I Hope You Suffer, My Ex Mafia Husband Chapter 6

Dante's POV

Dante barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Amanda's face, that empty look she'd given him before she disappeared.

At seven in the morning, he was already dressed in the black suit Carmine had laid out. He looked like shit in the mirror.

Doesn't matter. Just get through this wedding and get back to finding her.

Marco knocked at eight sharp. "Boss, the cars are ready. Mrs. Rossi is waiting downstairs."

Outside, Maggie was waiting by the lead car in a champagne-colored Marchesa dress, hair done up in some elaborate style with makeup. She smiled when she saw him approach.

"Dante, thank you for taking me. I know you didn't want to, but I really appreciate—"

"Don't talk." He walked past her and got in the car. "I don't want to hear your voice."

Her face flushed red but she climbed in after him, pressing herself against the opposite door.

Good.

The drive to the Hamptons took two hours. Dante stared out the window the entire time, watching the city slowly give way to countryside and then to the perfectly manicured estates of old money. Maggie tried to start a conversation three separate times. He ignored her every single time.

His phone buzzed constantly with updates from Marco. Still nothing on Amanda. No hospital admissions, no Jane Does matching her description, no credit card transactions, no phone activity. It was like she'd just vanished into thin air.

"Dante?" Maggie's voice was tentative. "Are you alright? You look—"

"I said don't talk."

She shut up.

They pulled up to the Severino estate. The place was absolutely massive, made the Russo villa look like a fucking garden shed. The private grounds seemed to stretch on for miles, and the circular driveway was already packed with luxury vehicles. Every major family in New York had shown up.

Security was tight. Men in black suits with earpieces stationed every few feet, watching everyone and everything.

Maggie climbed out first, smoothing down her dress and trying to look elegant. Dante followed without offering his arm.

An attendant in a tuxedo approached immediately. "Mr. Russo, welcome. Please follow me."

He led them toward the private chapel, an enormous structure of white stone and stained glass. Inside, the place was already packed with guests. Dante recognized most of the faces, the Costellos, the Biancos, the Lombardis. Everyone who mattered in their world.

"Mr. Russo, your seats are this way." The attendant gestured toward the back of the chapel.

The very back. Last row.

Maggie actually looked offended. "Why are we sitting so far back?"

"Shut up." Dante sat down without looking at her. "This is Severino territory. We sit where they tell us to sit."

She huffed but took the seat beside him, clearly annoyed.

Around them, guests were whispering to each other in hushed, excited tones.

"Did you hear? The bride's identity has been kept completely secret this whole time..."

"I know. Sylvester Severino never showed any interest in women before. Whoever she is, she must be someone extraordinary..."

"I heard a rumor she's from one of the old European families..."

Dante didn't give a shit about any of it. He just wanted this whole thing to be over so he could get back to the city and keep searching for Amanda.

At two o'clock exactly, bells began ringing across the estate. Deep, resonant sounds that seemed to vibrate through the air and echo across the grounds.

The chapel fell silent. Every head turned toward the massive oak doors at the entrance.

They stayed closed.

Then the organ started, the opening notes of the traditional wedding march filling the space with solemn, ceremonial weight.

Dante's hands gripped the armrests of his seat. He didn't know why, but something felt off. His chest felt tight, heart pounding harder than it should have been.

You're just stressed. It's nothing. Get through this and go home.

"Such an elaborate ceremony," Maggie whispered beside him. "The Severino family really is the most powerful..."

Dante didn't answer. He couldn't take his eyes off those doors.

Just open already. Let's get this over with.

The doors finally swung open slowly, almost ceremonially.

Sunlight poured through the entrance, backlighting the figure standing there and making it hard to see details at first.

A woman in white. Even from the back of the chapel, Dante could tell the dress was incredible, layers upon layers of silk and lace, with a train that had to be at least fifteen feet long, the entire thing covered in crystals that caught the light and sparkled like stars.

She wore a veil that fell past her waist, but he could just barely make out the shape of her face through the delicate fabric.

Something about her posture seemed familiar.

Around him, every single person in the chapel stood up at once.

The bride started walking. Slow, measured steps, perfectly timed to the music. Sylvester Severino was at her side with his arm linked through hers, looking proud.

She moved like royalty. Head held high, shoulders back, that serene smile on her lips that he could just barely see through the veil.

The veil shifted slightly as she walked, and Dante caught a glimpse of her profile.

His heart just stopped.

No.

No, that's not—

"Oh my God," someone gasped from somewhere behind him. "Is that—"

"It can't be..."

Maggie's fingers suddenly dug into his arm. "Dante... that's... that's Amanda?!"

The veil lifted just slightly as she passed their row.

Amanda.

His wife.

His Amanda.

Walking down the aisle in a wedding dress, her arm linked with Sylvester Severino's, smiling.

This isn't real. This has to be a nightmare. He was going to wake up any second and none of this would be real.

But she kept walking. Getting closer and closer to the altar. Closer to marrying someone else.

"Dante?" Maggie's voice had gone shrill. "How is she even here? How does she know Sylvester Severino?!"