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7
ISABELLA
When we walk in, the sitting room is an explosion of wedding planning that makes me want to turn around and be sick all over again.
Lucia and Lia are sitting there with two women I’ve never seen before, who must be the planners from the notebooks and swatches surrounding them. Another woman, a lanky blonde, is sorting through a rack that’s bursting with lace and silk, and my knees go weak as I realize they’re wedding dresses.
The room is silent, and both of the planners look markedly uncomfortable. Lia has an angry look on her face, and Lucia is sitting as still and blank as always—something I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out is a tactic to keep anyone in this horror of a family from actually noticing her. It’s a smart move and one that I should probably take notice of.
Except she’s not the one who’s going to have to fuck Diego. It’s hard to keep my head down and mouth shut when something like that is looming in front of me, and all avenues of flight seem to be cut off. What else am I supposed to do other than fight?
“We need this wedding to be grand,” Renata says, shooing me towards a chair near the rack of wedding dresses, far enough away from the planners that it’s clear my input in this isn’t wanted at all—not that I really care. The only part of my wedding to Diego Gonzalez that I’m interested in is what means I might be able to use to escape it. “It needs to be the event of the decade, to take the speculation off of the bride’s—indiscretions—and show off the family wealth. No one will dare speak ill of her if Diego throws the most lavish wedding anyone has seen in the families in a long time. They’ll assume the rumors are lies, or else why would he spend so much?”
“Of course,” the older of the two women says, smiling agreeably.Of course, she is,I think bitterly.Who doesn’t like an excuse to spend someone else’s money?
Renata nods, looking pleased at someone agreeing with her so readily.
“This isn’t fair!” Lia bursts out suddenly, glaring at her mother-in-law. “I haven’t said anything since last night—but this—” she sweeps her hand, indicating the mess of color swatches and floral samples and the overstuffed rack of dresses, “—is absolutely not fair!”
“Would you like to tell me what exactly you find so objectionable about a grand wedding for your eldest brother?” Renata asks crisply, venom lacing her tone. “Or would you like to sit quietly, as befits the wife of myyoungerson?”
“I’m the one who’s given this family an heir after Diego,” Lia spits out viciously. “My wedding was modest. We cut corners. My dress wasn’t the oneIchose, because I wanted designer, and you said it was wasteful to spend so much. ‘Taking advantage of my brother,’ I believe were the words you used. I came to Juan’s bedpure. I’ve been a good and obedient wife, and now this little slut gets to spread her legs before her wedding day and still gets lavished with anything she wants?”
“I’d happily trade it in exchange for not having to fuck your brother, much less marry him.”
The words come out of my mouth, sounding strangled with my efforts not to cry from how overwhelmed and panicked I am before I can stop them. I feel everyone in the room turn to look at me, and I grip the arms of my chair, fighting the urge to run.I shouldn’t have said that—but I couldn’t stand the sound of Lia’s whiny, grating voice for one second longer, complaining about something that I’d give just about anything to escape.
Renata doesn’t say a word. She just gets up fluidly from her seat, stalks towards me, and grabs my not-bruised elbow in a tight grip that makes me wince with pain.I’m going to have matching bruises by tomorrow,I think grimly as she marches me from the room, directly into the parlor a few steps down, and slams the door behind us.
I don’t even have time to recover before her hand cracks across my face, my eyes watering from the burn of it. A second slap, on the other side, makes my ears ring.
“Ungrateful littlewhore,” Renata hisses. “I told my son to take you away from Ricardo and sell you to the Hernandez cartel. They’d pay a pretty penny to put you in one of their whorehouses, even with your lost virginity, with looks like yours. But my son thought it was better revenge to make you his bride, and as his mother, it’s my job to keep him happy. To give him what he wants—and what he wants is a lavish wedding that will make all the tongues stop wagging about what a little wanton slut he ended up with as his bride.” Her hand closes in my hair, yanking my head back. “I can make your life so much more miserable when my son isn’t watching,” she hisses. “You won’t run this house, not while I’m alive. And everyone here hates you. I’d start working on that and pleasing your husband-to-be, rather than snippy comments that might feel good for a moment.”
Renata lets go of me, breathing hard, and for one wild moment, I wonder what would happen if I slapped her right back. I’ve never struck anyone in my life, but just then my palm is itching to do it as my face burns and throbs, wanting to give her back the kind of pain she’s inflicted on me.
I might have done it, might have sealed my fate for that one blissful moment of satisfaction—not unlike the reckless decision I made about my virginity—if the door hadn’t opened just then.
Diego is standing there, filling the doorway, but not in the imposing kind of way that could make a woman want him. Overstuffed and pompous would be the best way to describe his stance and bearing, I realize, always, and the cruel smile that he seems to reserve most often for me flicks my way as I stand there, frozen.
“Not to interrupt your wedding plans, mother,” he says coolly. “But the doctor is here, and we need to get Isabella somewhere private.”
“The doctor?” Renata raises an eyebrow, as I feel my heart plummet, the room shifting around me as if I might pass out.
Stay conscious. You have to stay conscious. If you don’t, you’ll wake up, and every trace of Niall you might still have will be gone.
I bite my lip hard, trying to reason with my galloping, frightened heart.Can they even tell so soon? Would a doctor know if I’m pregnant?Even the possibility that the doctor might give Diego the all-clear isn’t enough to calm my terror.
“We already know she’s not a virgin,” Renata sneers. “And I pay the planners by the hour, Diego. She can see the doctor some other time.”
Renata is the only person in the household who seems able to talk back to her son with impunity. Even so, Diego’s expression blackens in a way that would make anyone else quake. “I saidnow,” he grates out angrily. “Of course, I know she’s not a fucking virgin. She announced it for anyone of any importance from here to Mexico City to hear. But with that comes the possibility that she might be pregnant, and I want to know.”
His gaze levels at me then, and I feel my stomach turn over.Don’t puke again, not here.But I’m not entirely sure I can stop myself. My hands are shaking, and I knot them together in front of me to try to keep Diego from seeing, but of course, he does.
“You can go upstairs under your own power, princess,” he says crisply. “Or I can find a more amusing way of getting you there. Perhaps the doctor could even examine you in front of the rest of the family, just so his findings are clear to everyone.”
A hot wash of shame ripples over me at the thought of Renata and Lia and Lucia’s hateful eyes all on me as I’m exposed and examined, of Juan looking hungrily at what his brother will soon possess. “I’ll go up,” I say in a trembling voice, and for once, Diego looks pleased.
“Good girl,” he says simply, and my stomach quakes again. I wish he’d never say that to me again, and I try not to let him see how upset it makes me, for fear that he’ll know how much I hate it and employ it more often. It reminds me of Niall saying those same words as he fed me his cock, groaning with pleasure as I took it deep. His praising me for sucking him, riding him, wearing his cum, all echoed with the groaning whispers ofgood girl, you look so beautiful like that, what a good girl, to come so hard for me.
