When I Left for Sicily

At my engagement party, my fiance, Lorenzo Thorne, the Don, publicly took the hand of Layla Cline, the daughter of the woman who had once saved his life, and led her into the opening dance that symbolized their engagement. He declared publicly, "Layla, you are the only woman who matters tonight!" The engagement party I had looked forward to for years had been handed to someone else, right before my eyes. Just like before. At my birthday party, he had snatched the dress I'd spent weeks preparing and handed it to Layla, who hadn't brought one. "You already have me. Let Layla have the dress." I'd given up the passenger seat. I'd given up our anniversaries. Finally, I decided to give this man to her for good. I turned away and dialed the number I knew by heart. "Hi, Dad. I lost. I'll accept the arranged marriage." Chapter 1 Lorenzo Thorne, the Don and my fiance, gallantly bent down and extended his hand to Layla Cline, the beautiful daughter of the woman who had once saved his life. His underboss, Layla, blushed, looking both shy and delighted. She gathered her skirt in both hands, dipped into a small curtsy, and returned his greeting. Amid the blessings and applause of everyone present, they completed the traditional hand-kiss and prepared to walk onto the dance floor together. As the opening dance began, the two of them danced in the center of the room beneath everyone's admiring gaze, officially declaring their engagement. When the opening dance ended, the dance floor came alive. Couples took to the floor, enjoying their time together. Layla linked her arm through Lorenzo's and walked over to me. The smugness on Lorenzo's face gave way to a trace of guilt. "Avril, Layla needs this ceremony more. Be good, and I'll make it up to you later." Looking at the man who had been my childhood sweetheart for more than twenty years, I suddenly felt completely calm. "Do you know what today's opening dance signifies?" It was an engagement ball. The man who invited a woman to the opening dance was announcing to everyone that they had chosen each other. As Lorenzo's childhood sweetheart, everyone who knew us was aware of our relationship. But Lorenzo was the leader of the Thorne family, and his marriage had never been a matter for him alone to decide. I knew many people in the family favored Layla. Her family had served the Thornes for years, and her father had even died saving Lorenzo. Even my own father didn't approve of our relationship. But I believed true love could overcome anything. I thought that with enough time, my father would eventually bless us. He was adamant, though. He had even started looking for a man he considered suitable for me. However, I refused to listen. I would never forget how furious my father had been the first time Lorenzo made me give way to Layla. Without asking me, Lorenzo had let Layla move into the room at his villa that had always belonged to me. When my father found out, he shook his head in disappointment and pointed at me as he scolded me, "You're hopeless! And you still haven't broken up with him? If he's willing to make you give way to another woman once, he'll make you give way again and again." I had thought my father was simply biased against Lorenzo. But after being pushed into second place time and time again, I began to waver. So my father and I made a wager. If our engagement party went smoothly today, it would prove that Lorenzo only favored Layla over the little things, and that I was still the most important person in his heart. But if he chose Layla over me even on a day as important as this, I would walk away for good and accept the marriage my father had arranged for me. This was the last chance I was giving myself and Lorenzo. As it turned out, my father was right. I had personally handled everything, from the decorations and dessert selection to the entire schedule of events. Just last night, Lorenzo and I had still been happily envisioning our future together, yet at this pivotal moment, he took another woman's hand. It felt as though I had personally arranged a funeral for the love we had shared for more than twenty years. When our eyes met, Lorenzo sighed helplessly and tried to explain, "Once Layla becomes my Donna in name, no one in the family will dare bully her. And I'll be able to spend more time with you, too. You know I'm going to marry you in the end, Avril. So don't get upset over something this small." His voice was gentle, coaxing me. "This party means a lot to Layla. You know her father died because of me. I owe her. For my sake, just humor her a little." This party meant a lot to me, too. It was just too late for any of that to matter. Chapter 2 "Miss Avril, I'm sorry. I was the reason you lost your chance to be the center of attention tonight. Please don't blame Lorenzo. He was only trying to help me..." Layla leaned against Lorenzo as though she were slightly tipsy and could barely stand. He instinctively put an