Chapter 1 - The Bride Who Thought She Was Temporary
A bride stopped dancing in the middle of the wedding hall, whispering: "I thought this marriage was only a deal."
When mafia boss Cesare Bellante pulled her closer, he revealed a signed marriage contract hidden inside his jacket. But one sentence was written on the final page: "She was never meant to leave."
Cesare had chosen her long before she knew his name.
I still remembered the moment I realized everyone at my wedding believed I was a transaction.
Not a bride.
Not a woman starting a new life.
A transaction.
The ballroom was filled with hundreds of people dressed in expensive suits and elegant gowns. Crystal chandeliers reflected against the marble floor. Waiters moved silently between tables holding glasses of champagne. A string quartet played a beautiful song that should have made me feel like the luckiest woman alive.
Instead, I felt like I was standing in the middle of a room full of strangers waiting to see how long I would survive.
My hand rested in Cesare Bellante's.
The man who had just become my husband.
The most feared name in the city.
The man people whispered about whenever they thought I couldn't hear.
I had spent the last three months hearing the same rumors.
Cesare Bellante doesn't love anyone.
Cesare Bellante only understands power.
Cesare Bellante bought his way into every room he entered.
And now everyone believed he had bought me.
I couldn't blame them.
If I were standing outside this wedding looking in, I probably would have believed the same thing.
I was twenty-six years old.
I was a courthouse clerk with a quiet life, a small apartment, and no connection to the dangerous world Cesare belonged to.
He was forty-two.
A man who walked into a room and made everyone stop talking.
A man whose name could close businesses, open doors, and make powerful people nervous.
We were completely different.
That was why everyone thought the marriage was fake.
And maybe, at first, I thought the same thing.
Three months earlier, Cesare had walked into the courthouse where I worked.
I remembered that day clearly.
I had been organizing paperwork behind the counter when the entire room suddenly became quiet.
I looked up and saw him.
Black suit.
Cold expression.
Two men standing behind him like shadows.
Everyone recognized him.
Everyone except me.
"Miss Elena Rossi?" he asked.
I looked around, confused.
"Yes?"
He placed a folder on the counter.
"My name is Cesare Bellante."
I knew the name immediately after hearing it.
The atmosphere changed.
People avoided looking at us.
I slowly closed the folder.
"Can I help you?"
His eyes stayed on mine.
"I need you to marry me."
I honestly thought I had misunderstood him.
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me."
I looked around, waiting for someone to laugh.
Nobody did.
Everyone looked terrified.
"Why?"
That was the first question I asked.
Not why me.
Why would a man like him need anyone?
Cesare was silent for a moment.
Then he answered.
"Because there are people who believe they can control my family by controlling my future."
I didn't understand.
"You want a fake wife?"
His expression didn't change.
"I want a wife who cannot be controlled by anyone."
That answer should have scared me.
Instead, it made me curious.
The arrangement seemed simple.
A legal marriage.
Public appearances.
A year together.
Then we would decide what happened next.
There was no romance involved.
No promises.
No expectations.
That was what he told me.
And I believed him.
Because a man like Cesare Bellante didn't need love.
He needed strategy.
But now, standing beside him as his wife, I started wondering if I had misunderstood everything.
The music changed.
The guests began watching us more closely.
Cesare placed one hand around my waist.
His touch was gentle.
That surprised me.
Everything about him looked dangerous.
But the way he held me wasn't.
"You look nervous," he whispered.
I forced a small smile.
"Shouldn't I be?"
His eyes moved across my face.
"No."
I looked at him.
"Everyone here thinks they know why you married me."
"Do you?"
I didn't answer.
Because I did.
At least I thought I did.
I thought I was a shield.
A convenient solution.
A woman who would disappear once the agreement ended.
Cesare leaned closer.
His voice became quieter.
"You still believe this is fake."
My heart skipped.
I looked away.
"I think we both know what this is."
"What is it?"
"A contract."
For the first time that night, something changed in his expression.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Something deeper.
Something I couldn't understand.
He moved closer to my ear.
And he whispered:
"Nothing is fake, wife."
I froze.
The music continued.
The guests continued watching.
But for a few seconds, it felt like the entire room disappeared.
Because those words didn't sound like a business agreement.
They sounded like a confession.
I looked at him.
"Then what is real?"
Cesare didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the crowd.
At his family.
At the powerful people who surrounded us.
And for the first time, I saw something in his eyes.
Not fear.
Protection.
Like he was warning everyone without saying a word.
Later that night, after the wedding ceremony ended, I learned something strange.
Cesare didn't celebrate with his guests.
He didn't drink.
He didn't smile for photographs.
He disappeared into his private office.
At first, I assumed he was handling business.
That was who he was.
A man who could never truly leave his world behind.
I was about to go to my room when I heard voices coming from the hallway.
Two women were standing near the staircase.
They didn't see me.
"I still can't believe he actually married her," one whispered.
The other laughed softly.
"Give it six months. Cesare Bellante doesn't keep anything that stops being useful."
I stood there silently.
Those words hurt more than I expected.
Because they were saying exactly what I had secretly feared.
I walked away before they could notice me.
But when I reached my bedroom, something was waiting on the table.
A small black envelope.
No name.
No explanation.
Inside was a single photograph.
It was old.
A younger Cesare stood outside a courthouse.
And beside him was a woman I had never seen before.
I turned the picture over.
There was handwriting on the back.
Three words.
"Find her first."
My hands became cold.
I had no idea who the woman was.
Or why Cesare had hidden this from me.
But I knew one thing.
My marriage was not as simple as a contract.
The next morning, I searched for Cesare.
I found him inside his private office.
The door was slightly open.
I stepped closer.
Before I entered, I heard his voice.
"Elena wasn't supposed to know yet."
I stopped.
Because someone answered him.
And that voice belonged to someone I never expected to hear.
I reached for the door handle.
May you like
It was already open from the inside.
Someone was waiting for me.
