“Has my brother been treating you well?”
The question catches me completely off guard.
“Oh…I…,” I manage to get out a few words while she stares at me silently waiting. “We haven’t actually met yet.”
Her eyes immediately snap to Diego’s and narrow. I hear snickering from beside me but my face is trained between Nicci and Diego.
“Rio has been busy,” Diego drawls out with a blank face.
“Has he now?” Nicci stares at her brother, her eyes still narrowed.
I suddenly feel like I’m stuck in some sitcom where I am the butt of some terrible joke. What is going on? Finally, after a few awkward seconds, I gather my courage.
"Where is Rio anyway?" I ask. "Shouldn't my future husband be at his own rehearsal dinner?"
Diego turns to me, a strange smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Rio is…taking care of last-minute details," he replies. "Don't worry. He'll be at the altar tomorrow where he belongs."
The way he says it makes my skin crawl, though I can't explain why. There's something almost mocking in his tone, like he's enjoying a private joke at my expense. They all are. Well except for Nicci who is still watching our exchange with narrowed eyes.
“What about Frankie? I haven’t seen him in a while. Will he be coming back as my guard?”
I try to sound impassive as I ask the burning question while Diego still wears his slight smirk.
“Frankie?” Nicci asks with confusion.
“Her private guard,” Diego cuts in.
She looks like she is about to say something else but Diego chooses that perfect moment to wave over at some other guests and guide me towards them. I watch over my shoulder as I’m pulled away and see Nicci speaking rapidly to Leo who holds the same amused looks on his face.
“You won’t be seeing Frankie anymore,” Diego whispers under his breath as we are surrounded by another group of unfamiliar faces.
My heart sinks, though I try not to show my emotion. I’m not sure what happened or why he is telling me this. I can onlyhope it isn’t true or that it is just temporary. I don’t respond to him. Instead, I plaster on a fake smile for the rest of the conversation hoping it will end quickly.
As the evening wears on, I grow increasingly uncomfortable. Not only is Frankie gone, but I realize with a sinking heart that my cousins aren't here either. I'd hoped, foolishly, perhaps that they might have been invited. But of course not. Why would the Sanchez family welcome members of a rival family to their wedding festivities?
By the time the dinner ends, my face aches from forcing fake smiles and my head pounds. The same anonymous guards escort me back to the estate with the same silence we arrived in. I make my way up to my room where I kick off my heels and unzip the emerald dress, letting it pool at my feet. I'm about to step into the shower when I notice a small white box with a ribbon tied around it, sitting on my vanity.
I approach the box cautiously, my heart suddenly racing. Could it be from Frankie? An explanation for his absence, perhaps? A goodbye? Or maybe Rio? A pre-wedding gift of some sort? With trembling fingers, I untie the ribbon and lift the lid. Nestled on a bed of black velvet is a delicate silver anklet. I lift it out carefully, watching it catch the light as a small charm dangles from the center. A datura flower.
My breath catches in my throat. The same flower tattooed on my side. The same flower tattooed on Frankie's neck. But there's no note and no explanation.
I sink onto the stool near my vanity with the anklet clutched in my palm tightly. Questions swirl through my mind but there is no one here to answer them. Is this from Frankie? A parting gift before I belong to another man? Something to remember him by? Or could it be from Rio? Did he take Frankie and force him to tell him of the nickname? Or did he tell him willingly? Was I some sort of joke between the two? My head swirls as I enter the shower, scalding myself with hotwater. By the time I exit, my body is red and raw and I still can’t get my thoughts in order. With shaking hands, I grab the anklet and clasp it around my ankle. It’s both comforting and terrifying. Like a beautiful shackle binding me to a future I can't escape.
Tomorrow I'll marry a stranger, while my heart belongs to another man. I close my eyes and try to imagine Rio and what tomorrow will bring, yet all I can see is Frankie's face. His eyes filled with desire as he whispered my nickname against my skin.
Datura. Poisonous and beautiful. Just like the lies I've been living.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liana
Morning doesn’t just come for me…it crashes into me like a freight train. No amount of sleep in the world could truly have prepared me for this day.
A sharp knock at my door startles me from my half awake state, making me groan out loud. Apparently the world has decided it’s done letting me hide under the covers. I’m barely up before my heart is pounding, my nerves twisting in the pit of my stomach while I shove the blanket off and force myself to stand. I’m maybe halfway across the room, when the door swings open, making me jump.
“Mija, what are you doing still sleeping?” Pita asks, a slight edge of panic to her voice. “There is still so much to do and the guards are waiting for you already downstairs!”
