“This is bullshit.”Blaze Castelli curses as he storms back into his dressing room, his brother and father in tow. “Blaze-““I thought we would be able to get through this as fast as possible, but instead, I’m stuck waiting for her.” He scoffs. “What kind of bride is late to her own wedding?”“One who doesn’t wish to be married.” Lucius says, taking a seat and looking up calmly at his son as he gives a reminder. “It would do you well to remember that you are not the only one opposed to this arrangement. Liviana wants this no more than you do.”“I don’t care what she wants.” He says. “I care about our reputation, and she is putting that in jeopardy right now. What will they think when the wedding is pushed back an hour, or two ⏤ however long it takes for her to get a hold of herself? They’re going to think she’s tried to run, just like her sister. What then? What will they think of us? Of me? Having chased off two brides? They’re going to start questioning our capabilities to hold dow
“May I have your attention, please?” With the voice of Elara Castelli sounding through the speakers, heads are quick to turn. The woman stands in the middle of the room, a microphone in hand and a smile on her face as she looks around. Lucius is by her side, his arm around her back as he addresses the rooms full of guests with a mic of his own.“Thank you. Now, if you’ll turn to the door, we would like to welcome our wonderful family and its recent additions.” He says, turning to where the family was already filing in.Leona and Amara lead Armani and Violet, the Castelli’s before the Santora’s who follow behind the rest.“And now, finally, for the first time tonight, it will be my honor to announce the newlyweds.” Elara goes on, her smile growing as the freshly married couple appear through the curtains. “Please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Castelli.”“Please, put your hands together for Blaze and Liviana.” Lucius adds, and as if that was the permission they needed, applause sounds through t
“I love you.” Liviana sniffles, arms wrapped tightly around her brother as they say their goodbyes. “And I’m going to miss you so much.”“I know it’s like impossible and all, because I’m so amazing, but don’t miss me too much.” He says, holding onto her just as tight as she chuckles at his egotistical words. “But don’t miss me too much. This isn’t a permanent goodbye, you know?”“I know, but still.” She mumbles, pulling away and wiping away her tears. “You’re my baby brother, and I’m going to miss you so much. It’s going to be so strange not being with you every day.”“I know, but we’re still going to talk every day.” He promises, forcing a small smile as he does his best to hold back his own tears. “We’ll call and text, and we’ll visit as much as possible, right?”“Yeah, of course.” She nods, giving a sad smile. “Promise?” She holds up her pinky, the boy laughing as he connects his to hers. “Promise.”“As much as I hate to break this up, you really have to get going.” Violet gently
“You’re surprisingly childish, you know?” Liviana pipes, arms crossed as she stares at the man across from her, a challenging look in her eyes as she looks him up and down. “For a man with a reputation such as yours.”“And what reputation is that?” Blaze asks, holding her gaze well as he waits for her to start fumbling, whether it be with her words or the new confidence she had been clutching onto throughout the day, an act he knew she would let slip sooner or later. “You know which one I’m talking about.”“Do I?” He asks, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans forward, acting as if this were business now, yet his voice was still low with a rasp as he spoke to her, his demeanor different from when he was dealing with anyone else. Liviana watches him, nodding and mumbling out a ‘yeah’.“Spell it out for me.” Blaze says. “After all, I have a fair amount of different reputations. I need some clarity on which you’re referring to.”“The reputation of being a heartless, emotionless,
Pulling the knitted sweater over her head and tucking it into the top of her jeans, Liviana takes a breath, having a silent debate with herself through the mirror to decide if she wanted to do her makeup or not.She knew that if Drusilla were here, the decision would already have been made.“You need to have a face on at all times, Liviana. Being seen without your mask is like walking the streets exposed. It’s despicable and, quite frankly, disturbing.”Her mother’s speech would change every so often, giving the evaluation of a woman walking about without a face being similar to one of those cats without fur, something Drusilla referred to as disgusting.But Drusilla wasn’t there, Liviana had to remind herself. Her mother wouldn’t be waiting outside the bathroom door to ridicule her for looking horrendous without her makeup to cover any and all of her flaws, such as the small beauty mark hidden by her hairline, a mark her mother constantly reminded her about by speaking of how ugly it
A safe haven. That’s what Liviana realized this plane ride was. A stop in heaven before arriving in hell - if hell was disguised as a beautiful island, a private paradise. Which, in her case, it was.Liviana lays in her bed, in this beautiful room she had been given in one of the four large vacation homes that the Castelli’s had built on their island, and apparently, this one was specially made for her and Blaze, because every married couple deserves their own private space, even when on a vacation. Liviana was still trying to grasp the thought of it being tradition for every married Castelli to get their own home as a wedding gift, as if Elara and Lucius were giving one final gift after a life of taking care of their children who were their problem no more, a house acting as a college fund would for a young adult going off into the world for the first time alone. It was a strange, expensive gesture, one she never would have dreamed she would be on the receiving end of, yet here she
“It’s about time you call.”Liviana chuckles, a soft noise as she nods in agreement. “Yeah, I know.”“Where’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you since you left.”“I know, I’m sorry.” She sighs. “I’ve just been... busy, I guess.”“Too busy to call your own brother?” Tino scoffs. “That’s just mean.”Liviana scoffs a laugh, nodding as she agrees. “Yeah, I’m just so mean. Neglecting my poor baby brother.” The sarcasm was clear in her tone as the siblings share a laugh. “So, what are you up to?” He asks. “What’s been keeping your schedule so packed that you couldn’t even take time out of your oh so busy day to call your favorite sibling?”Liviana chuckles. “I don’t know if I’d call you my favorite sibling.” She teases the boy, who immediately scoffs in defense.“Who else would be the favorite? Emilia?” He scoffs again at the thought. “No way.”Liviana couldn’t help the way her smile faltered at the mention of their sister, but she’s quick to shake it off, forcing a laugh. “Well, you got
Liviana had always heard that flashback come at the worst times. Something happens, a loud noise that takes you back to a certain moment, or perhaps someone says a phrase that is so painfully familiar that it makes the one that replays in the back of your mind a hundred times a day so loud it’s impossible to ignore, it just keeps going, getting louder and louder until finally, you snap, and you’re ready to do anything to make it stop.Only when you’re triggered, there’s nothing to make it stop. Suddenly, you can’t breathe. You’re swarmed by all those memories you tried so hard to forget and you get trapped in the middle, stuck in your head as the trauma eats you alive. They did always say remembering things you don’t want to remember hurts. Livi didn’t understand until now, as she stares down the barrel of a gun with her husband on the other end, only in her head, it wasn’t Blaze behind the weapon; it was another man, one who haunted the absolute worst of her dreams, ones that couldn