My ears rang as her words echoed. Engagement? My heart stopped for a second, then picked up with a painful thud. I searched Jace's face for answers, but he didn't look at me—he was staring straight at her, his jaw hard as stone.
Caterina's smirk widened, sensing the chaos she had planted inside me. "I know you're trying to spite me, Jace. Have your fun with her. But we both know where home is. And you'll come back to me."
Her voice carried loud enough for the whispers to spread through the room like wildfire. People weren't even pretending to hide their curiosity now. My cheeks burned. I felt stripped bare in front of strangers, reduced to nothing but gossip.
Jace's hand tightened on my waist. Possessive. Protective. Maybe even warning me not to react.
"If by 'this' you mean my wife," he said, voice low and edged with steel, "then yes, Caterina. I married her. And you'll address her as Mrs. Romano."
The way he said it—like a final verdict—should have soothed me. But my pulse was still erratic, and the weight of Caterina's eyes made me want to disappear. She didn't move. She just laughed softly, like she knew something I didn't, and leaned closer.
"You'll tire of her. You always do." She said. Then she looked at me and lowered her voice into a mocking whisper. "You're so cute. But girls like you don't belong here,"
Something inside me snapped, but I swallowed it down. If I lashed out here, in front of all these people, I'd prove her point. My nails dug into my palm as I forced myself to stand still.
Jace's voice cut through the air. "You can leave now." His tone left no room for argument and his jaw was tight with barely restrained fury.
The smile slipped off Caterina's face, but she didn't back down until his glare sharpened. Finally, with a scoff, she turned and walked away, hips swaying as if she hadn't just tried to humiliate me in front of the entire room.
I wanted to breathe, but the air felt heavy. My mind buzzed with too many questions: Why hadn't he told me about her? Why would he marry me when someone like that existed? And why did part of me hate how much her words hurt?
Jace didn't let me stew long. His arm stayed locked around my waist as he led me away from the curious stares, his gray eyes daring anyone to approach.
But even as he paraded me around to associates, smiling that sharp, cold smile of his, I knew my face betrayed me. Every polite nod I gave felt stiff. Every smile I tried was brittle. Inside, I was unraveling.
Jace's POV
Caterina's laugh still rang in my ears long after she walked away. Bold. Disrespectful. Reckless. She'd always been all three.
And once upon a time, I'd liked it.
She knew how to play the games of fire - seduction, danger, power. But she never learned how to bow when it mattered, and that's why she could never be mine. My wife couldn't just be beautiful. She had to be loyal. Untouchable. Mine in every way. Caterina would never have been that.
But Mira…
I tightened my grip around her waist, feeling the tension in her small frame. She was stiff, her smile brittle, her breaths were shallow too. I had seen men bleed out in front of me, and none of them looked as fragile as she did in that moment.
The Castillos knew what they were doing using Caterina to rattle me and rattle Mira as well. And damn it, they had succeeded.
But not for long.
I steered Mira through the room, introducing her to the people who mattered. "This is my wife," I said, again and again, my tone leaving no space for doubt, no opening for whispers. Every man who shook my hand left with a second glance at her ring. Every woman with sharp eyes studied her like a puzzle. Good. Let them see. Let them know she carried my name now.
But I felt her coldness beside me. She didn't cling to me the way Caterina used to. She didn't lean in, didn't whisper in my ear. Mira simply stood tall, forcing herself through the charade.
It pissed me off. Not at her but at myself. Because the truth was, I wanted her to hold on to me especially because she was new to this. I wanted her to smile like she believed she belonged here. Like she believed in me.
By the time I led her back to our table and sat for a few minutes, I'd had enough of the eyes, the whispers, the fake congratulations. I wasn't here to entertain vultures.
"Let's go," I muttered, already rising to my feet.
Her eyes flicked up to me, startled, almost hopeful. I didn't wait for her response. I offered my hand, and when she placed hers in mine, I led her out with our guards clearing the path.
The drive home was silence wrapped in tension. She looked out the window, her reflection was pale against the glass. I knew her mind was racing with questions, accusations even, but she said nothing. And for now, I let her have the silence.
Not because she deserved it but because if she asked me about Caterina tonight, I wasn't sure I'd be patient with my answers.
When we reached the mansion, I let her step out first. I lingered in the car longer than I needed, forcing the storm inside me to calm before I faced her again. But as soon as my feet touched the ground inside the house, my mother's voice cut through the silence.
"Jace."
I turned, jaw tightening. My mother stood beneath the archway, her face pale but her spine unyielding. "We need to talk."
I sighed. "If this is about the Castillos—"
Her sharp gaze silenced me. "It's about everything, figlio mio. And if you're smart, you'll listen."
I clenched my jaw, every nerve in me coiled tight.
"I know what I'm doing." I stated firmly.
That was the end of the conversation.