Chapter 6 - THE BETRAYAL AT THE WEDDING
Z
Chloe refused to cancel the wedding.
“I already paid eleven thousand dollars for flowers.”
Sadi stared at her sister through the video call.
“There was a shooting at your rehearsal dinner.”
“And nobody died.”
“That is a low standard for wedding success.”
Chloe leaned closer to the camera.
“I am not letting organized crime ruin my wedding.”
Behind Sadi, Roman muttered:
“I respect her.”
Sadi turned.
“Do not encourage her.”
The ceremony would happen under extreme security.
Officially, the increased presence was explained as protection against whoever had caused the rehearsal dinner incident.
Unofficially, Roman had enough armed men around the venue to invade a small country.
Sadi’s mother was furious.
Not about the danger.
About Roman.
“You’ve known him six months and never told us?”
Sadi had stopped correcting the fake timeline.
“It was complicated.”
“Complicated?”
Elaine lowered her voice.
“He’s a criminal.”
Sadi looked across the bridal suite.
Roman stood near the doorway speaking quietly to security.
“He’s more complicated than that.”
“Sadi.”
“I know what he is.”
“Do you?”
That question stayed with her.
Because she did know.
At least partly.
Roman was dangerous.
He had done terrible things.
Probably worse things than she wanted details about.
Loving whatever existed between them did not erase those truths.
But Derek had been harmless by comparison.
And Derek had slowly convinced her to hate herself.
Danger apparently came in many forms.
The wedding began at four.
For two blessed hours, everything went perfectly.
Chloe walked down the aisle.
Their father cried.
Their mother cried harder.
Sadi stood among the bridesmaids wearing burgundy silk.
Roman watched from the third row.
Not the ceremony.
Her.
When she caught him staring, he did not look away.
Afterward, guests moved into the ballroom.
Sadi found Roman near the bar.
“You’re terrible at being discreet.”
“I’m not trying.”
“You stared through the entire ceremony.”
“You were standing there.”
“That is generally what bridesmaids do.”
Roman leaned closer.
“You looked beautiful.”
Heat traveled up her neck.
“You already used that line.”
“It remained accurate.”
Before she could respond, Derek appeared.
He looked exhausted.
“Can we talk?”
Roman’s expression changed.
Sadi touched his arm.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
Derek glanced around.
“Privately.”
Roman responded.
“No.”
Sadi sighed.
“Roman.”
“No.”
“I need to hear him.”
Roman looked at her.
Then at Derek.
“You have five minutes.”
Derek stared.
“You don’t control her.”
Roman’s voice cooled.
“Correct.”
That surprised everyone.
Roman looked at Sadi.
“She decides.”
Sadi nodded toward the terrace.
“Five minutes.”
Derek followed.
Outside, cold wind swept across the gardens.
He immediately began.
“I didn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Who the Morettis were.”
“You accessed my information.”
“My boss told me to.”
Sadi folded her arms.
“You could have asked why.”
“He said they were doing liability research connected to Rossi employees.”
“So you gave criminals my address.”
“I thought Roman was the criminal!”
“He is.”
Derek looked confused.
Sadi almost laughed.
“That’s not the point.”
“I was worried about you.”
“No. You were curious.”
Derek looked away.
“I saw you with him and…”
“And?”
“You looked different.”
Her stomach tightened.
“Different how?”
“Confident.”
The word surprised her.
Derek exhaled.
“You never looked that way with me.”
Sadi studied the man she once believed she would marry.
“Maybe because you spent three years making me believe I should apologize for existing.”
“I never—”
“You told me what to eat.”
“I wanted you healthy.”
“You compared me to women at restaurants.”
“I was trying to motivate you.”
“You stopped taking pictures with me.”
Derek closed his eyes.
“Sadi…”
“No. You don’t get to rewrite it because I finally stopped believing you.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Derek spoke softly.
“I’m sorry.”
For years, she had imagined those words.
They felt smaller than expected.
“I forgive you.”
His head lifted.
“But that doesn’t mean I want anything from you.”
Derek nodded.
Then his eyes shifted behind her.
His face changed.
“Sadi.”
She turned.
A waiter stood several yards away.
Except he wasn’t a waiter.
His hand was inside his jacket.
Derek moved first.
He shoved Sadi sideways.
The gun came out.
A shot cracked across the terrace.
Glass shattered.
Roman appeared through the ballroom doors almost simultaneously.
Another shot.
Guests screamed.
Roman tackled Sadi behind a stone planter.
His men flooded the terrace.
Within seconds, the attacker was down.
Derek lay near the railing.
Blood spread across his shirt.
Sadi crawled toward him.
“Oh God.”
Roman tried to hold her.
“It’s his side. Sadi, wait.”
“He saved me.”
Roman released her.
They reached Derek together.
He was conscious.
Barely.
Roman tore open Derek’s jacket and pressed his hand against the wound.
“Ambulance.”
One of his men was already calling.
Derek looked toward Roman.
“You owe me.”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“For saving her?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll get the best surgeon in Illinois.”
Derek coughed weakly.
“I was going to ask you not to kill me.”
Roman stared.
“Surgeon is better.”
Even Sadi laughed through her tears.
Then another guard hurried onto the terrace.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“We caught the shooter alive.”
Roman looked at Sadi.
Something dark entered his eyes.
She knew exactly what he wanted to do.
“Roman.”
His gaze remained on hers.
“No.”
He looked toward the guard.
“Turn him over to the police.”
The guard seemed shocked.
“Boss?”
“You heard me.”
For Sadi, the importance of that choice was enormous.
Roman had chosen her world.
Her rules.
Not because she forced him.
Because he wanted to become someone who could remain inside them.
Paramedics rushed onto the terrace.
Derek was carried away.
Police arrived.
The wedding ended in chaos.
Again.
Hours later, Sadi stood alone in the empty ballroom.
Roman approached.
“Derek will survive.”
She exhaled.
“Thank God.”
Roman stopped beside her.
“The Moretti organization is collapsing. Their shooter gave names.”
“To the police?”
“And federal agents.”
Sadi looked suspicious.
“Why would he cooperate?”
Roman’s expression remained innocent.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Roman.”
“I had a conversation with him.”
“You threatened him?”
“I explained his legal options.”
“You absolutely threatened him.”
“He found my explanation persuasive.”
Sadi shook her head.
Then smiled.
Roman took her hand.
“It’s over.”
“Is anything in your life ever over?”
“No.”
His expression softened.
“But this part is.”
Sadi looked around the destroyed wedding reception.
“You realize both my sister’s rehearsal dinner and wedding ended with gunfire.”
“Yes.”
“She hates you.”
“She invited me to brunch tomorrow.”
Sadi blinked.
“What?”
“She said anyone who provides twenty armed guards and pays for the damaged venue is family.”
Sadi laughed so loudly it echoed through the ballroom.
Roman smiled.
A real smile this time.
And Sadi realized she had never seen one before.
It changed his entire face.
“What?”
Roman’s smile disappeared.
“You’re staring.”
“I’ve never seen you smile.”
“I smile.”
“No.”
“I do.”
“You look constipated occasionally. That isn’t smiling.”
Roman pulled her closer.
“You’re insulting me.”
“You like it.”
“I’m beginning to.”
Then he kissed her.
In the middle of broken glass.
Beneath ruined flowers.
Inside a ballroom where everything had gone catastrophically wrong.
May you like
Sadi kissed him back.
Because somehow, for the first time in years, everything inside her felt exactly right.
