Page 26

"You'll have your art studio."

She searches my face, waiting for the catch. "Really?"

“Yes. Will you eat now?"

She studies me for another moment before giving a small nod. "Yes."

I signal to the waiter, and we place our orders. When our meal arrives, I watch her closely, making sure she eats every last morsel on her plate.

Chapter 7

Aurora

The past few days have been hell.

Papa barely lets me leave the house. The only times I’m allowed out are for wedding-related meetings with Roman, and even then, I’m heavily guarded.

I'm not even allowed to move around the compound. So there’s been no opportunity to run, no chance to escape this nightmare.

I haven’t seen or heard from Luca since that last phone call. He must have really left the city like Roman threatened. That realization breaks my heart.

When Dante found out about the switch, he was even angrier with Papa for allowing it. But there wasn’t anything any of us could do. He was halfway across the Middle East, and neither Audrey nor I had the power to challenge Lorenzo.

Now the wedding day is here.

I sit motionless in front of the mirror as the maids fuss over my hair and makeup. I barely recognize the woman staring back at me in the mirror—though wrapped in a gorgeous, luxurious white gown, her eyes are completely hollow and filled with dread.

I’m about to marry the most feared man in the Bratva, and there’s no escaping it.

I wonder what my life will become now. How I’m supposed to survive it.

Every day that I failed to find a way out, I tried to tell myself that maybe being married to Roman wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. But this isn't the love and marriage I dreamed of.

The maids finish with my hair and makeup. Audrey, who's been quietly helping too, gently tells them to leave us for a moment.

Once we’re alone, she stands behind me, resting her hands on my shoulders as we look at each other in the mirror.

“I’m really sorry,” she whispers. “I couldn’t change Papa's mind.”

I let out a shaky sigh and reach up to cover one of her hands with mine. “You don’t need to apologize, Audrey. It’s not your fault. Just like you said the other day… if I’m lucky, maybe Roman will treat me well. Maybe he’ll be kind to me.”

The words taste bitter as I remember what I once told her. That she deserved a man who loved her, who worshipped the ground she walked on.

Tears pool in my eyes at the cruel irony. Now I’m the one who has to remind herself that I deserve better than a man who will merely tolerate me. I deserve real love.

The only man who ever gave me that was Luca. And I’ve lost him.

I think back to Roman’s claim that Luca had been cheating on me. I still don’t fully believe it. Luca loved me. He treated me right.

But a small, nagging voice in the back of my mind wonders… what if Roman was telling the truth?

I inhale deeply, refusing to let the tears fall.

Audrey looks sad as she squeezes my shoulders. “I feel so helpless.”

“Don’t feel sad for me,” I tell her, turning to face her properly. “There’s nothing any of us could have done.”

I stand up and take both her hands. “I’m more worried about you, though.”