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We pass two stone pillars on either side of the road, both of which have ‘Private— Keep Out’ signs attached to them. There are cameras too, and high fencing. I swallow. After what I’ve just been through, at least I will be safe here.
I start to wonder if the driveway is ever going to end, but then the trees open up and I gasp.
In front of us stands a white stone building, complete with turrets and flags. It’s as if the structure couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a tower or a castle and settled on being a mix of both. The place is truly impressive, rising from the ground like a forbidding sentry.
On either side of the huge main building, more tall, gothic buildings stretch out. I can hardly believe this is a school because it looks more like a fairy-tale castle.
Verona Falls University.
This place must be hundreds of years old. I’m not sure what it was before it became a university, but I bet it’s got some stories to tell. If only the walls could speak.
“Holy shit,” I murmur.
“Mackenzie!” Mom admonishes me.
“Sorry,” I say, although I’m not.
I’m almost twenty years old. I can swear if I want. Besides, swearing is the least of my infractions.
I can’t believe we’re actually going to be living here—well, us and maybe two hundred students and professors. Plus, the man my mother is going to marry, though not because she wants to. This is no love match. She must marry him in return for our protection. That’s the deal. Apparently, this guy has been creeping on her for years. My mom is stunningly beautiful and still turns heads wherever we go. Men are drawn to her like moths to the proverbial flame.
“Welcome to your new home,” Mom says.
“Can’t we live in a regular house, like regular people? Aren’t there any on the grounds?”
“That’s not how things work around here.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “No, I guess it isn’t.”
I think there are going to be a lot of things that aren’t as I expect from now on.
The old Ford my mom now drives after we had to sell the Range Rover is completely out of place among all the Porsches and Maseratis. This place absolutely reeks of money.
I try not to be embarrassed at our obvious lack of it these days.
Mom finds a spot and parks the car.
The huge, wooden, double front doors swing open wide, and a man in his early forties walks out. He’s a little younger than Mom, and as he nears us, I suck in a breath.
I haven’t not met him before, and right now, I’m not sure why my mom isn’t into him, because this man is gorgeous. Mom’s already told me that he has Italian heritage, and I can see that in his olive skin and dark hair. He’s got charisma too. It rolls off him in waves as he approaches us. As he walks out of the doors, he raises his arm in welcome.
I stare at his clearly expensive suit. What he’s wearing probably costs more than the entirety of our belongings that are currently stacked up in the trunk.
I know without even being introduced that this is Verona Falls’ dean. The man my mother has agreed to marry.
We climb out of the car. It’s a warm day, and I squint in the sunlight. My body is stiff from sitting in one spot for so long, and I resist the urge to do a few stretches and remain upright to meet this man instead.
Mom greets him with a tight smile. “Nataniele. It’s good to see you again.”
“Lucia.” He kisses her on the cheek and pulls her in for a hug. “How was the drive?”
“Fine,” she replies. “We’re glad to be here.”
Are we? I bite down on my retort because I need this to work out.
“This is my daughter, Mackenzie,” she introduces.
“As beautiful as her mother, I see,” he says eventually.