arm around her, and when he looked back at me, there was already impatience in his eyes. "It's only one dance. If you want to dance, I'll dance with you now." He half-carried Layla to a nearby chair and settled her down before turning to me with a frown and holding out his hand. Unlike the gentlemanly way he had invited Layla to dance, he couldn't even be bothered to bow. Layla was the woman he had asked to dance and treated with care. I was merely someone he was reluctantly forcing himself to accompany. The whispers around us were no longer restrained. "Everyone's been saying the Thorne family doesn't accept her. Now that Lorenzo and Miss Layla are engaged, she's still clinging to him. It's so embarrassing. If I were her, I'd go find a swimming pool and drown myself." Lorenzo's face darkened. "Shut up." Layla apologized to me as well. "Miss Avril, I'm sorry. They're usually even harsher to me. As Lorenzo's girlfriend, you've always been surrounded by people fawning over you. I never imagined that just this once, you'd end up being the one who was treated unfairly..." "I've always had people fawning over me?" Layla tried to get up from the chair, then once again threw herself into Lorenzo's arms with tears welling in her eyes. Lorenzo had run out of patience with me. "The opening-dance ceremony is over. Layla is the star of the night. I'm going to take her around to greet the guests. If you're upset, go home and get some rest." With that, he half-carried Layla into the crowd. Lorenzo's younger sister, Annie Thorne, approached me with a glass of red wine. Her eyes were full of provocation. "Oh. Why aren't you dancing, Miss Avril? I suppose I should thank you for helping Lorenzo organize the party." This was the Thorne family's true attitude toward me. Annie especially disliked me. She thought I'd stolen her spotlight simply because I was Lorenzo's girlfriend. "Wow. Lorenzo and Layla really do look perfect together. "My brother is so good to Layla. That ruby set she's wearing was his engagement gift to her. He personally went abroad to an auction and paid a fortune for it." I stared at her in surprise. Since childhood, she resented me, convinced that I'd stolen her brother from her. So Lorenzo hadn’t just acted on a whim. He had been preparing for this day all along, while I had foolishly believed right up until the party began that this celebration was meant to be his declaration of love for me. Annie looked pleased by the shock on my face. Her voice rose with smugness. "Avril, your family still depends on the Thornes. You're not good enough for Lorenzo. Layla will be my sister-in-law." Annie carefully watched my expression. When she saw that I wasn't heartbroken as she'd expected but remained completely calm, she grew angry. She wanted to break through my composure. In fact, she was already doing exactly that. She raised her hand high. But it never reached my face. Someone caught her wrist halfway there. It was Lorenzo. Chapter 3 Annie froze for a moment before snapping angrily, "Aren't you engaged to Layla? Why are you still protecting her?" Lorenzo shot her a dark, threatening look. Annie glared at me resentfully before turning and walking away. Lorenzo placed both hands on my shoulders and turned me toward him. "She was about to hit you. Why were you just standing there?" I was exhausted. "I'm used to it." Annie's harassment had always been a part of my life. He would tell her off, but at most he'd scold her a few times, then tell me to put up with it. I finally understood. He had never truly chosen me. I had simply refused to see it. "You used to be able to protect yourself..." "I'm tired." Layla approached with a radiant smile, lifting the hem of her dress as she walked gracefully toward us. "Lo, I don't think my shoes fit properly. They're really uncomfortable. Could you get my spare pair for me? We still have so many guests to greet." Laila wore an expression that was the perfect mix of embarrassment and timidity. Lorenzo's gaze fell on her slightly reddened ankle, and a flash of concern crossed his eyes. "Sure," he answered immediately. Then he turned back to me. "I'll come find you later." He was always like this. He made me wait, again and again, and broke his promises every single time. Lorenzo left, and Layla finally straightened her back and lifted her chin. "Avril, I'm the star tonight. You've been by Lo's side for all these years. You've already enjoyed everything you were going to get. Tonight belongs to me, so please don't ruin it." "Is this position really something to enjoy?" There had never been a shortage of wealthy socialites and heiresses surrounding Lorenzo. Countless women wanted to become the future matriarch of the Thornes. Because I loved him, I'd spent my entire childhood making sure I was the best at everything. Etiquette, academics, social skills—I worked relentlessly to master them all. But who had ever noticed all the sacrifices I'd made behind the scenes? Only