Chapter 003: The Bridal Suite Breakdown.

Sapphire’s POV.

I honestly don’t know how I made it through the rest of the ceremony at the altar.

I don’t even remember saying my vows, nor do I remember the weight of Salvatore’s lips pressing against mine as he sealed me into this prison of a marriage.

All I know is that the moment I stepped away from that altar, he was still around.

Nico.

He was still watching me. His eyes was burned into my skin like some sort of accusation. A question or a promise.

I did not dare meet his gaze. I just couldn’t. Not anymore.

I could feel his rage and anger swirling in the air around me like a storm about to break. So I did the only thing I could. I tried to hide.

The moment the first part of the ceremony ended, I made some excuse to Alessia, my friend. I told her that I needed to change, that the reception dress was waiting for me upstairs and that I could go alone.

She of course hesitated, she knew me too well after all. But in the end, she nodded.

And so I slipped away.

The bridal suite was well away from the reception venue and thus quiet. The exact quietness I needed to hear my own thoughts properly.

I shut the door behind me and pressed my hands against the vanity before letting it all rush out.

All the thoughts I had held inside.

I could not believe it all, it just didn’t seem real. It couldn’t be.

How could the man I got married to have been the father of the one and only man I’d ever loved. How? Just how?

What sort of cruel fate was this?

It couldn’t be real. It was not supposed to be like this.

It could have been anyone else. It should have been another faceless, soulless powerful man, any other man, not Nico’s father.

I swallowed hard as I tried to push back the memories that were threatening to claw their way to the surface.

The way Nico touched me last night, the way he kissed me like he wanted to consume me. The way his heart was broken with every word I said to him minutes after it all.

I didn’t want to say any of those words, but I had to. I just had no choice but to end it all there. All I had wanted was to have my first time with the man I loved and not some old monster I was getting married to.

I may have been using him but I still loved him so much, I just didn’t have a choice as my freedom was already sold and I just had to live with it.

A soft knock on the door interrupted my deep thoughts as I quickly scrambled out of the dress I was in, into the reception dress before responding, “come in.”

The door opened behind me but I did not turn.

“Alessia,” I murmured as I reached for the zipper at the back of my dress, “I’m almost done, the zipper is what is delaying me, can you help?”

I did not get a response but I did not think anything of it either, Alessia has never been chatty, plus my own mind was already jumbled up as well anyways.

I focused on my left hand instead, on the ring that probably cost so much, a ring I wished I could throw into the deepest sea.

But then strong hands grazed my back and my breath immediately stopped, because I knew this touch. And it definitely wasn’t Alessia.

I looked up, into the mirror before me and then I almost choked on my own spit.

Nico.

Nico was the one right behind me, standing so close to me. Too close to me.

I stiffened as my fingers curled against the vanity.

He did not move and neither did I as we both stared into each other’s eyes through the mirror.

My back was bare and exposed to him while his hand still hovered near the zipper, not pulling it up nor down. Just grazing against my skin instead.

He should not be here. I did not want him to be here.

Except, I did. I wanted to turn around, to reach for him, I wanted to undo all the destruction I’ve caused, but I couldn’t. So I didn’t.

Instead, I forced myself to move first, clutching my gown tighter against my chest as I turned to face him.

With an invisible mask to hide my feelings, I lifted my chin and made sure that my voice was cool, crisp and as indifferent as possible. “Well, what on earth are you doing in the bridal suite?”

I tilted my head a little as my lips burned into a mocking smile, “have you come to congratulate your new mother or something?”

At the last statement, his expression shifted, just a little bit before he then moved. It was a slow and deliberate movement towards me and he closed the distance until the heat of his body was suffocating against mine.

My breath went hard, but I refused to let him see it. I could not afford to appear weak to him. I needed to stand my ground and make sure we end whatever was happening before it gets all blown up in my face.

He leaned in before speaking in a low mocking voice, “No.”

And then his tone sharpened, “I only came to revive my manners. Since you clearly prefer the company of old men, I should have been more polite. Maybe I should have called you ma’am while you were in my bed.”

A sharp inhale found it’s way to my nostrils while my grip tightened on the silk, because for one second, just one, my body betrayed me.

My body remembered it all. His hands, his mouth, his body pressing me into the mattress and pinning me down as he—

I quickly shoved the memory away as my fingers twitched.

He was angry. So angry. But what on earth was he expecting? Did he expect me to apologize or something? What did he want from me? Why was he doing this?

Knowing that if I kept on encouraging him this way, he would not stop and that would mean I was simply inviting fire, one that could burn both of us to ashes. I decided there and then that I needed to do what I must. I needed to make myself as cruel as I could.

“You’re mistaken, Mr. Moreti.” My voice was cold. “There was never a bed, it was just a night. One that is already forgotten, or are you so hung up on one flimsy night? One would think you were the virgin and not me. It’s just sex and nothing more, and whatever we had before that, a relationship or what not, it’s done as well. I’m sure I made that clear enough last night.”

Lies. They were all brutal, ugly but necessary lies.

Nico’s jaw flexed, and then he moved again making sure I had nowhere to go. His body was practically on mine now as my back hit the vanity causing the perfume bottles on it to rattle.

He caged me in, his palm flat against the mirror beside my head. His eyes burned into mine.

“Tell me, Sapphire. " His voice was a little softer now, but I could still decipher the undertone of anger and danger in it. " Did you really leave me just to marry my father?"

It took every ounce of willpower in me to not look away from his strong gaze on me, I had to hold it. " What else would it be?"

My eyes move to his fingers after I said that, they were twitching so bad by his sides, almost like he wanted to grab me, shake me or something. 

But instead of doing any of that, his lips suddenly curled in a dangerous manner. 

"So you are really admitting right now that you cheated on me? His voice dropped lower as he continued. "With my father? I mean, if it was really about the wealth and the power, why settle for the old dog when you could have had the young heir?"

My stomach clenched. Deep down, I wanted to shout that I was not cheating nor would I ever do that. That I did not know who his father was much more the fact that they were related. That I did not even know about this marriage until about a week ago. 

But how could I say any of that? What would it even change?

I was so sure that he would not even believe me anyways, he already made his conclusions about me. And honestly, I feel like it was better that way, better than letting things get out of hand and into the ears of Salvatore. He was a deadly man. And I can't risk my family or any ones's life for this. 

So I met his gaze once more, forced a smirk onto my lips and forced the words past the lump in my throat. Then I drew the final knife in.

"Because darling," I whispered. "Why would I chase the pup when I could get the beast itself? Why would I settle for the next of kin when I could in fact, become one myself?"