Marina Rivalli was always an odd duck in her neighborhood, Vomero. She has been insulted everywhere she goes, ever since her dear brother tragically died. Because the young lady was now an only child, she would not be able to inherit her family's wealth, so she opted to marry a man who simply needed to smile at her to make her happy. She got engaged few months ago to a man named Matias Marotta. He was quite handsome, charming and intelligent. Everything a woman needed in a man. His alluring grey eyes were enough to seduce her and make her head over heels for him. Although he seemed like a kind person, he was in fact the most vein person anyone could've met. If only the unlucky Neapolitan girl knew in what trouble she got herself into.

"To the bride and groom!" The happy father of Marina, who was also celebrating his daughter's upcoming wedding that evening, exclaimed. Everyone raised their full glasses of red wine in a toast to the joyful future of the couple. The young lady was worried as she kept pacing around the room and looking at every area. "Have you seen Matias?" she questioned her mother, Mrs. Annabella Rivalli. "No, sweetheart, I haven't. Perhaps he went to freshen up?"

"Oh, well, I suppose so. He hasn't been around for at least an hour." 

"You're aware of how men are. Instead of celebrating with their loved ones, they'd rather go out with their friends." In response, Marina pursed her lips as she continued to wonder where her fiancé might be. As she couldn't seem to locate him anywhere and knew that his company would have helped her feel less apprehensive for the entire wedding, she longed to find him. "Goodness Matias, you're nowhere to be found just when I need you!" When the young lady continued to look around the hallway in search of her beloved fiancé, she sighed. In the meantime, Matias was in bed with another woman in a bedroom. He muttered, "Oh God—" as he started to perspire. He took a few long breaths and collapsed to the bed by her side after the woman he was with put her hands on his chest. She pulled a lock of ginger hair out of her face. The lady took quick sharp breaths before she asked "What are you going to do about that young girl?" In that instant, the man gave her a glance "Marina? anything I desire. Like to the rest of her family, she is pretty naive and foolish." 

"I don't know why you're with her among all the women in the world."

"Lucia, I have good reasons. You don't have to tell me that." To smoke it, he pulled out a cigar and began lighting it "I understand, but—to be honest, she isn't really appealing. She has terrible olive skin. In contrast to her dirty skin, a woman should have fair skin. Not to mention that hideous face of hers with the freckles. Ugh!" Matias used his fingers to tame his mustache "Her appearances are not important to me. I'm interested in her money." She crossed her legs and arms in frustration because she couldn't believe he was so determined to become richer that he was prepared to wed the worst woman in the kingdom. Miss Lucia spoke to him softly while placing her chest on his back and wrapping her arms over his chest, saying, "I really hope our fun won't end once you become a married man." "Don't worry darling, just because I'm getting married does not mean I should be true to that brat." he said with a devious smile.

While continuing looking for him, Marina was on the verge of sobbing. She was afraid about the wedding, especially when her father continued urging her to wed Mr. Marotta because of his enormous fortune and how his charitable nature would greatly benefit them. Her passion for Matias was sincere. She wasn't quite ready to get married, though. The young woman nevertheless yearned for adventure and a taste of personal freedom. She will never be able to be free after the day of her wedding. She will be required to cook, clean, and carry children, all of which make her the most anxious. Amelia Mor, the lover of her brother, entered her home as she was in the hallway on the verge of tears from feeling so overwhelmed. Amelia was looking for her close friend Marina. She stumbled across the girls fiancé opening the door to a bedroom with another lady as they were both walking down the hallway. She could tell something was awry because they both seemed disorganized. Amelia detected Matias' anxious glare, which was made worse by the fact that he gave her a quite stern expression as if to intimidate her.

After seeing Matias having an affair, Amelia hurried to her friend, and when she saw Marina, she was overjoyed to see her. "Marina! Do you please have a moment?"

"What is it Mia?" While wiping tears from her eyes and not quite in the mood to converse, Marina questioned her. "I understand that this may seem absurd, but please trust me." Amelia halted before the young lady sternly demanded that she tell it to her already. "I'm afraid this will only add to your already high stress levels, but I just saw Matias having an affair with another woman. Since we were kids, you know me well, so I could never lie to you! I make a solemn vow!"

"You are correct. It does sound absurd. You are not trustworthy to me.

