Marcello took me to his home. My heart was still hammering against my chest into a frenzy, unable to get my head round or process what had just happened.
I'd come to Italy with my father…
And now, I didn't have a father anymore.
Not here with me.
Marcello grabbed hold of me by my ear, and began dragging me towards the house.
"Stop, Marcello!" I shouted. "You're hurting me!"
"You need to learn who the boss is here," he snarled. "Learn your fucking place. Learn to obey your husband."
I thrashed about in his grasp, but he smacked me, hard, across the face.
Muffling my noises and screams.
He grabbed hold of me, throwing me over his shoulder, and began climbing up the stairs. I thrashed and wailed on his back, but he ignored my cries and wails.
He entered into a bedroom, and threw me down onto the bed with such a force that my head began searing with pain. I felt sick to my damn stomach.
"What do you want from me?!" I screamed.
He threw his jacket off, and sat down on the bed, moving closer to me, a disgusting, predatory look written all over his face. As if I was a piece of meat, to use at his own damn disposal.
I'd been a good girl my whole life. Never meeting up with men, never sleeping around.
And this was my damn fate.
"I'd be angry too if I just found out my father had been lying to me my whole life too, baby girl…" he murmured, bringing a finger up to my face, tracing my jawline, causing me to quiver in disgust. "I know that you're hurting, princess. But all this anger isn't good. I don't want to hurt you. I want to love you."
I trembled in my spot, just praying that he wouldn't do what I thought he was going to do.
Just praying that he wouldn't rape me.
"This isn't what I wanted," I spat back bitterly. "I didn't even know I was coming here to get married. You can't expect me to follow your orders like a damn lap dog!"
I began screaming manically, wishing that I would wake up from this damn nightmare.
"This is how you're going to be living now," Marcello sneered. "I don't want to have to punish you. I don't want to have to hit you to make you fucking listen to me. The sooner you get used to this, the better. Because there's no way out of this. Now that I have you… I'm never letting you go. Now that your father is out of the picture, nothing can get in my way anymore."
He trailed off his sentence, inching closer to me, closing the gap between us, as I began sweating profusely, heat roaring through my body as my blood boiled to the point it almost dried up.
"I'm supposed to be in London…" I whispered. "Finishing my education. Getting my degree. Starting my own b – business…"
I could feel my windpipes crush inside of me, as I felt my dreams slipping away through my fingers like water. All of my aspirations, everything I'd wanted to do in life.
Gone out the damn window.
"You don't need to study," he snarled. "I have more than enough money to provide for you. You'll be staying at home, cooking, cleaning, serving me. Fucking me till the sun goes down. I don't need you going out where other men can feast their eyes on what belongs to me. I'd put a bullet in any bastard who so much as looked at you the wrong way."
My eyes fogged with tears, my emotions getting the better of me. The fact I'd lost my father, paired with the fact that I was going to be this bastard's prisoner for the rest of my life…
Screwed with my mind to the point of no return.
"You're so much more beautiful than I anticipated," he groaned. "Such soft, sexy, silky skin. Fuck me. I just want to have my way with you right now. You won't be able to walk straight after I'm done with you."
"You'll be doing no such thing," came a voice.
I could feel my heart almost leap out of my chest, as my eyes darted upwards, to see where the voice was coming from. A tall, broad, stocky man stood at the doorway of the bedroom. He had a dark beard, a wrinkly face, and he was wearing a suit.
He made his way into the room, and I couldn't help but to blow a sigh of relief as he did, even though I had no idea who this man was. Because God knows, if he hadn't…
Marcello would have forced himself on me, and I would be scarred for the rest of my damn life.
Losing my virginity to a man I was being forced to marry.
Marcello let out an agitated growl. He backed away from me, before getting up on his feet, turning around to face the man who just walked in.
"Why ever the fuck not, father?" he snarled, folding his arms bitterly.
"You know the rules. You won't lay a finger on her until after the marriage has taken place," his dad snarled.
"You promised me that once we'd taken over her father's Oud business, that I could have her to myself. Why the fuck are you changing your tune now?" Marcello growled angrily.
"The paperwork hasn't gone through for taking over his business yet," his father replied simply. "You can have your wife, when I get the business. It'll take a few weeks, and then you can go ahead with the marriage. After that, I couldn't give a fuck what happens to her." He rolled his eyes bitterly. "Fuck her and throw her in a ditch, for all I care."
The corners of Marcello's mouth curled upwards into a smirk, a satisfied look on his face. "Fair enough, father."
His father nodded, and made his way out of the room. Marcello turned around to face me, running his hands through his hair, looking a little exasperated.
"I don't want to wait. I don't know why my bastard of a father won't let me have you right now." He let out a low growl. "But no matter. The wait makes the taste even sweeter. The sweetest fucking sin."
He let out a low chuckle.
"I'll see you tomorrow, my princess. You'll be going shopping for a wedding dress with one of the women, and taking my bodyguards with you. Then you'll be going to the casino with me at night. I have some business to attend to, and I don't want to leave you at home without me," he stated.
I replied with nothing.
Knowing that I had no choice in the matter.
Knowing that there was no use in fighting and arguing back…
Because this was happening.
It was really happening, whether I liked it or not.
He blew me a kiss, and made his way out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him, and locking it, making sure that I wouldn't be able to leave the room.
I felt sick to my stomach. It was just a matter of a few weeks until I would be getting married to this vile man, and I would be getting raped by him repeatedly. Not even a miracle could save me from this situation. I was being locked in the room, watched wherever I damn went…
My life was over.
My life was fucking over…
Over before it even began.
Only in my early twenties…
And this was how my life was going to conclude.
From being a normal woman…
To being married to a mafia boss.
In just a matter of a day's time.
And this time, I allowed myself to scream and sob.
To scream and sob until my throat went dry.
Until my face went blue.
To scream until I couldn't scream anymore.
Mourning the loss of my father…
Wishing that I was dead along with him.