My Wedding Turned Into a Divorce Prank

Seven years into our engagement, Riccardo Mazzoni turns our wedding into a mock divorce ceremony as some kind of sick joke. Instead of screaming or throwing a fit, I simply stand there, calm and silent. And just like that, I'm completely done with him. His men all around us erupt in laughter. "Elena Leone, the Don is just messing with you. You're not actually mad, are you?" I don't say a word. The laughter dies down, and the church becomes dead silent. Riccardo drops his smirk, walks up to me, and gently strokes my cheek. "What's wrong, Elena? Are you really mad?" As I look up to meet his gaze, I suddenly remember the conversation I overheard between him and his men last night. "Don Mazzoni, are you really going through with this? Aren't you afraid Elena will leave you if you make a fool out of her?" Riccardo lets out a scoff. "I promised Sofia Coppola I'd prank Elena at our wedding. Once the prank is over, I'll make it up to Elena with the most extravagant wedding imaginable. "She's been with me for seven years. We love each other too much for her to leave me." Right now, I just stare at him. I then tear off my veil. "A divorce ceremony, huh? Then by all means, continue." Chapter 1 "Continue?" The cynical smirk on Riccardo Mazzoni's face froze, his eyes turning ice-cold. "Elena Leone, are you sure about this?" I looked away, my gaze drifting past his broad shoulders to that glaring "Happy Divorce" banner hanging above the church. We had been together for seven whole years. I'd imagined walking down the aisle and marrying him countless times. For this day, I had spent six months designing and custom-making my wedding dress. Last night, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep at all. I just leaned against the headboard, practicing my vows over and over again. But I never thought, not even for a second, that I'd be walking straight into a trap designed to humiliate me. Just moments ago, when the confetti gun went off, what came spraying out wasn't rose petals, but incredibly sticky black paint. The paint ruined my pristine veil, and it messed up the makeup I'd spent three hours perfecting. With a sudden wave of nausea hitting me at the moment, I didn't even feel like saying another word to him. "Yeah, I'm sure. Let's just get this little show you people planned over with." A look of panic crossed Riccardo's eyes briefly, so quick that most people would have missed it. He stared at me intensely with his lips pressed into a thin line, unable to say a single word. I simply looked at him calmly. After a long pause, he suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Fine. Let's keep going then." The people watching exchanged looks. The previously rowdy church fell into an awkward, dead silence. "Did the Don take it too far this time? Why's Elena so pissed?" "Oh, please. Her family is already down and out. Who is she kidding with that holier-than-thou attitude? If Riccardo didn't love her enough to take her in, she'd already be dead in a ditch somewhere, shot by someone from a rival family." "Exactly. She loves Don Mazzoni so much that there's no way she'd actually leave. She's just putting on an act." I shot a cold glare at the gossiping woman. Her face immediately went pale, and she awkwardly lowered her head. Just then, Sofia Coppola stepped forward in her haute couture white dress. "Elena, don't blame Riccardo. This was my idea. I'm really sorry—" "You don't need to apologize to her!" Riccardo cut her off. He grabbed Sofia and pulled her behind him, putting himself squarely between her and me. I watched them coldly. Riccardo looked down at me with a condescending glare, his tone icy. "What are you waiting for? Continue with the vows." The priest reluctantly stepped up to the altar. "Ms. Elena Leone, do you willingly choose to dissolve your marriage to Don Mazzoni, and do you promise that you won't regret it, whether he goes on to rule the world in the future or falls into complete ruin?" My heart clenched the moment I heard that absurd question. Riccardo was staring holes into me. His face was stiff with tension, his nervousness barely concealed. "I do," I said softly. Chapter 2 No sooner had the words left my mouth than a loud bang echoed through the church. Riccardo had hurled the microphone in his hand onto the marble floor. "Elena, don't push it!" His eyes were red as he growled at me, his voice trembling ever so slightly. I gave a self-deprecating smile. At this point, all I felt was overwhelming exhaustion. "What's wrong? Didn't you specially prepare this little show for Sofia? I'm just going along with it, so why am I yelled at for it?" Riccardo was rendered speechless. He kept his eyes locked on me before suddenly kicking the nearby bouquet of imported white roses off its stand. "Let's go," he spat coldly, grabbing Sofia and storming out of the church without so much as a backward glance. It became so quiet in the massive church that one could hear a pin drop. Then, the sound system started blaring a sad breakup song at the worst possible time. Riccardo's right-hand man hurriedly cut the power before giving me an awkward, apologetic smile. "Uh… Elena, the Don was just messing around. Please don't take it to heart." I couldn't be bothered