The Don Chose Her Eight Times, I Married Another Man

My fiancé, Don Vito Colombi, postponed our wedding eight times because of Elena Rossi, whose parents had saved his life. The first time, we were on our way to the wedding when he heard that a rival family had kidnapped her. Without a second thought, he left me to go rescue her. It turned out to be nothing but one of Elena's clumsy pranks, but Vito still told me, "Ivy, please understand. Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance she's in danger, I can't take that risk." The second time, Elena volunteered to be my maid of honor, then deliberately hid the ring that symbolized the Colombi family's authority. The wedding had to be called off, but Vito still tried to talk me around. "She lost her parents when she was little and grew up with my family. She's just afraid I'll abandon her once I'm married. "Ivy, please give her a little more time." Then came the third time, the fourth... Elena got kicked out of school and was in a bad mood. Elena needed Vito with her on the anniversary of her parents' death. Elena ate a few nuts, had an allergic reaction, and needed a trip to the hospital... Until the eighth time, when Vito postponed our wedding yet again to take Elena to a special screening of an old movie. "I promise you, Ivy, this is the last time. "When I get back, we'll sit down and pick the next date. "I promise I'll give you the grandest wedding there is." I stood beneath the stained glass of St. Mary's Cathedral. I didn't cry or make a scene. I didn't sheepishly gather up the invitations, send the guests home, and slip out of the church the way I had every time before. Instead, I swapped out the groom. Chapter 1 It was almost midnight when Vito got back. He and Elena had finally finished watching that old movie. Supposedly, it had been her late parents' favorite. "Elena feels much better. She says that at our next wedding, she'd love to wear the heroine's pink gown from the movie and be your maid of honor again." Vito loosened his tie as he came up behind me. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and murmured in my ear, "You're not still mad at her about that little slip-up last time, are you? Ivy, she really didn't lose your ring on purpose." "Of course not." I kept my face blank as I packed the folded clothes into a large suitcase, then pushed his arms away. But he didn't notice anything was wrong. Just like the previous seven times, he tossed off the same easy promise. "Ivy, I promise you, this is the last time. "Next time, I promise I'll give you the grandest wedding there is." His words couldn't reassure me anymore. After all, he'd postponed our wedding eight times for his adopted sister, Elena. The old me might have made him swear a solemn oath. On the honor of the Colombi family, for instance. But now all of that seemed meaningless to me. Elena could come up with a hundred ways to make trouble, and Vito only ever needed one reason to indulge her. "Ivy, you know Elena's parents were killed while protecting me from a rival family. I have to look after her until she's married. That's the only way I can do right by them." Whenever he said things like that, he sounded almost drunk. He kissed my ear and cheek, murmuring sweet nothings. But none of it moved me anymore. "Ivy, are you listening to me? You're not still angry, are you?" Vito frowned. My silence was making him impatient. Only then did he seem to notice something was wrong. I nodded. "Mm. I heard you." "Then why are you still packing?" Vito pressed his hand over mine on the suitcase. "Come here. Let's pick a new wedding date. I'll have Gabe book the church and the reception again—" "No need." I slammed the suitcase shut. "I've already talked to Jessica. I'm going to stay at her place for a few days." Vito's hand stiffened, and his expression darkened. "What's that supposed to mean, Ivy? "Running off in the middle of the night like this? Do you want to make yourself a sitting duck for our rivals? "Stop playing hard to get, Ivy." I knew what he meant. It was both a warning and a jab. It all went back to our first wedding. We'd been in the wedding car when Vito received a terrifying message. Someone claiming to be one of his sworn enemies had sent him a photo of Elena tied up. Without a word, he pulled off his tuxedo jacket, grabbed his Beretta 92, and left me alone at the church entrance. I even pointed out the clues: In the background of the photo, I could make out a poster for Elena's favorite movie. The threatening message even misspelled common Italian words. Elena had obviously staged the whole thing. But Vito said he couldn't take that risk, not even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Elena was in danger. I couldn't begin to imagine how much she meant to him. That night, I insisted on waiting outside the church for him to come back. That was where his real enemies found me. The bullet went straight through my shoulder, and my blood soaked the wedding dress my grandmother had left me. But when I reached the hospital, I found Vito holding Elena. She kept apologizing and admitted she'd staged the kidnapping because she didn't want to lose him. He was comforting her like a fluffy little stray, tenderly feeding her dessert. When he saw me just after surgery, he looked surprised, but there was also a trace of impatience and reproach in his eyes. "You knew how dangerous it was, Ivy. Why didn't you