He can’t possibly have known I’ve been here the whole time, could he?I trap my lower lip between my teeth, wondering just how much trouble I’m going to be in for eavesdropping.
Before I have time to decide if I’m going to make a run for it, my second oldest brother, Marco, throws open the double-doors I’ve been glued to for the better part of an hour.
Towering over me, he cocks an eyebrow, silently chastising me even as his lips quirk in subtle amusement, and he gestures me inside.
Cheeks warming, I silently obey, keeping my eyes on the floor to try and hide my shame over getting caught eavesdropping. Without a word, my brothers file out behind me, leaving me alone with my parents.
“I thought that was your shadow hovering near the door,” my father says coldly, distaste clear in his tone. “You should know better than to listen in on conversations you’re not a part of. You’re no longer a child, Evi. And I assure you that kind of behavior won’t be tolerated by your husband.”
“My… husband?” I ask, eyes flicking up to meet my father’s irate gaze.
“Are you trying to be cheeky?” he demands. “Or is this your best attempt at pretending you weren’t eavesdropping? I would haveinvited you into the room if I’d wished for you to know all the fine details.”
Yes, because God forbid I have a single clue about what the future of our family might hold. My father has made it perfectly clear over the years that a woman’s opinion is best kept to herself—if she insists on having one at all.
My eyes flick unwittingly to my mother, whose face is perfectly impassive, as always, a beautiful and serene manifestation of the ideal woman.
I’ve tried to emulate her over the years, but while I know how to perform the responsibilities of a wife, I’ve never been able to control my emotions like she can.
Women like us are born to please.
To serve our husbands and provide children for them.
That is all.
The rest is just a burden.
“Sorry,Papá,” I murmur.
“And yes, we have finally secured one of the Chiaroscuro brothers for you.” My father’s smirk shines with a self-satisfaction that tells me this was no small feat. “If everything works out as we hope, this could elevate our family to unimaginable heights in the Mafia hierarchy,” he explains. “But, Evi, everything pivots on this alliance. That means you must present yourself asthe perfectbride.”
My stomach sinks even though I already know where he’s going with this. Because I’m terrible at secrets. Terrible at lying. My face gives me away every time.
“You’re not to breathe a word about your… condition. Under no circumstances can the Chiaroscuros find out about it before your wedding night. Is that understood?”
After years of hearing my parents say that I’ll only ever be a burden to our family because of my “condition”, I honestly don’t know what to say.
The truth settles like a ball of lead in my stomach as I think about the kind of damage our dishonesty might cause the already struggling Chiaroscuro family.
From the outside, I might look perfectly healthy—perfectlynormal. But I’m far from it.
I’m broken, damaged goods. And the only way my father could sell me off was to pretend I’m not.
The entire foundation of my betrothal has been built upon a lie. One I’ll be carrying with me into my marriage bed, it would seem.How long does he expect me to hold onto such a massive secret?My husband will figure it out eventually.
“For how long?” I ask softly, my heart lodging firmly in my throat, and again I find my eyes wandering to my mother, though I know she’ll be no help to me.
“For as long as necessary,” he growls. “As long as you can get away with it.”
“And when the Chiaroscuros do find out?” I ask, interlacing my fingers in front of me to stop them from trembling.
“Hopefully, we’ll have established our family name in the higher ranks by then, and they’ll look past it.
They can’t punish us for it if no one finds out we knew before we signed the marriage contract.
So, if you have any devotion to your family, you will take the truth to your grave.”
“Yes,Papá,” I murmur, swallowing down the anxiety and guilt as my eyes drop to the floor once more.