my father had ever felt sorry for how stubbornly I'd held on. "Do you think he has any idea what this engagement party is going to do to you once it's over?" I clenched my hands tightly. The last lingering shred of reluctance in my heart finally died. I smiled without arguing with her, walked around her, and strode out through the doors of the mansion. A car was already waiting for me, and someone had opened the door. My father sat in the back seat in a black suit. He reached over and gently stroked my hair with a sigh. "A bet is a bet. Tomorrow, I will take you to Sicily. Trust me. Damon is a good man. He'll treat you well." "Okay." Chapter 4 There were photos of Layla dancing with Lorenzo in the ballroom, as well as some of the two of them raising their glasses together. They really did look like a perfect match. Layla leaned against the tall man like a petite woman completely wrapped around her lover, smiling with pure happiness. The final photo showed a king-size bed. A man lay completely covered by the blankets, with only one hand visible outside them. The only reason I knew it was Lorenzo was that he was still wearing the watch I'd given him for his birthday. The comments were overflowing. [So this is the Donna of the Thorne family? She's gorgeous.] [The Don and his underboss. Now that's a legit match. They're engaged, too. And that clingy ex-girlfriend actually followed them to the party. How embarrassing.] [Lorenzo is so devoted to Layla!] [Go look at Layla's other posts. This is literally the classic "Don falls in love with me" fantasy playing out in real life. I'm so jealous!] [I can tell just from that hand that he's got to be incredible in bed!] ... I'd thought seeing it would break my heart. Instead, when I actually saw everything, I felt strangely calm. I finally understood. When disappointment piles up high enough, you really can stop loving someone. The next morning, I was directing the servants as they packed my things when Lorenzo burst into my house with Layla. He was carrying a small, exquisite box and walked straight toward me. "Avril, I came specifically to apologize today. Layla and I are only engaged. You know the truth—I'm only in love with you. You're the only woman I'm going to marry. I've already talked to my family. Today, we'll settle our wedding date." Before I could say anything, Layla spoke first, "Miss Avril, I'm really sorry. Lorenzo did all this because of me. Please don't ignore him. He'll be so upset." I smiled and nodded. "Okay." Apparently surprised by how easily I'd accepted it, Lorenzo looked relieved. He placed the little box in my hand. "This is the engagement gift I prepared for you. I know you'll love it!" He urged me to open it. Inside was a small, exquisite pendant made from an unusually shaped conch pearl. Lorenzo looked at me expectantly. "Do you like it?" "I do." He didn't know that I would never accept another gift from him again. Hearing me say I liked it, Layla seemed even happier than he was. She raised her left hand and held up the delicate, perfectly rounded conch-pearl bracelet around her wrist. "I knew you would love the pendant. That's why I picked out this bracelet. I love mine, too." Lorenzo's eyes flickered for a moment before quickly returning to normal. "Layla doesn't have much jewelry, so I let her pick something, too. You don't mind, right?" "Of course not." I kept smiling. "Good girl. As for the wedding date, what do you..." Lorenzo seemed pleased. He reached out to touch my hair, but I turned my head away. He liked touching my hair when he was happy. It was one of his little habits. My refusal made him frown, but before he could finish, Layla let out a cry of pain. "Lo, my foot really hurts. I think I twisted it." Layla's face went pale, her large eyes filling with tears that threatened to spill over. Lorenzo immediately panicked. He hurriedly crouched down to examine the ankle she was clutching. "Damn it." He looked deeply guilty. He scooped Layla into his arms and looked at me apologetically. "Avril, I'll take Layla to the hospital first. We'll talk about the wedding date later. I'll come back and see you." Lorenzo was in a hurry, yet this time, for some reason, a faint unease stirred in his heart. His eyes stayed fixed on me as he waited stubbornly for my answer. "Okay." "Good girl." Only after I nodded did he finally let go of that strange feeling and carry Layla away. Once again, I watched his back grow smaller and smaller until he disappeared from sight, just like the ending of our relationship. But this time, I wasn't going to stay where I was. Casting aside all hesitation, I set off in the opposite direction. I dragged the luggage I'd packed through the night and made it to the airport to board a flight to Sicily. As I watched the clouds slide backward outside the window, I forced down the last trace of bitterness in my heart. From this day forward, nothing that happened here would have anything to do with me anymore.