AURELIA'S POV:
My gaze is trained to my feet. The whole situation feels so surreal. Alessandro's father, Luca Santino, is currently clutching my arm, leading me down the aisle.
This was supposed to be a special moment between me and my father but Alessandro has taken that away from me.
"Breathe." Luca Santino whispers to me in the same authoritative tone Alessandro uses. If I didn't know better, I would say they were twins. They looked exactly alike.
My gaze lands on Alessandro's figure standing at the altar and my breath catches in my throat. If we were in another time and place, I would say Alessandro looked breathtakingly handsome.
His tailored black suit fit him perfectly, emphasizing his broad shoulders and powerful build.
But anytime I try to admire his beauty, I'm reminded of his ruthlessness and all the damage and evil he has brought to my life.
"Son." Luca says, acknowledging Alessandro as he puts my hand in his.
Alessandro's cold grip draws me closer to him, offering me the kind of stability that is just right for this event. The gesture was gentle yet possessive, a silent promise and a claim.
The priest stood upright, his weathered hands holding a well-worn Bible.
His voice, aged but steady, resonated through the cathedral as he began the ceremony. "Cari amici e parenti, siamo qui riuniti oggi per unire in matrimonio Alessandro Santino e Aurelia Delacruz." Dear friends and relatives, we are gathered here today to join Alessandro Santino and Aurelia Delacruz in marriage.
"Aurelia," The Priest continued, "accetti di prendere Alessandro come tuo sposo, di amarlo, onorarlo e rispettarlo, per tutti i giorni della tua vita?" Do you agree to take Alessandro as your husband, to love him, honor him and respect him, all the days of your life?
A moment of silence stretched, the weight of all my sacrifices and the loss of my freedom bearing down on me. I feel Alessandro's intense glare on me and I remember his words. It's either this or death.
I take a deep breath, my voice shaky, "Sì, certamente." Yes, I do. Tears roll down my cheeks as I say the words expected of me. My life is over.
The priest turned to Alessandro, a knowing look in his eyes. "Alessandro, accetti di prendere Aurelia come tua sposa, di amarla, onorarla e rispettarla, per tutti i giorni della tua vita?" Alessandro, do you agree to take Aurelia as your bride, to love her, honor her and respect her, all the days of your life?
Alessandro's response is immediate, his voice firm and filled with hatred. "Sì, certamente." Yes, I do.
A ring is handed to me, and I grasp Alessandro's hands. I slide the ring onto his ring finger, tears clouding my vision.
Alessandro does the same to me. All I can do is admire the ring. It looked too beautiful for the chain that it is.
"You may kiss the bride," The Priest declares, causing my heart to skip a beat.
Alessandro is calmer than ever as he carefully lifts my veil. His hands cup my cheeks as he steps closer to me.
My eyes are shut tight as I pray for all this to be over soon. Alessandro's lips collide with mine and I go still in shock.
Nothing prepared me for the riot of emotions that assail my body at the kiss. I'm not supposed to want my captor, but tell that to the butterflies in my stomach.
Alessandro pulls away from me as he shoots me a death glare. "This is just the beginning of your nightmare." Alessandro promises with a sneer on his lips.
Goosebumps erupt on my skin as slivers of fear run down my spine. This is indeed the end for me.
My attention is pulled away from Alessandro's dark gaze by the guests clapping. The church is divided into two sections, one section for the bride and the other for the groom.
Alessandro's section is filled with a lot of people, while my section is totally empty except for one person.
My eyes fill with tears as I spot the nice lady that had helped me the other day. She is currently the only person sitting in my section and she doesn't seem bothered by that.
Alessandro leads me down the altar and towards the guests. My face hurts from smiling so much as I'm forced to accept congratulations from people I have never seen or met.
The rest of the ceremony passes in a blur before I'm forced to change into another exquisite dress for the wedding reception.
The wedding reception is almost the same as the main wedding ceremony if not for the barely veiled violence in the air. A lot of men dressed in black are currently surrounding the whole arena.
Alessandro himself seems oddly tense.
"Let's dance." Alessandro says after a few minutes tense silence as conversation carries on around us.
I place my hands tentatively in his, allowing myself to be led towards the middle of the hall.
