My Ex-Husband: Claiming My Heart

The afternoon breeze caressed the gardens of the Romano mansion as hundreds of hanging lights began to illuminate the venue. The tables, decorated with white roses and scented candles, surrounded a massive dance floor where family and friends celebrated the most anticipated wedding of the year. Glasses clinked together amid toasts and congratulations. The orchestra played a gentle melody that filled the atmosphere with elegance and joy. Everything looked as though it had been taken straight from a fairy tale. At the heart of the celebration, Isabella Romano couldn’t stop smiling. Dressed in a delicate hand-embroidered white gown, she held a glass of champagne as she accepted the guests’ congratulations. For the first time in a long while, she felt that life was finally giving her a moment of peace. It had been exhausting months preparing for that wedding. Months filled with rumors, criticism, and obstacles that seemed to appear at every turn. Many insisted that her relationship with Alexander Lancaster would never work. He belonged to one of the most powerful families in the country. She was the only daughter of Eduardo Romano, a respected businessman, but far from the Lancaster family’s financial power. He had earned his mansion through years of hard work. To many, their union was nothing more than a convenient arrangement between two influential families. However, only the two of them knew the truth. Alexander had never asked her how much money she had, nor had he ever cared about her last name. He had loved her long before their families announced their engagement. That was one of the reasons Isabella was completely certain she had made the right decision. As she greeted a few guests, she felt a hand gently wrap around her waist. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. “Have you gotten tired of everyone trying to steal my wife away from me?” Alexander asked with an amused smile. Isabella couldn’t help laughing at her husband’s question. “Maybe a little.” Alexander glanced around before looking back at her with shining eyes. “I’m not planning on sharing you for too long.” She raised an eyebrow playfully, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and smiled happily. “Jealous at our own wedding?” “Very.” “I didn’t see that coming.” Alexander picked up a glass from a passing tray and raised it toward her. “To us.” Isabella gently clinked her glass against his. “To us.” For a few seconds, they simply looked at each other in silence. All the noise from the celebration seemed to fade away. There was only the two of them. Alexander lifted a hand to Isabella’s face and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for choosing me, my love.” She felt her heart race. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, the kind only people deeply in love could feel. “I would always choose you, my love.” He smiled sincerely, then looked at her seriously for a few seconds, as though what he was about to say was something incredibly fragile. “Then promise me something.” “What is it?” “No matter what happens… never doubt me.” Isabella frowned slightly. The request seemed strange, but he should have known she would always trust him. “Why would you say that?” “Because life always puts us through trials when we least expect them.” She gave his arm a light playful tap and kissed him once more on the lips. “I don’t want to talk about problems today. That will never happen between us. We love each other, and we trust each other. I just want to enjoy our wedding.” Alexander smiled and felt as though his heart could burst with happiness. She was the only woman who could calm his entire world. “You’re right.” He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before pulling her into a tight embrace. “This will be the best day of our lives.” Without either of them noticing, a man watched the scene from the balcony on the second floor of the mansion. His eyes remained fixed on the couple. He wasn’t smiling. His expression was cold, as if the newlyweds’ happiness was unbearable to him. He slowly looked away and disappeared into the hallways of the house. Downstairs, the celebration continued, with no one suspecting that, in a matter of minutes, everything would change forever. Isabella took a deep breath. She needed a moment away from the commotion. At that moment, she saw her father talking with one of the guests. Eduardo looked up and smiled at her with pride. His little girl had just become a married woman. When Isabella approached, he opened his arms to hug her. “You look just like your mother did on our wedding day.” Isabella’s eyes grew moist. Thinking of her mother made her miss her terribly, especially on such a special day. “Thank you, Dad.” “If she were here, she’d be the happiest woman in the world.” Isabella closed her eyes for a brief moment, and her mother’s face appeared in her mind. “I know.” Eduardo stepped back just a few inches and took both of his daughter’s hands in his. He looked at her for several seconds. There was something unusual in his eyes, as though he wanted to tell her something important. “Is something wrong?” Isabella asked. He hesitated, but then answered in a way that only made her worry more. “No… not yet.” “Not yet?” she asked, confused. “When the party is over, I need to talk to you. It’s very important.” She smiled and looked at Alexander as he walked toward them. All she could think about was him and how wonderful her life would be by his side. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” “No.” His answer came immediately, so firm that Isabella stopped smiling. “What’s going on?” Eduardo discreetly glanced around before answering. “Just promise me that when I call you, you’ll come right away.” Isabella looked at him without understanding, but it was clear she would go to the ends of the earth for him. “I promise.” He smiled again, although this time his smile wasn’t entirely genuine. “Go enjoy your wedding. I just need to take care of something, and then I’ll be back. I’m going to the study to make a few phone calls.” Isabella watched as her father walked toward the inside of the mansion. A strange sense of foreboding settled in her chest. She ignored it, convincing herself it was nothing more than the nerves that naturally came with such an important day. She never imagined that it would be the last conversation she would ever have with him.