Chapter 2

The wedding was supposed to start an hour ago.

Marco wasn't here.

I sat in the bridal suite, listening to the growing murmur of voices from the great hall below. The silk dress they'd put me in was beautiful - ivory with silver embroidery that caught the light. In my past life, I would've been mortified by now.

This time, I was calculating.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. "Miss Lucia, they're asking if you'd like to delay the ceremony."

"No," I said firmly. "We proceed as planned."

The maid looked uncertain but nodded.

I walked down the stone steps to the great hall. Two hundred guests filled the space - powerful families from across Sicily, business partners, allies. All here to witness the merger of two bloodlines.

One groom was missing.

Matteo stood at the altar looking sympathetic and slightly embarrassed. Valentina was beside him in a cloud of white silk, practically glowing with happiness.

This is perfect. Marco's showing his true colors already - he doesn't even care enough to show up.

Her mental voice was smug as she watched me approach my empty altar.

The whispers started immediately.

"He's not even here for his own wedding."

"That poor girl."

"How humiliating."

In my past life, I'd wanted to disappear. I'd stood there red-faced and trembling while everyone pitied me.

Not this time.

I walked to my position with my head high, then turned to face the crowd. The whispers died down as I lifted my chin.

"My husband is handling urgent family business," I announced clearly. "A man who puts family duty above personal comfort is exactly the kind of man I'm proud to marry."

Silence.

Then Nonna Isabella started clapping.

The sound echoed through the hall, and slowly, others joined in.

Damn it. How is she turning this around?

Valentina's mental voice was furious, but her smile never wavered.

I caught her eye and smiled back sweetly. Just wait, sister.

The priest performed the ceremony with Marco's absence noted but not dwelt upon. When it came time for vows, I spoke to an empty space but with such conviction that even the skeptics seemed impressed.

"I pledge my loyalty to this family and to the man who leads it," I said. "Distance doesn't diminish duty."

More applause. I was winning them over.

After the ceremony came the reception. Long tables filled the hall, laden with traditional Sicilian dishes. The smell of garlic and tomatoes mixed with expensive wine and fresh flowers.

Then came the tea ceremony.

This was where Valentina would make her move. In my past life, she'd "accidentally" bumped into me during the formal tea service to Nonna Isabella, making me spill boiling tea all over the elderly woman's lap.

I'd been so humiliated I'd barely been able to apologize.

Not this time.

Valentina and I approached Nonna Isabella's table carrying the ceremonial tea service. The silver tray was heavy, the delicate cups filled to the brim with steaming jasmine tea.

Just a little push when she's not expecting it. She'll look like a clumsy fool.

I heard Valentina's plan clearly.

As we reached Nonna Isabella, Valentina stepped sideways suddenly, aiming to knock into me.

I'd been ready for twenty-four hours.

I pivoted smoothly, letting her momentum carry her past me. Her shoulder hit empty air where I'd been standing, and she stumbled forward.

The entire tray of tea went flying.

Valentina crashed to the floor in a spray of hot liquid and broken porcelain, her white dress instantly stained brown.

"Oh my goodness!" I gasped, setting my own tray down safely. "Are you hurt?"

You bitch! How did you know?

Valentina's mental scream was furious, but all she could do was lie there dripping.

Nonna Isabella looked down at her with cold disapproval.

"Clumsy," the old woman said flatly. "Is this how they taught you to serve tea in your family?"

"I'm so sorry, Nonna," Valentina stammered from the floor. "I don't know what happened."

"I do," Nonna Isabella replied icily. "Lack of grace. Lack of control."

She turned to me as I knelt respectfully beside her chair, offering a fresh cup of tea from the backup service.

"Thank you, child." Her voice warmed considerably. "At least one of you was raised properly."

I kept my expression humble. "Thank you, Nonna. I'm honored to serve the family."

How did she avoid that? She moved like she knew exactly what I was planning.

Valentina struggled to her feet, shooting me a venomous look that I pretended not to see.

The rest of the reception passed smoothly. Guests complimented my composure, my grace, my obvious devotion to family duty despite my absent husband.

By the time the evening ended, I'd won over most of the room.

Valentina spent the rest of the night trying to clean tea stains out of her wedding dress.

As midnight approached, servants escorted me to what would be my new bedroom. Marco's bedroom. The master suite in the family wing.

It was massive - stone walls hung with tapestries, a fireplace large enough to stand in, and a bed that could sleep four people. Everything was dark wood and deep colors, masculine and imposing.

I was examining the bookshelf when I heard footsteps in the corridor.

The door opened.

Marco walked in, still wearing his black suit but with his tie loosened and his hair slightly messed. He looked tired.

He was even more striking up close than he'd been at the altar yesterday. Tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of dark eyes that missed nothing. There was something dangerous about him, but not in the way I'd thought before.

"You handled today well," he said without preamble.

His voice was deeper than Matteo's, rougher around the edges.

"Thank you."

He moved to pour himself a drink from the crystal decanter on his dresser. "Most women would have been crying by now."

"I'm not most women."

He glanced at me over his shoulder, and for a moment our eyes met.

She really doesn't seem like the others. There's something different about her.

His mental voice was curious rather than hostile.

Could she really be...? No. That's impossible. My little angel died years ago.

I went very still.

Little angel?

Marco continued getting ready for bed as if nothing had happened, but I was reeling.

What did he mean by that?