Chapter 7
575 Words
Chapter 7: A Ring of Silence
Christian strolled into the Moretti estate with a rare calmness in his stride. For once, he wasn’t returning from a party or a scandal—but with a declaration.
“I’ve made a decision,” he announced over dinner, twirling his wine glass.
His parents looked up.
“I’m getting married.”
There was a long silence.
Then his mother’s face lit up with joy. “Finalmente! My son, you’re serious?”
Christian nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. “She’s perfect. Modest, graceful… different from the rest.”
“When do we meet her?” his father asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Tomorrow. Pack something elegant, Mamma. We’re going to visit her family.”
The next day, Shanaya’s home was quiet—too quiet. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.
Her aunt nervously rearranged the fruit tray for the third time. Her uncle checked the door lock again, even though the Morettis were expected any minute.
They had heard of the Moretti name. Everyone in Italy had. Christian Moretti was no ordinary man—he was the devil wrapped in silk and charm, born into power and fed on fear.
When the black cars pulled into the driveway, Shanaya’s hands began to tremble.
Christian had sent a luxurious cream-colored gown, embroidered with pearls. It lay folded on her bed like a royal shroud. She had no choice but to wear it.
She emerged from her room slowly, every step feeling like it wasn’t her own. Matteo, who had returned safely but quiet, stood by the window, watching silently.
Christian’s parents entered first—his father stern, his mother elegant and warm.
“Che bellezza,” Christian’s mother gasped, seeing Shanaya for the first time. “You look like an angel, my dear.”
Shanaya bowed her head in silence, eyes on the floor.
His mother said“Christian … this is the girl who saved your life.”
“Lei? Shanaya?”he said
She embraced Shanaya gently. “You are not just beautiful, you are brave. Thank you, child.”
Christian smiled, then turned to face Shanaya.
He pulled out a velvet box and flipped it open to reveal a massive diamond ring, glinting with cruel clarity.
Before she could speak, he took her hand and slid it onto her finger.
“You belong to me now,” he whispered softly, just for her to hear.
Shanaya’s hands trembled. Her throat tightened.
Her aunt and uncle smiled weakly, too afraid to resist.
Then—
The door opened.
Lorenzo stepped in.
He had arrived straight from a business trip, having received a message that the family was meeting his brother’s fiancée.
What he saw made the air leave his lungs.
There she stood—Shanaya. The same girl who had saved his mother. The one he had been secretly thinking about every night since their meeting. The one he had instructed his secretary to find more about.
And now she stood before him, her hand bound by a diamond ring… his brother’s ring.
She looked up and saw him—his sharp jaw tight with shock, his eyes locked on hers, reading the fear behind the smile she was forced to wear.
Christian turned. “Lorenzo, meet my fiancée.”
Lorenzo masked his reaction, nodding slowly. “Congratulations… brother.”
But in his heart, something twisted.
And in Shanaya’s heart, something broke.
- Writer
