She mutters a few words in Italian before setting her sights on me. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Oh, Nonna.” Mariella groans when she spots the bottle of olive oil in her grandmother’s hand. “Is that really necessary?”
“Sì.” Nonna waves a hand at the girls. “Vattene.”
“Good luck,” Mariella whispers as they all head to the exit, leaving me alone with Nonna.
I breathe a sigh of relief as she pats my face and looks me over. “Bella.”
“I don’t even have makeup on yet, Nonna,” I tell her.
“You don’t need it. Now come, stand here.”
I follow her to the beverage cart and observe as she pours a glass of water and opens the bottle of olive oil. She dips her finger in the oil, using it to anoint my forehead and make the sign of the cross over me as she utters a prayer in Italian. Once she’s done with that, she dips her finger again and drops the oil into the glass of water, grimacing as the oil breaks apart.
“No, no, no.” She shakes her head, steeling her features with determination.
She says another prayer and anoints me twice more, repeating the process until the oil in the glass is to her liking and she tells me I’m cleansed. But for good measure, she retrieves a jewelry box from her dress pocket and pulls out a goldcornicellonecklace.
“Italian.” She taps the metal before she drapes it over my neck.
“Thank you, Nonna.” I kiss her cheek, slightly teary-eyed.
This tradition is significant to her, no matter how silly some may think it is. Nonna performed this same ritual on her daughter-in-law at her wedding, and many times over the years for her grandchildren, for everything from headaches to minor illnesses. She will go on to perform the ritual for each of the Vitale descendants when they marry, and in this way, she will welcome new members of the family and protect them.
Though my relationship with Nonna Vitale is as old as I am, this is her way of telling me I’m family now. Her son and daughter-in-law aren’t here to share this experience, and neither is my mother, but I’m grateful for her presence.
“I’m so happy you’re here to share your wisdom and watch over me today, Nonna.” I squeeze her hand in mine.
“There’s no need to worry,” she assures me. “You will have a happy life.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her otherwise, so I nod.
“Okay,” she says. “Time to prepare.”
What startsas an uneasy feeling soon turns into full-blown nausea as I sit through hair and makeup, barely registering a word around me. Reality has set in, and with every passing second, I feel like the walls are closing in on me.
I didn’t want to run because I’d lose everything, but now, I’m realizing I already have. As soon as Angelo makes his return to the throne, I’ll be banished from the island and possibly the state. My business, my friends, my family—all of it will disappear from my life, and the only thing I’ll have is a husband I don’t love.
The room buzzes around me, doors opening and closing, champagne bottles popping, and occasionally, I catch chatter on the guards’ radios outside as they discuss the fortification of the venue. When I hear the choppers flying overhead, it seals my fate. Nobody is getting in or out now.
“All done.” The makeup artist smiles at my reflection in the mirror. “What do you think?”
Oh, Abella,Natalia signs from beside me.You look so beautiful.
A moment of silence descends over the room as my bridesmaids rally around me, choking back tears as emotions overcome them. In a different scenario, I imagine I would be crying happy tears, too. But right now, I just feel numb.
“It’s perfect.” I nod. “Thank you.”
“You look incredible,” Valentina agrees. “But you always do.”
I glance at her dress, and then the others, blinking through the fog of confusion.
“What happened to the bridesmaid dresses?” I ask.
Val bites her lip, smoothing her palm over the burgundy gown that’s most definitely not what we ordered for this wedding. In fact, the silhouette and color are the exact dresses I saved when I was planning my wedding to Angelo.
“I didn’t do this,” Val swears, tears hovering at the edges of her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Abella. I don’t know what happened. All our dresses were brought over on the plane. I made sure of it. But when we got here…this is what had arrived instead.”
