I wished that I could get the man I saw at the casino off my damn mind.
I couldn't forget the way he stared at me.
The way he looked at me as if I was the most beautiful girl in the world.
Not fat or ugly, like Aurora thought I was. Not expecting me to meet high standards every time I left the house, like Marcello did.
The man at the casino stared at me as if I were a work-of-art.
It was like I could see a bit of myself when I stared at him. Like he was a warrior, battling with his own demons, trying to be a better person.
Like he'd been through a lot, but was still doing his best to remain strong, even though inside…
He was broken.
Just like I was.
He could sense that something was wrong.
I noticed all of the little things he did.
From walking past my table…
To bickering with his friend at the bar.
And it was all for me.
I couldn't help but to feel my heart warm a little by the gesture.
My whole life, I'd never bothered with men.
Had too many trust issues.
But from the brief exchanges I had with that man…
It was like he genuinely cared about me.
"Shut up, Zara, get yourself together," I muttered to myself, rolling my eyes.
I didn't even know the guy…
And I was probably never going to see him again.
At the end of the day, it was a nice gesture from him to show concern for me…
But could he really help me?
No, he couldn't.
He couldn't come up against the likes of Marcello.
I'd seen for myself what Marcello was capable of.
He was a fucking psychopath.
He shot his driver dead just for looking at me the wrong way.
If he'd caught wind of the man at the casino…
He would have put a bullet between his eyes…
No doubt about it.
I just needed to get myself together, and come to terms with the fact that this was my fate.
There was no saving me…
And I had to accept that and live with it.
I'd already tried running away, and failed miserably.
I couldn't make the same mistake twice.
I heard the bedroom door creak. My heart leapt to my throat, as my eyes darted upwards.
Aurora was standing in the doorway…
And she made her way inside.
"You're so pathetic, it amuses me," she sneered, the corners of her mouth curling upwards into a smirk. "Whittling away in the bedroom all day, crying, running your mouth like you think it's going to get you anywhere. You're just a cheap whore. I hope you fucking die before you have the chance to be welcomed into this family."
She rolled her eyes, and I could feel my insides twist into knots, my eyes welling with tears.
"But it's too late now," Aurora shrugged. "The contracts have gone through, and my father now has full rights over the Oud fragrance business. I guess the marriage between you and Marcello is going ahead, after all." She scoffed. "Just my luck."
And then she turned on her heel, and walked out of the room.
Leaving me dithering here in my shaken, psychotic state…
As I came to the realization that this was really happening.
The full extent of reality hitting me like a ton of bricks.