Before My Mafia Husband Returned from the Dead, I Rejected the Proposal My Best Friend Arranged Chapter 02

Before My Mafia Husband Returned from the Dead, I Rejected the Proposal My Best Friend Arranged Chapter 02

“What?”

Ethan froze for two seconds, clearly not expecting me to deny our relationship.

Then he took my hand again, as if patiently trying to soothe someone who was being unreasonable.

“Serena, don’t reject me just because I got the ring size wrong. We can go exchange it for one that fits right now. This is fixable.”

Vanessa smiled and took my other hand.

“Exactly. He was just nervous. The sooner you two get married, the sooner I can stop worrying about you.”

[The second you put that ring on, you’ll be giving them proof that you betrayed your marriage vows and your loyalty to the Family.]

[Do not say yes!]

I’d known Vanessa for ten years, but for the first time, I realized I might not know her at all.

“Why are you so determined to make me marry him?”

Vanessa blinked.

“What is wrong with you today? You’ve always liked Ethan. You even said he was younger than Luca and nowhere near as old-fashioned. You said you were sick of Luca’s strict Family rules, and you said you and Ethan…”

Luca was only two years older than me, but the way he carried himself made him seem much older.

He also loved choosing soft-colored clothes for me, so people often assumed there was a much bigger age gap between us.

Once, a man pursuing me had mocked Luca in public, saying he acted like some aging, old-school Don.

Luca said he didn’t care, but afterward, he kept trying to change his style.

I had never once said I disliked him for it.

Vanessa was making things up about me again.

My expression hardened, and I slapped her across the face.

The next second, Ethan shoved me to the floor.

“Why would you hit her out of nowhere? You know Vanessa isn’t in good health.”

He immediately pulled the startled Vanessa into his arms and kept checking to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

He didn’t even look at me lying on the floor.

His first instinct told me everything I needed to know.

I wasn’t the person he truly cared about.

“The ring was my mistake. If you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t blame Vanessa.”

Under pressure, his mask slipped completely.

Ethan didn’t love me nearly as much as he claimed.

I said nothing.

My knee had scraped hard against the floor and was already swelling.

When Ethan finally noticed, he paused, then seemed to remember that he should help me up.

He avoided my eyes, clearly aware that there was no way to explain what he’d just done.

“I’m sorry, Serena. I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

I moved away from his outstretched hand.

“Take Vanessa first.”

Ethan started to say something, then nodded immediately.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear.

“Fine. I’ll take Vanessa to the hospital first, then come back for you. After that, we can go pick out a new ring together.”

He helped Vanessa away at a brisk pace without looking back at me once.

When I went to the hospital to have my knee treated, I ran into them again.

Ethan was leaning over Vanessa, gently rubbing her temple with one finger.

He used to comfort me the same way whenever I was feeling low.

After Luca died, I had been deeply depressed.

The benefits tied to billions in assets and the Moretti businesses had fallen to a young widow with no crew, no seat at the table, and no blood ties to support her.

To the Family, I was a power struggle waiting to happen.

Members of the extended Moretti Family questioned my inheritance rights while probing the terms of the trust.

After losing my husband, I was terrified of facing them alone.

For a while, I was even afraid to leave the villa.

That was when Vanessa brought Ethan into my life.

Vanessa’s mother had once worked for the Bell family, which meant Vanessa could pass the visitor screening for outsiders through her connections among the Family’s associates.

Ethan, meanwhile, presented himself as so mild and harmless that he slipped past the Morettis’ usual wariness of opportunists.

During that time, he ate with me every day, walked with me, and patiently listened whenever I needed to talk.

Little by little, my life began to return to normal.

I loved Luca.

But he was dead, and all I could do was bury that love deep inside me.

I’d believed Ethan genuinely cared about me too.

“Serena!”

The moment Ethan saw me, he smiled and hurried over.

“Don’t worry. Vanessa’s fine. She was just a little shaken up. Let’s go pick out your ring together. She’s great at choosing styles, so she’ll definitely help you find one you like.”

“I’m not marrying you.”

His smile froze, and then he frowned at me as if my refusal made absolutely no sense.

“I only got the ring size wrong. Why would you cancel the wedding over that? I even sold my little house back home so I could marry you, and I bought a place outside Moretti territory.”

Ethan pulled a card from his pocket and held it out to me.

“Serena, I’ll stay by your side while you start over.”

[Don’t believe him! That house still has a huge mortgage on it! He’s planning to make you pay it off!]

[Even if you pay off every last loan for him, he still won’t care about you. Once Luca settles the score with you, Ethan won’t even arrange your funeral.]

I couldn’t help laughing.

“Paid in full?”

Ethan immediately raised his voice, and the patience he’d shown moments ago disappeared.

“It’s financed, but I’ll pay the mortgage myself. Serena, you have to believe me.”

Vanessa suddenly sighed.

“I know financial security matters a lot to you. You said before that if Luca hadn’t had all those assets, you never would’ve married a man that controlling. You also said Ethan was different. You said Ethan was the one you loved and that you’d never loved Luca at all.”