Page 19 of His to Destroy

The news spreads fast, just as I expected it would.

Gaspare Colosimo is getting married.

Most are shocked. Some amused. A few skeptical.

But no one dares to question it.

They know better.

Behind closed doors, Sancia leans over my desk.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"No," I answer. "But it's the only move I have left."

She studies me. "You still care for her."

"I never stopped."

"And Luca?"

I hesitate. "He's innocent. And I won't let what happened to me touch him."

Sancia nods once. "Then make sure no one else does either."

The days pass in a blur of planning, paperwork, and preparation.

I buy her a house. A mansion outside the city, walled off, guarded. Elegant but discreet.

She accepts it with a guarded nod.

She doesn’t thank me.

I don’t need her to.

We choose a date. A chapel. A guest list that reads like a power map.

Everything about it is calculated. Political.

During the planning, she remains distant. Professional. She listens to suggestions, corrects what she hates, and signs her name when needed. She says little, but when she speaks, the room falls silent.

And when I look at her—really look at her—all I can think is that I was a fool to ever let her slip away.

This time, I won’t.

As penance.

Chapter 6 - Almeria

Weddings are supposed to be sacred.

Mine feels like a performance on a stage built for a war I didn’t choose.

The gown they chose for me is ivory, sleek, and devastatingly elegant. Silk hugs my figure in ways that feel unfamiliar, a plunging neckline daring attention I don’t want, and a veil so long it trails behind me like a storm cloud swallowing the floor. Somewhere in the chaos of fittings, fabric samples, lace trials, and press arrangements, my opinion stopped mattering. I became a project, a symbol of an alliance. No longer a woman. Just a name to attach to Gaspare’s.

I said yes to everything because it was easier than arguing.

And maybe because deep down, I didn’t have the strength to resist. Not when it’s about Luca.

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