Chapter Six

GABRIELLA

I walked back into the room, what felt more like a cell to me. I finally sat down on the bed even though I didn’t want to. The wedding was over.

I was now Marcello’s bride, officially part of his family. I rose again and stood before the mirror. The reflection that stared back at me didn’t look like me at all. It all felt like a dream. A few days ago I dreaded the idea of getting married to someone I didn’t even know, but loyalty to my family was what mattered to me more than love.

And now here I was, married to the same man who had destroyed my life.

I had one of those nights before I slept, I told myself that I would bring myself to love him after a while but now, love was completely out of the picture. Hate would even be an understatement.

I once told myself I’d try to love him someday, that maybe I’d find a way to accept it. But now, love was no longer part of the equation. Even hate felt like too small a word.

I slipped out of my shoes. My soles were swollen, a reminder of the glass from that morning and of Marcello’s cruelty. I had begged him not to make me wear heels, but he forced me to, just as he forced me into that black dress.

He’s a mad man.

Ruthless, void of emotions.

My door opened again, and Marcello’s masked guards came in.

“I’m guessing you all seem to lack training, that is why you’d walk into my room without even a knock. I am a woman, not some slave. I deserve privacy.” I said.

“My apologies ma’am, just won’t repeat itself again.”

“It better not.”

They returned with my chain. I didn’t bother to struggle, it wasn’t worth it. They were just going to do as they were ordered. The cold metal around my wrists reminded me that this wasn’t a marriage, it was a ceremony to celebrate my slavery, Marcello’s victory over my father’s life’s work.

They left immediately, and I simply threw myself on the bed. My hands wide spread. I looked at the ceiling which still had some shards of the chandelier still clung to it. I couldn’t stop, but think, about the possibility that I would’ve probably been dead by now, if things had gone differently.

A knock on the door jolted me back to reality.

Who was it?

I slowly got up from the bed, walked down towards the door and opened. To my surprise there was no one there.

That is strange.

I looked left, and I looked right still, no one. I scoffed and returned back to the room bolting the door this time.

A part of me wanted to be afraid, but with Marcello’s security crawling all over the mansion, the idea of an intruder felt impossible. Or maybe that was what I told myself to keep from spiraling deeper into fear.

Another knock again.

“Who the hell is that?” I screamed out.

I opened the door again and this time, there was a small package lying on the floor. I glanced down the hallway just in time to see the back of a man turning the corner and disappearing.

I rushed after him, only to be stopped by a guard.

“Excuse me ma’am, you should not have stepped out of your room.”

I looked at the masked guard, completely infuriated.

“If you were doing your job, I wouldn’t have had to come out,” I said to him.

It had to be the same man who dropped the package. But I couldn’t be sure. Well, there was only one way to find out. I turned back toward my room, the guard trailing behind me.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Making sure you get back safe.”

No!

That couldn’t happen, I couldn’t let him follow me to the room. He was going to see the package and I am sure that he would take it away from me. But the package was the only thing that would give me a clue on who this stranger was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me… my room is just right there. Plus I can’t get so far even if I wanted,”

I pointed at my chains.

“Look, I just wanted to take a walk, but that is prohibited. So let me retire to my room.”

It worked.

He stopped trailing me and I got to my room. I cautiously took in the package and locked my door. I lifted it, weighing it in my hands, trying to guess what might be inside. Then I tore it open. A plate of hamburger and cheese, a cold drink, and a bottle of water.

Just what I needed.

I smiled faintly. I hadn’t eaten in four days. Even during the wedding, I’d refused to touch the food, how could I eat at a ceremony that celebrated my ruin?

Maybe it was the hate that kept me from losing my strength, but the sight of the food completely brought to my memory the size of my hunger. I immediately started eating so fast, I just wanted it all in my stomach. It was when I was halfway gone, I asked myself, what if this was poisoned?

It was too late.

I had already eaten enough, and the last thing I was scared of now, was death.

There was another knock on the door. I almost laughed. Have they come to collect my body already?

So I got up, walked towards the door, and opened it.

“Hi,” Andrianna said, her voice very soft and soothing.

I remember seeing her at the wedding, I didn’t know who she was.

“Hello, are you looking for someone?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, making her way through.

Andrianna turned and looked at me, stretching her hands forward for a shake.

“Hi, I’m Andrianna.”

“Okayyyy,” I replied cautiously.

“Ouch… That’s not a good way to reply to your sister-in-law.”

Oh! She was Marcello’s sister.

She sat on the bed freely.

“My brother never changes. He does what he wants to do without seeking anybody’s opinion. Imagine my shock when my maid told me that there was a wedding ceremony happening today,” she said with a lot of gestures.

“I was like shut up, that can’t be true. Who is getting married? Then she said my brother. And then seeing you walk down the aisle, I finally felt like I had a sister. So this is a warm welcome to the Marcello’s Dynasty, dear sister-in-law,” she continued.

She seemed quiet, interesting, outgoing, words that could never be used for her brother.

“Thank you, Andrianna.”

“Oh, you’re going to be saying a lot of thank yous very soon.” She paused. “I’m curious to know how you met my brother?”

I met him standing right in front of my father just after he shot him.

That is exactly what I wanted to say, but I just felt a restraint. “Marcello is the best person to tell that story.”

“Come on, we will be sisters… We are already sisters, these are the details that only you and I should talk about,” Andrianna said.

She was an interesting young girl, I could tell she was slightly younger than me. But I couldn’t do this. Talking to her felt wrong. It was a waste of time, the time that I would rather spend plotting on how to escape from this godforsaken home.

“Uhm… I would really love to have this conversation, but I am super tired and I need to get some rest.”

“Say no more, I’ll let you rest…” she stretched her hand giving me a piece of paper.

“Call me anytime you wanna talk.” Andrianna left.

A few seconds later, two masked guards entered again.

“He orders that you wear this and report to his room right away,” one of them said, handing me the nightwear.

“What does he want now?” I muttered.

For a split second, she wondered if there was any point in fighting it. He clearly had no respect for a woman’s privacy, and he’d probably come back to her room and force her to wear it anyway. She knew defiance wouldn’t change a thing.

The nightwear was very seductive, what did he want? It was too revealing for her liking, and she couldn’t stop wondering what was going through his mind. The guards excused me after unlocking my chains. I put on the nightwear and stole a quick glance at the mirror before following the guards.

We got to a massive door, and with a tap on the security panel, it slid open. I walked in to see a very large room. It was intentionally decorated black. The only hint of brightness came from touches of ash, while the furniture carried just a trace of brown.

“My dear wife, it’s going to be a long night of pleasure, right?” Marcello’s voice echoed in the silent room.