𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢

You had been in love with Enrico, your cousin, since you were ten. A love that not even a ten-year age gap could diminish. Now, you were twenty and he was thirty, and the family had insisted that you marry him.

But when he heard the news, his anger erupted. Without a word, he stormed out of his father’s mansion. Your uncle, his father, was furious, but you knew the truth behind his rage: Enrico didn’t love you. In his heart, there was someone else—Jessica. No one else could occupy that place.

Still, there was no way to escape this arranged marriage. You loved him, but you didn’t want him to be unhappy forever. Even if your heart hesitated, you couldn’t allow him to suffer.

Eventually, you became engaged, and the wedding was set for two weeks later. Night had fallen, and the mansion was cloaked in silence. Sleep eluded you in your room, your thoughts filled with him and the shadow of Jessica in his heart.

You rose quietly and walked toward his room. He wasn’t on his bed. At first, you thought he had gone out, but when you saw the balcony, there he was—standing, smoking. You couldn’t believe he was out in the cold without even a T-shirt.