Chapter 3 My Husband Made Me Help Choose My First Love's Bride

Mireya's POV

After Raffaele spoke,the only sound in the dining room was the soft clink of silver against china.

I stared at the invitation.

Jealousy was not my first reaction.

Disbelief was.

Only hours ago,Nerio had been demanding to know how I had gone from loving him to sharing a life with his father.Now I was expected to stand in front of the entire family and welcome his future wife as his stepmother.

"You could have told me."

Raffaele looked toward Nerio at the opposite end of the table.

"The arrangement between the families was made five years ago.Now that he's back,the Arcellis want it formally confirmed."

"It's my engagement," Nerio said."She has no business hosting it."

"Then refuse it yourself tonight."

Father and son stared each other down.

Neither moved.

Eventually,I picked up the invitation.

"I'll go."

The truth was,part of me wanted Nerio to have a chance at something good,even if that future no longer included me.

He studied me for a long moment.Something complicated moved through his eyes,but in the end he only exhaled and said nothing.

That evening,the formal dining hall was filled with senior family members and Valdieri loyalists.

Raffaele sat at the head of the table,calm as always.Nerio sat farther down in a black suit that made his broad shoulders look even more severe.He had barely taken his eyes off me since I entered the room.

The tension was suffocating.

"Mrs.Valdieri."

Cosima approached with a champagne flute in one hand.Her chestnut hair was tucked behind one ear,revealing a small diamond stud along the curve of it.

She looked elegant.Controlled.Sharp enough that I suspected Nerio's reputation would not scare her easily.

I rose with my own glass and gave her the polite smile expected of me.

She smiled back,though her gaze remained assessing.

"Does Nerio have any particular preferences? I'd like to know a little more before the engagement is finalized.After all,he is your...stepson."

There was the slightest pause before the final word.

My fingers tightened around the stem of my glass.

Before I could find an excuse to step away,a waiter placed a glass of wine in front of Nerio.

"Not that one," I said automatically."He prefers older Bordeaux.He doesn't like anything too acidic."

The room went noticeably quieter.

Cosima's smile paused.

Across the room,Nerio looked up sharply.Heat and pain flashed through his blue eyes at the same time.

I closed my eyes for half a second.

Damn it.

"Maybe his tastes have changed," I said quickly."I only meant-"

The rest died in my throat.

Five years.

I had told myself I had buried all of it.Apparently habit lived deeper than memory.Some things had settled into my body and stayed there,untouched by time.

Later,the lights dimmed for the dancing.

Raffaele led me onto the floor in front of the gathered families.With one hand resting at my waist,he introduced me again in a voice clear enough for everyone to hear.

"Mireya.Nerio's stepmother."

The word stabbed deeper than it should have.

I looked toward Nerio.

His face had gone hard.

When the music changed,Cosima offered him her hand.

He ignored it.

Instead,he crossed the room,stopped in front of me,and held out his own.

"Dance with me,Mireya."

My pulse jumped.

"Nerio-"

"You can't refuse me in front of everyone."

He was right,and he knew it.

I placed my hand in his.

We moved onto the floor.

To everyone watching,the distance between us was perfectly proper.

To me,he was far too close.

His hand burned against mine.His body moved with the same dangerous ease I remembered,younger and rougher than Raffaele,carrying a restlessness that had never learned restraint.

"Are you insane?" I murmured."The entire family is watching."

"Let them."

His mouth curved without humor.

"Let them wonder what their precious stepson is thinking.You still remember everything about me,Mireya.So why are you trying so hard to convince yourself you belong to him?"

The music swelled.

Nerio moved closer.

Before his chest could brush mine,a strong hand closed around my waist and pulled me away.

Raffaele.

He had appeared beside us without a sound.

He looked once at his son.

Then he turned to me and kissed me.

Hard.

It was not tenderness.

It was a declaration.

I tried to pull back.His hand tightened at my waist and the kiss deepened,making my anger flare hot enough to burn through the shock.

Over his shoulder,I saw Nerio's face go rigid.

He turned and walked away.

I bit Raffaele's lower lip hard enough to make him release me.

Then I shoved him back.

Minutes later,I slammed the study door behind us.

"Enough.What exactly are you trying to prove?" I snapped."That you can use your wife to humiliate your son? Do you actually enjoy this? Stop using my body and my marriage as weapons in whatever war the two of you are fighting."

Raffaele did not raise his voice.

He did not even look angry.

He walked to the desk,opened a drawer,and removed a document.

My divorce agreement.

The same papers I had hidden earlier.

He dropped them onto the coffee table between us.

Then he slowly removed his wedding band and set it on top of the unsigned pages.

He looked at me.

"I don't want to talk about Nerio right now."

His voice was low,stripped of its usual coolness.

"I want an answer to something else."

He held my gaze.

"Mireya,in five years of marriage,was there ever one moment when you truly loved me?"