I stumbled back, grabbing the wall for support. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “That’s impossible. Marco and I have been married for five years. He promised me. He loved me.”
Vito’s jaw tightened, his hesitation barely masking his resolve. “Celia, your marriage… it wasn’t what you thought. It was a business arrangement, a contract. Marco didn’t marry you for love. He married you for power—to solidify his position and secure the Moretti name. You were part of his plan, not his heart.”
The words struck me like a physical blow. I sank onto the arm of the couch, my hands trembling. “No,” I croaked. “That’s not true. We built a life together. He said he loved me.”
Vito stepped closer, his voice softer now but no less devastating. “Your father arranged it before he died. The marriage wasn’t for you—it was for what you represented. Marco needed your family’s name, your connections. And now, with Victoria carrying his child, he’s ended the façade. He’s moving on with her.”
My world crumbled. The man I had loved, trusted, and built my life around had never been mine. I pressed my hands to my face, the tears I had been holding back finally spilling over.
“I need you to see this,” Vito said after a long silence, placing a manila envelope on the table.
I looked at it, dread tightening around my chest. With trembling hands, I opened it and pulled out the documents inside. My breath hitched as I read the first page:
Marriage Contract: Celia Moretti and Marco Moretti.
Clause after clause laid bare the cold, calculated reality of my marriage. Financial agreements, stipulations, and even a payment of one billion dollars. It was all there in black and white.
“This can’t be real,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
Vito sighed heavily. “It’s the truth, Celia. Marco’s choice is clear—he’s marrying Victoria and starting a family with her. You deserve to know that what you had with him… it wasn’t love. It was just part of the deal.”
The weight of betrayal crushed me. Marco had used me. Marco had never loved me.
“Celia,” Vito finally said, his voice soft but steady, “I never wanted this for you.”
I looked up at him, my tears blurring his figure. “You knew, didn’t you?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You knew about the contract. About everything.”