"Marina I am aware of what I have witnessed!—"

Oh, please halt! You're only envious because my brother passed away, and since I'm getting married to someone I love and he loves me, you cannot." Amelia stared at her with wide-open eyes and was completely speechless "I love my husband,. In contrast to your fiancé, he still cares about me despite not being your brother. I cannot believe that you thought I would be envious of you after you turned into such a horrible person utterly baffles me. I will never get to the same level of vile as you." Amelia continued to stare at Marina while twisting her white gloves. Marina was maintaining a chilly gaze. Even after ten years of friendship, the young lady telling her something like that, she still couldn't believe it. While she believed she knew her well, Marina's comments hurt her. "What you think of me doesn't matter to me. You might as well not attend my wedding if you're going to treat me so horribly."

Amelia gasped at that, but she soon shut her mouth and said, "Fine. I won't. I hope you're happy with who you are right now. Farewell, Marina." She swiftly departed because she didn't want to spend any more time with the Rivalli family. She despised the day she met Marina. Marina's twin brother, Rocco was the only decent member of the family. The only one who never mistreated her or had solely his own interests in mind. The moment she departed, Marina erupted in wrath. She became so upset that she seized a vase that was put close by and slammed it to the ground, breaking it into pieces. The young lady began sobbing hysterically. She took a seat on the ground and started kicking it with her feet. "I despise her!" She said "Who does she think she is to inform me that my fiancé is unfaithful? He wouldn't ever do such a thing to me, and I know him well." She rose up and hurried to the living room, where everyone was, as she started to take fast, harsh breaths out of rage. Everyone standing near to her could tell that she was enraged and psychologically unstable.

When she first spotted Matias in the living room with everyone else, the young lady's lips were pursed. She moved over to him right away and continued to think to herself how wicked Amelia is for passing such harsh judgment on her beloved fiancé. "Matias, my love!—"

"Not now Marina. Be silent." Matias told her as she wanted to show him how much she loved and appreciated him "Oh, alright." At the table, where everyone sat down to converse and eat, she took a seat next to him. Then Matias cleared his throat and stepped up to speak. "I just wanted to thank my fiancée's parents for welcoming me over to their house and for giving me their full approval to marry their wonderful daughter. I feel tremendously privileged to be able to refer to Marina as my wife starting tomorrow. I knew I had to make her my wife the moment I lay eyes on her at a ball. She utterly silenced me with her grace and beauty. In her presence, I had trouble breathing. Of course, a toast to Marina as well! My wife!" He drank from the glass of wine while everybody applauded and clapped. That made the young lady smile and feel special because he made a toast just for her. The instant she rose up with a glass of wine, wanting to make a toast for him as well and began to say, "And I would want to—," Mr. Marotta interrupted her, "Marina I told you to remain silent. Sit back down."

Marina was perplexed by what he told her and looked down. She immediately sat down after expressing regret to him for breaking her quiet. The young lady kept glancing around the room to see everyone having a good time and laughing. Because Matias had already told her to be quiet twice, she knew that if she didn't concentrate on others and found herself alone with her thoughts, she would begin crying. She kept telling herself that since he would soon become her husband, he was free to tell her that. Furthermore, she might have been quite irritating or speaking wasn't her place. Now that everyone in the room had seen a man quiet her. She wasn't sure anymore and felt utterly humiliated. Even the fact that he hadn't given her a glance all night crushed Marina's heart. She prayed he would at least smile comfortingly at her. Her parents approached her and Mr. Marotta as she started to breathe heavily from nervousness. "Matias, please join us in conversation." Matias questioned as he turned to face them "What is it?" He asked In an annoyed voice.

"We discovered we may have too many people as we started counting the guests once more. So we wanted to know if it's perfectly alright if we switch the party to maybe at your house? It is far bigger than ours, as you stated." Mr. Rivalli questioned Matias, who suddenly started to appear anxious, "M-my house?" He said, twisting the napkin fold, "N-no, I don't think so. Although it is now under construction, I don't want the guests to get the impression that we are potentially being impolite by sending them there." The idea to have the party take place outside was Marina's dream. She'd always wanted to get married in a forest or by the sea. Yet, she chose to remain silent with her suggestion rather than run the risk of provoking her fiancé.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Cracking her knuckles, Mrs. Rivalli questioned what she would do with the visitors. "But, I hope the wedding will go off without a hitch. You two should enjoy your supper. We'll take care of the rest." Matias gave her a smile and then let out a breath as she left. He was unable to reveal to them that he is actually insanely impoverished and lacks a large home. His future ambitions will all be completely destroyed if they learn the truth.