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I tuck the thought in the back of my mind. Perhaps Esme will be of assistance when I plan my inevitable escape. Because though I may be legally bound to this man in a few short hours, there’s no way in hell I’m staying here.
Where will I go?
I’ve no idea.
And to complicate matters, I must save my father as well, even though he was the one who put me in this hell. After borrowing money from the Russo family that he couldn’t pay back he sold the only thing he had left of value.
Me.
His only child. His precious daughter.
There’s only one thing I take solace in on this day. Marrying this man means my father will live out his days in safety. And thanks to my husband gifting my father a monthly stipend, he won’t be living in the streets.
My groom is generous with his wealth to those who are tied to him. For that, I cannot fault him.
Vincenzo Russo.
I’ve heard his name plenty of times, but never seen the man in person. Everyone calls him Vincent. Sophia, the matronly woman who’s been employed by his family all her life tells me his name means to win, to conquer.
And he does. In every avenue of his life. He always gets what he wants.
And he wanted me.
Apparently, a few months ago, he visited my father’s shop before we had to close it down due to money troubles from Dad’s gambling addictions. I must have made an impression because he took me for his own, plucking me from the store, like a can of dry goods from the shelf.
I’ve racked my brain, wondering what possessed him to chooseme.Surely there were other girls whose fathers were indebted to him? Girls more beautiful, or interesting. Girls who longed to be the queen of the mafia, to live the lavish lifestyle he offers.
Why choose me?
As a shy bookworm, I often kept my nose stuck in the pages of a fairytale as I worked the counter at my father’s shop on the main street in the village. I’d often spent lonely afternoons gazing upon, watching the members of the Russo family as they made their way home from the village to their chateau in little clusters.Talking. Laughing. Happy.I’d envied them their lives.
The irony grows bitter in my mouth.
Sophia briskly enters the room, shuffling over to my side, her generous, floral-covered hips pressing against my arm. “Get up,il mio amore, my love. It’s time.”
It’s time.
I find myself frozen to the chair, unable to move.
She grabs my shoulder, gently tugging at me to stand. “Come, come. You mustn’t keep him waiting. He’s not fond of delays.”
“I’m not fond of being forced to marry.”
My words make her face fall and I instantly regret them. I soften my tone, putting a hand over hers where it rests on my shoulders. “It’s not your fault, I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
She sniffs as if I’ve complained of my hairpins being too tight. “I understand. But my dear, things could be worse. In my day, our parents had the say in who we married. And it was difficult to move up in this world other than through marriage. At least in Vincent, you will never want for anything.”
Anything, other than love.
Though her demeanor is tough, in her gaze I can read her apologies. She’s not the one at fault. I give her the same tight smile I braved for Esme.
Patting her hand, I say, “I know. He’s been more than generous.”
She gives a grateful sigh, as if I’ve taken the weight of guilt from her shoulders. “I understand this isn’t the way you envisioned your life heading, but you will grow to love him. I have a sixth sense about these things and I’ve not been wrong yet.”
There’s a first time for everything, Sophia.
I will never love him.
