Prologue
Marriage is a sacred and beautiful knot that ties not only two individuals but their families too, and in traditional families, they are not to be severe at any cost.
Cosca had beliefs and traditions that held and nurtured in their life, so they decided to tie the knots of the infamous Underboss of Cosca, Dominico Accardi, who was thirty-one and the youngest Underboss in the family to Capo Rossi's daughter, Inez (in-ae-zh)Rossi, who was twenty-three, freshly graduated in marketing and communication.
The wedding took place with splendid glamour and lavishness, which covered the front pages of newspapers and magazines for weeks.
When there is marriage in the mafia, it always ends with a funeral in most cases, but their marriage was done without much of an objection from any side.
The three days they spent in the hotel were splendid. He worshiped her, body and soul for three days.
Covers of bedsheet rustled as she moved and felt her side. It was cold. Inez frowned but then smiled and opened her eyes, inspecting the hotel room.
Her husband was in front of the mirror getting dressed,
" Nico. ", she called out, her voice an octave lower in the morning.
He turned, taking away her breath. Her husband was a handsome man, he was a rare case of albinism with maroon eyes, his hair was black and his skin tone tan, but his eyes were different, and she loved them, they were hers to admire.
" Get up, I'll take you home. "
"It's still early though. Our check-out is in three hours. ", she said pointing at the alarm clock.
" It's time to leave. ", he smoothened his cuffs looking at her.
She was still naked under the sheets. Dominico didn't comment, nor did he make advances, and the look, Inez did not like the look on his face. The look that said nothing happened between them, like the moment they spent for three days were nothing but passing passion; it was no passing passion, not for her. She felt for her husband as soon as he asked for her consent when the father asked him to kiss the bride.
She frowned," What's going on, Nico? "
" Nothing. "
" It's not nothing, when you look at me like I'm some prostitute who overstayed her welcome. "
" You are not a prostitute. You are my wife. I have to cut our trip short because I have business to attend. Now get up, get dressed, and we will be on our way home.", Dominico stated with his neutral face, he almost looked robotic if his chest didn't move as he breathed.
But his heart, it raced, his wife was beautiful, goddess reincarnated. Her cascading long brown hairs, her ivory skin, her glimmering grey eyes and pink lips had almost made him lose his mask.
Inez obeyed not because he ordered her, but because they barely knew each other, it would take them time to form a relationship. They were arranged and she barely knew him and he definitely didn't love her right now, not that she wanted him to. The men in Cosca didn't love. She knew about it the hard way.
It was the same in her family too, she knew that relationship in the family were nothing but lifelong pain and agony. Some lucky one's find love but not always. She thought she could be a little lucky not in case of love it would be delusional of her to think about love when she knew it wasn't real. But she had hope for atleast be treated with respect. Was it too much to dream of?
♠︎
The home they were to live in was in a cutesy neighborhood with bungalows lined and surrounded by a garden and fence. He parked in front of a lavish one at the end of the street.
Getting out, he opened the door for her and helped her out.
Getting to the front door, opening and getting in, he handed her a pill.
" This is where you are going to stay, this is my house. Have the pill, it's a morning after. I don't want a child, not right now or ever. I did what was expected from me to bed you. Now all you need to do is to be an obedient and good wife, and be with me when I need you.", with each of the sentences he spoke, hope and faith shattered at Inez's feet.
" You did what was expected from you? From the way you speak, you don't even like me. Why marry me? You could have said no! What were those three days for? ", Inez enquired, she was livid.
" Tradition. I needed a wife, and you were given to me. "
He pulled her close and whispered, "Play Along. "
" I'm not a thing to be handed out. ", She shouted out with a glint in her eyes.
" Inez, behave. I won't tolerate your childish insolence. You are now a wife to an Underboss. What do you expect? This world is dark and dirty, if you behave like this anyone could take advantage of you, and you bet I wouldn't come to save you if you were to be a leverage. ", Dominico clenched his jaw. He couldn't understand why his wife was behaving this way, only as an act for the eyes on them.
Inez had long forgotten to expect something, but the little hope she had in life extinguished with her husband knocked into reality for her. That was the look that she gave him.
" You are not worthy of me and if you believe that Inez Rossi would be obedient to you, you are delusional.",
" You will come on the line sooner or later. And now you are Inez Accardi. ", Dominico stated as a matter of fact, to which she gave him a disgusted look.
Dominico left after that, he left her alone in their house and didn't return, not for dinner, neither the next day nor for a month.
Inez waited for him for four days. Six months was her limit for them to talk things out, but he never returned. It was her last straw which broke right in front of her. She knew she would never be the same now.
Most people thought being single sucked, but being single after being married with hopes crushed molds a future. Being left hurt. And it could hurt much more when you finally come to terms with the fact that no one in this world would be worthy enough to stand next to you, except yourself.
When a heart of gold is crumbled with agony, hatred, taunts and much more, it couldn't be repaired as it was before and that is how villains are made.
