Chapter three

ELENA’S POV

Uncle Marco’s voice boomed across the front of the ballroom crowd. He laughed with delight and clapped his hands. "Y'all, we gotta start planning a wedding soon!"

His joke about wedding planning made me snap back to attention. My mind was sliding into a cold numb daze but I quickly raised my heavy camera back to my eye. I snapped the shutter just in time to get the shot of the kiss, the exact moment the lips met under the bright lights. The instant the flash went off, Valentina moved away from him. With practiced shyness she waved the cheering crowd away, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as her cheeks flushed a soft pink.

A little while later when the main speeches were over I walked downstairs to the main floor with my heavy camera bags. My legs were weak and shaky from hours of standing still, but I forced myself to walk straight. I saw my mother by the great dessert table, talking pleasantly with Valentina, who was drinking a glass of punch.

Uncle Marco arrived and slapped Matteo proudly on the shoulder. Uncle Marco beamed and said loudly, “Well now that Matteo has officially passed on the family necklace to you, we shouldn’t delay. "We should bring Valentina's family over to the house this week and talk about marriage plans!"

Valentina gasped with pleasure, turned to me, her eyes alight with excitement. “Elena! That’s a very good idea. And since we're going to be family soon, I'd love to have you be my bridesmaid at the wedding. "What do you think?"

I was so tired, my back hurt, and my mind hardly listened to the chatter around me. I watched her, my face and expression deliberately blank. "I said politely, ‘No thank you Valentina,’ my voice low and level. I will be busy with my university classes and my work as a photographer. But as Matteo's sister, I truly wish you and my future sister-in-law a lifetime of happiness together.

My mom and Uncle Marco smiled proudly at my polite words, thinking I was just a supportive younger sister. Valentina's face shone with happiness. Everyone smiled but Matteo. His happy smirk disappeared in a second. His jaw was set and his dark eyes glared coldly and angrily across the room at me.

At last we reached home, long after midnight. I felt filthy and tired all over. I went straight into the bathroom and had a hot shower to wash away the rain and the stress of the long night. Once I was done drying off I put on my night clothes and stepped out into the dark, quiet hallway.

I had scarcely taken two steps in the direction of my bedroom when a heavy figure sprang out of the shadows. Matteo grabbed my arm and slammed me hard against the hallway wall. My back hit the plaster with a dull thump. Before I could catch my breath he was pressing his heavy body against mine, burying his face in my neck. He kissed my skin aggressively, his lips hot and rough, his teeth biting down just hard enough to leave visible red marks on the side of my neck."Stop it, Matteo! I whispered frantically, shoving my palms hard against the breadth of his chest. "Get off me! Let me out right now!"

He paid no attention to my attempts to shove him off, catching my hips to keep me from moving. There was a sudden creaking of footsteps on the wooden stairs below. Someone was coming up to the second floor.

My heart soared to my throat. But instead of pulling away Matteo pressed his mouth right up to my ear and teased. 

"Scream, Elena,” he whispered darkly, daring me to make a noise. “Scream for assistance. Everyone come up here right now and let them see exactly what I’m doing to my stepsister in the hall.”

I stood frozen, afraid my mom or Uncle Marco would come in and see us like that. I held my breath, stood as still as a statue until the foot-steps downstairs stopped and turned back and slowly faded away. The silence came back, and only then did Matteo ease back, just an inch.

I wiped my neck with the back of my hand and glared at him in the dim light, furious and shaken to my core. “What’s wrong with you?” I demanded, my voice shaking with rage. What are you doing, acting like a maniac?”

He was back in a flash, looming over me, his chest heaving. “Something’s wrong with me. . . . You make me ashamed tonight! I'm angry because you said I was your brother and you said Valentina was your sister-in-law in front of everyone!”

I pushed against his chest again, my eyes stinging with tears of frustration. "Why not call her that?" I asked harshly. “You were literally kissing Valentina in front of everybody! Why would I be anything else when you put that show on?”

He grabbed my shoulders, his fingers digging into my sleeves, and looked at me desperately. It was all an act Elena! You've got to believe me. I kissed her just because our parents were in the crowd watching us! 'You know, my father is watching my every move now!'

