62
ALLEGRA
I tugLuca closer to me as we make our way down the aisle and to our designated spots. Enzo's deep in conversation with Marcello and I note Catalina on the other side, trying to fix her daughter's dress.
"Lina," I call out, and she looks up, waving us over.
Catalina had been extremely understanding when we'd told her the entire story, and she'd been quick to assure me that she's there for me if I need a friend. Given that Luca and Claudia, her daughter, are already good friends, we'd met a couple of times over the last month for coffee.
Having a female friend is… unusual. But not unpleasant.
I'd also met her sister-in-law, Assisi, today's bride, and she'd been equally gracious in welcoming me into their fold.
I hadn't heard much about the groom, Rafaelo, except that he's Benedicto Guerra's favorite, despite being the second-born. Looking around, I'm glad I don't spot Gianna, but since I'd heard she'd run away with her bodyguard a few years back, it's not that surprising.
"I'm so excited for Sisi," I say when I reach her.
"Me too. After her unexpected miscarriage, I'm so happy Marcello's allowed her to marry her lover."
Assisi's miscarriage had happened right before Chiara's funeral, and Lina had confided in me that Sisi's never been the same since.
"She'd been so full of life before… so mischievous. She was the queen of pranks. Now… we can barely get her out of bed," Lina had told me in confidence. She's been worrying about Sisi ever since.
"She'll be fine, you'll see. Once they're married, everything will be fine," I'm quick to assure her, even though my own marriage hadn't been a walk in the park.
Since Sisi and her groom already love each other, I'm confident she won't encounter the same issues I did.
The guests start trickling in, and we all take our seats. I hold Luca close to me as I settle against Enzo, his sister and niece on the other side.
Since Marcello is Sisi's older brother, he's the one leading her down the aisle.
We settle in nicely and watch as the priest takes his position, with the groom placing himself in front of the altar.
Rafaelo looks dashing in his black tux and gelled hair, but even so, there's just something odd about him.
He seems jittery as he waits for Sisi at the altar, continuously tapping his foot on the floor.
Benedicto leans in to whisper something in his ear and he briefly stops his erratic movements, but just as the organ music starts playing, he's back at it again.
Marcello and Sisi walk in, arm in arm, and I turn my head to look at Sisi's dress.
She looks stunning in white, her diamond headdress exquisitely complementing her light blonde hair.
Her expression, however, is anything but happy. Her mouth is drawn in a small scowl, her forehead pinched in the middleas if she's trying very hard to remember a rehearsed movement.
She certainly doesn't look like a woman about to be married to the love of her life.
"Enzo," I whisper as I turn to him. "Are you sure theirs is a love match?" I ask, confused.
"Apparently," he shrugs. "From what Lina's told me, Assisi has sworn up and down that Rafaelo is the man she loves and wants to marry," he continues.
"That," I nod toward Assisi, who is currently taking her place next to Rafaelo, "doesn't look like a woman in love."
"And how would a woman in love look?" he asks, almost playfully.
I give him a small push before dipping my head low to whisper.
"Like I look at you," I immediately turn, a blush staining my cheeks.
