Chapter 46: Brought you to Sicily

Soraya tied her apron around her waist, humming softly as she arranged the pastries on the counter. Her mind kept drifting back to the previous night as a faint smile appeared on her face as she remembered how he had held her close.

"All right, who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Claire couldn’t take it anymore and said.

Soraya was startled out of her thoughts and turned around. Claire stood at the kitchen door, holding a cup of hot coffee and giving her a teasing smile.

"What do you mean?" Soraya asked, trying to hide her smile.

"Soraya, you’ve been humming and smiling to yourself for the past ten minutes," Claire teased, stepping closer to the counter. "Tell me, where did Santino take you for you to be so happy?" She asked directly, raising her brow.

Soraya bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smile on her face. "Let’s get back to work. We have customers."

"Miss Dalias, you’ve been so lost in your own world that you haven’t even noticed that the café is empty," Claire said, rolling her eyes.

Soraya almost bit her tongue as Claire inquired, "Now, tell me what’s going on?"

She wiped her hands on her apron and leaned over the counter to whisper. "He took me to a seaside resort. We had lunch and dinner there, but last night at the resort..."

"Oh, my God!" Claire exclaimed. "Did he kiss you and confess his love?"

Soraya glared at her, cutting her wild imagination off. "No, but he took me down to a bonfire on the beach. And he... Well, he played the guitar for me."

Claire’s jaw dropped. "Santino Selvaggio? The man who looks like he eats his enemies for breakfast played guitar for you?"

"Yes, he even sang for me," Soraya admitted.

Claire was still staring at her in disbelief when the sudden chime of the brass bell above the entrance interrupted them. Soraya froze as someone entered the bakery, their leather shoes making loud footsteps against the tiled floor.

"Soraya!" His desperate voice echoed in the empty cafe. "Where have you been, Soraya?"

"Emilio?" Soraya’s words cracked as she called out his name. All the humiliation and the memories of the church appeared in front of her eyes.

He stood near the entrance, looking exhausted. His dark suit was wrinkled, his tie was loose, and his hair was messy. There were dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept properly in days.

Soraya simply stared at him. She hadn’t expected to see him again, especially not here and in this state.

Emilio took a few steps towards her, his eyes fixed on her face.

"I’ve been looking for you everywhere for weeks!" he said, his voice filled with frustration and relief. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find you?"

Soraya tightened her fingers around the edge of the counter. "Why are you looking for me?" she asked.

"Why?" Emilio repeated, looking hurt. "I reached the church late that day, but you weren’t there. I went to your house, but you weren’t there either. I tried calling you, but your phone was switched off. I even asked people if they knew where you were, but nobody had any answers."

Soraya lowered her eyes. She remembered that day clearly. She had waited for him, only to discover the truth about his betrayal.

"What did you expect me to do?" she asked, looking back at him. "Wait for you at the altar after everything I found out?"

Emilio ran a hand through his messy hair. "What are you talking about? What did you find?" He asked in confusion. "I never thought you would disappear like that. I kept searching for you, hoping I could at least talk to you once."

Claire, who had been quietly watching them, stepped closer to Soraya. "She doesn’t owe you an explanation, Emilio."

Emilio glanced at her before turning back to Soraya. "I wouldn’t have found you even now if Claire hadn’t posted your picture in the university group. I saw it by chance, and the moment I recognized you, I came straight here."

Soraya turned towards Claire in surprise.

Claire gave her a small nod. "I only shared your picture to show everyone my new and pretty staff." She said, glaring at him. "It wasn’t for you to follow her."

Emilio ignored Claire and looked at Soraya again. "Can we please talk somewhere private? At least give me a chance to explain what happened and why I was left."

Soraya shook her head. "There’s nothing left to explain, Emilio. I know what happened between you and that woman. I saw everything with my own eyes."

"What woman are you talking about?" Emilio pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "The night before our wedding, I went to buy a bottle of wine for our wedding night, and while tasting the wine, I... I felt dizzy, and then I woke up in a luxurious suite the other day in a different city."

"So, you are even giving such an absurd reason, rather than accepting that you cheated on me?" Soraya’s eyes turned red as she controlled her tears from spilling out.

"I have never cheated on you, Sora!" Emilio said sternly, defending himself. "I had been staying away from every woman who had been close to me since that man..." He paused as he glanced at Claire and then at Soraya.

"Thank God, you are fine," he muttered to himself. "I thought he had taken you away."

"What man?" Claire spat. "First you say there was no woman, and then there’s a man suddenly?"

"I’m not lying," Emilio’s red eyes looked at the two women in front of him desperately. "He is obsessed with you, he even wanted to buy you from me but, when I declined... He must be the one who had done that."

"What the hell are you on about?" Soraya couldn’t take it anymore. She did want to know why he had suddenly gone ahead and betrayed her, saying such malicious things about her, but seeing the way he was making things up, she suddenly lost interest in hearing them.

"Sora," Emilio’s voice shook. "Santino really is a dangerous man; he must be the man behind the tragedy that has befallen us."

"What?" Soraya’s eyes grew bigger, her breathing caught in her throat, but said nothing.

"Yes," he nodded. "He was even looking for you since you went to that job fair, he told me that himself."

"How... How could that be?" Soraya’s whole body shook. It was hard for her to take all that.

"Did I even have the reason to go behind your back?" Emilio grunted. "You were the only person I had in my life, and the moment I knew some dangerous mafia had gotten its eyes on you... I brought you to Sicily."

The more Emilio spoke, the more Soraya was losing her composure, and Claire sensed that. She herself was in shock and didn’t know how to react and if he was talking the truth. She shoved Emilio out of the cafe, requesting him to talk later.