I spent the whole night tossing and turning. Each time I closed my eyes, I found myself reliving every moment of the past 12 years with Carlo.

I once held a special place in his heart. No matter who said I wasn't good enough for him, he would always stand firmly by my side.

When my mother, Elena Santoro, was still alive, she once patted his hand and entrusted me to him. He nodded deeply. His eyes had been filled with determination. "Please don't worry. I love Giada more than I love myself. I'll never let her suffer any injustice.

"I promise we'll be married at your estate, so you can witness her walking down the aisle with your own eyes!"

The vow he made then was as solid as rock, as if it would never fade. However, I had forgotten that time could erode even the most solemn promises of love.

The day before the wedding, I noticed a white dress in the living room. Its hem was trailing across the floor. A bold red rose was embroidered across the chest.

Adriana came up to me eagerly. "Giada, look! I made this wedding dress for you myself. Carlo said you have a fondness for rustic elegance, so I went out of my way to design it based on vintage photos. It took me ages!"

Even though I had already resolved to move on, I couldn't stop myself from frowning at the sight of this so-called wedding dress.

Seeing my reaction, Adriana froze for a moment and slowly stepped back. "Scusa, Giada. I shouldn't have overstepped and upset you. I just thought you might like this dress… I'll take it apart immediately!"

She then lifted a pair of scissors toward the dress, only for Carlo to burst out of the study and grab them from her. "How many times have I told you not to touch scissors? What if you end up hurting yourself?"

Holding back tears, Adriana spoke in a trembling voice. "Carlo… did I do something wrong? Giada seems upset with me…"

Before I could even explain myself, Carlo fixed me with a stern, grim expression. "Adriana spent four months making this wedding dress for you. Do you have any idea how many nights she stayed up working with the designers?

"Is this how you repay everything she's done for you? If it weren't for her, you wouldn't even have a wedding dress. You'd better apologize!"

Facing his scornful gaze, a surge of amusement rose in my chest. When I had tried to talk to him about the wedding dress before, he had explicitly told me not to disturb him; he wanted to take Adriana to Stalland to help her clear her mind.

Indeed, Adriana had always been far more important to him. When she said she was heartbroken, he had stayed up all night comforting her. On my birthday, he had rented an entire movie theater just so she could watch a romance film.

When I had a high fever from working around the clock, all he said was, "Sleep more and you'll get well." On the other hand, he had arranged for a private doctor to tend to Adriana's minor scrape.

This was my wedding, and I had done everything I was supposed to do. However, with Adriana involved, Carlo had made it seem that she was the one who had handled everything on my behalf.

As a result, the Romano family saw me as someone who avoided responsibility, and they all held me in contempt.

Even now, my wedding dress and Carlo's suit lay untouched in the guest room closet. He hadn't so much as looked at them, and yet he demanded that I apologize to Adriana. The more I thought about it, the deeper my disappointment grew. My face darkened.

Carlo let out a cold laugh. "So, you won't apologize, huh? Fine. The wedding's off. It won't happen until you set things right with her!"

In an instant, I released my tightly clenched hands and looked at him seriously. "Fine."

With that, I went back to my room to pack my things.

According to Luca Rinaldi, the olive trees in Tuscanica had borne fruit. I wanted to go back and see them as soon as possible.

I had planted those trees with my mother, back before my parents had taken me to Firali.

In the living room, Carlo tried to comfort Adriana, yet beneath the surface, a storm of restlessness raged. He shot a glance toward the guest room. Out of Adriana's sight, he sent a message to his assistant, Massimo Greco.

A reply came almost immediately: "Mr. Romano, Ms. Castellani has indeed rescheduled her flight. Would you like me to confirm the details?"

The tension on his face softened, and he texted back, "No, it's fine."

I had just finished packing when Carlo's message arrived: "Since you agreed to marry me, you should work on your temper. Adriana has only wanted what's best for you. How could you upset her like that?

