Chapter 9: Endings and Beginnings
One week had passed since the incident with Evelyn. She had gone to trial and was charged with attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment. During questioning, she confessed to running me over with her car years ago, a deliberate act of jealousy that she claimed was her “perfect punishment.” Her twisted admissions also revealed her manipulation of Roman, exploiting his wealth while deceiving him about the paternity of their children.
These revelations brought additional charges of fraud and child endangerment. Justice was finally being served, and Evelyn’s fate was sealed. As for the CEO of the company Roman worked for, he mysteriously disappeared, and news of his disappearance spread, though no one knew what had happened, I had a feeling Dom had enacted his revenge on him, but how? I didn’t really care to ask.
As for Roman, he had one more day of freedom before beginning his prison sentence. Despite everything, I hadn’t heard from him. But I didn’t dwell on it. My focus was on the present, on Domenico and our new beginning.
Today was our church wedding.
Standing in the church surrounded by loved ones, I felt a warmth that overshadowed every scar from my past.
“Do you, Amanda Cole Bellini, take Domenico Bellini to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the officiant asked, his voice steady and clear.
Just as I opened my mouth to reply, a furious shout pierced through the air.
“Stop the wedding! I don’t agree!”
Gasps rippled through the room as Roman stormed in, his tall figure pushing past the startled guests. My parents‘ faces darkened, and they gestured for security to intervene, but Roman fought them off with uncharacteristic desperation. The ankle monitor strapped to his leg blared in protest as he barreled down the aisle.
“Amanda!” he yelled, his voice frantic. “You can’t marry him! You can only be my bride!” He reached out toward me, his eyes pleading. “I know I was wrong, I admit everything. Please, give me another chance. I’ll do anything, just come with me!”
I stared at him, unmoved. His words, once capable of shaking me, now felt hollow.
Dom stepped forward, his protective presence shielding me. Without hesitation, he ordered the security team to remove Roman. As they dragged him out, Roman’s cries echoed through the hall, but I didn’t flinch.
I turned back to the officiant, my resolve steady. “I do.”
The minor disruption was quickly forgotten, and the ceremony carried on with lighthearted jokes to ease the tension. When the ceremony ended, Dom stayed behind to address lingering guests while I stepped outside to deal with something.
Roman was waiting for me.
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10:58 Sun, 13 Apr ·
He sat slumped on the roadside, his face bloodied, his once–proud demeanor reduced to pitiful desperation. The moment he saw me, he scrambled to his knees, clutching at my gown like a drowning man grasping for air.
“Amanda,” he begged, tears streaking his face. “Please forgive me. Evelyn deceived me, she made me doubt you. I realize now that I was wrong. Please, give me another chance!” His words washed over me, but they carried no weight. I remained silent, my expression blank.
Roman panicked at my lack of response. “I checked the security footage from that day,” he said hurriedly. “You didn’t fall down the stairs on your own, Evelyn pushed you! I was a fool to believe her lies. I know I failed you, but please… we’ve known each other for fifteen years. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
I let out a quiet sigh. “It meant something once,” I said, my voice calm but firm. “But it doesn’t anymore. I’m married now, Roman. We’re over. There’s nothing left between us.” Desperation darkened his features. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small photo album, a relic of our shared past. “Look,” he said, flipping it open. “These are our memories, proof of everything we’ve been through together. Please, don’t throw it all away!”
Before he could continue, I snatched the album from his hands and threw it to the ground. The photos scattered, caught by the wind and carried out of reach. Roman lunged for them, trying to salvage what he could, but it was futile.
“Just like these pictures, we’re irreparable,” I said coldly. “Roman, this is goodbye. Stop causing trouble. Don’t make me hate you more than I already do.”
His shoulders sagged, the fight leaving his body as he knelt on the pavement, defeated. And then police began arriving at the scene.
I turned and walked away without a backward glance. Dom was waiting for me at the church steps, his eyes filled with warmth and love. My family stood nearby, their faces glowing with pride and joy.
I slipped into the car with Dom, leaving Roman and the fifteen years we’d shared behind. This was my new beginning, my life as Amanda Bellini.
The End.