To wear them for extended periods of time would be a painful and impractical feat.
Yet, here I was being dragged down the fucking street in them.
The shoes pinched my feet with every step.
The satin ribbons dug into my skin.
And the irony of the situation was not lost on me. I was dressed as a creature of the night, but in reality, I was the prey, not the predator.
In no time, the sight of a luxurious hotel appeared before us.
It was all sophistication and opulence.
The exterior was adorned with elegant, veined stone. Ivory vines snaked their way up the walls. Even the rooftop was not spared from lavish embellishments. Large gargoyles perched on its edges like demonic sentinels guarding the hotel's luxurious secrets.
My heart pounded in my chest as Vito led me up the stone staircase to the entrance.
And because he was an absolute asshole, he sang low next to me, “Here comes the bride. Here comes the bride.”
“Fuck you.” I bared my teeth in a feral snarl, desperately trying to wrench my arm away from his unyielding grip. My muscles strained and burned with the effort, but of course the psycho’s grasp was a steel band on my arm.
“You’re lucky Father stopped me because you know better to say that to me.” Vito tightened his grip, crushing my fleshand probably leaving behind a another sickly brownish-purple bruise as a mark of his dominance.
That sent me over the edge.
As we headed up the steps, I fought against him with every ounce of my being.
I hurled my body weight to the side, throwing him off balance.
We both lost our footing on one step and I almost twisted my ankle.
My stepfather grabbed my other arm. “Enough!”
Vito regained his balance. “It’s this bitch who is doing it.”
“That’s your sister. Do not call her that.”
A delirious laugh left me. “Apparently, because I’m only his half-sister, he can not only call me a bitch, but he can rape me.”
My stepfather widened his eyes, yet went silent.
“You’ve raised quite a man,Father. You should be so proud.”
Vito helped his father shove me up the rest of the steps. “She’s lying.”
“Oh. I’m lying. So, you weren’t dry humping my butt in the dressing room—”
“That’s enough.” My stepfather’s bottom lip quivered. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Mom is glaring at you from heaven. Did you ever really love her?”
He turned away.
We reached the top of the wide stone steps, the massive double doors of the hotel swung open, revealing the lobby.
Marble floors glinted under the bright chandeliers. Gold swirly designs adorned the walls. Tall ivory pillars with gold leaf moldings stood next to plush gold couches.
Expensive perfume and the scent of fresh flowers rode the air as the sound of people chatting mingled with the elegant music playing from hidden speakers.
