10

Chapter 10

Guilia

I dared to peep through the keyhole and even though there was very little space for me to make out anything, I could see Alessio heading for our room. He was coming for me.

It had been six days since that conversation, the one that transformed my life. Once again, I was being held captive. Only this time my captor was my fiance. I was reminded that all Made men were the same, none better than the other, apart from Vladimir who had already given me trust issues.

However, he would never make me this miserable, at least not to the point of wishing for access to a tall window so I could throw myself off it and end it all.

As soon as I heard the keys clunking and clicking in the keyhole, I turned and ran for the bed and collapsed on it, earning a wince from Dalian. The doorknob twisted and my stomach twisted right along with it, and when the door was pushed open, I could swear I wanted to drag Dalian and disappear through the walls of the bedroom.

A crooked smile was plastered on his face as he dragged his feet into the room. “You look very beautiful this morning.” He remarked, as though we were on our honeymoon and he was bound to make comments about my looks every single morning.

The snort I’d been holding back made its way out of my throat before I could think, but I didn’t bother to apologize.

“You don't have to pretend to be observant about what I look like.” I told him indignantly.

“I’m very observant, Guilia. Now, I have good news for you.” His annoying smile broadened and I hoped that a part of the good news would include leaving Italy.

“Of course. It's my duty as your wife to always listen to everything you have to say.” Sarcasm rang hard in my voice.

He sighed and plopped down beside me on the bed, reaching for my hand which I subtly hid behind me . “We’ll be having another wedding ceremony soon.”

My eyes saw red with great fury spurring me to my feet.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I was surprised at how easily the curse word escaped my lips.

His shoulders bunched in a nonchalant shrug. “We never completed our nuptial vows before Vladimir broke into the hall and the good thing is that he won’t have the opportunity to do that again because we are getting married privately today.”

“What?”

Dalian’s cries calmed my rage as I dashed to him and threw him into my arms. “Stop crying, baby,” I said softly, rocking him gently until his eyes closed again and his breath slowed.

“You see that little boy right there,” He pointed at Dalian. I glowered at him.

“You should be thinking of him when making decisions.”

Of course, I was, it was why I was yet to plunge a knife into his chest. I wanted to tell him that, but the result wouldn’t be good so I nodded in agreement while thinking of a hundred and one ways I could escape this sham of a wedding before it happened.

“When will the ceremony begin and should we be expecting guests?” I suspected what his answer would be but I held my calm in place.

He shook his head. “No guests. In three hours, we’ll be exchanging our vows in front of the priest undisturbed. Just the two of us.” He completed the last statement with a cold smirk.

“Then what happens next? What becomes of me?”

“You’ll stay back and look after your pretty son while I go out there and find myself a new fling. Things didn’t work out well with the old one.” He rose from the bed, heading for the door but then he paused to spare me a glance over his shoulder.

“There’s a white dress waiting for you in the living room, pick it up and wear it. You have to stop looking like a dreary old widow.” He shut the door quietly behind him, and I listened, despite myself, at the sound of his fading footsteps.

I brought my palms to my face, breathing fast hot breaths into my palm. When I couldn't hold back the tears at bay anymore, I let the dam pour in torrents down my cheeks. Alessio was a psychopath and in my desperation to restore the family’s reputation and find a stable home for my son, I'd foolishly agreed to marry him without thinking of the consequences of my irrational and uninformed decision.

Threatening to expose his true sexuality in the public wouldn’t even suffice because there was no tangible proof whatsoever. And who knew, he might even kill me if he got wind of what I was trying to do.

I laid Dalian on the bed, my head cloudy with a fog of emotions, none of which allowed me to think clearly. Still, I had to act fast or I’d never survive this so I cleaned up my face and went to the living room. Indeed a box was waiting for me and when I opened it, the dress rolled out onto the chair.

My heart sank as I tried the dress on. For the second time, I was trying out a wedding dress. I didn’t want to infuriate Alessio any more than he already was, especially now that I was planning to get away from him.

The house was extremely quiet apart from Alessio’s voice that echoed from the porch. If he was out there, then I could get into his room and use his laptop to contact Vladimir. Swiftly, I moved into action and veered toward his room. Fortunately, the screen of his laptop was on and all I had to do was search for Vladimir's contact and send the message.

