Chapter 7: The Wedding Gift

Dominick stayed by my side for quite a while.

He raised his arm and traced his fingers along my haggard, hollow cheek.

Suddenly, the doctor burst into the ward, beaming with a test result in hand.

“I have great news, Don Costa. Donna Costa is—”

Dominick’s phone rang.

He gestured for the doctor to zip it before taking the call.

Gia must have said something on the phone because Dominick got up to leave abruptly.

The doctor went after Dominick, only to be stopped by his security staff.

“Are you sure you want to go along? You can kiss your career goodbye if you interrupt Don Costa during his date with Ms. Costa.”

“But Donna Costa is pregnant. Don Costa needs to know since she’s at risk of losing the baby if she’s confined to the dungeon.”

“Pregnant?”

The security staff widened their eyes.

However, they quickly sneered, “I’d advise you to save your breath. I’m sure you’ve heard about Archibald. Surely, you are aware of the consequences of defending Luna.

“Besides, Don Costa might not even believe you. Even if he did, he won’t go easy on Luna. The whole family knows that he’s over her. You’re going to regret upsetting Ms. Costa. I’m sure you’re wise enough to make the right decision.”

The medical team exchanged looks before ultimately discarding the test result in the can.

Dominick assumed shooting Archibald would squash the rumors. However, the staff merely held their tongues on the subject in his presence.

The rumors would only run rampant, and Dominick would never come close to the truth.

With that, I was thrown into a cell.

As opposed to having scraps for prison food, I was well attended and served the gourmet cuisine as always.

The security staff were perplexed. “What is Don Costa thinking? I thought this was meant to be a punishment. Why does the whole thing feel off?”

“Being the kind soul she is, Ms. Costa probably appealed on her behalf.”

“You have a point. Don Costa only takes advice from Ms. Costa. She must’ve stepped in to help.”

“Ms. Costa is such a sweet lady. If only she’s the Donna. She’d have our interest at heart.”

I huddled in a corner, listening in silence and amusement.

There was no way Gia was behind the leniency. She wanted me dead in the dungeon more than anyone else.

True enough, it wasn’t long before Gia aggressively stormed in and kicked the door to the sub-basement open.

By the looks of her teary eyes, Gia must have been weeping.

“Why? Why am I just a plaything to him?” She cried manically, the look in her eyes enough to kill me.

She assumed that by throwing me into a cell, Dominick had lost all faith in me. Gathering her courage, Gia asked him to make her his legal wife.

Alas, Dominick did not respond in Gia’s favor. If that wasn’t bad enough, Dominick lost his temper with her for the first time.

“He refuses to divorce you. Why? Is it because I’m his sister? But we aren’t even related!”

Gia sobbed desperately. “So I’m just a means to his pleasure? Is he going to dump me after the wedding and birth of our child? No… I can’t let that happen. I won’t stand for it!”

She looked up abruptly and gave me a dirty look. “Once you’re out of the picture, Dom will only have eyes for me.”

I took a step back with a frown. “What are you trying to do?”

Her hands shook as she drew a knife from her pocket. My eyes went wide.

All at once, the knife plunged into my abdomen, and blood spurted.

Holding my belly, I stared at her in disbelief.

It would take some twisted sort of love to make a young woman kill.

Before I knew it, a black cloth was thrown over me.

As several individuals lifted me out of the dungeon, I passed out during the wobbly ride.

The next time I opened my eyes, Archibald was right there by my side, together with a member of the security staff.

I jumped into his arms, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Thank goodness one of those men carrying you out was my trusted contact. If it weren’t for him, you would’ve…”

By the sound of his trembling voice, Archibald was terrified.

I patted his back and assured him that I was fine, but he looked distraught, clearly having something on his mind.

“Ms. Bianchi, the baby…”

“I know.”

The realization hit me the moment I regained consciousness.

The familiar heartbeat was gone.

More than sadness, I felt a sense of release.

“Ms. Bianchi, it’s time to board your scheduled flight.”

Archibald gave me a reminder.

I had been planning my escape, but somehow, Gia managed to lend me a hand.

It came with the cost of my unborn child, though.

Archibald suffered permanent injury to his leg because of me too.

In some ways, this marriage ended in nothing but defeat for me.

However, Dominick was not walking away unscathed either.

I set the small embryo carefully at the bottom of the box before giving it to the security guy.

“Make sure you deliver this to Don Costa at his wedding tomorrow.

“Do pass along my best wishes for his second marriage.”

…

(Third-Person Perspective)

“Don Costa, Archibald has gone missing from the hospital,” the doctor said anxiously.

Not even lifting his head, Dominick responded, “Oh, he’s irrelevant. You are dismissed.”

However, the doctor stayed put.

Dominick finally looked up.

After much hesitation, the doctor uttered, “Don Costa, there is one thing I must inform you of. Donna Costa—”

“That’s enough. I’m not interested in anything concerning her.”

Dominick interrupted the doctor at the mention of my name.

Reading the room, the doctor sighed and excused himself.

Dominick heaved heavily, not understanding what had become of him. Luna’s mere name could squeeze his heart, and not in a good way.

