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Dante exchanged a mildly amused look with me. I felt half tempted to ask him how he had built a solid marriage with Valentina, considering he was as emotionally withdrawn as me.
“She’s on her own now,” Mom said.
My gaze locked on Emma, who was moving toward the doors and went out of the room unaccompanied. I considered following her, but I didn’t want her to feel watched. She could handle herself. I didn’t want her to think I considered her not capable. “She’s probably heading to the bathroom. I doubt she wants my company there.”
Mom sent me a reproachful look, but I was immune to it by now.
When Emma hadn’t returned fifteen minutes later, I got a bad feeling. I kept glancing at the doors.
“Why don’t you go to your wife? Dante and I will chat some more with your parents,” Valentina said with a knowing smile.
Dante gave a curt nod. “Tonight is only about you and your wife.”
I gave them a tight smile and headed for the doors. I couldn’t explain it, but I just felt particularly protective of Emma. Maybe it was because she seemed more vulnerable in her wheelchair. Any kind of weakness always drew in the worst characters of our world, and plenty of horrid people were at this gathering today.
I followed my instinct and went toward the restrooms in the adjoining hallway. The moment I turned the corner, I spotted Emma, and she wasn’t alone.
One of the guests, a distant relative whose name I’d never bothered to keep in my mind, stood in front of her. His wide stance and the way he bent over with his hand pressed against the wall right over Emma’s head pissed me off right away. My pulse began pounding.
“Maybe you need help…” he said, and I hesitated, wondering if I let my irrational overprotectiveness get the better of me, but he leaned farther down as if he was about to lift her despite Emma shaking her head.
What the fuck? He was definitely not being helpful. The asshole was making a move on her, on my wife. I got a glimpse of Emma’s face. Her face turned red, and she looked uncomfortable.
I stalked toward them, now absolutely furious. He straightened a second before I reached him, but I didn’t give him time to turn. I grabbed his throat, my fingers digging in and squeezing. I punched him in his kidney with my free hand.He sank on one knee and stared up at me with watering eyes. I didn’t loosen my hold on his throat. “You owe my wife an apology.”
Emma’s wide eyes darted from me to him. She held his gaze.
I released him so he could speak. “I’m sorry,” he got out, sounding only distantly honest, but Emma nodded and gave me an encouraging look.
I met his gaze. “I think it’s time for you to go home now. The party’s over for you.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried away, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. I gritted my teeth against a new wave of anger and tried to stop myself from chasing him down and killing him. If Emma hadn’t been there and if this wasn’t our wedding, I definitely wouldn’t have reacted as restrained. Maybe I would request his presence at some point and fake an accident.
I stepped closer to Emma. She was smoothing out her beautiful dress, her cheeks still flushed. She looked as if she wanted to disappear.
“Do people often disrespect you?” I asked in a moderately calm voice.
Emma shrugged, peering up at me through her long lashes. She looked gorgeous with her big doe-like eyes. “It happens on occasion. Some men seem to think I’m easy prey because of the wheelchair.” Some of her embarrassment was replaced by fierce frustration. Her brows pulled together as she regarded the ring around her finger.
“It won’t happen again,” I muttered.
Emma raised her brows curiously. “You won’t always be around. I need to learn to speak my mind instead of sitting there like a mouse in a trap.”
“Once people realize I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior, they’ll stop.” I moved closer and motioned toward the door of the accessible toilet.
She quickly shook her head. “I was on my way back to the party when he came along.”
I touched her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
She chuckled and nodded. “Absolutely sure. Don’t worry. You came before it got really bad.”
We moved back toward the party together, and after that, I stayed close to her side. I didn’t want another idiot to ruin this day for Emma.
It was getting late, and my nerves started to show, so I spent a few more minutes with Giorgia. She was always good at distracting me.
Giorgia and I moved to a corner for a chat, shielded from view by a privacy screen because a door to the staff area hid behind it. “You look nervous.”
“I am. It’s strange knowing that I’ll spend the night with Samuel. And not just sleeping.”