Sitting alone and looking out the airplane window at the lights twinkling below as we fly over the UK on our way back to London, a tear escapes my eye, and I quickly swipe it away before anyone can see.
Since I suggested taking Eliana's place as Dominic's wife, I haven't shown an ounce of my true emotion towards the situation, apart from maybe my anger.
The truth is, I'm scared, and the closer I get to the dreaded day, the more the pit inside of me grows.
I turn around, looking at my sister sleeping peacefully in the chair behind me, and my brows draw together.
These will be my last days with her for a while, and I'm going to cherish every moment I have with her.
I know I'll be fine, and I'll make do with the situation once I'm in it, but the thought of being in a new city, surrounded by people I don't know, and without my usual comforts from home, namely Jellybean and Ellie, I fear I'm going to be lonely.
I've never been alone before.
"How are you holding up,mija?" my father asks, walking down the middle aisle and leaning against the cream leather seat opposite me with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
I turn to him, plastering a smile on my face.
"I'm doing okay. Just ready to get this all over and done with."
He watches me for a moment and then sighs before sitting down in the chair next to me.
"You know, I never wanted this for either you or your sister. I promised your mother I wouldn't allow this to happen." He scoffs and shakes his head, taking a sip of his drink. "She would kill me if she knew I'd agreed to this deal."
"No, she would understand. You can't blame yourself for this,Papá," I tell him, placing my hand on his forearm. "Lenny fucked up by going after the Rossi's and the King's, and he roped in a whole bunch of our people, including Frank. You tried to right his wrong, and because of what Lenny had told everyone, they assumed you wanted a marriage to happen."
"I didn't," he says, shaking his head. "Never."
"I know,Papá, but they thought you did, and that's why Jericho suggested the marriage between Ellie and Dom. You didn't have much of a choice on whether to agree or not. If you didn't, there would've been a war, and we would've lost a lot of people. We couldn't afford for that to happen."
He sighs, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"You held off on marriage for Ellie for as long as you could, and now she's with someone she truly loves. Someone that makes her happy and treats her right."
"You deserve that too,mija."
Chuckling, I shake my head, turning to look back out the window, staring into the dark night sky.
"Eliana and I are very different people,Papá. She's always wanted this fairy-tale life, and because of that, you sheltered her from a lot of things. I'm the opposite, and you know it. That's why you taught me everything I needed to know about our life. Honestly, I always knew if I were to get married, it'd be like this. I've only ever allowed myself to like one man in life, and we all know that didn't end well."
"You can't let one bad experience taint your opinion and your views on men forever, Lissa."
I shrug, turning back to face him.
"What does it matter now? I'm getting married tomorrow, and unfortunately, it's something I can't get out of."
"I'm sorry, Alicia."
"You don't have to be. This was my choice, and I'm going to see it through. Even if it makes me miserable."
Chapter Eight
Dominic
Staring up at the tall, wooden doors that lead into the grand foyer at the entrance of the wedding venue my mother had picked out, I sigh in defeat before walking inside, joining the chaos of people rushing around and setting things up.
A woman dashes past me with an arrangement of flowers in her hands, and I pause.
"You've got to be kidding me," I grumble, following after the woman who hurries down a long white corridor before disappearing through a set of double doors.
