Isabella stared numbly out the limousine window, watching the Chicago city streets pass by in a blur. In just an hour, she would be walking down the aisle to marry a man she'd only met once - Luca Carmine, enforcer for the Rossi crime family.
She pressed a hand against her knotted stomach. Her father, notorious mafia kingpin Vincent Rossi, had arranged this marriage alliance with the rival Carmine family to consolidate power. She was just a pawn in her father's endless games.
The limo pulled up to Our Lady of Sorrows church, and Isabella stepped out, her voluminous white dress trailing behind her. She moved through the motions robotically, barely hearing the priest's words.
Luca's icy blue eyes stared straight ahead, no flicker of emotion on his harsh, sculpted face. His reputation as a ruthless killer preceded him. After years of facing death without flinching, was he even capable of love?
After vows were exchanged, Luca lifted her veil coldly. Isabella shivered as his lips brushed hers, then he turned and strode down the aisle without a backward glance.
At the reception, while Luca networked stoically, Isabella downed champagne, desperately trying to settle her nerves. Their marriage was a farce, a business deal. She would never love this stone-hearted stranger.
Her new life felt like a death sentence.
The rest of the lavish wedding reception passed by in a blur. Isabella plastered on a fake smile as she posed obediently for photos and made small talk with mafia dignitaries.
Inside, she felt numb and despondent. Her dreams of falling in love, getting married and having a family seemed to evaporate the moment she said "I do" to the aloof Luca.
They endured the drive to their opulent new mansion in stony silence. Isabella gazed out at the city lights, wondering how her life had ended up here. She never wanted to be part of the "family business." Her childhood had been lonely, with only bodyguards and servants for company. She yearned for normalcy.
At the mansion, Luca wordlessly showed her to their bedroom and adjoining suites. "I'll be in my study. Don't wait up," he said curtly before disappearing.
Alone in the gigantic bedroom, Isabella slowly peeled off the heavy wedding dress, letting it pool at her feet. She unpinned her dark hair, pulled it into a high ponytail and padded into the bathroom to take a shower. Half an hour later, she crawled into the massive canopy bed shivering as she pulled the silk sheets up to her chin.
Sleep did not come easy. At some point she drifted off from emotional exhaustion, only to be awoken in the early morning hours by the other side of the bed.
Luca's solid, warm presence next to her was unnerving. She lay there stiffly until sunrise, wondering how she could survive this loveless marriage.
What had she got herself into?
Comments