listen to me and go back to the estate to wait? "You stood there like a fool in that Christmas tree of a wedding dress. Did you want to make it easy for my enemies to find you?" In that moment, it felt as though the bullet they'd taken from my shoulder had gone through my heart instead. I told him I'd expected him to turn right around and finish our wedding the moment he realized Elena hadn't really been kidnapped. "Don't be silly, Ivy. "How could I just leave her alone when she's so fragile? "If she did something that crazy, she must have been at the end of her rope. You have to understand her." After that, each time he postponed the wedding, his excuse was more absurd than the last. I cried, fought, fell apart, and even ran away from home. But this time, Vito really had nothing to worry about. I picked up my suitcase without hesitating. "Don't worry. Someone's already waiting outside for me. I care more about my safety than you do." "Is it Jessica's cousin, the one who just got back from Istanbul?" Vito looked suspicious, then glanced out the window. "That guy's still alive? I guess running guns through Eastern Europe has made him a fortune." "Maybe." I pulled up the suitcase handle and headed for the door. "Oh, it's the 11th of next month," Vito said, glancing at his phone. His phone had buzzed with a message from his second-in-command, Gabe Santoro. Vito continued, "It's all arranged. We'll hold the wedding again that day." For a moment, I was lost in thought. What a coincidence. My wedding to Jessica's cousin, Luciano Falconi, was also set for the 11th of next month. That day, I'd marry into the Falconi family. Just hours earlier, Vito had postponed our wedding for the eighth time to take Elena to some so-called special screening. And I'd taken off the emerald ring that symbolized the Colombi family's authority and accepted Luciano's ruby engagement ring. Chapter 2 A few days later, I went to a dinner party with Jessica at a private seaside club in Palermo. On paper, it was about negotiating Mediterranean smuggling routes and dividing up port revenue. In reality, the Colombi family had organized it so the major families could trade favors and carve up territory. "Darling, I'm so glad you finally came to your senses. You know Luciano's had a thing for you since high school." Jessica straightened the ribbon on my gown and said the ruby ring he'd given me suited me perfectly. During the wine tasting, a commotion broke out near the entrance. Vito walked in with his arm around Elena's waist. In a tailored dark gray suit, with four heavily armed Colombi guards at his back, he cut an intimidating figure. Elena wore a soft white gown and clung to Vito's arm. Our eyes met across the crowd. Elena followed his gaze and smiled at me. "Ivy, I thought you were still mad at me and wouldn't want to come to tonight's dinner with Vito." Jessica stepped forward to cut her off. "She doesn't have to hang on some man's arm to get in, unlike a certain stray dog." "Jessica." I touched her arm to stop her from making things worse. When Elena saw I wasn't fighting back as I used to, she grew bolder. She turned to Vito with a wounded pout. "Vito, I already apologized for what happened before. "I spent a whole afternoon digging through the bushes at the estate to find that emerald. "But I guess some people don't care much about that ring after all. Look how easily she swapped it out." Her gaze dropped spitefully to my hand, and the ruby caught Vito's eye at once. His brows drew together. "What is this? Where did you get this tacky ring? Why did you take off the engagement ring I gave you? "Ivy, you're going to be the Donna of the Colombi family. "Put the emerald back on right now!" Clearly, the fact that I'd taken off the ring without asking had rattled him. But at our second wedding, Elena had volunteered to be my maid of honor and deliberately hidden the ring, forcing us to call off the ceremony. Afterward, Elena sobbed and claimed she hadn't meant to do it. She just couldn't bear to watch Vito marry someone else. Vito held her in his arms and comforted her all night long. He never blamed her, not once. That symbol of the Colombi family's power was nothing but a toy for Elena to play with. "That ring is too precious. It isn't mine to wear tonight." I glanced at the ruby on my finger and smiled. "Besides, Vito, you're the one who told me to keep a low profile when I'm out so I don't become a target." Only the woman in Vito's arms was allowed to wear that ring in public. With that, I took Jessica's arm. "I'm a little hungry. Let's go get something to eat." "Ivy!" Vito called after me, "The 11th. Our wedding is only seven days away. "Move back as soon as you can. We don't need a new wedding dress, but there are still plenty of little things to sort out." "Don't worry. I'll be there that day, dressed as a bride." I didn't even look back. In a week, I'd walk down the aisle again. But he wouldn't be the groom. Chapter 3 I'd thought the dinner would be the last time I saw Vito before the wedding. But the night I handed over the Colombi family's accounts and access to its shipping routes, Gabe passed along word that Vito wanted to see me. I could have refused, but I agreed and waited for him on the terrace of the Falconi estate. He drove over alone, without Elena or a crowd of guards. In the fading light, he seemed less arrogant than usual. "Gabe told me you went to the office