Chapter 266 ABOUT DAMN TIME.

Chapter 266 ABOUT DAMN TIME.
\~~~RAINA.

It was finally our anniversary.

I sat up slowly in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and for the first time in a week, the room was completely silent. I glanced at the empty space beside me. Usually, Luciano would have already woken me up with some teasing remark or a soft kiss on my shoulder, but this morning, there was nothing.
I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how the last week had been. Ever since we found out about the baby, our life had completely shifted. It didn't even feel like a honeymoon anymore, it had officially turned into a welfare trip. Luciano had gone into absolute overdrive, signing up for online classes on literally everything he could find regarding pregnancy, babies, infant first aid, and newborn development. 

He spent his nights reading medical articles and taking notes, actual, physical notes. At this point, the man honestly knew more about pregnancy symptoms and fetal development than I did. It was both incredibly endearing and mildly terrifying.

The bedroom door clicked open, interrupting my thoughts. Luciano walked in, and the moment I saw his face, my eyebrows shot up. He was grinning so wide that I legitimately thought something else was going on aside from our anniversary. He looked like a man who had successfully pulled off the heist of the century.

In his hands, he was carrying a large, beautifully wrapped box. He walked over to the bed with a distinct swagger and dropped it right onto the mattress near my feet.
“What is this?” I asked, leaning forward and eyeing the box suspiciously.
He tilted his head, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “Will you check it out?”

I reached over, pulling the ribbon apart and lifting the lid. My eyes widened instantly as I parted the tissue paper. I stared at the fabric inside, then looked up at him.

“What is this?!” I exclaimed.

“A dress,” he replied smoothly, as if that explained everything.

“Right, for what?”
He smiled, leaning against the bedpost. “It’s our anniversary today.”

I rolled my eyes, though my heart did a little flutter. “I remember, Lou. I’m not suffering from memory loss.”

“I heard it sometimes comes with pregnancy,” he countered, his lips twitching with amusement.

“Are you kidding me?” I frowned, grabbing a pillow and threatening to throw it at him.

Luciano caught my wrist, his expression softening into something incredibly warm. He leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before dropping the bombshell. 

“We’re having a vow renewal.”

He said it so casually, like he was announcing what he wanted for lunch. My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened even further.

“What?!” I gasped. “A vow renewal? Luciano, since when?”

“Since I planned it,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking my hand in his. His thumb brushed gently over my knuckles, and the playful glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by an intensity that always made my breath hitch. 

“Our marriage started under strict circumstances, Raina. You were forced into it. You didn't want me, and you certainly didn't choose this life. I benefited from that arrangement, but it was never fair to you.”

He looked down at our joined hands, his voice dropping to a low, quiet register that made my chest tighten. “So I want to do it right. I want a ceremony where there are no threats, no contracts, and no hidden agendas. Just you and me. Today, it’s a real choice.”

My throat felt incredibly tight, tears pricking the corners of my eyes at how sweet he was being. But then, reality hit me, and my sentimentality evaporated into pure panic.
“You should have told me sooner!” I cried, gesturing wildly. “I wouldn’t have eaten a whole plate of pasta last night if I knew I had to fit into a white dress today!”

Luciano broke into a deep, rumbled laugh, his eyes scanning my figure. “What difference does it make? Your stomach hasn’t even started showing yet, baby.”

“That is not the point!” I argued, huffing as I threw the covers off. “The bloating is real, Luciano!”

Despite my dramatic protests, we finally started dressing up. Luciano disappeared to change into a tailored charcoal suit that made him look devastatingly handsome, while I slipped into the dress he bought. It was a stunning, flowing white gown that hit all the right places, making me feel beautiful despite the bloating. Once we were both ready, he took my hand, led me down to the waiting car, and we left the villa behind.

We drove down toward a private stretch of the beach. The moment the car stopped and I stepped out, my breath caught in my throat. It was absolutely breathtaking. An archway made of lush white flowers stood right where the sand met the gentle tide, with soft petals scattered along a makeshift aisle. The ocean waves crashed softly in the background, and the late morning sun painted the sky in brilliant shades of blue and gold.

It wasn't a legal wedding, we didn't need to get married legally again, but Luciano had still managed to find an officiant to guide the ceremony. We walked down the aisle together, our fingers tightly intertwined, and stood before the flower arch.

The officiant smiled at us warmly and spoke briefly, his voice carrying over the sound of the ocean. “One year ago, your journey began under circumstances neither of you expected. It was a path born of duty and arrangement. But over the past three hundred and sixty-five days, that path has transformed into something entirely your own.” He looked between us, keeping it beautifully short. “Today is about promises made by choice. Mr. Moretti, the spotlight is yours.”

Luciano turned to face me fully, taking both of my hands in his. He stared down at me, and the sheer emotion in his dark eyes was enough to make my knees weak.

“One year ago, I married a woman who did not want me,” Luciano began, his voice steady but thick with feeling.
A small, watery laugh escaped my lips as a tear finally slipped down my cheek.
“I knew the terms of our arrangement, and I knew the walls you had built up against me,” he continued, his gaze locked onto mine, completely destroying whatever emotional defenses I had left. “But every single day since then, you have dismantled those walls. If I could go back to that day, knowing everything I know now, I would still choose you. I would choose the chaos, the arguments, and the quiet moments. The only difference is that today, I know you’d choose me too.”

My heart completely shattered in the best possible way. I could barely breathe through the emotion tight in my chest.

The officiant nodded gently, turning his gaze to me. “Mrs Moretti?”

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my trembling hands inside Luciano’s firm grip. I looked up into the face of the man who had completely upended my entire existence.

“I spent so long trying to survive you,” I said softly.
A collective chuckle rippled from the officiant, and a faint, beautiful smile crossed Luciano’s lips.

“In the beginning, you were the storm I had to navigate,” I continued, my voice growing stronger as I spoke from the absolute depths of my soul. “I thought my life was over the day I became a Moretti. But somewhere along the way, without me even realizing it, you became my safest place. You became the person I look for when the world gets too loud. I used to think I was just surviving, but with you, I finally learned how to live. And I don’t ever want to do life without you anymore.”

Luciano’s expression softened completely, a rare, vulnerable warmth taking over his sharp features. We exchanged our renewed vows, the words feeling heavier, truer, and infinitely sweeter than they ever had the first time around.

“With this ring, I choose you again,” he whispered.

“I choose you too,” I replied.

The officiant smiled widely. “You may seal your vows.”

Luciano didn't hesitate. He leaned in, his hands coming up to gently cup my face as he pulled me into a kiss. It was slow, certain, and deeply passionate, a silent seal on the family we were building and the love we had fought so hard to find. 

Time seemed to stop completely as the sound of the ocean faded into the background.

Suddenly, a loud burst of applause erupted from down the beach, completely breaking the intimate silence.

As we broke the kiss, startled by the unexpected noise, a loud, incredibly familiar voice hollered over the wind.

“ABOUT DAMN TIME!”