Page 70 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

“Oh shit…” Ro whispered loud enough for me to hear.

Hypnotized, I stared at an isolated table towards the end of the marbled patio, next to where I saw Papi laughing with a cocktail in his hand. There were no Halloween decorations in sight—no skulls, orange roses, or pitchers of spiked apple cider—just pink flowers and tiny pumpkins next to a tall man in a navy suit.

“Is that really him?” I asked. It felt like my feet had left the ground.

“Shush. He’s looking over here,” Mami said, squeezing me harder. “Wave. Wave your hand and smile, mija.”

I smiled, or at least I think I did. I spent the past eleven years of my life preparing to meet this man, practicing my introductions and mannerisms to suit his every need. And now, I waved mechanically, as if I were learning to do it for the first time in my life.

Antonio turned around slowly.

He was beautiful.

Actually, ridiculously beautiful.

He looked like the model from the Dolce & Gabbana ads, the ones for the Light Blue cologne. Slick black hair, chiseled jaw, piercing blue eyes. His skin bronzed, like he lived on a yacht in Positano.

“Remember, he’s thirty years old, enjoys skydiving, motorcycles, and vintage champagne,” Mami whispered arbitrary CliffNotes that meant nothing.

Overwhelmed, I hadn’t even realized we were walking in his direction. All I could think about was how Antonio liked his socks ironed and that his favorite song was Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega.

I looked back at Ro. “I’m so sorry,” I mouthed to him sympathetically, as Mami pulled me away in the opposite direction.

He stared longingly at me, sitting beside my empty chair and our abandoned pumpkin. He looked absolutely confused, as if a cruel prank had just been played on him.

It broke my heart in two. And not just for him, but for everything.

My fantasy life with Ro—or High Jynx, for that matter—was imploding in real time, slipping away before I even had the chance to enjoy it.

Once Mami dragged us out of earshot, I scolded her. “Why did you have to interrupt Ro and me? And why are you still pinching me? I’m not a little girl anymore!”

“What has gotten into you? Are you feeling sick?” Mami said, not with concern, but with frustration. “You’ve known about Antonio for over a decade now? This was our agreement.”

“It wasn’t really an agreement… it was kinda forced on me.”

“Yes. Sue me for ‘forcing’ you to marry a beautiful millionaire brain surgeon. I’m that bad guy.”

“I’m not saying you’re a bad guy, but I’m saying you haven’t given me very many options…”

“Well, you can certainly ignore our wishes as Gustav did,” she said, still trying to smile like we weren’t in the middle of an argument. “That worked out for him, didn’t it?”

“You mean how you withheld his inheritance because he's marrying Tallulah?” I scoffed.

“Please don’t mention her name... We have given you children everything, and god forbid we ask you to make the right choices for the betterment of your future.”

“You mean for the betterment of Papi’s business?” I said, not disguising their intentions to bridge our rich family to theirs. It slowly dawned on me how fucked up this situation was. “Isn’t this weird?” I asked, lowering my voice. “What am I supposed to do here? Get married to the guy? Spread my legs for him? Have his babies and iron tiny little socks for the rest of my life?”

“My goodness, Ivy Jade! Language!” she hissed.

“I don’t know how to iron!” I cried.

“That’s what butlers are for, mija!” she scolded. “Why are you so argumentative?” she whispered.

“I'm not, but it feels like you’re my pimp right now!”

“I should slap you for that…” she raised her voice.

“That’s what a pimp would do,” I argued. “And why does it have to be with Antonio? We have enough money already. Why can’t it be someone like Romeo?” I said quickly, getting it off my chest.