His voice quivered and his rage sounded totally authentic. For a second, for a moment, the average person could have thought that he actually cared for me. But I knew the truth. I recalled the ugly words I'd overheard at his private club in Milan. I looked him dead in the eye, knowing this was just another part of his endless manipulation.

“You’re a good actor, Matteo,” I said coldly. “You do your part very well.”

At last my fatigue, the emotional strain of his deceit, and my secret scheming overcame me. I was deadbeat. I could no longer contain it, and I finally cried softly. I stood there silently as the warm tears fell over my eyelashes and down my cheeks. How long did he intend on playing this cruel game with me? When would he just let me go so I could live my life in peace?

And just like that, Matteo froze in sheer panic as my tears fell. In the four long years we'd been together in secret, he'd never seen me broken and defeated like this.

“Elena . . . please don’t cry.” His voice was all roughness, and none of anger. He held me against his chest, his arms around my shoulders, and kept saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I am so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I just heard you call Valentina your sister-in-law, and I got mad.”

“Why?”

“ It drove me nuts. I swear to God it won't happen again.'

He brushed a tear from my wet cheek with his thumb and leaned in slowly, kissing my lips more gently, more softly.

I turned my face away quickly and pushed him back. “No, Matthew. Don't kiss me. It’s that time of the month again. I don’t feel well.”

He stopped and frowned, confused about the timing. 

“Again? You sure?”

 "That probably isn't the right time.My body is all out of whack because I was so sick with that high fever,” I lied, my voice level.

He saw my pale face and remembered how sick I had been the past few days and he took it for granted without another question. He just walked with me to my bedroom, lay down next to me on the mattress, and held me close against his chest as I closed my eyes and fell asleep. But Matteo did not sleep. 

 He sat up late at night and silently watched me in the dark. He looked so utterly lost in old memories of our past. Finally, hours later, he bent down to give my forehead a soft kiss and to drift off to sleep himself.

The next morning, the bedroom was filled with brightness. Matteo slept like a log, sleeping past his usual five AM routine. At last he opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already nine o'clock.

"No, no, no!" He whispered, waking up in sheer panic.

He leapt out of bed and bolted out of my bedroom door in just his sleepwear. But just as he stepped into the hall my mother appeared at the top of the stairs with a basket of fresh towels. She stopped walking immediately, looking instantly suspicious at seeing him leave my room in his pajamas this late in the morning.

‘Matteo?’ my mother said, her voice steel and interrogative. "Why are you coming out of Elena's room in your pyjamas?"

Before Matteo could say something that would make it worse, I opened the door wider and stepped out into the hallway, fully dressed in my jeans and sweater.

“Good morning, Mom,” I said, giving her a relaxed smile, playing it off. I slept through my alarm this morning so I texted Matteo and asked him to come wake me up for breakfast so I wouldn't be late.

My simple explanation worked immediately and put my mother at ease. Her face melted and she smiled at us. "Well, alright then. Well, get down quickly. We have company waiting.”

We went downstairs and entered the dining room and saw Valentina already seated at the large table. She was having coffee with Uncle Marco, having come over early specifically to talk about wedding plans with Matteo.

I stood by the door, suddenly feeling awkward as I looked at the woman who was going to marry the man I'd spent the night with. My mother came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, as if to sweep away the awkwardness she saw in my hesitance.

My mother whispered warmly, “Sit down, sweetheart,” she reminded me of my place. Don't be uncomfortable. You're just his sister and Valentina is his fiancée. They’re planning their future together, and that’s just fine.”

Her words were meant kindly, but they brought back the hard truth. I pasted on a polite smile and quietly took my place on the sidelines. I crossed over to the other side of the table and sat down with a plate of toast. Matteo sat down right next to Valentina.

I sat through the long breakfast in silence, chewing my food as Valentina eagerly peppered Matteo with questions about their upcoming wedding.

“What do you think about the places for the ceremony, Matteo?”

“Oh, that’s great!” said Valentina, leaning her shoulder against his arm. 'With lots of flowers, or perhaps a sunny beach wedding by the water? Do you want a romantic garden wedding?”

Matteo sipped his black coffee and looked across the table at me with unreadable eyes, and he answered her. 

"Whatever you want is fine, Valentina." "And the wedding bands?’ she continued excitedly, flipping through a bridal magazine on the table. 'We have to choose our rings soon. Do you like plain traditional bands, or do you want some kind of ring stones in your design?”