Page 15 of Mafia Shade's Reluctant Bride
I wasn’t one.
“Cold feet?” Luca leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his suit. He looked bored and impatient. “Not the time, Maria. You’re about to inherit a fortune. Get a grip.”
My stomach churned. Of course, that was all he cared about.
“I’m serious,” I muttered. “This feels wrong.”
He scoffed. “It’s a contract, not a love story.”
Maybe to him and to everyone else. But to me?
It was the biggest mistake of my life.
He pushed off the frame, dusting imaginary lint from his sleeve. “Pull yourself together. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
The door shut behind him, and silence filled the room.
My chest tightened. Five minutes, and then I’d walk down that aisle, say vows I didn’t mean, and kiss a man who had no idea I was carrying another man’s child. I had the child of a notorious kingpin growing inside of me, and if anyone found out, it would put the life of my child in danger. What kind of world would I be bringing a child into with a target already on his back because of who his father is?
Could I keep this child’s paternity hidden while being married to Lorenzo?
I couldn’t do this.
My breath came too fast, too sharp. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs.
This wasn’t just cold feet. This was something else entirely. This was panic.
I tore the veil from my hair. It snagged on my earrings, yanking painfully, but I didn’t care. My heels clicked against the marble as I moved fast, grabbing my purse and shoving my phone inside.
I needed to leave.
I wasn’t even sure where I was going, but I knew one thing—staying wasn’t an option.
My fingers fumbled as I yanked open the door. The hallway was empty. Good.
I moved quickly, my dress billowing behind me. I ran down the grand staircase, through the side entrance, and outside. The summer air hit my skin, thick and warm. The world was still moving—birds chirping, the faint sound of traffic in the distance, but my own world was falling apart.
I got in the car, hands shaking as I gripped the wheel. My phone buzzed in my purse. Luca, probably. Or Lorenzo.
I ignored it. Instead, I took a deep breath, turned the key, and floored it.
The estate disappeared behind me in the rearview mirror, and just like that, I was gone. My hands were white-knuckled on the steering wheel. My heart pounded so loud I could hear it in my ears.
I had done it.
I had run.
Like a coward. Like a woman who couldn’t face the consequences of her own actions.
My phone buzzed again and again and again.
I swallowed, forcing my eyes on the road.
They’d be furious. Luca would be livid that I just threw away the inheritance he wanted so badly.
Lorenzo…I didn’t know.
He wasn’t in love with me. This was an arrangement and a formality. So why did my stomach twist at the thought of him waiting at the altar?
