Chapter 8
At the harbor, Noemi stepped out of the taxi to find a man in an impeccably tailored gray cashmere
coat waving like an excited teenager.
“Noemi!”
Cosimo de‘ Medici–head of the ancient Tuscan dynasty that had survived six centuries of Italian. politics–lit up like Christmas morning. Abandoning both his designer luggage and his usual intimidating demeanor, he practically sprinted toward her.
“Let me get that.” He reached for her suitcase, his hand brushing hers.
She wasn’t about to play coy. This man would be her husband. Time to start acting like it.
“Thanks.” She handed over the bag with a small smile.
Her voice made his ears turn red. The powerful Medici don rubbed his neck sheepishly, grinning like a lovesick fool. “We’re gonna be family soon, right? No need for thanks.”
Family.
The word stopped her cold. She really looked at him–maybe for the first time.
According to Mrs. Conti’s gossip and whispers from their Palermo social circle, Cosimo had been obsessed with her since watching her ballet practice through the conservatory windows in high school. He’d rejected every match his family arranged, turned down heiresses from Milan to
Manhattan.
Even after Alessio’s “death,” he’d pursued her against his family’s objections.
Even now, when their eyes met, he looked away quickly, blushing like a schoolboy despite controlling global trade networks that spanned continents.
She couldn’t help but laugh. Then reality hit.
“Cosimo.” Her tone made him straighten up. “We need to talk.”
If she was really doing this–leaving Alessio, starting fresh–she owed him the truth.
chapter в
No secrets.
No surprises.
His excited grin faded. “What’s wrong?”
“You know about my past.”
Of course he did.
He’d been watching over her since they were sixteen.
The second Alessio was declared dead, he’d activated Mrs, Conti–his family’s contact in the Moretti
household–and made his move. He’d wanted the entire Moretti family to know that someone still
wanted her, that she deserved better.
He nodded tensely.
“My husband isn’t dead.”
His face went blank. The luggage slipped from his hands.
Not dead? Does this mean… Am I losing her before I even had her? Before I could tell her I’ve loved.
her for a decade?
She caught his hand. “But I’m never going back. Our marriage died when he did. Besides, he’s legally
married to his sister–in–law now, Daniela Rossi.”
“What the fuck?”
She explained everything–the identity theft, the pregnancy, the twisted plan to reunite after the baby.
“Even if he tracks me down someday, he can’t prove anything. Alessio Moretti is legally dead.”
Cosimo’s grip tightened. “If that bastard shows his face, I’ll make sure he stays dead this time.”
Her smile held no warmth. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
He studied her face, seeing past the dress to the exhaustion underneath. “Jesus, Noemi. What did
they do to you?”
20:22
To Daud My Cruel Twin Malin Heir’s Folildden Fake Death Game, I Became llis Deadly Daring’s Bride
Chapter
“Nothing that matters anymore.” She looked toward his yacht, pristine against the morning sky. “I’m ready for something better.”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here and go home now.” He grabbed their bags, his boyish nervousness replaced by protective fury. “The island’s waiting. Your new life’s waiting.”
As they boarded, Noemi kept her eyes on the horizon.
No looking back
That chapter was over.
