CHAPTER 4

One week after, I'm standing in front of the mirror while my mother is helping out with my dress.

The last one week was hell.

The Scent never returned but the fear remained. 

Everywhere I went within the last one week, I expected that Scent to reappear but it never did.

"You look beautiful." My mother whispered to me.

When I looked at her, she was tearing up already.

I just stood there, unsure of what to do.

She came to stand in front of me, taking my hands, "I'm so sorry, Pari."

Tears were already streaming down her face, "I wanted to dress you up for your wedding to the man that you truly love."

She took the family's heirloom off her neck and wrapped it around mine.

I've always wanted to wear that, for the right person.

"I wanted to share jokes with you to ease the wedding nerves and then tell you how your husband won't be able to take his eyes off you. I wanted to see you smile in genuine happiness because you found love."

Her words were begining to make me tear up too.

"I promise you, my darling I never wanted this for you."

She held my face in her hands and placed her forehead on mine, "I can't say it enough and even if I could, it wouldn't reverse the situation. I am sorry, Pari."

"I am sorry that your life had to end up this way because of your father and I. I never wanted any of this for any of us." 

Slowly, I places my hands on her shoulders.

I didn't know what to say or do.

A knock on the doors interrupted our moment, "Isabella?"

I blinked the tears away before leaving.

"You look beautiful." My father smiled as I exited my room.

"She does." My mother walked behind us.

Before leaving in a different car, she exchanged hugs with me and my father.

I thought he would apologize like my mother but he didn't.

"You will be better protected and respected as his wife than as my daughter."

His words made me laugh, "I will be better protected by Criminals than my own father?"

"Do not ruin this for any of us, Isabella. I understand your feelings toward this marriage but overtime, you'll appreciate it." 

He easily defended criminals in Court, I can't believe I was actually expecting him to show any remorse for what he was putting me through.

Sooner than I wanted, we arrived at the Cathedral.

This was it.

This was really happening.

All eyes turned to us as my father led me down the aisle but my attention was solely on the man standing at the alter.

He was the only person who didn't turn around to look at me.

The closer we drew to the altar, the more familiar he looked.

All of a sudden, my nervousness was replaced with something else.

I stopped in my tracks, shaking helplessly.

"No." I almost choked on the word.

There was no way in hell that this was happening.

Each intake I took of that Scent, corrupted the oxygen in my lungs.

My dad gently pulled my arm but that wasn't enough to get me moving again.

When he turned around, I almost collapsed.

Those icy blue eyes stared into the depths of my soul.

Noticing my reaction to his reappearance, he smiled.

I have never seen a smile so threatening.

In one long stride, he was standing in front of me, filling my lungs with mint and Citrus, almost suffocating me to death.

"I'll take her." He spoke to my father but those lifeless orbs remained on me.

Without arguing, my father nodded and walked away to his seat.

It wasn't just about their deal, there was no way my father could argue with this man when his aura could shift the atmosphere and stop your organs from working properly.

Even the wind stopped moving around this man.

Even in my drunk state that night, I could feel the darkness he moved around with.

Diavolo.

The church watched silently as I took his outstretched hand and walked to the altar with him.

I tried to wiggle out of his cold hold but he wouldn't allow it so I stopped struggling.

"You may begin, Father." He instructed the old priest.

"Brethren, today, we are gathered here…."

I zoned out, lost in my new reality.

I had prayed that I had just imagined the Scent that day but my prayers fell to the ground.

He had said he wouldn't attend the engagement party.

He lied. He showed up that evening to taunt me and remind me of what I had done.

It all clicked together now, why he wouldn't accept monetary pay back from my parents.

This marriage was going to be his revenge against me.

How was he even alive?

His smile didn't drop or falter, not even when he said his vows to me.

He was enjoying every bit of this.

It was only our wedding day and I wanted to run away already.

"You may kiss the bride." The priest announced as we finished our vows.

I felt a sense of panic wash over me as he leaned in for the kiss.

The world came to a standstill when our lips touched.

"Isabella Pari Morretti. I like the sound of that." His words mirrored my words from four years ago.

He was surprisingly gentle with the kiss, tugging at my bottom lip a little before letting go.

He was grooming me for my days in hell.

The Congregation jumped in happiness, cheering loudly.

It was official. I was married to the Devil now and no one could save me.

As we walked away from the altar, I looked at my parents.

While my dad sighed in relief that I didn't ruin his deal, my mother covered her face to hide her tears.

A limousine was already waiting outside the church when we stepped out.

The Chauffeur attempted to open the door but my husband stopped him and opened it for me instead.

A tear finally broke free when I got into the car.

There was no escaping him now.

Was he going to shoot me here?

"Congratulations, Boss." The driver smiled at him.

To my utmost surprise, instead of ripping his head off for speaking to him, he nodded at him.

I clutched my family's heirloom, imagining the different ways he could unalive me in this car.

Shooting me dead was way too easy.

The devil didn't like easy.

When he let his hand drop to my thigh,

I died twice.

"You're oddly quiet." He took his time, inspecting every exposed skin of my body.

"You were quit the spitfire that night."

He leaned closer, bringing his other hand to my lips, "Don't tell me it was the alcohol."

"We've arrived, boss." The driver announced.

I greedily breathed in plenty of air when he moved away from me.

He got out, opened the door for me and held his hand out.

He was going to make me pay for every kind gesture, soon enough.

As we entered the reception hall, I was hit with a wave of noise and color.

The party had started before we even arrived.

People were eating, drinking and laughing happily.

"Do your legs hurt?"

"What?" I looked at him.

"You were wearing sneakers that night. I assumed you weren't good with heels. If your legs hurt, we'll seat." He pointed at the highest table in the room.

That must be our table.

"Oh." 

Why was he being so thoughtful after I almost killed him?

Plus, he was supposed to be Diavolo.

Somehow, his dark aura had shifted into something unexpectedly warm.

"So do you need to seat?" 

"No, I'm fine."

"Thank you." I quickly added.

The lady from the engagement party walked up to us.

We both rolled our eyes the moment we saw each other.

"Congratulations Enzo." She was the first to speak.

I was shocked to hear her call him by his name to his face.

He didn't seem to care though.

"I'm not standing alone, Cleo." He left my hand to wrap his arm around my waist.

Cleo's entire face became redder than the blush on her cheek as she struggled and failed to hide her embarrassment.

"Congratulations to New York's newest couple." She corrected herself.

"Wear a smile when you speak to my wife, Cleo, even if it's a fake one." I tried to focus on how the warm air around him was begining to shift back to that dangerous atmosphere from the church and not how my face was beginning to heat up from the way he addressed me.

"Congratulations, Enzo and Patria Morretti." Her smile was obviously fake but she smiled anyways.

I wanted to know what he would have done to her, had she objected but she quickly walked away when someone else approached us.

As the evening drew near, Enzo kept introducing me to people at the party, only addressing me as his wife.

I eventually got tired and had to sit.

I got some time to think about an escape plan when he left to speak to a few other people.

I couldn't find my parents in the crowd so I didn't bother to look for them.

Honestly, I just wanted to be anywhere but here.

With every kind gesture this man showed me, my fear doubled.

Why was he acting like I hadn't almost murdered him?

I'm still lost in thoughts when I heard someone scream.