He Asked for a Fake Divorce, So I Married His Rival Instead

I sat in a cafe on the corner for a full hour. Only after Marco's and Luca's cars pulled away from Russo Estate, one after the other, did I drag my suitcase home. Dante appeared from the living room as soon as he heard the door. "You're back early. I should've come to the airport to pick you up." He took my suitcase and helped me out of my coat. A fresh cup of black coffee waited on the table. As always, he slid the sugar packet aside and dusted the coffee with cinnamon. I wrapped my hands around the cup. Heat seeped into my palms, and I suddenly remembered what Dante had said to Marco and Luca barely an hour earlier, in that same familiar tone. ***** "She won't really leave." "How did the hotel inspection go?" he asked. "Fine." The coffee burned my tongue, but I couldn't taste it. Their conversation outside the side entrance still echoed in my ears. Marco had laughed the loudest. Bianca was the orphaned daughter of one of my grandfather's old friends. The Morettis had raised her, and she had always introduced herself as the family's adopted daughter and my younger sister. In five days, she was supposed to marry the Bellini heir as a Moretti, honoring the marriage pact that had kept the peace between our families. "She's marrying into the Bellini family for the Moretti family, and this is the only thing she asked for before the wedding." Marco clinked his glass against Dante's. "For the last five nights, we'll all stay with her as single men, just like we promised when we were 17." "Marco and I are already single," Luca added. "You're the only one left, Dante." Marco laughed even harder. "Evelyn was married to me for four months, then to Luca for eight months. Divorce? She could do it with her eyes closed." Luca swirled his drink. "The federal investigation is the perfect excuse. Have her separate her business interests from the Russos for now. Once Bianca's five nights are over, Dante can marry her again." Dante had been silent for a moment before saying only one thing. "She won't really leave." He sounded so sure that not one of them even considered the possibility that I might refuse. ***** "Evelyn." Dante sat across from me and slid a black folder over. "There's something we need to discuss." Inside was an uncontested divorce petition. He told me the casino was under federal investigation and that the Moretti and Russo families needed to temporarily disentangle their business holdings. All he needed was my signature and my appearance at the hearing the next day. "Once the investigation is over, we'll remarry right away." He took my hand, his thumb brushing over my wedding ring. "It's only paperwork. It won't change anything between us." I looked at him. "If it's only paperwork, why does it have to happen now?" His hand went still for a split second. Then he smiled. "Marco and Luca said you never hesitated when they needed your help. They think you'll hesitate now that it's my turn. They even bet me $100,000 that after two divorces, you'd be too afraid to sign a third time." He gave my palm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't prove them right. Don't let them make a fool of either of us." It was exactly what the three of them had rehearsed the night before. I pulled my hand free and turned to the last page. As my pen touched the paper, Dante's hand was still resting over my wedding ring. "Of course the third time will be the last," I said. Dante's shoulders relaxed. He leaned down and kissed my temple. He mistook my words for a promise that I would remarry him. Then he carried the papers into his study to share the good news. He didn't close the door all the way. "She signed." Marco's laughter came through the phone. "Told you. A little sweet talk and she always gives in." My phone lit up with two messages. Luca: How did the inspection go? Marco: Don't forget next week's family dinner. I stared at them and remembered being sick as a child, when they had taken turns sitting beside my bed. Their concern had been real then. Now they were using that same familiarity to hide their betrayal. I muted all three of them, then pulled the red ledger from the hidden compartment in my suitcase. Marco's name was on the first page. Luca's was on the second. Dante's was on the third. I didn't cross out a single one. The debts hadn't been settled yet. It was too soon to erase their names. I called my grandfather's attorney on the private family line. "The old truce agreement only says 'a daughter of the Moretti family,' doesn't it? It doesn't name Bianca." The attorney paused. "That's right. But the Bellinis expect a bride tomorrow afternoon." "Then tell Adrian Bellini I'll take Bianca's place." "Are you sure?" I looked through the gap in the study door at Dante's easy smile. "Yes. Ask him if he'll accept a different bride." Two minutes later, the attorney called back. "Mr. Bellini agreed. He asked only one question: Are you being forced into this, or is it your choice?" I closed the red ledger. "For my fourth marriage, I'm choosing for myself."