10 | My wedding?
The air outside the restaurant was cool, a welcome relief from the heat of judgment and whispers that had filled the rented space inside.
The stars blinked faintly above me, indifferent to the chaos that was my life.
I leaned against the cold wall, the faint hum of traffic in the distance filling the silence.
I didn't want to go back in. Not yet. My chest felt tight, my head heavy with the weight of every whispered comparison to Ciara, my older sister, the golden child, the perfect one, the one who wasn't me.
The door creaked open behind me, and I stiffened, half-expecting Luciano to step out and demand why I'd disappeared. Instead, it was Chase.
He approached cautiously, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low.
I straightened up, forcing a smile onto my face. "Yeah. Just needed some air. It's stuffy in there."
Chase nodded, leaning against the wall beside me. We stood in silence for a few moments, the kind of silence that wasn't uncomfortable but carried too much weight to be ignored.
Chase wasn't one to pry, but he was also terrible at leaving things unsaid for too long.
"Are you sure that you really don't remember anything about Luciano?" he finally asked, his tone carefully neutral.
My stomach twisted. I couldn't tell him the truth. Chase had always been on Luciano's side. If I told him I was faking this whole amnesia act, it'd get back to Luciano faster than I could blink.
So I lied.
"Not much," I said, keeping my voice light. "Bits and pieces, it's all a bit foggy."
Chase's brow furrowed, and he glanced down at his shoes, kicking at an invisible pebble. I could tell he wanted to say more, but I didn't give him the chance.
"What was it like?" I asked, cutting through the tension. "My wedding, I mean. How was it?"
Chase looked up, startled. "Your wedding?"
"Yeah. Since I don't remember, I figured you could fill me in. How was it? Did I cry? Did he cry?" I grinned, trying to inject some humor into the conversation. "Was it one of those over-the-top, dramatic affairs with doves and fireworks?"
Chase relaxed slightly, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"No doves or fireworks. But you looked..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "You looked perfect."
Perfect. Of course, I did. Perfect enough to fit the role they needed me to play. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from rolling my eyes.
"Do you have pictures? Or videos? I'd love to see proof of this so-called perfection," I said, half-teasing but mostly serious.
Chase's face changed instantly, the color draining from his cheeks. He looked... uneasy, like I'd just asked him to confess to a crime.
"We, uh..." He cleared his throat, avoiding my gaze. "We weren't allowed to take pictures or videos."
I blinked at him, incredulous. "What?"
"It was... a private affair," he said lamely, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground.
I stared at him, my mind reeling. "Bullshit."
"Aurelia-"
"No, seriously. That's bullshit," I said, my voice rising slightly. "Who doesn't take pictures at a wedding? Especially a wedding like that? The entire underworld was probably there. You're telling me no one thought to document it?"
Chase sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple."
"It never is with you people," I muttered, more to myself than to him.
The truth hit me like a train, all at once.
My wedding hadn't been a real wedding. Not in the way it should've been.
No pictures, no videos,. They didn't want any evidence.
Evidence of what? Of me being there instead of Ciara?
Of them forging my signature on a marriage certificate I hadn't agreed to?
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. The pieces were falling into place, and I didn't like the picture they were painting.
"They forged it, didn't they?" I said suddenly, my voice sharper than I intended.
Chase's head snapped toward me. "What are you talking about?"
"The marriage certificate," I said, my hands clenching at my sides. "They forged it. Because Ciara was supposed to marry Luciano, not me. But then the whole Marino-not-being-her-real-dad thing came out, and everything went to shit, so they threw me into her place. Isn't that right?"
"Aurelia-"
"Don't," I snapped, cutting him off. "Don't lie to me, Chase. You think I don't know how this world works? You think I don't know how far you and Luciano and everyone else would go to keep up appearances?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his expression unreadable. But his silence spoke volumes.
I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. "Wow. Unbelievable. I was just the backup plan all along even when I had tired to kill myself."
"Aurelia, it's not like that-"
"Isn't it?" I said, my voice rising. "You didn't even bother to tell me. You just... shuffled me into her place like I was some interchangeable pawn. Like I didn't matter."
Chase stepped closer, his expression softening. "You do matter."
"Not to you," I shot back. "Not to any of you. I'm just a placeholder. A body to fill the role until you can figure out your next move."
He didn't respond, and that silence was all the confirmation I needed.
I turned away, my chest tightening. I didn't want him to see the tears burning in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
"Tell Luciano I'll be inside when I'm ready," I said over my shoulder, my voice cold. "And tell him to save the lies. I've heard enough of them for a lifetime."
I didn't wait for a response. I needed space to keep me from shattering right there on the spot.