Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“Is it more so than usual?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“You’re a Moretti marrying the next Vitale king,” she huffs. “Not only do both sides want me to perform a miracle by giving them the wedding of the century in zero time, but they want it all done quietly. The guests don’t even know where the ceremony is being held. They’ll be transported to the location that day after they’ve been screened.”
An invisible weight presses against my chest as I consider that. Paranoia isn’t unusual in the Cosa Nostra, but this seems like overkill.
“What, do they think the Stavros brothers will have me killed?”
“Dio mio!” Valentina rushes to make the sign of the cross. “Don’t give yourself the malocchio, Abella. You know that’s what everyone is already thinking. You don’t need to give life to it.”
“You’ve spent too much time around Nonna Vitale.” I smirk.
“Well, maybe it’s not true,” she says. “But you can never be too careful…just in case.”
“The Stavros brothers aren’t going to hurt me,” I assure her.
“Of course not,” she agrees, but I can still see the concern in her eyes as she shoves her tablet onto my lap. “There are some ideas for the centerpieces. All I need you to do is look them over and tell me which variation you like.”
My eyes glaze over as I scan the images, not really seeing them. Truthfully, I don’t care about any of it. The colors, the decorations, the theme. I could get married in a paper sack, and I wouldn’t even notice. This wedding, the marriage, and all its expectations are suffocating the life out of me. I’m only surviving on autopilot because I’ve been trained from birth to understand that even if the world is on fire, I better still have a smile on my face. It’s the Moretti way. No matter what cards life has dealt me, I’ve always kept my chin up and my heels high as I soldiered on. But lately, I feel like a thread that’s started to unravel, and I don’t know how to stop it.
“Abella?”
“Hmm.” I glance up to meet Val’s worried gaze.
She takes a seat beside me on the sofa and sets the tablet onto the table, turning it off. “You aren’t even here.”
“Can’t you just pick these things out?” I ask her. “I trust your selections.”
“You trust it so much you’ve let me plan your entire wedding.” She frowns. “Don’t you care about any of it?”
I lean back against the cushion and blow out a breath as I stare up at the ceiling. I don’t know how to answer that without giving too much away.
“I remember how happy you were when we were planning your wedding to Angelo,” she says softly. “You were determined to make it perfect. Now it seems like you don’t care about anything.”
“I was naïve to expect happiness in a marriage.” I sigh. “You know that as well as I do.”
Val sits with that sentiment for a minute before she glances in the direction of our father’s office. We both know he’s in there, and because his door is almost always cracked, he could be listening. Fortunately for us, Val and I were the only ones who bothered to learn ASL when our mother lost her hearing. We’ve always used it when we need to communicate silently, and as it turns out, she’s on the same page.
There are other options. She signs. If you really don’t want this, we can use the Aegis network to help you escape.
For the briefest of moments, I allow myself to consider that fantasy before I shake my head. I won’t chance exposing my friends, and my situation isn’t nearly as dire as the other women we’ve helped.
It’s too much of a risk, I reply. If I slight the Vitale family, there will be a bounty on my head before I can blink twice, and you know it would come straight from Papà.
So we make it look like something happened to you, she answers. You could go overboard on the way to the island. Or a rival family takes you.
I can’t help but laugh at the last suggestion, considering I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what happened with my stalker.
What’s so funny? Val asks.
I consider dodging the question, but it will only hurt her more if I hide this from her, too. I’ve done enough of that already. And besides that, I need confirmation that I’m not losing my mind.
What you said about a rival family taking me, I sign back. I’m not sure who, but someone already did.
The color drains from her face as she waits for me to elaborate, but she only appears more unsettled as I go on to explain everything that happened. And by everything, I do mean everything. Once I start, I can’t seem to stop. I tell her about my dreams, the masked stalker, the texts, the gifts, and what happened at work. All of it. And when I finish, we sit in silence for a good long minute as she processes.