"Anyway, the family will be having lunch at noon. I'll take her there first and have the driver pick you up. Apologize to her afterward, and we'll put this matter behind us. Our wedding is tomorrow. Let's not spoil the mood for everyone."

At the Romano family luncheon, Carlo appeared with Adriana by his side.

As the driver knocked on the door, I took one final look at my luggage. Perhaps this was for the best.

As Carlo had proposed to me in public, it only made sense that I called off the wedding in public too—a true full-circle moment.

When I entered Romano Estate, I noticed everyone fawning over Adriana.

"Giada, over here!" she called, striding toward me in her high heels. She was dressed in a red evening gown—completely matching the one I had chosen for my opening dance.

I instinctively bit my lip. Carlo happened to be coming down the stairs, and as soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up. "Adriana, you look absolutely stunning!"

Her cheeks turned red. "Carlo, stop it! Giada's right here.

"Giada, please don't take it the wrong way. I already feel awful for causing you two to argue at your place this morning."

Carlo couldn't stop looking at her. The admiration in his gaze was unmistakable. He didn't even glance at me; instead, he reached up and gently removed a stray eyelash from under Adriana's eye.

The sight of this had everyone laughing.

Carlo's father, Don Sergio Romano, wore a look of regret. "Adriana and Carlo really do make a better match."

I glanced down at the dark green dress I had on. I wasn't a flawless beauty, yet in the past, Carlo would often call me beautiful and tenderly tuck my hair behind my ear.

On the other side, Adriana complained coquettishly, "Don Romano, please don't say that in front of Giada. She might get upset."

Carlo's mother, Donna Ornella Romano, let out a scoff at the remark.

Carlo finally cast me a glance, though it was clear he wasn't pleased. "My parents have known Adriana since she was little. Can you stop being so petty? And can you stop making a fuss over something like this?

"Mamma was right. Upbringing is everything. You were raised by your mother and only acknowledged by your father's family at 18. It's no surprise you don't have even the slightest sense of manners."

My brows drew together. I couldn't believe Carlo would say something like that about me.

"Carlo, you know how much my mother has done for you. Aren't you afraid you'll break her heart by saying that?"

Carlo felt a flicker of guilt, yet with his entire family present, he quickly forced a scowl. "Anyway, Adriana and I are just childhood friends. Don't let your jealousy push you into upsetting her."

In the end, it all came down to him standing up for Adriana.

I suddenly felt drained. The weight of everything from the past pressed down on me like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

After a long silence, I began, "I actually came today to say—"

Adriana suddenly cut in, her voice loud and sharp. "Carlo, my best friend wants to go to St. Morizia too. Are there any seats left on the plane?"

Carlo nodded right away. "Si, I'll take care of it."

Massimo hesitated. "Mr. Romano, wasn't the last seat supposed to be reserved for Ms. Castellani—"

"Ah, then forget it. I wouldn't want to upset Giada—"

Unable to tolerate Adriana feeling slighted, Carlo made up his mind at once. "Giada can take another flight. Adriana's friend isn't familiar with the place. She has to travel with us."

Adriana's face lit up with joy. She grabbed his arm, swinging it lightly. "Carlo, I just knew you'd treat me better than anyone!"

With that, everyone's gaze toward me grew even more disdainful.

"For the wedding, Carlo even had the airline arrange two exclusive direct flights for us. But in the end, the bride won't be on board."

"What's the big deal? Giada is only marrying him to secure a family alliance. Forget the other flights—she'd walk there if she had to."

The air around me was thick with mockery. Meanwhile, Carlo's gaze remained entirely on Adriana. He didn't hear a word I said. In the end, I was nothing more than someone watching from the sidelines.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I turned and left. I decided to hold off on canceling the wedding for now.

As I walked away, something around Adriana's neck caught my eye—a gold necklace. A daisy-shaped diamond pendant hung from it.

For a moment, my mind went blank. "Where did you get that diamond?"

Before my fingers could even brush Adriana's neck, Carlo shoved me aside. "Giada, have you lost your mind?"

