Chapter 1
Lucia
I look away from myself in the mirror for the final time. My rosy cheeks give the illusion of a happy and blushing bride but the effect was achieved by several layers of blush. Beneath the makeup, I’m sure my usually warm complexion is pale and unappealing. I’ve never been so thankful for makeup before. Despite not being particularly thrilled about this marriage, I also don’t want to make a fool of myself either.
“Remember to smile! Your night will likely go so much better if you put on a good show now.” My sister, Isabella, says.
She would know the best plan of action in this case. Her husband, Carlos, is a force to be reckoned with. She says she’s happy with him but the several mistresses he’s rumored to have tell me otherwise. I don’t know how she deals with it. Just the thought of the person I’m married to sleeping with other women makes me want to pick up a knife and stab it through his hand. The thought is particularly worrisome considering I’ve never met my soon-to-be husband and the chance of him cheating on me is probably quite high.
I don’t bother mustering up a response to her. It would take too much energy. Instead, I glance in the mirror one last time. Everything is perfectly in place. I look stunning, ready to play the part of the mafia wife I’m about to be. I only wish I had a choice in who I was walking down the aisle to.
Alessandro Lombardi is known for being cruel. How could he be anything but? He was raised by a monster if the things I’ve heard are anything close to the truth. The rumors say he didn’t think his oldest son was fit to take over for him, so he killed him. I generally try not to make a habit of believing things without proof but his daughter, Caterina, was in my grade in school before I got pulled out for private home tutoring and she often came in with more bruises than I could count. She tried to cover them with turtlenecks and other modest clothes but it wasn’t easy to do when they were on her face most of the time. If a man can treat his daughter in such a way, it’s not difficult to believe that he could kill his son if he ultimately believed he’d be detrimental to his business.
My sister walks down the aisle before me. Somehow the time arrives for me to face my fate. I only learned that I’d be marrying Alessandro a week ago but I naively thought something would change and this moment would never truly come. The music plays, signaling my time to begin walking. My father isn’t next to me. He sits in the front row, likely staring down at his phone, trying to arrange his next business deal. That’s all this marriage was to him in the first place.
I’m vaguely aware of my hands shaking but the obnoxiously sized bouquet in my hands covers up my nerves. The Lombardi’s graciously covered every expense of the luxurious affair, from the flowers in my hands to the shoes covered in pearls that rest on my feet. If anyone questioned just how much wealth they had, this event certainly provides the answer.
The 651 people in the audience aren’t paying attention to my shaky hands or the rise and fall of my chest as I try to keep my panicked breathing at bay. Their eyes are too busy taking inventory of every expensive item in the room, calculating the possible expense going into the day. They’re too preoccupied assessing Alessandro’s face to see how the mighty man might react to seeing his bride for the first time.
I secretly hope he takes one look at me and calls the whole thing off. My reputation would take a hit but I’d ultimately survive.
But when I turn the corner and see his face in person for the first time, I take it all back. I want this man to take hold of me and never let me go.
