Then it hits me like a fist to the sternum.
The wedding.
I close my lids, my hands lifting to my eyes, and I rub frantically. This has to be a dream. Scratch that, I mean nightmare.
But with my lids shut, an image plays out in my mind of Lorenzo’s mouth on mine.
My lungs seize. I sit up so fast the room tilts.
I’m married to a man who hates me.
Great. Just fucking great.
The man looks at me like he wants to kill me. Seeing as he works for the Mafia, something tells me it would be an easy task for him.
I slide out of the bed, my legs shaky. Thinking of my death is not how I want to spend my day. I need to come up with a plan and start.
The cold floor shocks me as I make my way across the room to grab clothes.
Last night it was fully stocked with things for me to wear, so this is a good place to start.
I yank open the wardrobe and grab the first thing I see—a soft gray sweater, fitted black pants, and flats.
Easy, neutral,forgettable.
Maybe if I stay far away from him, he’ll forget that I exist, and maybe hell would have to freeze over for that to happen.
Then something else captures my gaze.
A pebble.
It looks just like the ones he used to leave for me, but he wouldn’t do that now, right?
My hand reaches out and my fingers touches it.
No.It’s just a coincidence.
With a shake of my head, I step back and get to work of getting dressed. I have no time for the past.
Once I’m fully dressed, I brush my hair until it looks like it belongs to someone whose life hasn’t imploded. But the moment I step into the hallway, the panic returns. It creeps up my spine.
Even though I saw the place last night, I’m not prepared for what I’m seeing in the fresh light of the day.
This mansion is enormous.
Gorgeous too.
I walk past room after room, each one somehow colder than the last.
A formal sitting room full of furniture no one will ever sit on. A music room with an untouched grand piano. A sunroom drowning in light, and a library with shelves that stretch so high that I’m happy a ladder hangs from one of the shelves.
Every door that I’ve opened is another reminder that this is now my life.
I try to breathe.I really do.
But then I push open the next door, and my blood freezes.
What is this place?
