Chapter 116
116
Caterina
T he priest’s words were like an arrow through my heart.
“Have you, Valentino Rosolini, come here to enter into marriage with Isabella Vicari, without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?’”
And then…
Silence.
I stared in shock.
Valentino wasn’t saying anything.
Five seconds went by –
And then suddenly, I heard the voice of the man I loved.
“Sorry… could you say that again?”
The priest sounded pissed. “I said, ‘Have you, Valentino Rosolini, come here to enter into marriage with Isabella Vicari, without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?’”
Then…
More silence.
I held my breath like I was trapped underwater.
Five seconds went by –
Ten –
This isn’t happening – is it?!
And then the most beautiful word I had ever heard in my life:
“No.”
Suddenly, the entire chapel erupted.
Over the noise, Valentino said something that gave me that most beautiful thing of all:
Hope.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”