers, stood beside him, their matching grins shattering the tension.
“You look like you’re about to be executed,” Jonas smirked.
Dario chuckled. “Or maybe he’s just finally realizing he’s whipped.”
Luca shot them a withering look, but they only laughed harder.
Anaya’s heart hammered as she reached the altar, every step sealing her fate.
And then—It began.
The rituals. The vows. The inescapable reality of what was happening.
And when it was over, Luca turned to her, his gaze holding something she couldn’t decipher.
Then, instead of her lips—
He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Soft. Deliberate.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Valentini,” he murmured.
The words echoed through her, final and absolute.
There was no going back.
And as the room erupted in applause, Anaya couldn’t help but wonder—
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