I stared at him, my heart turning to stone. Not a single person in this room had a shred of decency.

I had completely underestimated Luca. In the three years I’d known him, he’d played the role of the steady, reliable heir perfectly. He always told me he loathed betrayal. Turns out, he was just a hell of a liar.

I looked up, my eyes raw as I met his gaze. Seeing the sudden coldness in my expression, he faltered.

"Angelina? You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

He reached out to touch my forehead. He smelled like Fiona’s perfume. I flinched away.

"Luca, I think we need to postpone the wedding."

The color drained from his face. He grabbed my arm. "Angelina, what are you talking about? What’s wrong?"

I pried his hand off me, my voice trembling. "Nothing’s wrong. Don't worry."

"I’m just worried that getting married so young will tie you down. We’re both young. Maybe you should play around a bit longer before we settle down."

Luca let out a relieved laugh. He pulled me into a hug, burying his face in my chest. "I knew you were the sweetest. Thank you for always thinking about me, babe."

He had no idea I was already done with him. He shot a smug, triumphant look at Fiona and the boys.

"Damn, talk about a hopeless romantic!"

"I wonder if her family knows she’s this naive."

They were all laughing at me, treating me like a fool. I bit my lip. Let them laugh. Because whoever tries to make a joke out of me is about to become the punchline.

I turned and went into the storage room. The second I left, I heard them practically pouncing on each other.

"Man, you’re living the dream. Getting served by two women at once? Only you, Luca."

"Shut up. You’d do the same if you could."

"Whatever, I’m out. My goddess is waiting for me at the hotel."

I hurried away, the hem of my dress cutting through the air. The storage room was pitch black. I flicked on my phone light and headed for the sofa.

As I bent down to pick up the scrap of black lace, I glanced at the window behind the sofa. It looked out into the back alley.

Luca and Fiona were already out there, tangled together. Fiona was still in that rumpled dress, and Luca was hiking it up to her waist.

"Let’s go to the private dock in Long Island tomorrow," I heard Luca growl.

"Ugh, I don't know. I'm tired."

"Riding a speedboat on the water won't be tiring, trust me," Luca laughed.

Fiona rubbed her leg against him, and Luca let out a low groan.

"By the way," Fiona whispered, "your American fiancé... she won't find out, will she?"

"Please. She’s an idiot. I could sell her and she’d help me count the cash."

"Hahaha! I almost feel bad for her!"

Their voices faded, but every word was etched into my brain. I took a deep breath and walked out. I made sure to make enough noise with my heels before pushing the door open.

"Did you find it, Angelina?" Fiona asked, feigning concern.

"Got it." I handed the bra to her, my face a mask of calm.

Fiona blinked, clearly thrown off by how composed I was. "Oh... uh, thanks."

"You're welcome." I smiled thinly and sat back down.

The next day, Luca took me out, just like he said—to the private dock on Long Island.

When we arrived, his crew was already there, cracking jokes. "You guys are bold. Bringing Angelina here while you 'play' on the boat? Aren't you worried she’ll catch on?"

"Who’s gonna tell her? Not us."

"That’s the point. The thrill of getting caught is half the fun!"

Luca ignored them and led me toward the speedboat. After a few minutes, he claimed he needed to check the engine at the end of the pier. He told me to stay by the boat and make sure nobody touched it.

My throat felt tight. I looked at the bag he was carrying—it was stuffed with toys and lingerie. He’d snuck out of bed last night to pack it while I lay there awake, listening to him whisper to Fiona about what positions they were going to try today.

I hadn't slept a wink. Instead, I had texted my father. I was moving to Miami to take over the family’s hotel business. I was leaving today. And I was never seeing Luca again.

Luca couldn't get away fast enough. Watching his retreating back, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand.

I followed him stealthily, hiding behind a shipping container. I watched as Luca and Fiona crashed into each other’s arms.

Fiona pulled out a skimpy swimsuit, but Luca told her he wanted to "put it on her" himself. They laughed like teenagers, their hands all over each other, before things got graphic.

Fiona was breathless, complaining that the container was too rough against her skin.

Luca just nipped her ear. "There’s a first time for everything, babe. Doesn't the adrenaline make it better?"

"You’re terrible!"

"Hahaha! That idiot has no clue we’re doing this right behind her back while she ‘guards’ the boat for us."

"You’re so bad! If Angelina’s father ever found out, he’d have your head on a platter."

"Psh. You wouldn't let him. You’d miss this too much."

I stood behind the cold steel of the container, my nails drawing blood from my palms. Tears finally broke through. Every word felt like a jagged needle to the heart.

"Alright, we gotta make this quick. Angelina’s waiting."

"No... I’m not done with you yet."

I had never seen Luca like this—reckless, vulgar, like a completely different person.