His mind flew back to the serene look on Luna’s face when he answered her question.

It was as if Luna had already figured everything out.

No, it was absolutely impossible. Dominick was quick to banish the thought.

Knowing Luna as he did, Dominick reckoned she’d have a full-blown meltdown if she ever learned about his affair. Staying calm was the last thing she’d be.

“Dom…” Gia’s voice pulled Dominick back to reality.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dominick sounded less enthusiastic for once. “What’s the matter?”

Taken aback by his tone, Gia pulled a wry smile. “Nothing. I came by to let you know that the guests have all arrived. We should head down to the venue.”

“Okay,” Dominick hummed while taking his time to fasten his tie.

These supposed distinguished guests were merely hired actors.

Dominick dressed the whole thing up as a wedding just to appease Gia.

He was worried that his rejection would lead Gia to expose the entire affair, so he had to keep her sweet for now.

It was never in Dominick’s plans to marry Gia. In his mind, Luna would always be his Donna.

Luna possessed intelligence and prudence, neither of which Gia had.

The years of lackluster in the bedroom department led him to stray a little.

Once he was done going behind Luna’s back, he would send Gia abroad and go back to Luna.

With that in mind, Dominick could feel his anxiety melting away.

“Bring me the purple tie.” He turned to a maid.

The maid went to the vault for a look, and she was gone for a long time. “Don Costa, I can’t locate the tie.”

Though surprised, Dominick didn’t think much of the incident. “Just grab me any tie.”

Half an hour later, Dominick set out for the wedding venue. Before his departure, he called upon his Underboss. “Check the sub-basement. Make sure no one has access to the place.”

He got into the car, putting on the smile of a man who was about to get hitched.

The tiny island was alive with celebration as Gia approached him, draped in an extravagant wedding dress.

They exchanged vows before the priest and shared a kiss in a room full of people.

Soon, everybody extended their well-wishes and presented their gifts.

Feeling thrilled, Gia tore open the presents while Dominick stood beside and watched on aloofly.

He had prepared these gifts beforehand.

There, his gaze was drawn to something in the corner, and he was stunned.

He didn’t recognize the gift.

Furrowing his brows, Dominick went over and picked up the gift box.

The box was plain with a line of text scribbled on the bottom right.

“See you never.”

“What is it? It looks so tacky.” With a frown, Gia was ready to throw the gift away.

Dominick pressed down on her hand, his eyes narrowing on the line of text. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

He opened the box with trembling hands, and his body seized up.

A thin sheet of paper was placed on the very top.

It was a divorce certificate.

With a shaky grasp, Dominick lifted the paper and read the words at the bottom. It was then his world stopped.

Two names stood out.

Luna Bianchi.

Dominick Costa.

It was the end of their marriage written in ink.

A wave of dizziness hit Dominick as his mind went blank.

He stared at his signature on the divorce papers. It was clearly his handwriting, but he had no recollection of ever signing it.

Luna’s birthday came to mind.

It was the bills.

Dominick held the box, his thoughts spiraling out of control.

“What’s wrong, Dom?” Gia drew close. She was surprised to see the divorce papers.

It never occurred to her that Luna would leave Dominick since the latter was a Don, a man any woman would kill to be with.

Paying her no heed, Dominick only had Luna on his mind. He started rummaging through the box, his scowl deepening.

The box contained junk like a broken doll, damaged jewelry, and a fake necklace without the “Lucky” engraving.

These gifts, exchanged between him and Luna, were memories he stored safely in the vault.

As a bad feeling overcame him, Dominick carried the box out.

“To the sub-basement.”

At that point, the main doors swung open.

A group of people dressed to the nines flooded into the room.

Color drained from Dominick’s face as these people were genuine members of the social elite.

What were they doing here? Dominick did not recall inviting them.

While pouring into the hall, the guests observed the wedding venue in shock.

With all seats taken, there was absolutely no room for them.

They looked at Dominick in confusion.

“Uh… Don Costa, didn’t you invite us to a reception? Why aren’t there any seats saved for us?”

“That’s right? We were told there was a party. Why does it look like a wedding is going on?”

The guests pulled out their invitations and exchanged confused looks.

Suddenly, the huge screen lit up and played private videos of Dominick and Gia.

“Dom, if I’d known you were so amazing, I would’ve given myself to you a long time ago.”

“Tell me, Dom. Am I the woman you love the most?”

“Yes, I love you the most.” Dominick’s breathing was ragged.

“How do I fare with Luna? Do you prefer me over her?”

“Of course. You are the one I truly love.”

…

The bustling guests went quiet before erupting into an uproar.

“Oh, my God? What was that? Is Don Costa cheating on his wife with his sister?”

“It gets worse. Look at the bride on the platform. She’s the girl in the video clips.”

“He’s marrying his sister? That’s outrageous!”

Dominick scowled. The screen quickly refreshed and displayed an insane amount of chatlogs.

Gia’s bragging texts were revealed to the crowd.

“You can’t ever hold onto him. I’m the only one fit to stand right next to him.”

The guests broke out in clamor as Gia turned pale, her lips quivering.

“You’re a vile woman, Luna! You’re far more cunning than I thought.”