chapter 1

ACROSS THE RED ROSE GARDEN

: THE DECISION

Arabella's POV

“Why Father? Why should I marry that monster?” My voice cracked, tears blurring my vision as I dropped to my knees, crawling toward him. “I'm sorry for whatever I did wrong. Please, I promise I'll fix it. Just don't make me marry him, Father.”

I clutched his trousers with trembling hands but he didn’t move. He only stared down at me with an expression I had never seen before. Cold. Emotionless. As though he had already made peace with destroying my life.

Behind him, Mother stood with tears streaming silently down her face. I released his legs and crawled towards her instead, wrapping my arms around her knees.

“Mother… you won't let him do this, will you?”

She covered her mouth, struggling to hold back a sob, and something inside me shattered.

“You don't love me anymore, do you?”

Her head snapped up. “No, Arabella. Don't ever say that.”

“Then stop him!” My voice echoed through the room, but she looked away and that was all the answer I needed.

Slowly I released her and pushed myself to my feet. My legs trembled, but I forced myself to face my father.

“I am not marrying Alessandro Hawthorne, never.” I repeated, wiping my cheeks. “I would rather die than marry that man.”

“ARABELLA!” My father’s eyes hardened as he stepped toward me. “You will marry Alessandro Hawthorne. That is final.”

“Why? Why does it have to be me? What have I done to deserve this?” I whimpered but he said nothing.

I looked between him and my mother, desperately waiting for one of them to tell me this is a joke. “Why should I pay for something I didn't do? Why should I be thrown to a man who doesn't have a heart? He's the devil himself, Father, and you're sending me straight into the fire!”

My father turned his back on me. “This marriage has already been decided.”

“No! You cannot decide who I marry. This is my life. It doesn’t belong to you.”

His jaw tightened. “I see I've spoiled you too much. Too much freedom, too much comfort. And now you’ve forgotten what it means to obey your family.”

“I am not disobeying you! I'm simply begging you to reconsider!”

“You are defying me.”

“There's a difference father!”

“Enough.” His voice cut through the room. “You have two weeks. In fourteen days, you will marry Alessandro Hawthorne. Do not embarrass this family, and do not attempt anything foolish.” He walked away before I could answer.

I stood there, staring after him, unable to believe what had just happened. Mother reached for me, but I pulled away. I couldn't bear to look at her anymore,without another word, I ran upstairs and threw myself onto my bed. I buried my face in the pillows and screamed, I am twenty years old and I had just been sentenced to a life I didn't want. A knock interrupted my thoughts.

“Go away!”

The door opened anyway and Catalina stepped inside, her expression changing when she saw me curled up on the bed. “Bella…”

“Not now, Cat.”

She approached slowly and sat beside me. “What are you going to do, big sis?”

I pushed myself upright and wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. “I'm going to run away.”

Her eyes widened. “Arabella!”

“What?” I snapped. “Would you rather watch me marry that monster?”

“Daddy will be furious!”

“Let him be furious!” I said and jumped off the bed and began pacing. “There's no way I'm spending the rest of my life trapped with Alessandro Hawthorne. I'd rather disappear than let that happen.”

Catalina grabbed my wrist. “Please, don't do anything stupid. You know how Daddy gets when he's angry.”

I stopped and looked at her. “Listen to me, Cat. You're still too young to understand this. But one day, you'll realize that if you let other people make every decision for you, you'll wake up one morning and discover you no longer have a life of your own.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “But what if he finds you?”

“Then I'll make sure he never gets the chance.” I didn't know how I would do it, I only knew I had to try.

That night, after Catalina left, I locked my bedroom door and pulled my suitcase from the wardrobe. I packed a few clothes, my passport, and the money I had secretly saved over the years. Then I opened my laptop and searched for the earliest flight I could afford. I didn't need a perfect plan. I needed a head start, by midnight, I had found a flight leaving in three days. In three days, I could make it. I would leave before dawn, take a taxi to the airport, and disappear before my father even realized I was gone.

For the first time that evening, I felt something other than fear. Hope. I tucked my passport into my handbag and hid the suitcase beneath my bed. Tomorrow, I will find a way out of this house, tomorrow, I will begin my new life. Or so I thought.

The following morning, I was halfway down the stairs when I heard my father's voice coming from his study. “She's planning to run away?”

I froze and my blood turned cold. Another voice answered, too low for me to make out, then my father spoke again. “I don't care what it takes. Increase security around the estate. No one lets her leave without my permission.”

I pressed a hand over my mouth, He knew. How? My fingers tightened around the banister as I listened.

“And contact the Hawthornes,” he continued. “Tell them the wedding is being moved forward. No later than next week. I want the ceremony completed before she has another chance to do something foolish.”

My heart stopped. Next week? He was moving the wedding forward by an entire week. I stumbled backward, barely catching myself before my heel struck the edge of the step. As the study door opened, I scrambled around the corner, my heart hammering as footsteps approached.

“Arabella?” My father's voice stopped me in my tracks, slowly, I turned, he stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. His gaze dropped to the handbag clutched against my chest. Then he looked back at me. “Going somewhere, sweetheart?”

The word sounded like a threat, I couldn't speak, he walked toward me, stopping just inches away. “You should have listened to me.”

My throat tightened. “Father, I…”

“Your wedding will take place in seven days, and this time, Arabella, I will make certain you have nowhere to run.”

He turned and walked away, I remained frozen on the staircase, my entire body trembling. Seven days. I had seven days left before I became Alessandro Hawthorne's wife. And judging by the look in my father's eyes, escaping would be much harder than I had imagined.