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“Anya?” He shoved the laptop aside and rushed to her side as she staggered forward, concern etched across his face. “What happened?”
“I fell,” she whispered. Her voice was barely audible. “Twisted my leg.”
Without asking more, Charles wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her to the couch, his face filled with concern.
“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath, his tone protective. “Come on. Sit down. Let me get some ointment.”
Anya sank onto the couch, blinking back more tears. Not just from the pain in her leg… but from the pain in her chest.
Charles glanced around, panic in his eyes, then quickly turned and rushed off to grab the first aid kit.
Luca, who had been working in the backyard, heard Anya’s voice and came over in a hurry. His brows pulled together when he saw her—clothes slightly dirtied, her face pale and trembling like she was on the verge of breaking down.
Immediately, he crouched down in front of her, his voice low but filled with worry. “Anya, what’s wrong?”
Her eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, she tried to hold herself together. But seeing the look on his face and her dad hurrying toward them with equal concern made the tears she had been holding back spill down her cheeks.
“Dante refused to marry me,” she choked out, her voice raw and strained.
Luca blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked, though a flicker of hope passed through him—something he hated himself for feeling.
Anya sniffled, then removed the ruby ring from her finger and handed it back to him. “I can’t accept this ring.”
Luca didn’t argue. He took it from her hand without a word and softly asked, “Anya, tell me what happened.”
She drew in a shaky breath, fighting through the tightness in her throat. “He misunderstood... He saw this ring and assumed I was hiding something. That I was involved with you.”
Her voice cracked.
“We went to get the marriage certificate today. I was going to tell him everything—about you, Dad, and that I’m Annie. But someone posted a picture of you and me at the restaurant online, and when he saw it, he lost it. He thought I was lying to him… cheating on him.”
Luca’s jaw tightened, his voice sharp. “He thinks you are cheating on him?” His voice was tight with anger. “Is he out of his goddamn mind? Does he not know you well enough to trust you?”
Charles, who had just returned with the first aid box, set it down hard on the table and started pacing, rage building with every step.
“I already booked a hotel to celebrate your marriage today,” he seethed. “I thought he was a smart, understanding man. But now? He left you at the courthouse and refused to marry you?”
Charles turned to face her, his voice growing colder. “Now you’re never marrying him. Even if he gets down on his knees and begs, I’m not letting that scumbag get close to you. He doesn't deserve you. Not even close.”
Luca stood still, his worry for Anya mixing with a strange, almost possessive feeling.
He was relieved that Anya hadn’t married Dante, as bad as it sounded. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally have a chance to make her his—and be happy with her.
***
Dante slammed the car door and stormed into the house, his entire body vibrating with rage. He walked in without a word, his jaw tight, fists clenched.
Griffin, who had been pacing back and forth, immediately noticed his arrival.
“What happened?” Griffin asked eagerly, his eyes scanning Dante’s face. “Is it done? Did you get the marriage certificate with Anya? How did it go?”
Before Dante could answer, Janet, who had been sitting on the couch, jumped to her feet the second she heard Griffin, her anger flaring.
“Marriage? What the hell did you just say?” Her eyes were wild, locked onto Griffin and Dante. “You were planning to get married? And neither of you told me?” Her voice rose to a scream. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Griffin glanced at Janet, his voice calm but firm. “It was my idea. I told him to marry Anya. If he wants to marry her, that’s his decision. You have no right to interfere. It’s none of your business.”
Janet lost it. “Not my business? She is not going to be my family! I told you I don’t like her. And you—” she pointed a trembling finger at Dante “—you went behind my back to marry someone like her? Is this some kind of rebellion?”