Amidst the Rain in New York

At the Colonetti family banquet in New York, I stood in the center of the grand hall with more than a dozen girls from different families, all of us waiting to be chosen.

Victor, the heir of the Colonetti family, was supposed to announce his fiancée tonight. Along with that announcement, he would present her with the family heirloom, a lily brooch. As an illegitimate daughter of the family, I understood that if I didn’t receive that brooch tonight, it meant I would be sent to Chicago for an arranged marriage.

Victor, who had once promised to marry me, changed his mind without warning. With a smile, he pinned the lily brooch onto the chest of the woman standing beside me instead.

Then, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Let your sister Emily have her moment today. She’s also an illegitimate daughter like you, and she’s also never been valued growing up. Don’t worry. With me here, no one will force you into an arranged marriage.”

Even as I looked at him with pleading eyes, he reached out and let Emily take his arm.

“Emily is kind and gracious,” he said. “She deserves the lily brooch.”

Those words—kind and gracious—turned me into the joke of the entire evening.

The next day, I boarded a flight to Chicago alone, but Victor panicked. He used every connection he had and managed to ground every flight heading to Chicago.

At that moment, Emily’s hand was lightly hooked around Victor Colonnetti’s arm. Under the crystal chandelier, the two of them looked like a perfectly matched couple stepping out of a painting.

Something inside me ripped apart, but I could only force myself to stay composed. Yet, Victor didn’t seem to notice my struggle at all. By the time the guests began to leave, I understood that I would not escape the fate of being sent into an arranged marriage.

When Victor noticed me standing alone in a corner with a wine glass in my hand, he walked over.

“Why are you hiding here? Are you angry just because I didn’t give you the brooch?”

I looked at the man I had grown up with and let out a long, tired breath.

“Do you even understand what tonight means for me?”

Everyone knew that tonight, Victor Colonnetti, heir of the Colonnetti family, would announce his fiancée at this banquet. The Don had only invited me so I would finally give up and leave for Chicago for the marriage arrangement.

I had also promised Victor that as long as he gave me five years, he could love whoever he wanted and marry whoever he chose after that. Just yesterday, he had sworn he would protect me, but tonight, at the most critical moment, he chose someone else instead. Ten years of trust and relationship between us had shattered, just like that.

A trace of guilt flashed across Victor’s face. He waved lightly, signaling Emily to step away first.

“Lena, Emily is also an illegitimate daughter like you. She’s never had a moment where all eyes were on her. I just wanted to fulfill a small wish of hers.”

He leaned slightly forward, his expression almost pleading.

I bit my lip. “You can do whatever you want any other day. Why did it have to be tonight?”

Seeing my furrowed brows, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s her coming-of-age night. I promised her I’d give her a night she would never forget.”

What he didn’t know was that this was a night I would never forget either. Only, everything was already set in stone.

“Victor, you really don’t understand what that brooch–”

Before I could finish, Emily quietly walked over again.

“Lena, did I ruin something for you? Please don’t fault Victor. I was the one who asked him…”

Seeing Emily shrinking her shoulders with a pitiful expression, Victor’s face immediately darkened.

“Enough, Lena. It’s just a brooch. I’ll get you another one.”

He casually pulled a rose brooch from his pocket and pressed it into my palm.

“Rose suits you better anyway. It’s just a lily brooch. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it? This isn’t like your usual carefree attitude.”

Around us, quiet snickers started to grow louder.

Someone even spoke openly in front of me. “You’re just an illegitimate daughter. He was just playing along with you anyway. Did you really think you could marry into the Colonnetti family and become the future Don’s wife? Didn’t you hear? They want someone kind and gracious. Emily may also be illegitimate, but she’s young, pretty, and clearly better in every way.”

Victor shot them a cold look, and the woman immediately shut her mouth after glaring at me.

Emily lowered her head. “Lena, I’m sorry. You’ve always been so proud, and it just happened to be my birthday. I just wanted one night where people would look at me. I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”

“I’m proud? I’m an illegitimate daughter. How the family looks at me every day, don’t you think Victor already knows that?”

The champagne in Emily’s hand trembled, spilling onto her dress. Her eyes immediately turned red, tears forming.

Victor frowned. “Since things have come to this, just let her enjoy the night. I’ll take her to get changed. You can go home first if you’re done here.”

Go home? Where exactly did I have a home to return to?