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All bets were off.
He gave me his arm, and I held it, putting a fake smile on my face. We didn’t pretend for each other anymore. We only pretended for the crowd as we walked down the aisle. There was no turning back. My only way to survival was Valerio.
For a second, I expected to see the altar empty. I knew they probably wouldn’t start the ceremony without him, but I just expected the worst. I put my hope in Valerio, but despite everything, I didn’t know him well enough yet. He could still leave, say no, or do something more horrendous.
He looked at me with awe at his spot at the altar. I didn’t pay attention to anything around me. All my focus was on contemplating what Valerio was feeling. I wish I knew what he was going to do. I wish he had told me something.
Maybe he wanted the element of surprise.
I wanted to believe he was better than my father. I chose to believe his sweet act, but at the end of the day, he was the Monster. He got that name for something. He was not a man to be trusted so easily.
His expression didn’t give anything away. He had that small smile that normally annoyed me, but my nerves didn’t let any other emotion bloom in me. Despite my turning stomach, I kept my smile, and I knew Valerio was probably as good as me at faking his feelings.
He didn’t fake them last night, though. He had been angry. So angry.
I knew he was angry at my father. He had every right to be angry at my father, but what I didn’t know was if any of that anger was directed at me. I didn’t know if he wanted to help me in all of this or if I would just be collateral damage.
My father was ready to sacrifice me. Why wouldn’t Valerio do the same?
My father kissed my cheek as we reached the altar. I wanted to wipe his touch away but managed not to do it. I stepped next to Valerio and held his hands. His amused little expression was still in place, but he also looked… happy? It was so bizarre yet true.
Maybe he was even better than me at faking expressions.
The priest started talking but I barely heard him. I couldn’t look away from Valerio. I wanted to know what was happening inside his head so badly.
I was nervous but worse than that, I was fucking scared. My whole destiny was in the palm of his hand.
I hated it.
But I hated my father more.
The priest asked for our vows. I was almost sure I would mess that up, but I worked so hard on them that I could say them without even thinking. Valerio did the same. He promised me love and protection, but those words meant shit to me. They were just traditional vows. We didn’t write any of our own. There was no need for that.
And then the moment I was most horrified came. The priest asked Valerio if he would take me as his lawfully wedded wife.
The time stopped.
I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. Previously I thought his saying no would be a good thing, but I knew it wasn’t. I couldn’t stay with my father any longer. I had to get away. He was done with me.
I needed Valerio.
I didn’t know if he actually waited for a long time to answer, but it felt like hours to me. His words were going to seal my fate. I hated feeling so small. I hated needing him, but life pushed me into this. I did what I had to do. I could just wish it was the right thing.
My lungs burned from not breathing. Then Valerio’s grin widened, and just when I thought he was going to pull out a machine gun under his jacket, he said, “I do.”
Chapter 14
Valerio
I didn’t know if I loved or hated seeing Luce so uncertain and flustered.
Probably the latter.
I enjoyed seeing her out of her element. God, I loved seeing her flustered just because it was so rare. However, I liked it when I was the reason for those things. I liked it when it was all good fun. I didn’t like it when it was because she was scared.
I also wanted to kill her fucking father. I was actually proud of my self-control. I came close to losing it when he kissed her cheek, but I held back. I was so fucking good.
Maybe I should have talked to her before the ceremony, but I didn’t think she was going to be this nervous. I was busy meeting with my brother and Antonio to decide what to do. I could have still found a little time, but I thought she would be more relaxed than this. She put her trust in me, so I figured she would be confident in the fact that I would make things good for her.
