The cathedral was drenched in golden light. Crystal chandeliers shimmered over polished marble, white roses lined the aisle, and soft notes floated through the air like whispers. A lone violin played at the front, its melody delicate, bittersweet, almost echoing the unease in my chest.
I gripped my bouquet, forcing my trembling hands to be steady. Today was supposed to be perfect. Today I was supposed to marry Adrian Romano, the younger son. Alliances had been made, contracts signed, smiles rehearsed. Everything was arranged… orderly, safe, and predictable.
The music swelled as my father, Mateo Cortez, held my hand as I took my first step down the aisle. Each note seemed to echo the pounding of my heart, mingling with the faint whisper of my silk gown against the marble floor.
Then, the priest cleared his throat.
"We are gathered here today to unite—"
A pause. His words faltered.
And then, the cathedral doors swung open.
The melody froze. The strings of the violin quivered as a hush fell over the crowd. Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed. Everyone rose instinctively.
I froze.
It wasn't Adrian.
Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black tailored to perfection, green eyes scanning the room like predators — Alessandro Romano. The elder brother. The true heir. The man whose name made everyone, even the most dangerous, swallow their fear.
He walked down the aisle to the haunting song, the violin almost weeping under his presence. Guests parted like the tide, whispering in awe and fear.
When he reached the altar, he didn't smile. He didn't bow. He looked at me. Cold. Possessive. Dominant.
"I understand there's been a wedding arrangement," he said, his voice low, smooth, and terrifying in its calm. "But some arrangements… need adjustment."
Gasps echoed through the cathedral.
He extended his hand toward me.
"And you," he said, eyes locking onto mine, "you will marry me."
The violin's melody soared, bittersweet and wild, as I realized the truth.
I turned to see Adrian coming behind him, not as a groom but dressed as the best man. I was shocked.
"How could this be?" I asked, like everything had been fine until now. I turned and looked at my father. "What's going on?"
He looked at me and said, "Sofia, what's done is done. Get yourself together and continue with the wedding."
I shouted, "It can't be!" as I ran to Adrian. "How… what happened? Everything was fine. We were happy, waiting for this day. Did I do something wrong?"
Then I'm sorry… let's forget it and continue. Sofia, wake up and move on. What's done is done, and you can't do anything about it. So we are done… The words echoed through my mind as tears rolled down my eyes.
My father, Mateo Cortez, was irritated by me and shouted that I should be over the act and continue with the wedding.
"You know how dangerous he is! How could you do this to me? No! I will not marry him! He is a monster!" I yelled at my father.
"That's our line of work," he replied. "Stop acting like a child."
"I will never love him!" I cried, my voice shaking. My father, who everyone called Teo, was already tired of my act and lifted his hand to slap me.
I closed my eyes, ready for the hit that never came.
When I opened them, I saw a tall figure in front of me. Alessandro. He held my father's hand and said, "Not in my presence will you hit the woman who is about to be my wife."
I opened my eyes fully and told Alessandro, "You shouldn't act like you're good. I will never be yours, and I will never love you."
I couldn't hold my breath as I counted numbers and ran away. At the entrance, two heavy guards blocked my way and brought out their guns.
Can someone remind me how I ended up here, standing in a cathedral, dressed as a bride to a man I had never dreamed of or wanted — a monster everyone feared, emotionless, cold, careless to everything? To know that, I had to go back. Back to the day my life truly began…
My mother died giving birth to me. I never felt the love of a mother, only the void of her absence, and the hatred I grew up with. My father, Mateo Cortez — never forgave me for the death of the woman he loved so much and never loved or cared for me either. He blamed me for taking the one person he loved most from him, for ruining the life he thought he deserved. From that day on, I was nothing but a burden in his eyes.
He remarried, of course. How could he not? A promise made long ago to a man who saved his life when he was almost killed — that man's granddaughter became his wife. She came into our lives already pregnant, before their marriage was even spoken of.
From the very start, I was treated like I didn't belong. My stepmother's smile never reached her eyes when she looked at me. My father's words were always sharp, cutting deeper than any blade: reminders that I was nothing, that I had failed him simply by existing.
I was the first daughter, the child of a mother who never got to see me grow, and a father who had never loved me. My aunt, who had turned into the family's maid, was the only one close to my mother and the only one who cared for me, who always showed me nothing but love no matter the hardship my father put her through after my mom's death. She nurtured me like I was her own.
My stepmother's cruelty was quiet but relentless — whispers behind my back, glances full of disdain, and the constant comparison to her own daughters, the ones she bore under my father's roof. I was ignored, excluded, punished without reason, and made to feel that every breath I drew was an offense.
Every day was a lesson in survival. Every word I spoke was measured. Every move I made was watched. And still, the alliances long promised by my great-grandfather to the Romanos, the deals my father made to continue them… they all involved me. I was a pawn in a game I had no understanding of, a tool to cement power, wealth, and family ties that meant nothing to me.
The Romanos were a wealthy and powerful Mafia family — Adrian Romano, Alessandro Romano, the Romano family. Their names had floated around me for as long as I could remember, tied to my father's ambitions, tied to contracts and promises.
I had been told I would marry Adrian, the younger son — someone distant and safe, someone I could endure. But safe was never my life. And as I had learned, nothing about my father's plans ever considered my heart, my fear, or my choice.