Whether he came back or not, it no longer mattered.

Marco, in a hurry to get back to Bianca, didn't catch the change in my tone. "Alright, don't be difficult. I got you a present."

A photo pinged on my phone. It was a delicate, custom-made handgun with a silver body and a blooming rose engraved on the grip.

Another one of Bianca's cast-offs.

I had become the dumping ground for her leftovers.

I remembered the first gift he gave me—a small knife, also engraved with a rose pattern. It was a gaudy style I disliked, but because it was from him, I treasured it. Until one day, I saw Bianca pull out a solid gold lighter with the exact same rose engraving.

When I confronted him, Marco showed no remorse. "Where would I find the time to pick out gifts? Bianca was just helping. Don't be so petty."

He claimed he was bad at picking gifts, but everyone connected to the Grimaldi family knew the truth. Every year for Bianca's birthday, Marco would book the most lavish club in the city and celebrate with music so loud the whole neighborhood could hear. Jewels that were supposed to appear at secret auctions were endlessly presented to her for her choosing.

He didn't give me a fraction of the thought he lavished on her.

Now, he couldn't even be bothered to come up with a new design to placate me.

As if she couldn't detect the ice in my voice, Bianca chirped cheerfully, "I designed the gift Marco sent you! I hope you like it. You don't have to thank me!"

Bianca smiled triumphantly and nudged Marco to hang up.

Shame was written all over Salvatore's face. He could no longer bring himself to ask me to wait for Marco to come to his senses.

"Are you sure you want to choose Derek? His birth—it will be a laughingstock."

I cut him off, my gaze locked on the unnerving stillness in Derek Grimaldi's eyes. I took a deep breath. "I choose him."

My mother had once mentioned seeing Derek at a top-tier private auction. This illegitimate son was far more complex than Salvatore imagined.

Power or love—I had to seize one of them.

The groom's tuxedo needed to be remade, so Derek and I set the ceremony for a week later. Salvatore’s gaze was conflicted as he let out a heavy sigh. "On the day of your ceremony, I will announce the change in the Grimaldi family's line of succession."

The groom had changed, and so everything else had to change with him. When I went to the family's trusted blacksmith to retrieve an antique dagger left by my mother, I ran into Marco and Bianca, who had just returned to the city.

Our eyes met, and the warmth on Marco's face vanished instantly. "Jennifer, you've got some nerve—managing to convince my father to freeze my access to funds."

His voice was filled with contempt. "I hate being forced into things. Don't think for a second that just because I'm back, I'm going to go through with this marriage."

A flash of irritation crossed his face. "What, are you spying on me, coming all the way here just to corner me?"

Bianca gave him a playful shove. "She's devoted to you—don't be so mean!"

She looped her arm through his and grinned at me. "He's just got a temper. Don't take it personally. I promise I'll have him house-trained before I give him back to you."

Marco let her cling to him, his expression softening with indulgence.

But in the past, when we attended family dinners together, if I so much as tried to hold his hand, he would deftly pull away. "So many people are watching—it's not proper."

So, my touch was the only one he considered improper?

I took a deep breath, pushing down the churning emotions inside me. "Don't worry. I won't force you to go through with the marriage anymore."

Marco blinked, about to frown, when an old blacksmith approached. "Miss Rinaldi, your dagger is ready."

He scoffed, an eyebrow raised provocatively. "You're already preparing all this, and you still say you don't want to marry me?" He grabbed my hand. "Give it here. Let me see if it fits."

His voice trailed off. His gaze fell on the faint, pale mark on my finger where a ring used to be. "Where is the family ring I gave you?"

"I melted it down." My voice was flat.

The day I decided to change grooms, I melted it. It was the first gift Marco had ever given me, the inside of the band engraved with our initials. The notoriously rebellious heir had uncharacteristically blushed when he'd shoved the ring into my hand. "I engraved it myself. If you lose it, you're dead."

But in the end, he was the one who lost it first.

When I retrieved the broken ring from the trash, Marco had rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Bianca was drunk and insisted on seeing it. Before I knew it, this happened. Just throw it away—I'll make you another one."

But I waited, and he never made another one. I waited until the commitment it represented had faded entirely from his mind.

Marco's brow furrowed, his displeasure evident as he stared at my bare hand. "Can you stop playing these hard-to-get games? I told you I would marry you, and I meant it. There's no need for all these little stunts to get my attention."

Bianca tugged at his sleeve, pouting. "Marco, this dagger is the latest limited edition! I've been trying to buy it but couldn't find it anywhere!"

His frown softened as he handed the dagger to her. "Want to try it?"

Her eyes lit up, and she reached for it.

I grabbed her wrist, my voice turning cold. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to touch things that don't belong to you?"

I hadn't even used much force, but Bianca's eyes reddened, and she cried out in pain.

Marco panicked and shoved me away. My lower back slammed hard against the cold anvil, and a flash of white pain exploded behind my eyes.

Bianca, blinking back tears, accused, "I just wanted to look at it. Why are you being so rough?"

Marco looked at her with deep concern, then roared at me, "She's crying in pain, Jennifer! Don't you think you've gone too far?"

He didn't even notice the pain that had drained the color from my face.