to listen to his excuses. The truth simply didn't matter to me anymore. I just gave a flat hum, lifted my dress, and walked off the altar expressionlessly. The second I stepped out of the church doors, a torrential downpour began. A black limousine slowly pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Riccardo's handsome but tense face. "It's pouring. Get in. I'll take you home." He spoke in a much softer tone this time, making it sound like he was reluctantly backing down. Looking through the window, I saw Sofia sitting in the backseat. She was looking right at me, a smug, victorious look in her eyes. I looked away and said, "No thanks." Riccardo's face hardened instantly. "Don't test my patience, Elena." I simply turned my head away and stopped looking at him. "Drive!" he spat through clenched teeth. The engine roared, and the muddy water the car kicked up splattered all over my pristine white dress. As I watched the taillights fade into the distance, a bitter, self-mocking smirk appeared on my face. I pulled out my phone and made an international call. "Mr. Moretti, the family trust my father left behind comes with the condition that I have to return to Saroly to take over the old estate, and I can never set foot in Rahora again for the rest of my life, right?" "That's right, Ms. Leone. The moment you set foot in Saroly, your ten-billion-dollar fortune will be unfrozen." Brushing the rainwater off my face, I said in a low voice, "Alright. I'll do it." Chapter 3 When I finally dragged myself back to the manor in my soaked wedding dress, I noticed that the living room was brightly lit. Riccardo and Sofia were sitting side by side on the couch, looking awfully close. The second I walked in, Riccardo tensed up, instinctively shifting to shield Sofia behind him. "Since the rain's really coming down tonight, Sofia will be staying here. You wouldn't have a problem with that, would you?" He stared at me warily, probably because the old me, who was a pampered heiress, would have slapped her across the face by now. But this time, I just calmly slipped off my soaked heels. "There are plenty of guest rooms. She can stay here for the rest of her life for all I care." Riccardo's grip on Sofia abruptly tightened, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. Sofia let out a soft whimper from the pain, but Riccardo didn't spare her a glance. His eyes stayed fixed on me. Before he could say anything else, I walked right past them, heading straight to the bathroom in the master bedroom. As the warm water washed the paint and rainwater away, warmth and feeling slowly returned to my numb chest. A soft knock suddenly came from the other side of the bathroom door. "Elena, when you're done, let's talk." Riccardo's low, smooth voice filtered through the door. I knew that for a high and mighty Don like him, this was already an unprecedented gesture of humility. Instead of responding to him, I simply turned off the water and took my time wrapping a towel around myself. When I opened the door, sure enough, Riccardo was waiting right there. He had another towel in his hands. "Sit down. I'll dry your hair for you." He brought a chair over and firmly pressed me into the seat. I was genuinely exhausted, so I sat down without resisting. As his fingers ran through my hair, he spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Let's just forget about what happened at the wedding today. From now on, let's live a good life together." Looking at my own reflection in the mirror, I forced a smile. "Yeah. Let's do that." Upon hearing that, Riccardo seemed to let out a breath he'd been holding. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed. "That's my girl." He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the top of my head. Through the mirror, I found myself quietly staring into those captivating eyes. Riccardo really did have beautiful eyes. They reminded me of the year we first met. Back then, my family hadn't fallen from power yet, and I was still the pampered daughter of a Don. During a chaotic shootout at an underground bar, I got cornered by a mobster from a rival family. He hurled filthy insults at me, grabbed me by the hair, and slapped me hard. "Stop playing hard to get, you wench! I'm going to have my way with you tonight whether you like it or not!" Right as the door to the private room was about to be locked, Riccardo stormed in, reeking of blood. He grabbed the guy by the throat with one hand before kicking him away like he was nothing but trash. That was the moment I hopelessly fell for him. I spent the next seven years relentlessly chasing after him. I snapped back to reality and looked up at him. The face that once drove me crazy no longer stirred the slightest emotion in me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Riccardo furrowed his brows upon noticing my gaze, almost as if my calm expression had stung him. "It's nothing." I casually looked away. He was about to say something when the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Sofia stood in the doorway in a thin nightdress, barefoot and looking rather pitiful. She clung to Riccardo's arm. "Riccardo, won't you stay with me tonight? The manor is so dark. I'm scared, and you're all I have here." Riccardo