I turned to leave, but my foot slipped on the slick wood of the pier. Before I could catch myself, I tumbled into the freezing water.

The shock hit me like a physical blow. The water closed over my head. I surfaced, gasping, and grabbed the edge of the dock.

"Luca! Luca, help me!"

I screamed until my throat was raw, but nobody answered. I clung to the dock with one hand and managed to pull my phone out with the other. I dialed Luca’s number. Over and over.

No answer. He was too busy in his own world.

Finally, on the twentieth try, he picked up. He sounded annoyed. "Angelina, I’m still checking the engine! Stop calling me, you’re stressing me out. If the engine blows, we're stuck here."

"Luca... I fell in," I sobbed, my voice shaking with cold. "Please, help me... I can't get up..."

Luca just scoffed. "God, stop being so dramatic. The water at the dock isn't even deep. Just climb out yourself. You Boston girls are so high-maintenance."

My hand slipped. I went under again, the salt water burning my throat. I thrashed blindly until my fingers brushed against a floating wooden plank.

The call was still active. I could hear Fiona’s giggles and Luca’s heavy breathing in the background. They heard me drowning, and they didn't care.

Given the choice between love and lust, he chose lust every single time.

I clung to that plank, my tears disappearing into the ocean. In that moment, the last bit of love I had for him died.

Luca never came for me. He didn't even check to see if I made it out.

By the time a passing fisherman found me clinging to that plank, I was nearly frozen solid. Luca and his friends had long since left the docks. Not a single check-in call.

It wasn't until late that night that he bothered to call.

The second I answered, he started complaining. "Angelina, where the hell are you?"

I was lying in a hospital bed, shivering under three blankets. I let out a hollow laugh. "I should be asking you that, shouldn't I?"

"I told you to wait by the boat! Then I come back and you’re gone? People are gonna start thinking you’re out messing around behind my back."

The rage flared up in my chest, hot enough to melt the ice in my veins. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of cheating on you?"

Luca let out a heavy sigh. "Look, I waited for you. When you didn't show, I went looking for you. I was so worried I tripped and messed up my leg. My phone broke, too."

He tripped looking for me? What a crock of sh*t.

I gave him the hospital address. Less than thirty minutes later, he came limping into the room, Fiona and the rest of the crew trailing behind him like a pack of vultures.

When he saw I was actually hooked up to an IV, he turned on the charm. "I'm so sorry, Angelina. This is all my fault. I never should have taken you to the docks."

"Does it still hurt? I’m not leaving your side again. I’m staying right here."

I turned my head away. I couldn't stand his lying face, and I felt sick when he tried to touch me. But he wouldn't let go, hugging me tight as if he were truly devastated.

"You’re hurt too," I said coldly, trying to push him off. "Let go."

"No, my injury is nothing. I only care about you."

He was being so persistent that I figured it was easier to fake a truce. He thought he was back in my good graces and started peeling an apple for me.

While he fed me, he started chatting with Fiona in Sicilian again.

"Good thing I’m a genius. Faking a leg injury to look like the victim... she doesn't suspect a thing. Easiest way to cover up an affair ever."

"Tsk, you think you’re so smart."

"I am. Look at her. She’s already over it."

"Damn, she’s a pathetic romantic. She forgives you way too fast."

"Because she loves me."

I went stiff. Why did he have to lie every single second? For a brief moment, I had almost believed him about the leg. I almost felt bad.

I was wrong. This man wasn't worth the air he breathed.

They kept joking in the dialect about what they did at the pier, their tone light and mocking.

A few days later, after I was discharged, it was time for our engagement party. Luca was decked out in a custom suit, with Fiona hovering right behind him.

Fiona grabbed his hand, looking frantic. "Luca, are you really going through with this? What about me? What am I to you?"

"A side piece."

"But I love you!"

"And I love her family’s money. Once we’re married, I’ll stop seeing you. I want to be a 'good husband' for the cameras."

I watched the live feed from the security cameras on my phone while I packed my bags. I dialed my father. "The plane leaves in two hours. I’m heading out. See you in Miami."

I snapped my suitcase shut and walked out without looking back. But before I left, I decided to give Luca a little parting gift.

At the party, Luca was starting to panic because I wasn't there. He pulled out his phone, but my friend Marco walked up to him, grinning with a glass of champagne in hand.

"Luca! Congrats, man!"

"Thanks. Have you seen Angelina? She’s late."

"Oh, she’s big on loyalty. Don't worry, she’ll be here. She does have one flaw, though—she absolutely despises being stabbed in the back."

Luca gave a forced smile.

Marco tapped his temple. "Oh, I almost forgot. We’re all Sicilian, you know. Angelina, too. Before she got her American citizenship, she was from the same village as you."

"Look, here’s her old driver’s license. See? I’m not lying. In fact... I can tell you all about it in our mother tongue."