For a second, I thought he'd hit me again. His hand twitched. His eyes went dark.
Then he smiled. Slow. Cruel. Terrifying. He wiped his face with one hand. Brought his fingers to his mouth. Licked my saliva off them while maintaining eye contact.
I was going to be sick.
"Willing or not doesn't matter to me, Aria. You signed the papers. The arrangement is legal and binding. In seven days, you become my property whether you walk down that aisle singing hymns or whether my men have to drag you there unconscious." He leaned closer. His breath hot against my ear. "And on our wedding night, I'm going to erase every trace of my son from your body. I'm going to fuck you until you forget his name. Until the only name you remember is mine. Until you understand completely who owns you."
Bile rose in my throat. Nausea so intense I had to swallow hard to keep from vomiting right there.
"Kai will come for me." My voice shook but I forced the words out anyway. "He'll stop this wedding. He'll save me."
Salvatore laughed. Actually laughed. The sound made my skin crawl.
"Kai is half-dead and exiled. I shot him and threw him out like garbage. He has no resources, no allies, no way to get to you. He's not coming for anyone, little girl. He's probably bleeding out in some alley, or maybe Marco will be smart and put a bullet in his head to put him out of his misery." He pulled back, looked at me with something like pity. "You're pathetic for believing in love. This isn't a movie. There's no knight in shining armor. No happy ending. Just reality. And reality is that you're mine now. Accept it or don't. Either way, the outcome is the same."
He walked toward the door. Paused with his hand on the handle.
"The dress fitting is tomorrow. Mrs. Rossi will come get you. Try to look presentable. I want my bride to be beautiful even if she is... reluctant."
The door closed. Locked.
I stood there for exactly ten seconds. Then I ran to the bathroom and threw up violently.
Everything I'd tried to keep down came up. My stomach heaving. Body rejecting the horror of what Salvatore had just said. What he'd promised to do.
On our wedding night.
Three days from now.
I was still kneeling on the bathroom floor, arms wrapped around the toilet, when I felt a hand on my back.
I startled. Jerked around. Ready to fight if it was Salvatore coming back.
Lia knelt beside me. Concern written all over her face.
"I bribed the guard again. Heard you throwing up. Aria, what's wrong? Should I get a doctor?"
"No. No doctors. I'm fine. It's just... stress. Everything that's happened. I've been feeling sick since..." I couldn't finish. Started dry heaving again.
Lia grabbed a washcloth. Wet it with cool water. Pressed it against my forehead while I tried to breathe throughthe nausea.
"How long have you been feeling like this?"
"Few days. Maybe a week? I don't know. Time is blurring together."
She was quiet for a moment. Then asked carefully, "Are you on your period right now?"
"What? Why would..." I trailed off. Thought about it. When was my last period?
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
I started counting backwards in my head. Trying to remember dates. My cycle had always been regular. Twenty-eight days like clockwork.
Except I was late. Very late. At least two weeks late.
And I'd been nauseous every morning. Exhausted. Emotional in ways that felt extreme even for my situation.
