stled among the Sicilian hills in the province of Messina, the sky erupted in a spe
delicate perfume of orange blossoms and wild rosemary, scents that w
buzzed ceaselessly. Servants darted to and fro, their st
curtains and furnished with hand-carved wood, Vittoria gazed a
form with flawless grace, tracing
hair framed a face of noble
tion-only a steady, calculated gaze. Beyond
hould be the happiest
did she feel only an emptiness tha
nding voice of Don Alfonso from behind her, carrying the w
roused from a profound thought,
ying the reflection of a bride w
his voice low but firm, as he stepped closer
replied, finally turning to fac
pect, nor was there submission. There was courage, the kind b
with a tenderness that clashed with the heavy expectation in his voice.
ion but a cold, undeniable r
that, despite the weight of expectat
ppearances, and obedience, bui
arried three weeks later," Vittoria replied, he
, her movements precise, almost mechanical,
oice low and silken, imbued with the calculate
d once adorned her mother's head, as though it was a s
ece before her, "is not merely a commitmen
or and stood behind her, placing the crow
lders, a silent reminder of the man
most powerful families in Savoca. And when they speak your
rected, her voice restrained
and unwavering. There was no naivety there, only the bi
ruptly to face him. His gaze was as unyielding as a stone, piercin
f willing his words to echo within her like a
her forehead with a gentleness that felt lik
tion you hold," Don Alfonso concluded, his tone calm
ce, as if accepting another p
Given the chance, she would have
xed in the mirror, until the door
her fully. And with it came the certainty that
whispered, staring at her reflec
before a bitter smile replaced them
ry and empty, as if she couldn't sustai
n the mansion's gardens, Vit
ut to seal a fate writ
, each kilometer struck like a hammer agains
eyes of the world, weighed lik
ating, and the urge to flee open the car door
to scream. She was about to become the emblem of a powerful all
t truly there, as if she were a silent spectat
as she was guided down the
felt like props in a staged tableau fo
zo Moretti, her fiancé, failed to
the applause echoed in the
was firm, solemn. In that final touch, Vittoria unders
ed to the alliance. Her life, to
gant and moving in the eyes of the guests, faithful
h reverence, vows were exchanged under watchful gazes, and the crow
hold your peace," the priest declared, his solemn cadence resonating beneat
en with authority, sliced through the air, halting
isible command, every head turned t