She takes a long look at me and wrinkles her nose before heading into my bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and before I have time to react she’s dragging me to the bathroom and stripping off my clothes before pushing me inside.
“It’s cold!” I shriek as she closes thedoor.
“It might wake you up, then. You look tired. Did you sleep at all?”
“Barely,” I whine out as I lather my body with soap.
I hear her tsk as she stands outside of the shower, clearly not caring about my privacy right now. I should probably get used to it. This is probably the last bit of privacy I’ll have before the cartel heir forces me to abide by my duties.
“You wouldn’t sleep either if you were being married off to a stranger,” I snap out.
I hear Pita chuckle which only annoys me more.
“Oh, mija. You really don’t know how lucky you are. It could be much worse.”
I scoff at her words and shut the shower off. When I swing the door open, she’s waiting for me with a towel.
“I was sent away from my family to marry a man who hasn’t even cared enough to meet me before our wedding. I’ve had interactions with exactly two people the entire time I have been here and now one of them has disappeared and….”
“And what, mija?”
I can see the look on her face as she stares at me. It looks like pity and I hate that.
“Nevermind.”
She places her hand on my shoulder as I stare at her in the mirror and even though her eyes look sad, a small smile forms on her lips.
“One day, Liana, we are going to look back and laugh at this moment together.”
“You think?”
“I know,” she replies before wiping the few tears I didn’t know I had. Then she gestures to the button up dress she’s laid out for me to wear to the church.
The church swallows me whole. It’s massive, with its high arched ceilings and huge stone walls. I can hear the echo of my footsteps bouncing from every direction. Tall candles burn in fat iron sconces that look like they came straight from some medieval time jump. If I weren’t so nervous, I might actually find it kind of beautiful. Unfortunately, at this moment, every inch of this place is too much.
Before I can even try to figure out where to go, I’m pushed up a winding staircase, higher and higher until my legs are screaming.
“I didn’t know I would need to practice cardio for my wedding day,” I mutter under my breath.
‘Unless it’s to run away.’
The guard behind me snickers and for a moment I’m afraid I said the running part out loud. It doesn’t matter because a door in front of me is opening just as I reach the top of the staircase, and I’m being pulled into a large room with lots of windows. Sunlight shines through huge windows casting beautiful rays throughout the room. It’s almost peaceful, how beautiful it looks.
That lasts about two seconds before the stylists attack all at once. It’s absolute chaos as they descend on me, chattering away just like they did the last time I saw them. Their hands are everywhere as pins are stuck into my scalp and powder is caked onto my skin. The fabric of my dress is pulled so tight, I can barely breathe. I try to keep still, but all I can see are mirrors surrounding me everywhere and it makes me want to look. There must be a dozen of them, each one reflecting a beautiful stranger. I don’t even recognize myself right now. A perfect bride stares back at me. The dress fits well…too well. My makeup is flawless, making me look and feel like something exotic. My stomach flips.
“Beautiful,” one ofthem says.
“No, look at her,” another voice, whispers. “She’s breathtaking. A true queen fit for a king.”
"Rio won’t know what hit him,” the last one says as they all giggle.
I smirk as I stare at myself, not hating what I see. The name Rio registers in my head a moment later, making my smirk disappear. I am boxed up and gift-wrapped for a man I’ve never even met and I’m over here smiling about it.
And then there’s Frankie. His face comes out of nowhere, assaulting my thoughts. Will I ever see him again? Why did he leave? Why isn’t he here? He isn’t here. He isn’t here, but I am…and so is Rio. Rio Sanchez, the man I’m supposed to marry today. The one with a reputation built on violence and power among other things. I can still hear the stylists whispering and giggling about him while I stand here. Clearly still a playboy even as I stand here today, waiting to marry him. The thought of it makes my skin crawl, but there’s nowhere else to go.
My head spins as I lean against the window, watching the world outside. The courtyard is full of guards and guests…lots of guests. They arrive by the carload, ushered from their expensive vehicles right inside the church below. I try to search for my family but see no one. My stomach sinks and I’m about to lose it completely when the door slams open, making me spin around.
“Andre.”