Just as I was set on following through with my plans, a thought struck my mind, erasing the courage I’d been able to muster. What if it was a setup? I thought to myself. What if he knew that my next line of action would be to try to reach Vladimir?

A shiver coursed through the length of my spine at the realization, but then I had already made it this far and leaving without doing anything at all would only add to my pile of regrets. I had to at least try.

After muttering a prayer I half believed in, I logged into G****e Mail with my email address and password and sent Ariel a cryptic message that only she would understand. With every fiber of my being, I hoped and prayed that she hadn’t dumped that email and if it was still active, that she would see it.

I logged out, cleared the tabs and deleted the history then skidded off to my room, my heart pounding hard against my chest.

Two hours later, a knock sounded on the door with Alessio poking his head in.

“It’s showtime.” He said with a little more enthusiasm than I expected, his eyes drinking in my appearance.

I wasn’t in the mood to look beautiful so I styled my blonde hair into a tight ponytail and left my face bare. “I’m ready.” I announced.

His gaze stopped at my hair, then dropped to my face. “I remember asking you to look beautiful,” He frowned.

I pretended to be indifferent about his disappointment.

“We should go, we don’t have much time.” He seemed to reconcile with the fact that I wasn't going to act like I was the happiest bride on her wedding day quicker than I had expected.

He took my arm and placed it in the crook of his elbow, steering us out of the room while I followed stiffly.

The world came to a halt as Alessio slid the tiny, shiny, silver, cold symbol of our union on my ring finger. He didn’t even bother to impress me, and somehow that only deepened my fears about him.

“In the presence of God and man, I now proclaim you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The priest announced in a flat monotone that did a lot to remind me of just how awkward our wedding ceremony was turning out to be.

I froze and shut my eyes in expectation of Alessio’s lips being planted on mine, and for a moment I wanted to revolt and push him away, but yet, I stood there calmly and our lips touched briefly before he pulled away. My eyes opened to his delirious grin and then he reached for my hand which I couldn’t push away.

We stopped at Dalian’s chair and instantly the events of the day rolled to the back of my mind. I snatched my hand away from his and helped Dalian to his feet.

When he saw that I didn’t want to be anywhere around him, he gave way. “You both should go to the car, my driver is waiting to take you home.”

“Aren’t you joining us? We just got married.” I reminded him, even though I didn’t want to be anywhere around him.

“I have more important things to do, and you should know that I’m watching your every move. Don’t try anything funny.” He gave me a warning look and I quickly found the will to hightail it out of the church with Dalian, not willing to spend a second more with Alessio. God, how would I be able to tolerate him if I couldn't stand the sight of him just five minutes after our union as husband and wife?

Dalian’s little hand was enclosed in mine as we found our way out of the church. I bowed my head, refusing to acknowledge the empty pews. I only lifted my head when we crossed the western door.

A Bugatti Divo was already waiting for us, but I was in shock because we’d come here in an SUV. Was he doing this to placate me? It wasn’t even enough to cover up for the emotional trauma and turmoil he had put me through these past few days, but the good thing was that I’d be going home in a more comfortable ride.

My legs hurt from standing for too long in the pair of three-inch silver sandal heels so I hurried my steps to the car and knocked at the tinted car window. It rolled down and my eyes were met with a familiar set of brown eyes that caused my insides to flutter and melt into a puddle.

“How… How did you get here, Vladimir? You got my message?” My voice became breathy as I hopped into the car, placing Dalian on my thighs.

He took Dalian from me and placed him against his chest as he stared at him wistfully. “You shouldn’t have run away.” His voice cracked and at that point, my eyes narrowed in mortification and guilt.

I gulped, dazed, happy and relieved that he found me right after I became Alessio’s wife.

“How did you find me?” I deflected, too contrite to respond to him.

He handed Dalian over to me and ignited the car. The muscles of his biceps flexed as he kicked the gear into motion. No, this was not the time to ogle. Not the time, Guilia!

“I’ve been around for a while, but the email you sent to Ariel made things easier for me. Let’s get you and our son home.” He said with the warmest smile only he was capable of giving, but behind it lurked glints of danger and mayhem, a presage that the conflict sitting on our heads was far from being resolved.