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He chuckles darkly. “Don’t look so upset, daughter. You’ll be marrying Antonio Moretti. He’ll make a good match for you. I’ve set up a meeting to happen later today. Thought you should know.”
“Today?”
He squints his ice-blue eyes at me. “Will that be a problem? Did you have other plans today? Something more important than your future, perhaps?”
I gulp. “No.” I hate how quiet my voice comes out. “No, I had no plans today. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. That’s all.”
“Well, now, you know. You’re dismissed.” He waves a hand at me to leave the room. I get up slowly as if I’m in a daze and walk back into the kitchen where Anna is still working on the same math problem.
“I don’t understand what ‘x’ is supposed to be? Math makes no sense at all,” she mutters, dropping her head onto the paper on the table.
I take my seat next to her, not saying anything. My father just made a decision that will change my entire life, and I wasn’t consulted at all. He just assumes I’ll go along with it, and the sad reality is, I know I will. It’s always been my duty to do this. Even if I hate it.
“Nina?” Anna asks, drawing me out of my reverie. “What is ‘x’ supposed to be?” She shakes the paper full of math equations at me.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, staring down at the table. “Go ask Mom.”
Anna huffs. “Mom’s taken one of her sleeping pills. She’s no help.”
“Well, Anna, try. I can’t help you with everything, you know? Not forever.”
She raises one blonde eyebrow. “Why are you being so weird?”
“I’m getting married.” The words don’t even sound true to me. It’s like I’m speaking a foreign language.
“What? When? How? You’re not even dating anyone.”
“You know that’s not how that works, Anna.” I step my face into my hands, resisting the urge to cry. “You know Father makes these decisions for us.”
“Well, it’s stupid.”
I turn to her in a flash and grab her shoulders. “You can’t say things like that around Father. You know that. We have to listen to what he tells us to do, or …”
“Or what?” she challenges.
“Or …” The memory of a belt buckle and the sound of a woman who wasn’t my mother in my parents’ bedroom. My father coming out of the room and seeing me … undoing his belt and … I push it away before the memory can go any further. I’ve never told Anna any of it. My mother doesn’t even know.
“Or nothing,” I finish. “Just don’t get on Father’s bad side, ok? I’m meeting the man who will become my husband later today. That’s what Father just told me. I don’t even know how to feel. Shock. Upset.”Relieved.If I don’t have to stay in this house any longer, it would actually be quite nice. I just worry for Anna. She hasn’t experienced the things I have, and I’m scared that if I have to marry and move out, Father will set his anger onto her.
“Well, you can still help me with my homework in the meantime.” She waves the paper at me. “I know you want to …”
Not really, but Anna needs my help, and I’m willing to offer it. So, math homework it is.
* * *
I find my mother,Elizabeth Petrov, lying in her bed, not even moving. “Mom?” I rush to her side and put my fingers to her pulse, relaxing once I realize she’s still alive. “Mom?” I gently shake her.
She blinks her eyes and turns to me so achingly slowly it’s painful to watch. “Nina?”
“I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving for a few hours. Father has set up a meeting for me to meet …”My future husband. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Oh. Ok, good.” Her eyes glaze over.
“How many did you take this time?” I whisper, nodding at the pill bottle on her nightstand table.
“Not many,” she says, her words slurring. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep. Make me proud, Nina.” She pats my cheek before turning over and promptly falling asleep. She looks so fragile. Her skin is taut over her bones, and her blonde hair is brittle. She used to be so pretty, but that was before I discovered my father with another woman. Things haven’t been the same since.
I give her a pat on the back before heading out. Father is waiting for me by the front door, impatiently checking his watch and tapping his foot. “What took you so long?”