instinctively glanced at me, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "Not tonight, Sofia. I need to be with Elena—" I cut him off flatly, "You should stay with her." Riccardo froze up on the spot. He glared at me, looking completely enraged by my indifference. He then purposely intertwined his fingers with Sofia's. "Fine, then I will stay with her! You'd better not regret this." After spitting the words through gritted teeth, he slammed the door on his way out. I turned around, pulled back the covers, and got into bed. In the middle of the night, a sharp, agonizing pain tore through my lower abdomen. I blacked out from the pain as blood slowly soaked through the sheets beneath me. Chapter 4 When I came to, the first thing I saw was the ceiling of the Mazzoni family's hospital. Riccardo was sitting beside my hospital bed, gripping my hand tightly. He looked like an absolute wreck. "Why am I here?" I asked, my voice scratchy. He flinched like he'd been electrocuted, snapping his head up. His usually cold, dark eyes were bloodshot. "The baby is gone, Elena." His voice was hoarse as he spoke with restrained anger. "Elena, you didn't even know you were two months pregnant?" I froze upon hearing that. The door opened, and the doctor walked in with my chart. "Doctor, what could've caused the miscarriage?" I took a deep breath, trying my best to stay calm. The doctor sighed. "Your uterine lining had already been thin to begin with. And with you being out in that heavy rain for so long last night, plus that high fever that wouldn't break, there was no way the baby could have made it." Riccardo shot up from his chair, his tall frame swaying unsteadily. "Thin uterine lining?" He squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. "Elena, what's the meaning of this?" Seeing things were about to get messy, the doctor quietly made himself scarce. I slowly dropped my gaze, resting a hand on my now-empty stomach. A deep, gnawing pain spread through my chest, leaving me struggling to catch my breath. When I finally looked up, I made no attempt to hide the hatred in my eyes for once. "You're asking me for an explanation?" With a bitter smirk, I said in an incredibly hoarse voice, "And what exactly do you want me to say, Riccardo? I lost our first baby when I fell down the stairs trying to get away from your enemies, who came for revenge." Back then, he had my bloodied body in his arms. With red eyes, he swore that we would definitely have more children someday. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the tears threatening to spill. "The second one? I lost it during your father's funeral. I stayed up for three days straight trying to keep your family from falling apart, and I miscarried from sheer exhaustion. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to break your heart." Riccardo's eyes went wide with shock. "W-What did you just say?" I closed my eyes as the memories came rushing back like a tide. Back then, when the old Don was assassinated, I handled the funeral arrangements and did everything I could to keep the family's elders calm despite being exhausted. I only realized I was pregnant when the severe cramps hit. I went to the hospital alone to deal with it. But when I got back home, I overheard his mother, Rosa Colombo, through the crack in the door. "Elena's way too delicate. I can't believe she can't even get through a funeral without passing out. A proper Donna shouldn't be a burden at a time like this." Riccardo had merely replied coldly, "She was spoiled growing up. It's only natural that she's a little delicate." I had bottled up all the hurt and kept the secret to myself. As I stared at him, tears silently rolled down my cheeks. "Riccardo, what right do you have to demand an explanation from me?" Riccardo panicked, instinctively reaching out to hold me. "Elena, I didn't know—" Before he could finish, the door swung open. Sofia walked in, holding a thermal flask. "Elena, I heard what happened, so I made you some soup…" I couldn't even be bothered to look at her. I simply spat, "Get out." Sofia froze in her tracks. She shot Riccardo a helpless, pitiful look as she bit her lower lip. Riccardo let out a sigh. "Elena, don't be like this. Sofia's just trying to be nice." His voice had gone cold again. It made me wonder if the anxious-looking man from a minute ago had only been a figment of my imagination. As this whole situation suddenly struck me as absurd, I slumped back against the headboard and said coldly, "I need to rest now, so please leave. Are you satisfied with this attitude, Don Mazzoni?" Riccardo opened his mouth, desperately trying to ignore the growing sense of panic in his chest. He stepped forward and awkwardly leaned in to give me a hug. "I'm sorry, Elena. This is my fault. When you can be discharged, I'll throw you the grandest wedding ever. "I'll make up for everything I owe you, and then some. We'll have the wedding three days from now, okay?" I felt sick to my stomach upon hearing that. He didn't stick around for my answer. As if he was terrified I'd say something even more merciless, he hastily grabbed Sofia and practically fled the hospital room. My phone buzzed. It was a text from my lawyer, Mr. Moretti. "Ms. Leone, due to the storm in the Meritarrean, the