The room fell silent as Clara stood there, the shattered plate at her feet. Her eyes were filled with shock and desperation, and she looked from Lucas to Camilla, pleading silently for a chance to explain herself."Lucas, please," Clara begged, her voice filled with desperation. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I never intended to come between you and Camilla."Camilla's eyes narrowed as she looked at Clara, her voice filled with anger and distrust. "You've caused enough damage already, Clara. I can't trust you anymore. I want you out of our lives."Clara's face fell, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I promise, Camilla," she said, her voice shaky. "I won't interfere in your relationship with Lucas. I'll be professional and stay out of your way."Lucas looked between the two women, torn between his loyalty to Clara and his determination to salvage his relationship with Camilla. He knew that keeping Clara around would only make things more complicated, but he also couldn't ign
CAMILLA'S POV Six moons had passed since my departure from the United States to Italy alongside Papa. The experience had been unbearable; Papa made me improve my combat skills each day, a sacrifice that now seemed useful. While Camillo thrived in college with Ivy, excelling in football as he had promised Papa and I. The unavoidable day arrived sooner than anticipated—Papa had arranged a union for me. I had no interest in marriage; I avoided relationships entirely, damaged by Dante's betrayal. The thought of being married off to a random, bald, older man with a stomach overshadowing his cranium disgusted me. Regardless of my feelings, the inevitable was emerging—a pact struck with Papa upon my arrival in Italy. In Papa's office, we awaited the late arrival of the future groom. Papa glanced at his watch for the sixth time. An hour had gone, and I was becoming so impatient. "Perhaps he won't come. If he does, inform him he wasted your time and call off the arrangement." During my s
2 WEEKS LATER Things were moving fast. The wedding was scheduled for the upcoming week. Standing in front of a bridal shop, I held a simple note from him instructing me to try on my dress for the impending ceremony. His lack of communication irked me, especially after leaving me hanging the other day. He hadn't given me the opportunity to contribute to the wedding planning. Checking the back of the note for additional information, I hoped for a contact number or email, but it was blank. Frustrated, I sighed and decided to enter the bridal shop with a forced smile. I am Camilla Rocco, and I refuse to let my fiancé bring me down. Smiles are my usual demeanor, except when I'm genuinely angry. I hadn't even informed Camillo or anyone from my dance crew about my engagement. "May I help you?" a polite worker asked as I entered. "Yes, I'm here to try on a dress. I'm Camilla Rocco." She raised an eyebrow, seemingly perplexed by my brief introduction. "I'm not sure what to tell you. Lucas
I wiped away the tears rolling down my eyes as I played with my engagement ring on my finger. My engagement ring? I never imagined my wedding to be this way. Tomorrow will be when I would willingly tie myself to a notorious psychopath. Tomorrow, I would begin a life of enduring constant disrespect. The past few days has been heartbreaking and hard for me. Tears flowed freely down my face, and I sought solace in dancing at the public studio, only to return to the cycle of tears once more. Last night, in a desperate attempt to distract myself from my miserable life, I ventured to a club, longing for an escape I decided to get laid one last time before committing my forever to him. Prayers filled my thoughts, eagerly wishing he'd reject me, I was so disgusted by his presence. The fear of potential harm haunted me, a troubling uncertainty about what might happen if he ever laid hands on me. Yet, today, I made the painful decision to proceed with the marriage. It was a pact, a promise
The day i dreaded has come, and I was in a room filled with strangers seriously working on my hair and makeup. I had no idea who they were or where I was, but Lucas brought me here, and the others seemed to just make themselves available. Our supposed wedding was set to take place at a cathedral, a setting that struck me as odd given the questionable characters assembled to witness our union. "Ma'am, do you like it?" one of them inquired as she turned my chair to face the mirror. A smile crept across my face when I saw the transformation – beautiful makeup that struck the right balance, and my long, smooth black hair expertly curled. It was a departure from my usual straight style, and I loved it. I nodded in approval. "Yes." "Perfect! Let's get you in your dress now, okay?" she said, leading me to the dress. They swiftly laced it up and made the necessary adjustments. Despite it not being the dress i wanted, I had to admit I looked stunning. "Why did he choose this dress?" I asked
Seated at the dining table, I diligently worked on finishing the remaining food on my plate. Since we arrived, he has not said a single word to me. Not only did he not eat the meal with me, but he also distanced himself from me. Throughout the evening, he engaged himself in conversations with various people, i did not know if they were family or friends, I was not sure, as he had no intention to introduce me. While a few individuals identified themselves as associates of my father, there were no other introductions, leaving me wondering why. "May I have everyone's attention?" the MC announced, prompting us all to turn towards him. "A little birdy informed me that the bride is a dancer." Cheers erupted from the crowd. "Now, where is our groom? Our stomachs should be full by now, so let's have the bride and groom share their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Firmino!" The crowd cheered, but he frowned, well that is the only expression you can see on his face. He was obviously displeased
"Follow your husband's request and head home," echoed Papa's words in my mind as I sat in the back seat of the sleek black Range Rover. Home? Husband? These terms were strange to me until recently. Yesterday, my home was my father's house, and I was happily single. Now, I found myself married with a new home and husband. As we stopped by a security booth, an armed man emerged, and Bram nodded at me. I was growing convinced that Bram might be mute. The man peered through the window at me, I furrowed my eyebrow in confusion. He withdrew his head, nodded at Bram, and we drove off. As we advanced through a passage, probably leading to Lucas's house, I glanced out of the windshield and beheld the magnificent mansion I had ever seen. My jaw dropped. Was this now my home? "This is ridiculous," I murmured to myself as Bram opened the car door for me. Before me stood a magnificent white and grey mansion, twice the size of Papa's estate and four times larger than our house back in Ameri
I was woken by a loud ringing sound. I looked over at his phone, I saw the caller ID displaying."Dorian." I looked at him, he was still fast asleep. I tapped him and quickly pretended to sleep as the ringing stopped.He groaned deeply, and I heard him answer, already annoyed. "What? WHY THE HELL WILL YOU DO THAT? Come back now!"I flinched at his tone which i knew he noticed because he got up. I opened my eyes, and he was texting on his phone with his back turned to me. My eyes widened at the sight; his back was covered in bruises and scars.That must have hurt so bad. He looked over his shoulder, and our eyes locked. Quickly, he picked up the shirt which was on the chair by the side of the room, and he pulled it over his head. Turning to face me, he said, "Let's make some rules, Camilla.""Cammy," I insisted.He raised an eyebrow. "What?" "You can call me Cammy.""Why the hell would I do that?" He asked and moved on before I could answer. "First rule, we will call each other by our