Third Person Point-of-View

Dante changed into his custom wedding suit but stayed behind as the rest of the party left to retrieve the bride.

For reasons he couldn't explain, he found himself walking to Viviana's room instead of leaving with the others. He wanted to see her one more time.

Something felt off, like a piece of him was missing. When he found her room empty, his heart skipped a beat.

He'd never felt so unsettled in his life. She must have gone ahead to help set up the venue with everyone else. The thought calmed him enough to go pick up Serafina.

The wedding was being held at the Ravenna family's private vineyard, one of their core territories.

He couldn't contain his excitement today. He was finally marrying the woman of his dreams, and soon they would have a child together.

The thought made him smile so wide he couldn't stop. Happiness radiated from his face.

The moment he saw Serafina, he couldn't look away.

She looked breathtaking in her white wedding gown. She was everything he'd wanted for years. But he wasn't the only one staring.

Matteo Ricci, Serafina's childhood friend, looked just as transfixed.

Matteo was nothing but a street punk, not even in the same league as the Ravenna family. Dante didn't spare that poor nobody a second thought.

The man had decent looks and a smooth tongue, but that was it. He had nothing else to offer. He didn't deserve to stand anywhere near Serafina.

Dante deliberately kissed Serafina in front of him before carrying her to the wedding car. The ceremony began, but Viviana was nowhere to be seen.

He understood why. She couldn't bear to watch him marry someone else, so she'd refused to attend. The Ravennas were proud to the core, and she was no exception.

Fine. Let her sulk if that was what she needed.

The day after the wedding, he took Serafina to Arup for their honeymoon. He completely forgot Viviana existed.

Their itinerary was packed with every place Serafina wanted to visit. He only cared about making her happy.

Two weeks later, when the honeymoon ended and he returned to the Ravenna estate, Viviana still hadn't appeared. Only then did he call for the head butler.

The butler had been with the family for decades. He'd watched Dante grow up. He'd watched Viviana grow up too.

When he learned she'd left the country on his wedding day, he vaguely remembered something about that. He'd transferred 100 thousand dollars and told her to stay away for a month.

By his count, she'd be back in two more weeks. When she returned, he'd need to tell her to be more discreet about her feelings. Otherwise, Serafina would get upset again.

Serafina was pregnant now. Even he revolved around her. He wouldn't allow anyone to upset her, and that included Viviana.

Two weeks passed without any sign of her. Then another two weeks went by, and she still hadn't returned.

Dante started to feel restless, like something precious was slipping through his fingers.

He finally called her for the first time in all these weeks. He thought carefully about what to say. Maybe he should try being gentler with her.

All he got was an automated message. Her number had been disconnected. Only then did he realize she'd actually left him out of spite.

The Ravennas never did anything halfway. When they left, they left for good.

Dante felt uneasy. She'd really walked away from him without a word. She'd even changed her number so he couldn't find her.

But then he reminded himself why she left. It was because he got married and was having a child. She had no choice but to go.

The thought eased his discomfort slightly.

He'd married the woman he'd always wanted anyway. Whether Viviana came back or not didn't matter anymore.

It was probably better this way. At least now he had some peace and quiet.

He tried to calm the inexplicable panic rising in his chest.