THE LIES THAT BIND

Anastasya's POV. I woke up the next morning tired and cranky, as I had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. Thankfully, Massimo had taken my slap as a hard enough deterrent, as shortly after that he left me alone. He didn't sleep on the bed with me, but I wasn't the least bit concerned. The farther away he was from me, the better. As I hurried to get dressed, I tried to purge my mind of all thoughts of my new husband. Yes, he was very attractive, but it didn't take away from the fact that he wasn't a good person. He was cold, ruthless and manipulative, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. We shared a tense plane ride back to New York, my mind preoccupied with the loneliness of leaving the only family I had left behind, and fear of the unknown. I fastened my seat belt and watched as the plane descended. As soon as the plane touched down, my feelings of melancholy multiplied, manifesting as deep feelings of sadness that spread through me. It hit me that I was on fo

Anastasya's POV. Only few things compared to the sight of the all powerful Don Massimo speechless, as he watched me come down the flight of stairs. I couldn't resist dropping one snarky remark as I passed him, not waiting for his reply as I headed out to where I knew a car was waiting for us. I had found an invitation from his mother to a dinner party when I returned to my room earlier, along with a hideous green dress in a garment bag on my bed. Too bad, I always did the unexpected. We rode in silence until we reached the hotel, my gaze fixed on the city beyond the windows as the car rolled by. All the sights were still new to me, and I greedily took in the sights and sounds of the city. We stopped in front of a grand hotel, a valet coming to usher us into the resplendent interior. Massimo placed a hand on my lower back as we approached the ballroom where the dinner was being held, it's weight against me unfamiliar, but comfortable. “You've been awfully quiet,” I noted as we dre

Massimo’s POV. “Ana, I’m talking to you, are you deaf?!” I yelled as I walked behind her while she made way into the building. All along while we sat in the vehicle she kept mute and avoided the questions thrown at her. I needed to know at least. Irrespective of the nature of our marriage I had every right to be aware of the strangers who would interfere in our union as man and wife. She walked hastily into the building and just as she stepped foot into the living room, I held her left hand which was already in the air. “I’m talking to you!” She turned and swayed her hands in a bid to give me a resounding slap but I was smarter this time. I diverted and held her steady while she screamed. “Leave me alone! You bastard!” “When you’re done calling me names, you’ll tell me who the hell that was.” “Massimo, I don’t know!! Okay! He just ran into me while I tried to walk through to the bathroom!” She yelled. Our eyes were glued and I held her even closer to myself this time. I sniffed t

Massimo’s POV. I felt pains around my back as I turned and gave out a gigantic yawn. My bones cracked and the sensation of pain increased the more as I whispered, ‘Where am I’. I was so tired and just heard the alarm ring out loud. It was from my iPhone 14 promax. The sound of the alarm was indeed so alarming and troubling that I turned and swiped leftward on the surface of the phone. It had to be turned off. I tried to place my hands on the duvet since it felt a bit cold. ‘Where is this damn blanket?’ I heard the alarm sound again and just as I leaped to swipe left again, I realized the time was already 7:20AM. I was late and had to be fast for work. “How come none of these maidens came to wake me up from sleep? Not even one of my sisters was up here to notify me I had slept so deep and was already late. I rushed down to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I stared at my sleepy face in the mirror and watched my mouth. Traces of dried saliva were spotted down my mouth and I knew

Isabel’s POV. “Where the hell has this girl gone to?” I muttered as I towed the carrier down to the exact place she stood when I left her to see her supposed visitor. My mind hinted to me earlier that something wasn’t right in that mall, but I failed to understand that at first. It became so mysterious to me when I looked deeper and couldn’t even get a sight of her. “What’s actually going on here?” I mumbled again while I left the carrier and headed to a security personnel I spotted on that axis of the mall. “Please excuse me sir, I’m searching for a friend, she’s blonde, wore navy-blue jeans and a dark dress, she was actually here a few minutes ago.” I demonstrated with my hands. “She’s about this height, 5’ft’6.” The man kept on staring at me like a moron, that got me pissed and I was moved to ask again. “Excuse me sir, I’m actually talking to you,” “And I’m listening,” He replied with his hands crossed. “Huh? So, are you trying to let me understand that you don’t have an idea o