Page 21 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“I find that hard to believe. He’s marrying her on Saturday.”

“It’s mostly a way to reassure investors and employees,” Vadim adds. “To prove he’s still capable of running the company. That he’s no longer the broken man he became after you disappeared.”

He pauses.

“The fire… and the downward spiral that followed for more than a year did a lot of damage to Aurenza. He pulled himself together in time, but everyone was waiting for a strong signal. That marriage is what he’s giving them. Nothing more.”

I know what they’re trying to do, but I don’t know whether I should believe them.

Bianca and Dante had looked so close the night of the gala… not to mention the kiss still burned into my memory.

“Come to lunch tomorrow,” Amelia says suddenly.

I gently pull my hands from hers.

“Will they be there?”

Her eyes hold mine.

“Yes.”

He’ll be there with her, in that house, in my place.

“No… I’d rather avoid it.”

The silence that follows is painful.

“You don’t want to fight for him?”

“It’s too late. He made his choice.”

My voice cracks on the last word.

“Because he believed you were dead,” Vadim says softly.

I turn toward the man who looks so much like his brother.

“He wants nothing to do with me anymore. He made that very clear after I came back.”

“Because he’s hurting and angry,” Amelia says. “Come tomorrow. Remind him what he could still have. Remind him who he was with you.”

I feel horribly torn apart. Part of me aches to see him again; the other knows I no longer belong by his side.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

Amelia searches for the right words before answering.

“Because Bianca isn’t the woman he needs. I’ve watched my son function for two years without ever truly living. He lost something when he lost you. The way he used to laugh for no reason. The way he believed anything was possible. The way he looked at the future like it belonged to him.”

She takes a deep breath.

“I want my son back. Not the CEO. Not the man who controls everything. The man who was alive. And he was only alive with you.”

I think about Dante yesterday. His anger, his contempt, and the way his eyes no longer recognized me.

“Will you come?” she asks.

If I go, I’ll suffer.