yesterday and handed everything over?" I answered flatly, "Yes." For a moment, neither of us spoke. Vito seemed to think it over. "That's fine, actually. Once we're married, you'll need to focus on having heirs and running our home. "Elena never finished college, but she's smart. She should be able to pick it up quickly." "I cut him off. "Is that all you came to ask? Don't you need to be with Elena?" Vito answered without thinking. "She's a grown woman. She doesn't need me beside her every minute." The moment the words were out, he fell silent. I thought I saw a flicker of guilt cross his face. "Actually, this is why I came today." He took two tickets from inside his suit jacket. "They're performing Tosca at the opera house tonight. I remember you've always wanted to see it. I've just been too busy to take you." I took them casually. "Thanks. My friend loves it too." Vito's expression froze, then darkened. "I'm asking you to go with me. I'm not giving you tickets for your damn friend. "Ivy, we're getting married in a few days. Shouldn't you move back soon and work out the details? "We've already taken care of a lot, but it's strange for you to keep living at someone else's place—" Just then, Vito's phone rang. Elena's voice came through clearly. "Vito, I twisted my ankle coming down the stairs. Damn it, Ivy's slippers don't fit!" Vito froze, torn between us. I kept my face blank. "Now can you give me the tickets?" Vito's voice turned hoarse. "Ivy, I'll check on her and come right back. If I can't make it in time, we'll go tomorrow night. Tomorrow, I promise—" He turned to go, then paused. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone touch your slippers again. I'll lay down some rules for Elena." But I didn't care. Being the woman of that house meant nothing to me now. Neither did the slippers that marked my place there or the ring that marked me as Donna. I'd kicked all of it out of my heart, Vito included. In three more days, I'd belong to the Falconi family. My fiancé, Luciano, was a huge Puccini fan. I was sure he'd kiss me passionately when I surprised him with the tickets tonight. Chapter 4 I heard Vito and Elena had a huge fight. It started over the slippers that didn't belong to her. The sprained ankle was fake, as usual, but cutting my slippers to shreds had made Vito angry with her for the first time. He scolded her for acting like a puppy that refused to grow up. But when Elena jumped from the second-floor landing in a fit of rage, he was scared out of his mind all the same. Vito called me from outside her hospital room. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I can't take you to the opera tonight either. "But don't worry. The wedding in three days will go ahead as planned. "This time, no matter how much Elena cries, I won't give in." I just laughed it off. "It's fine. I've already seen the opera. "As for the wedding, you're welcome to cancel it like before." "Ivy." There was anger in the way Vito said my name. "I can't believe you're still acting out over this. "Elena broke her arm, and I still didn't cancel the wedding. How could you say something so cold?" "I just don't want to stand around in a wedding dress waiting for you like a fool anymore, Vito." I hung up and put on a sheet mask. Luciano reached out from under the covers, wrapped an arm around my waist, and rubbed his stubbled chin against my collarbone. "Still not planning to tell him?" "He'll find out when it's time. I don't want him storming in and ruining my real wedding." I kissed Luciano on the lips. "It doesn't matter. Even if he shows up with a gun, I'm not afraid." Luciano slid his hand into my long hair and stroked it. "I only get one wedding, and I only get one bride. No one is going to ruin it." Two days before the wedding, Gabe rushed to the Falconi estate late at night, looking grim. "Miss Ivy, something's happened. "A rival family has its eye on you. They've stationed men along the road to St. Mary's." "Oh?" I set down my tea without changing my expression. Sweat beaded on Gabe's forehead. "The Don wants me to bring you back to the Colombi estate. It's safer than anywhere else. "He says you have to come back right away." I almost laughed out loud. "And Vito?" I asked. "The Don is at the estate with Ms. Rossi. He's worried she'll be left alone if he comes for you himself." I rose and went to the window. In the distance, lights glittered across Palermo's harbor. The Falconi family's ship was already docked there. I kept my voice even. "Thank him for his concern. "If they're waiting on the road to St. Mary's, I just won't go there. Problem solved, right?" Gabe wanted to say more, but Jessica showed him out. I slept especially well that night. The news came early the next morning. Vito had taken Elena to St. Mary's Cathedral to check the wedding decorations ahead of time. After much deliberation, Elena picked a seat by the window for herself as maid of honor, saying the light there was best for photos. And the Colombi men who should have been guarding the church were all sent to secure the coastal road Elena liked to drive. He knew perfectly well that someone might be waiting on the road to the church to hurt me. He just chose her again. But I didn't care anymore. Because I wasn't going to St. Mary's Cathedral. That day, I'd put on my new custom-made wedding dress and board the Falconi family's cruise ship. There, I'd have a wedding unlike any other.