My father. The thought of him makes me sway slightly on my feet.
My father should be here.Heshould be the one walking me down the aisle, even if he doesn’t deserve that honor after what he did. Even if his choices led to Marco’s death and my captivity, he’s still my dad.
Where is he now? Is he even alive?
Cold sweat slides down my back as another thought intrudes: What happens to him after today? The marriage secures Luca’s alliance with Viktor Torrino, I understand that much. But then what? Does Luca let my father go? Keep him imprisoned indefinitely?
Kill him?
The possibility makes my knees weak. I sink onto the edge of the bed, my dress pooling around me, and try to breathe through the sudden panic.
“Are you alright?” Cristina asks with concern, looking up from her phone where she had been typing away at lightning speed. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” I lie. “Just…nervous. Wedding day jitters, like you said.”
But it’s not jitters. It’s the horrible realization that I’ve been so focused on my growing feelings for Luca, so caught up in the promise of a future clinic and surgical specialization, that I’ve barely thought about what this marriage means for my father.
Luca said the revenge was about making Dad suffer by watching his daughter marry into the family he betrayed. But is that all? Or is there more waiting once the wedding is complete?
I need to ask. I need to know what happens to Dad now that I’m officially becoming Luca’s wife.
The thought terrifies me almost as much as the answer might.
“It’s time,” someone announces, and suddenly we’re moving. The team guides me downstairs where a car waits. It’s not Luca’s usual sedan but a white limousine. Danny stands beside it in atuxedo that makes him look almost civilized, though the bulge under his jacket suggests he's still armed.
“Dr. Conti,” he greets me, and there's something almost soft in his expression. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I say automatically, but then another thought seizes me. Danny has always been kind to me. He’s always tried to help. He would be the right person to ask about my father. “Danny, I need to ask you something.”
Danny’s brow furrows as he gestures to his watch. “Now’s not really the time?—”
“My father.” I cut him off, desperation making me bold. “What happens to him after today? After the marriage is official?”
Danny’s expression shutters immediately, becoming unreadable. “That’s between you and the boss.”
He’slying. Danny is Luca’s right-hand man. “But you know, don’t you?” I ask, feeling a coldness settle through me that has nothing to do with the current weather. “You know what Luca has planned.”
“Dr. Conti.” His voice is gentle but firm. “Today is your wedding day. Let’s get you to the cathedral, and you can discuss everything else with Luca afterward.”
It’s not an answer, which is an answer in itself. My stomach churns with anxiety as Danny helps me into the limousine. The drive to the cathedral passes in a blur of Chicago streets and mounting dread. Nothing bad can happen to my father, right? I’ve done everything Luca has required.
Luca wouldn’t hurt me like that. Right?
The Cathedral of the Holy Name soon comes up, and I can’t help but gawk as we park and are ushered inside. It has soaring Gothic architecture, stained glass windows that cast colored light across marble floors, and enough flower arrangements to supply a dozen weddings. It’s beautiful and imposing and absolutely packed with people I don’t know.
The elite, based on the way they carry themselves. Crime families from across the region, all dressed in expensive suits and designer gowns, all here to witness Luca Marchetti’s marriage.
Danny escorts me to a private room where I’m supposed to wait until it’s time. My hands are shaking so badly I have to clasp them together to hide the tremor. They’re ice cold.
“You okay?” he asks quietly.
“No,” I answer honestly. “I’mterrified, Danny. Not of Luca—or not just of Luca—but of what comes after. Of what this marriage means for my father, for me, for—” I stop, unable to articulate the tangle of fears.
Danny sighs heavily, looking conflicted. “For what it’s worth,” he says carefully, “I think you’re good for him. I’ve seen him change over these past weeks. He’s become more like the man Marco knew instead of whatever grief made him.”
“But is that enough?” The question bursts out. “Is being good for him enough to guarantee my father doesn’t end up dead?
The thought has been haunting me for days. What happens to Dad now that the marriage is securing Luca’s alliance? Does he just…stay imprisoned forever? Or does Luca have some plan I don’t know about?