earliest flight out is at noon, three days from now. "I've already booked your ticket. I'll have someone waiting to pick you up on time." I typed back, "Okay." Chapter 5 I was discharged from the hospital that very night. Riccardo personally drove me back to the manor. He sat right beside me, thoughtfully handing me a cup of warm water, his dark eyes full of tenderness. Sofia was sitting on the couch across from us, leisurely peeling an apple. This whole situation was so absurd I wanted to sneer. Right then, Riccardo's phone buzzed. He got up and walked toward the balcony to take the call. As the glass door slid shut behind him, Sofia finally dropped her fake, sweet act. She met my cold stare dead-on and asked in a provocative tone, "How do you still have the nerve to stick around?" I merely looked at her coldly without responding. She let out a scoff, the contempt in her eyes becoming even more evident. "Honestly, I've never met anyone more pathetic than you in my entire life. You know damn well he only loves me. "And that stunt at the wedding was merely something I threw out as a joke." I slowly raised my eyes to look at her. "So what? No matter who he loves, at least he and I are legally married. We are just short of the wedding. "As for you, what exactly are you to him that gives you the right to come here and tell me what to do? All you've got is a relationship that has to stay in the shadows." Looking like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, Sofia let out a low, uncontrollable laugh. A sense of unease crept over me. She glanced over at Riccardo, who had his back to us on the balcony, before leaning in close to my ear. "Poor Elena. You really have no idea, do you?" I pressed my lips together at that. Her voice was soft and gentle, yet every word cut deep. "That marriage certificate you treasure so much is a fake. It's nothing but a worthless piece of paper Riccardo used to string you along." My voice came out dry and hoarse. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sofia raised an eyebrow before casually pulling out her phone. She then shoved the screen right in my face. "Stop kidding yourself. Take a good hard look at reality." I stiffly shifted my gaze to the glowing screen. In the spouse section of Sofia's marriage registration, Riccardo's full name was staring right back at me. In an instant, a thunderous blast seemed to go off inside my head. Everything I had sacrificed and held on for the past seven years was reduced to nothing but an absolute, utter joke. At that moment, it felt like every drop of blood in me had turned to ice. I turned my head to look at the man out on the balcony, the one who kept telling me he loved me. "So, it was all a lie from the very beginning." It wasn't long before Riccardo put his phone away and walked back inside. When he noticed how pale I was, he frowned and tried to touch my face. "What's wrong? Do you still have a fever? Why do you look so pale?" I avoided his touch. Riccardo's hand froze in mid-air. "Just stay here and get your strength back. Three days from now, I'll give you a wedding the whole city will be talking about." Three days later, Riccardo showed up in the morning with an extravagant custom-made wedding dress. He wheeled the clothes rack over to the bed before reaching over to stroke my face. "I had a top designer make this wedding dress. It's a little heavy, so you can change into it when we get to the venue. Let's head out together." I turned my head slightly, avoiding his touch. Closing my eyes, I feigned weakness. "My stomach feels a little funny. You should head over first." He hesitated for a second, but eventually gave in, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. "Alright." The second Riccardo left, I smashed every single one of our keepsakes, scattering the broken pieces all over the floor. I popped the SIM card out of my phone before tossing it into the toilet bowl. I then grabbed my modest suitcase and walked out of the prison that had held me captive for seven long years, never once looking back. Meanwhile, inside the most luxurious cathedral in the city, Rosa demanded with a dark expression, "Riccardo, are you seriously going to marry that woman from a ruined family? What about Sofia? Where does that leave her?" Riccardo's face twitched uncontrollably. His chest felt heavy, as if a boulder was on top of it, leaving him feeling restless and irritable. He gave his tie a frustrated tug to loosen it. "I've made my decision. I'm going to live a good life with Elena from now on. As for the marriage certificate issue, I'll have someone take care of it." He checked his watch, then turned to one of his men beside him. "Is Elena's car here yet? Go bring her in." The man had barely turned to leave when Riccardo's butler burst through the doors, drenched in sweat. He practically stumbled and fell to the floor, his voice trembling. "Don Mazzoni, something terrible has happened…" Riccardo felt his temple throb. "Spit it out!" The butler was trembling all over as he said, "In the bride's dressing room… Uh, you should see it for yourself, Don Mazzoni." Riccardo's pupils shrank. He shoved the butler aside and strode toward the dressing room. The moment he saw what was inside, he came to an abrupt stop.