Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Did Stefano?
I couldn’t bring myself to believe that he did. Then again, at times I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Massimo and Carmine were guilty of what Piper said, either. Other times doubt crept in, so I pulled back from them, too.
To the brothers’ credit, they let me, for the most part. Massimo still insisted that I sleep in his bed, but he didn’t push me to do more than share a kiss good night. One morning, when I was late for breakfast, I overheard the brothers discussing me. They seemed to think that I had pre-wedding jitters.
If only it were that simple.
I spent hours up in the hideaway, wondering if I should take Zoey and Piper up on their offer to go on the run. But where would I go? What would I do when I got there? How would I support myself?
It wasn’t just those questions that kept me here. It was also the times when the pendulum swung back to doubt, and I simply couldn't believe that Massimo, Carmine, and my dad were involved in human smuggling. Then I’d feel lighter for a few hours before the pendulum swung the other way.
I spent more and more time on my own the week of the wedding. The men gave me space, though I knew that wouldn’t last. Not with my wedding night in a matter of days. Carmine even let me bring Jana along to pick out my dress for the rehearsal dinner. I knew I couldn’t share any of my concerns with her, but it was nice to have a companionable hour with another woman while trying on dresses.
The day of the rehearsal dinner, I fixed my hair, applied my makeup, and put on my dress as if in a trance. The dress was gorgeous, and more expensive than anything I’d ever owned besides my wedding dress. It was lavender, sequined, and slinky. I especially loved the high slit and the high-heeled shoes that matched it. But I just couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the evening ahead of me.
Even without all the concerns about what Piper had shared with me, there was the issue of the brothers themselves. Marrying Massimo would mean the end of my intimacy with Stefano and Carmine. In a way, it had already ended, since I’d pulled back from that side of things. But I still enjoyed stolen bits of time with them. Like when Carmine gave me driving lessons and actually let me drive on real streets. It had been scary but thrilling. And it had meant a lot that he’d trusted me.
And I’d finally told Stefano my ideas for dialogue that characters in his game could use. He’d not only liked my ideas, but he’d shown me how to enter some of them directly into the game’s code. My typing skills were nonexistent, but it was still fun.
And Massimo—I just couldn’t work out my feelings for him. Fear, yes. But not like when I first got here, when I’d been afraid of having such a powerful, virile male so close. Now my fears were more about whether he was a demon and what that might make me, because there were times when I still liked him. Maybe even more.
It was a mess, and getting married tomorrow seemed like it would make things a million times messier.
We took a limo to the rented-out restaurant where we’d held the rehearsal dinner. In all my worrying, I’d kind of glossed over the fact that my parents would be there. When I hugged my mother, I had to blink back tears.
But when I hugged my father, my mind reeled. Did he really send women to an unspeakable fate? And did he marry me off to bring Massimo on board to expand his operations? It was a terrifying thought.
I sleepwalked through the rehearsal. Through the dinner and the speeches. Afterward, I slowly sipped on a glass of champagne and nodded while people talked to me. When the music started, Carmine came over to me, offering his hand. “Care to dance, princess?” There was concern on his face and sympathy in his voice. He didn’t know why I was upset, but it was clear that he was worried about me.
I put my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet—until a hand on my arm stopped me. I looked up to see Massimo looking displeased. “What’s wrong?”
“You can’t do that here.” He glared at his brother, who glared right back at him before walking away.
“Why not? We danced at the engagement party.”
“That was different. You can’t do anything like that in public. Not ever.”
It’s not that I was dying to dance. I couldn’t muster enthusiasm for pretty much anything anymore. But his rule still seemed draconian. “So I’m never going to dance with another man again?”