Wedding bells

Isla~

This was it.

This was the moment my entire life would come crashing down.

Today, I would officially be wedded to Dante Moretti. I would be wedded to a man who had no problem with wiping out my entire family.

The sound of the wedding bells sent jolts through my body, making me feel more like a prisoner, who was about to be executed on a death row.

With every step I took towards the altar, I felt suffocated by the wedding dress and veil over my face. The bouquet of flowers felt like thorns in my hands and the scent made me sick to my stomach.

A small crowd of people were already gathered, which included my parents and household staff. I couldn't see Matteo anywhere, which was quite understandable. I didn't want to be here too.

I was walking down the aisle by myself, as my father was now confined to a wheelchair. He still had bullet wounds in his thighs and I remember my mother's words to me on his account.

"This is all your fault!" She had yelled angrily at me.

"If you hadn't tried to run, Dante wouldn't have hurt your father."

"If anything happens to him, you'll be sorry!" She had threatened me that night

I was taking threats, taking all the blame, when my father was the one who pissed Dante off in the first place. I was still yet to know what actually transpired between them and the mystery was now killing me.

I took one last glance at my parents as I walked past them. My mother's stare was cold and unwavering, while my father just looked away from me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was ashamed.

I finally looked towards the altar and there he was. Dante Moretti.

Dark, tousled hair and perfectly chiselled jawlines, he was proof that beautiful people could be villains too.

I could see the tattoos that ran up his neck, peeking out of the collar of his shirt. It made me wonder just how much inking he had.

Dante's predatory gaze was fixated on me the whole time, like a true Mafia boss. He watched my every move with an unreadable expression.

Once at the altar, he stretched out a hand to me, which I took begrudgingly. He had won.

"You know..." He leaned close to whisper in my ear.

"It wouldn't hurt if you smile." He saw right through the veil.

I couldn't help but feel like there was an underlying threat in his words, and I instantly forced a smile on my face.

He chuckled."That's more like it."

The priest soon cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Dante Moretti and Isla DeLuca in holy matrimony."

Those words felt like a cruel joke. There was nothing holy about this. Nothing sacred. This was a forced arrangement, sealed in blood and fear.

Dante’s grip on my hand tightened as the priest continued, his voice droning on while my heart pounded in my ears. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something. But what choice did I have? My family sat in a gloomy silence behind me, bound by fear, just as I was.

“Do you, Dante Moretti, take Isla DeLuca to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Dante didn’t hesitate. "I do."

The finality in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

The priest turned to me. "And do you, Isla DeLuca, take Dante Moretti to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

The room went dead silent.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. This was it. The moment where I gave up every last shred of my freedom.

Dante squeezed my hand. Not in reassurance, but in warning.

"I…" My voice trembled.

What if I refused? Would he kill them? Would he make an example out of someone: my mother, Miss Neagley, the other maids...just to prove a point? Would he kill me?

My eyes flickered to my father, who still refused to look at me.

A sickening sense of unease crawled up my spine and no, it wasn't just about my current predicament.

"Get away from my sister!"

A gasp left my lips at the scene unfolding before me. And I wasn't the only one who was surprised apparently.

"Matteo!?" I whispered below my breath.

My brother was storming right into the church, aiming a pistol at Dante. I had never seen him like this before.

"Matteo, what are you doing?!" My mother screamed, trying to get my brother back in line.

He however seemed to be way past reasoning at this point, as he continued to take threatening steps forward.

By now, Matteo was already surrounded by a number of Dante's men but he didn't seem to care. He had his sight set on Dante and the latter wasn't looking too happy.

I panicked. My heart slammed hard against my ribcage as I watched my brother walk straight into the lion’s den, armed with nothing but reckless desperation.

"Matteo, put the gun down," I pleaded, stepping forward, but Dante’s grip on my wrist tightened as he pulled me back to his side.

Matteo’s eyes darted to me, filled with anger, fear, and something else that resembled determination.

"I won’t let you do this, Isla. I won’t let you marry this monster."

Dante sighed, stepping forward, his expression darkening. "You shouldn't have come here, kid."

It seemed Matteo was able to escape from wherever Dante had been keeping him hostage.

Matteo cocked his gun. "Say one more word, and I swear I’ll put a bullet in your skull."

The tension was suffocating. Dante’s men had their weapons drawn, waiting for the order to strike. My mother clutched her chest, eyes wide with terror. My father was now at the edge of his seat in fear.

Then Dante laughed. Low, taunting, like this was all some sick game to him. "Go ahead," he said, spreading his arms wide open.

'Take the shot."

Matteo’s hands trembled as his finger hovered over the trigger. I bet he was slowly starting to realize how bad an idea this was.

"No!" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Dante suddenly deadpanned. "If you won't do it, I will."

I saw it happen in slow motion. Matteo’s body jerked, his gun slipping from his fingers as a deafening gunshot rang through the church.

I didn’t even see who pulled the trigger. All I saw was Matteo collapsing, crimson splattered across his chest.

"No!" I screamed, shoving Dante away as I ran toward my brother. I dropped to my knees beside him, pressing my hands against the wound, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

His lips trembled as he tried to speak, his eyes locking onto mine. "I...Isla…"

Tears blurred my vision. "Stay with me, please," I begged.

But the light in his eyes faded, his body went still.

A strangled sob tore from my throat.

Dante stepped beside me, peering down at Matteo’s lifeless form with a cold expression.

He sighed. "What a waste."

Something inside me shattered.

I wasn’t sure if it was my heart, my soul, or whatever was left of my will to survive.

But as I slowly rose to my feet, covered in my brother’s blood, I knew one thing for certain.

I would never forgive Dante Moretti.

Not in this lifetime. Not in the next.

"So...where were we?"