Chapter 2: Don't Let Go
We danced.
And the room stayed quiet in that strange, held-breath way that told me something was very wrong.
Giovanni moved with complete ease.
Like a man who had never once been uncomfortable in his own skin.
His hand at my waist was steady.
His eyes stayed on mine.
"Stop looking nervous," he said quietly.
"You're my wife.
Act like you've done this a thousand times."
"I haven't."
"I know.
Do it anyway."
Over his shoulder, I could see Tyler.
He wasn't looking at Vanessa.
He was watching me.
And for the first time all evening, he looked uncertain.
Then an older woman in a silver dress crossed the room toward us.
She moved like someone who owned every room she walked into.
Giovanni's jaw tightened.
Just slightly.
"My mother," he said under his breath.
"Don't let go."
She stopped two feet away and looked at me the way people look at something they didn't expect to find.
"Giovanni." Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Who is this?"
"My wife."
The silence that followed was different from before.
Colder.
She studied my face for a long moment.
Then she said something in Italian.
Giovanni's hand pressed gently but firmly against my back.
"She wants to know," he said quietly, "how long we've been married."
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
And that was the moment I realized his mother already knew the answer — and she was testing whether I did too.
---
What Jessica said next set off a chain of events no one in that ballroom was prepared for.
May you like
Click the link below to read the full story.
👇
