Chapter 63
Tiziano Constanzo
Months later...
I was sitting at a round table with Enzo, Alessandro, Carlo, and Marco.
A bottle of wine sat in the center. I still wasn’t much of a wine connoisseur, but I was making an effort not to seem disrespectful while drinking alongside two former enemies.
Alessandro was tolerable—after all, he was Bianca’s brother—but Marco...
He still made me frown whenever I caught him looking at my wife for too long.
The bastard liked her, and that was something I wouldn’t forget.
Bianca still hadn’t completely surrendered to me, and that was another issue that bothered me.
It was taking longer than I had expected.
After a long period of anger over the fact that I had almost killed her brother, she had finally forgiven me.
Now, I needed to do whatever it took to keep her by my side.
I was a good friend when I chose to be, so from time to time, I allowed Alessandro and Marco to join me, trying to build some sort of peaceful coexistence.
Carlo, always observant, swirled his wineglass between his fingers as if he were considering something important. He finally broke the silence:
“Propose to her.”
I raised an eyebrow, confused.
“We’re already married.”
Carlo chuckled, shaking his head as if I were a complete idiot.
“Marry her again. In a church this time. Decorate the cathedral.” He took a sip of wine before adding, “No woman can resist a well-planned proposal. Make it one of those that looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale.”
Alessandro, sitting beside me, let out a low laugh.
“It’ll be hard to win my sister over with flowers and a pretty dress,” he commented, amused. “She’s more stubborn than you think.”
“Don’t worry, Alessandro. I know your sister better than you do,” I replied with a confident smile.
Carlo wouldn’t let it go.
“The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence. It’s the perfect place, classic and romantic. No woman can resist a man who knows how to surprise her.”
I leaned back in my chair, considering it. Marrying again in a cathedral, with everything planned out, was extravagant, and I liked that. Bianca deserved something grand. Something that showed her and the world that she was mine, forever.
“Maybe you’re right,” I admitted, swirling the wineglass in my hands. “Bianca deserves the best. And I’m going to give her that.”
Enzo laughed, shaking his head.
“You’re lost, Tiziano. In love like a boy.”
“What do I care?” I replied, amused.
The sound of their laughter echoed through the room, but I was already lost in thought. I would plan every detail, every moment.
Bianca Ferrucci
Alessandro had planned a five-day trip to Florence. It seemed like too much, but I didn’t complain. Traveling had always been good, a way to escape routine, to lose ourselves somewhere that wasn’t our daily reality. And I needed that.
We were walking through the square, and of course, I made a point of complaining about the weight of my belly, but in truth, I was enjoying the little teasing remarks he made, trying to make me smile. Even though pregnancy made me more tired, I was okay.
That was when I saw Tiziano crossing the street and coming toward us. The smile on his lips was the only thing that made me understand what was happening. When he and Alessandro looked at each other, the understanding was immediate. I knew there was something between them.
I held back a laugh. I wasn’t going to tease Tiziano this time. I was already feeling like a brat, and the last thing I wanted now was to argue with him.
“What a coincidence,” he said, approaching with a sarcastic smile on his lips.
“You arrived at the right time. I need to take care of a few things. Can you keep Bianca company for a while?” Alessandro said jokingly.
“Well, I was in a hurry, but I suppose I can help you with that,” Tiziano replied with a smile.
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the little act the two of them were putting on.
“How is my queen?” Tiziano asked.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me a little closer to him, and I could only smile at the tenderness of his gesture.
“I’m fine,” I replied lightly.
“And my son?” he asked, lowering himself until he was level with my belly and gently touching it.
“Hi, my love. Daddy’s here,” he said as if he were talking to a child, and then my son, as though answering him, gave me a little kick.
“Yes, it’s Daddy. What? Vanilla ice cream with cream? Ah... yes, I can take care of that.”
He stood up, shrugging with an amused smile.
“Our son wants ice cream,” he said, amused.
“Of course, our son.” I smiled, melting at the affection he showed, and at the way he spoke about the baby so naturally, as if he were already part of him in a profound way.
We hadn’t walked many yards before reaching the entrance to the ice cream shop in the square when, suddenly, I noticed people turning their heads upward.
I looked too, and what I saw left me speechless: red rose petals were falling from the tall buildings, floating gently through the air.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale.
The people around me, just like me, were enchanted, admiring that almost magical scene.
When I turned to look for Tiziano, he was no longer beside me. I found him kneeling behind me, a red rose in one hand and a box with a diamond ring in the other. The world around me vanished in that moment, and the sound of my breathing was the only thing I could hear.
“Bianca...” he began. “Will you be my wife?”
I stood frozen, speechless. He had done all of this, surprised me in a way I never would have expected. I looked at the red rose, then at the ring, and finally at him. I was speechless.
“You did all this?” I asked, still trying to process the magnitude of what was happening.
“I haven’t done anything close to what you deserve,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. “Live with me for the rest of our lives. Wake up beside me every day, let me smell you every morning, allow me to hear your voice as soon as I wake up. Be mine, and let me be yours.”
I stood there, unsure whether I could truly breathe. And in that moment, I knew he was giving me the chance to live what I had always wanted, even if fate had played games with us at some point.
I didn’t need to say anything. I could only smile, tears in my eyes, certain that my answer would be yes. For him, for us, and for our child.
“Yes,” I murmured. “Yes, Tiziano. I accept.”