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Those debts had only grown in size and number of creditors, so that eventually, my father had auctioned me off to the highest bidder, which turned out to be the heir to the Imperioli Family.
He was a man who made my skin crawl, my soul cold. During our one and only meeting, when Nero Imperioli looked me up and down, chuckling as his eyes devoured me, I felt ill enough to have to excuse myself to the kitchen, where I leaned over the sink, trying not to vomit.
But there was no use protesting. I knew that. So I kept my mouth shut, and now…
Now here I am, about to marry a monster.
I hear a small gasp behind me as my mother enters the room where I've been dressing, above the chapel. Her eyes are rimmed red from crying. She moves to straighten my veil, her fingers trembling. "You look beautiful, darling," she says, but her voice cracks with emotion. "But here—let's replace this cheap thing."
She plucks the plastic tiara from my head, the one the bridal shop supplied, and takes out a blue velvet box, holding it out to me to open it, which I do, and then suck in a breath.
A tiara of silver, sapphire and diamond—and real, or real enough to fool. I know it must be fake, though, because the original went off with the gray-eyed debt collector several years ago, the woman who made my father cower before her.
Even now I remember those eyes of hers. I didn't feel nauseated whenshelooked over me.
The tiara is heavy on my head, as heavy as the words my mother says to me now as she helps me arrange it with my veil. "This is for luck," she murmurs. "You know the saying. It's something old, but also something new—to you, at any rate. Something borrowed, and the sapphires are blue."
I force a small smile, wanting to reassure her. "Thank you, Mama."
And then my mother embraces me tightly, whispering fiercely in my ear. "You need to stand up for yourself, Aurora. Don't just give in to everything. I know you want to keep the peace, but being so accommodating will only lead to more pain."
An unfamiliar sense of anger floods me at her words. I'm not the only one who has only ever submitted to my father's wishes.
Who else have I learned it from, if not from her?
But I know she's right. I've spent my whole life being agreeable, avoiding confrontation, telling people what they want to hear. It was the only way to keep my father happy.
And now I'm paying for his mistakes.
I'm twenty-one, and when I look around, I see so many other twenty-one year olds who run their own lives. They live in apartments on their own, or with friends. They have exciting jobs that their college degrees opened up for them, and they buy their own cars or know how to travel on the bus or train without getting hopelessly lost, and they date, they have friends, they have…
They have lives.
And I want so badly to be like them, but I'm too scared all the time. Too scared to even try. My father kept me helpless all these years…and I let him.
A sharp knock on the door startles Mama and me, and before I can respond, the door swings open. Nero Imperioli strides in, his hulking frame filling the doorway. He's impeccably dressed in an elegant black tuxedo, but his stony eyes and cruel smile make him look more like the mobster he is than a groom.
"Get out," he barks at my mother. Her mouth opens, a protest on her lips, but like me, she's been too well-trained all these years. With one last, worried glance in my direction, she scurries from the room.
Nero's eyes rake over me again, a leer twisting his mouth. "Well, you clean up nice," he chuckles. "Can't say I'm disappointed with my purchase."
I suppress a shudder, and I try my best to do what my mother said I should do. "Nero," I begin, only a tiny shake in my voice, "although I did not choose this marriage, I hope we can make the best of it and work together as partners."
In an instant, his hand shoots out and grabs my throat, shoving me back against the wall. I choke against his hold, pinned by his hulking frame looming over me.
"Let's get one thing straight, princess," he growls. "I'm your master now. You'll serve me dutifully as my wife, on your back, on your knees, however I desire it, and I'll breed a new generation on you. Other than that, I have no use for you. And for the rest of your goddamn life, I don't want to hear you speak unless I ask you a direct question. Got it?"
He releases me and I slump to the floor, coughing and shaking. Nero sneers down at me. "Pathetic. But you sure do look pretty all dolled up. Make sure you're smiling big in the wedding photos. Your looks are why you cost so much, and I want to make sure I get value for money."
With that he turns and stalks out, the door slamming behind him. I stay huddled on the floor, sobs rising in my aching throat as I contemplate the nightmare my future holds.
But I can't let myself dwell on what's to come. I just need to get through today. Through the wedding night…
Slowly, I pick myself up off the floor and mechanically fix my smeared makeup, clearing my mind of all thought.
A second sharp rap of knuckles on the door sets my heart racing again, but then I hear my father's voice. "Aurora! It's time. Open this door so I can get a look at you."
I smooth my hands over the lace and silk of my wedding dress and paste a bright smile on my face before I open the door.
