Teresa moved scarily fast.
The very next day, she showed up at my home to discuss the engagement. She was straightforward and decisive, as if she were afraid that if she blinked, I would change my mind again.
As for her son, Vito Scalera, he was still out on the West Coast handling family business. The wedding date would have to wait until he returned.
Of course, none of that really mattered anymore. What actually made me feel like I could breathe again was that Enzo was no longer my fiance. That was the real relief.
The first thing I did that day was to go to my wardrobe. I pulled it open and started packing.
All those outdated dresses, the oversized clothes, the dull, lifeless jewelry, I boxed it all up and told the maids to send it straight back to Enzo's wing.
The maid looked unsure. "Signora, these clothes and jewelry weren't cheap. Are you really sending them all over?"
"Do it," I said. "I don't want to see any of it again."
Back when I was with Enzo, everything I wore had to pass through him first. He dressed me like a woman twice my age, all muted colors and lifeless cuts. Even my lipstick had to be in nude shades.
I used to go along with it just to keep him from getting angry and get on his good side. But what kind of woman would want to dim her own light? Now, I could finally be myself again.
I changed into a red dress and wore a pink diamond necklace Mama had given me.
It had been so long since anyone saw me dress up that even the maid was shocked. "Bellissimo, Signora!"
I glanced at the mirror and smiled. For the first time in months, I stepped out of the estate. As usual, the moment I appeared, all eyes turned toward me. I ignored them all.
A cold voice cut through the street. "Rossella!"
I startled so hard my first instinct was to turn and run.
Back when I was bold enough to slip out on my own, Enzo had caught me once. I ended up writing apology notes for a month straight, fingers swollen from holding the pen too long.
Old habits died hard. It took me a few steps before it registered that I wasn't his fiance anymore. Why would I need to run?
I stopped mid-stride. By the time I turned back around, Enzo was already in front of me. His gaze landed on what I was wearing and darkened instantly.
"As my fiancee, how dare you walk out dressed like that? Are you trying to make a laughingstock of the Vitale name in Cicaro? Now, go back inside!"
From the corner of my eye, I saw Bellamy behind him. Unimpressed, I pointed at her and asked, "So, you two can walk around freely, but I can't even step out to get some fresh air?"
Enzo said matter-of-factly, "We're not the same as you."
Before I could ask what that was supposed to mean, Bellamy stepped forward awkwardly.
"Rossella, you've got this wrong. Don Vitale just didn't want me going to church alone for Mass. He was just accompanying me. We didn't expect to run into you here."
While we were talking, I kept catching people glancing my way.
Enzo suddenly shrugged off his suit jacket and threw it over my shoulders, covering the shape of my dress. Then, he grabbed my wrist. "Have you had enough of this? You're coming back with me!"
Pain shot up my arm as his grip tightened. My temper snapped. Before I knew it, I shoved him away.
"I'm not going anywhere with you. As I said, the engagement is over. We're nothing to each other now, so stop sticking your nose into my life!"
My two bodyguards stepped forward instantly, placing themselves between us. Behind him, Enzo's men reacted, too. One of them even slipped a hand under his jacket, ready.
"Don Vitale," one of my bodyguards piped up, "don't make this difficult."
Enzo's face darkened with rage. He looked at my bodyguards, then at me. In the end, he held back. He fixed his eyes on me like I was prey and lowered his voice. "You're going to regret this, Rossella."
After they brought me back to the estate, several boxes of clothes and jewelry started arriving in my room again. They were all from Enzo.
I didn't even look at them and just had them returned to where they came from.
Later, the maid told me Enzo's expression when he saw everything returned. It was ugly enough to scare people off. To that, I said, "Served him right."