Frightened, Adriana's face drained of color, and she hid behind him. "Giada, I know I made you angry, but today's the Romano family luncheon. Let me apologize first. Once it's over, you can scold me and hit me however you want, okay?

Those nearby gathered with grim looks. They only offered her words of comfort.

Carlo's face darkened. "Do you see how well-mannered Adriana is? Now look at yourself! You go crazy just because my parents said something nice about her. If I marry you, I can't imagine what you'd put my family through!"

However, by then, I was already burning with fury. I jabbed a finger at the necklace around her neck and gritted my teeth. "I'm the one who's crazy? She turned the diamond ring my mother left me into a pendant, and I'm not even allowed to ask about it? Carlo, you know better than anyone what that ring means to me!"

It was the last thing my mother had left me in this world—besides the estate.

Hearing me challenge him, Carlo's eyes wavered for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. "You're mistaken. That isn't your mother's diamond."

"There's absolutely no way I'm wrong. That diamond belongs to her. It has always been kept with the gold bracelet!"

"We're in the middle of a family luncheon. Don't you dare embarrass me! Just go home!"

I stared at Carlo in disbelief. My tears fell uncontrollably, and he started to panic.

Despite all the times he had overlooked my feelings for Adriana, I had never cried. Yet now, the weight of my heartbreak seemed to land on him.

Just as he extended his hand toward me, Adriana suddenly burst into tears. "Giada, I just thought the diamond looked beautiful, so I begged Carlo to let me have it. Please don't be angry at him—"

Carlo frowned. "Adriana, I gave it to you because I wanted to. Why are you blaming yourself?"

He bent down and wiped her tears away. It was as if lightning had struck me, and my entire body shook violently. "Carlo, how could you do this to my mother's memory? What right do you have to give my things to her?"

Adriana stepped forward, grabbed my wrist, and cried out, "Mi dispiace! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have said I liked necklaces. If I hadn't, Carlo wouldn't have melted the bracelet down and made it into one for me.

"Giada, go ahead and strike me if you need to. Tomorrow's your wedding. You two shouldn't be arguing now—"

I drew in a sharp breath, yet the fury in my chest refused to ease. That gold bracelet had been part of my mother's wedding gift to me, but it was melted down and remade into a necklace for Adriana.

A loud smack rang out as I slapped her as hard as I could. "Give it back to me!"

A red mark instantly bloomed on Adriana's cheek. Carlo flew into a rage and slapped me right back. "I can't believe you hit her over a stupid bracelet and diamond! How could I ever marry someone so uncivilized? Apologize to her, or our engagement is off!"

I staggered a few steps from the blow. When I finally steadied myself, everyone was staring at me—except Carlo, who was comforting Adriana.

At that moment, a sudden wave of regret hit me. I shouldn't have fallen in love with Carlo. I shouldn't have been so determined to marry him.

There were clearly better choices, but because of my 12 years of so-called obsession, I ended up ruining the wedding gift my mother had left me.

I cast one last glance at the necklace and diamond around Adriana's neck, clenched my fists, and turned away.

Carlo's eyes darted toward my back. However, almost immediately, he bowed his head and quietly went on comforting Adriana.

Luca's car was parked just a short distance from the estate. As I slid inside, he froze and leaned in to check my cheek. I quickly pushed him away. "Let's go. I don't want to stay here for even a second longer."

Luca frowned. A ruthless glint passed through his eyes as he glanced over Romano Estate. With a nod, he drove me to the airport.

By the time we landed in Firali, night had already fallen. My phone showed three messages from Carlo, all sent that afternoon.

"Why is it so hard for you to understand me? What do you get out of humiliating me in front of my family?"

"Luckily, Adriana has already forgiven you. Let's put this matter behind us. We'll board the plane first. See you in St. Morizia tomorrow."

"It's just a bracelet and a diamond. I'll buy ten for you tomorrow. Does that settle it?"

I read the messages calmly. With a few quick taps, I blocked him on every platform. After that, I gave back all the wedding presents the Romano family had once given me.