The day I learned Luca had entered my mother’s adopted daughter’s child into the Rossi family line of succession, I broke off our engagement and left for Paris.
At the airport gate, my phone buzzed frantically. The screen was flooded with his messages.
“It’s not what you think. Let me explain.”
“The dissolution hasn’t been witnessed by both Families. The engagement is still valid.”
“Answer the phone. I’m begging you.”
After we got engaged, he’d never been willing to cross that final line with me—yet he had turned around and acknowledged another woman was carrying his heir.
I stared at the man on the screen, his face perpetually cold.
It was the first time I had ever seen Luca use the word “beg.”
My fingertip hovered over the power button for a full minute.
In the end, I signed the dissolution papers, sealed the black-and-gold signet ring the Rossi family had given its future bride in a courier box, powered off my phone, pulled out the SIM card, and snapped it in two.
When the plane lifted off the runway, I didn’t look back.
It wasn’t until six years later, when my mother fell critically ill, that I returned to this city.
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 23 I had asked him why he was helping me. He stood in the doorway, the unlit cigarette between his teeth, and thought for a moment. “You helped me defuse a bomb once. I remember.” In truth, I had never taken a
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 23 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 22 There was no signature. But I knew who it was. Eighteen years ago, he had pulled me out of a river. Twelve years ago, he had disappeared without a trace. “It’s Ray Corrigan,” I said. Dante tossed the unlit cigarette
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 22 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 21 The coffee was bitter. On the other side of the door, Ophelia’s voice dissolved into sobs, punctuated by Luca’s sharp questions. The sounds were muffled, as if they belonged to another world. I leaned against the wall and slowly drank my
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 21 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 20 At last, cracks appeared in the mask Ophelia had worn for six years. I sat at my mother’s bedside, a storm of shock and anger churning inside me. But deeper than that was a terrifying emptiness. There was no wild joy,
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 20 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 19 “Before you left, Luca came to me,” Maria said, her words slow and deliberate. “He told me he had never touched her. The child couldn’t be his. At the time, he had no proof the Rossi elders would accept, but he wanted me to
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 19 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 18 I lowered my head and held my mother’s hand. “I’m fine,” she said, looking at me. “As for Ophelia, I know everything. After you left, Luca came to see me every Christmas. She came, too. I won’t pass judgment on their marriage.”
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 18 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 17 “Ophelia.” Luca grabbed her wrist. “What are you talking about?” “Let me finish.” She shook him off, trembling as she cried. “Elena, six years ago, Luca was drunk. He mistook me for you. I could have left, but I didn’t. My
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 17 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 16 Luca was silent for a moment before shifting his gaze to me. “Elena, I thought about what you said last night. All night.” I didn’t respond. “I remember what happened when you were thirteen.” His Adam’s apple moved. “You said the
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 16 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 15 “Mom,” Ophelia said, going to the bedside, “I brought your favorite chicken noodle soup.” Maria looked at her but said nothing. Ophelia set the bowl down, then turned to Dante and forced a smile. “I was rude downstairs. I didn’t realize
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 15 Read Post »
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 14 A long while later, I lifted my head and motioned for Dante to come closer. “Mom, this is Dante, a friend I met in Paris. We owe him a great deal.” Dante nodded politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maria.”
He Chose Another Heir Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 14 Read Post »
