Chapter 23: Bride again
The morning sun broke through the clouds like an unwanted guest, casting golden light across a bed that no longer felt like home.
Alessia sat at the edge, fully dressed, her eyes empty, her soul drained. Her wedding ring still lay on the nightstand—cold, untouched, like the promises that had shattered overnight.
She hadn’t slept. Not even for a second. Her eyes were swollen from silent weeping. Luca had returned late, well past midnight, and laid beside her like a ghost of the man she once loved.
Now, he stirred behind her, his hand reaching out blindly.
"Alessia..." His voice was rough, laced with sleep, regret, and dread. "I was ashamed to face you all day."
She stood before his fingers could graze her skin. "Don’t."
Luca opened his eyes, his breath catching at the sight of her standing—so close, yet heartbreakingly distant. "You still meant the divorce you mentioned earlier?"
She turned, her voice calm, but her eyes held oceans of sorrow. "I don’t say things I don’t mean."
He sat up slowly, the weight of her words sinking like iron into his chest. "Please, don’t go."
"I need space, Luca. And time." She reached for her coat. "Maybe... someone who actually chooses me. Every time. Not just when it’s convenient."
"I do choose you," he said, rising to his feet, bare-chested and vulnerable. "I chose you the day I first held your hand. I chose you every day I woke up next to you. I chose you in silence, in storms, in my own damn guilt. And I’m still choosing you, Alessia."
"Then why go to her?" Her voice cracked. "Why walk into her room, lie on her bed, let her breathe your name like I didn’t exist?"
"I thought she was in pain. That’s all. She played me, Alessia. She faked everything. The moans, the tears. I swear on my life, nothing happened."
"You still went in." Her voice rose like thunder. "You still let her lie under the same roof, knowing she wanted you."
"I made a mistake," he whispered. "A devastating one. But I never touched her like I touched you. Not with my hands. Not with my soul."
Alessia swallowed, her chest tightening. "It feels like betrayal just the same."
Luca’s eyes glistened. "Then let me redeem myself. Let me prove to you that I am yours. I’ve always been yours."
She stepped back, voice low. "I’m going to Daisy’s. Don’t follow me. Please. I need to breathe."
He didn’t stop her. He simply watched, a man unraveling at the seams, as she walked out with his heart still beating in her hands.
*******
An Hour Later... she arrived at Daisy’s apartment
Daisy opened the door in a silk kimono, her brows knitting at the sight of her friend standing on the porch like a storm survivor.
"Oh, honey..."
Alessia said nothing. She just collapsed into Daisy’s arms, who held her like a mother holds a child—firm, fierce, unshakable.
Later, they sat in silence. A cup of tea trembled in Alessia’s hands as she stared blankly ahead.
Daisy was the first to speak. "So... divorce?"
Alessia blinked, as if the word still stung.
"I know it hurts, Alessia. But are you sure this is what you really want?"
"He went to her," Alessia whispered. "That’s enough."
Daisy frowned. "She’s a snake. You know that. And snakes hiss to make others panic. What if this whole thing was a trap?"
"She succeeded," Alessia said bitterly. "She broke me."
"She only wins if you let go of him," Daisy said softly. "I saw how that man looks at you. Like you’re his universe. Like breathing you in is the only thing keeping him alive."
"I want to believe him," Alessia admitted. "But my heart... it’s so loud, Daisy. It doesn’t know what’s true anymore."
Daisy squeezed her hand. "Then find the truth. Don’t run on assumptions. If he’s lying, I’ll be the first to burn his mansion down. But if he’s not... don’t throw away something real."
******
Later That Evening...
A convoy of black cars pulled into Daisy’s driveway.
Luca stepped out, with his security guards. A shadow of himself. His suit wrinkled, his eyes hollow, his hands trembling with regret.
Daisy opened the door with crossed arms. "She doesn’t want to see you, sir."
"I just need five minutes," Luca pleaded. "Please."
Behind her, Alessia appeared. "Let him in."
Luca walked in slowly, like a soldier returning from war.
He looked at her—messy bun, tear-stained cheeks, but still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
"I needed to see you," he whispered. "Please come home."
She didn’t answer.
"I swear on everything I own, nothing happened. I didn’t betray you. I couldn’t."
"Then tell me everything," she said. "Every word. Every breath."
So he did.
He spoke of Bianca’s tears, of her lies. Of how she moaned for drama, not desire. Of how he recoiled the second he realized her game. "I only held her waist like a doctor would. That’s it. I left as soon as she started faking sounds."
"And why didn’t you return to me?" she asked quietly.
"Because I hated myself. I stood in the hallway, fists clenched, ashamed. I didn’t want you to see me. I thought you were asleep. I didn’t know Bianca could be so evil."
Alessia’s lips trembled. "She broke me, Luca."
"I know," he said, stepping closer. "But I’ll never let her break us. I will earn every shattered piece of your trust back."
She blinked away tears, holding her breath.
Luca fell to his knees. "I’ll get a paternity test once the baby is born. If it’s mine—I’ll take responsibility, but with truth. If it’s not, I’ll bury Bianca’s lies with her name. But none of it changes this..... "
He reached into his pocket.
There, glinting against the light, was her wedding ring.
"I kept it close. Every second. I couldn’t sleep without it."
Alessia stared at it, breath caught.
Luca’s eyes lifted, soft and sincere. "Be my bride again, Alessia. Not just in name. But in heart. In soul. As the Mafia heir’s bride. As my wife."
Alessia’s lips parted, trembling. "I never stopped being yours."
She dropped to her knees with him and whispered, "Yes."
He kissed her.
It wasn’t hungry or rushed. It was reverent. Slow. Full of apology and promise. A kiss that rebuilt everything she thought she’d lost.
Daisy, who had just entered the room again, squeaked and quickly bowed her head, covering her eyes. "Oh my God—lover birds, I beg! This is a house of peace!"
They laughed through their tears.
Luca turned to her. "Thank you for guarding her heart. You’re a real one, Daisy."
Daisy smirked. "Damn right. Now get out before I change my mind and throw you out."
******
On their way Home...
The night air was cool as Luca drove, his hand tightly laced with Alessia’s. Peace blanketed them, fragile but beautiful.
Then, just as they slowed near an orphanage road outside town, Alessia gasped.
A small child—no more than two years old—stood by the gates, barefoot, curly hair wild, eyes sharp and dark like someone they both knew.
Luca stopped the car.
The boy turned slowly... and smiled.
Alessia clutched Luca’s arm. "Luca... he looks like Donato."
Luca’s heart pounded. "No. Not just looks..."
They stared at the child—those unmistakable Morano eyes staring right back at them....