"You don't have to dance with me if you don't want to." I find myself saying in an annoyed tone.
"Of what use would this facade of a wedding be, if we didn't fully convince everybody that we are in love?" Alessandro asks in a harsh tone as his hand tightens around my waist.
I focus my attention on his buttons and tune out the rest of the crowd especially Mia Luciano who had accused me of trying to kill her and who is currently glaring at me.
"Can I borrow your bride for a minute?" Luca, Alessandro's father asks from beside us.
Alessandro doesn't say a word, rather opting to glare at me. "Sure." Alessandro finally says.
I wish I could say I was hurt, but I'm not. I couldn't care less about his attention anyways.
I once again find myself in Luca's arms. I maintain a healthy distance between us as my eyes remain lowered.
"I won't hesitate to kill you if you give me a reason to." Luca says in a harsh unforgiving tone without any prompt.
"What?!" I ask in an alarmed but terrified tone.
"I don't know why he decided to marry you, but I know your kind of people. You are nothing more than a gold digger who has decided to leech off my son." Luca says in a flat tone that riles me up.
"Since I met your family, I've been threatened and ridiculed to the point of absurdity, so how about you kill me now? Kill me now, let's get it over with." I say through gritted teeth.
"I might like you after all." Luca says with a wide smile on his face.
"I would rather you convince your son to let me go." I respond in a dry tone.
"If he's keeping you captive, then he has a good reason for it." Luca says with a smirk on his lips.
I roll my eyes at him, while he chuckles lightly.
"Can I steal her from you, Uncle?" Nicolo interrupts with a lopsided grin on his face.
"Sure." Luca says as he passes me off to him.
"No need to be so uptight, I just want to have a dance with my new sister." Nicolo says with a tentative grin on his lips that betrays the look in his eyes.
"I'm not your sister, and I will never be. I will escape the first chance I have." I respond in a boring tone.
"I thought it's an unspoken rule not to tell your captor that you intend on running away?" Nicolo asks in a jovial tone.
"It is, but you people are not so self absorbed to think I will not attempt to escape." I respond as my eyes land on Alessandro who is currently dancing with Mia Luciano.
"Don't worry, she's not a competition." Nicolo says in an encouraging tone.
"I don't care." I respond as my eyes clash with Mia's own. She gives me a triumphant look with a smirk on her lips. I merely roll my eyes at her before reverting my attention back to Nicolo.
"If you ever need to talk, I'm here." Nicolo says with a tight smile.
"Why would I seek solace in a man who was taunting me a few days ago?" I ask in a genuinely curious tone. "Did Alessandro put you up to this?"
"No one put me up to anything. Forgive me for trying to make amends and be friends with you." Nicolo says as the smile slips off his face.
"That's bullshit and you know it. Why would you want to be friends with the person who is a major suspect in your sister in law's disappearance?" I ask, angry that he thought I would be gullible enough to fall for their tricks.
They probably think I will spill all the elaborate details on how I kidnapped Giulia and had her killed.
"Watch your tone! I could have you killed and your body disposed before Alessandro even thinks to look for you." Nicolo says, his friendly facade dropping. I was right afterall.
We are both glaring at each other when I spot Alessandro making his way towards us.
"I'm going to be here for when Alessandro fucks this up. Because he will. My arms will be open and I won't say I told you so." Nicolo says with a hard expression on his face.
"I wonder what Alessandro will do when he finds out that you are propositioning his wife." I ask in a cold tone.
"Can I have my wife back, cousin?" Alessandro says once he gets to us.
"Of course, Don." Nicolo says, his smile reappearing on his face. I glare at him until he's out of my line of sight.
"I'm tired. I need to rest my feet." I mutter quietly. I don't bother telling him that I also need a break from the roller coaster of emotions assailing my body.
Alessandro's hand is on my waist as he leads me back to our seat.
"What were you discussing with Nicolo?" Alessandro asks in a flat tone.
"Excuse me?!" I ask in a shocked tone.
"Did I stutter?" Alessandro asks with a raised brow as he comes to a stop a few feet away from our seats.
"I don't think you have the right to ask me that considering you were just dancing with Mia." I respond with a tight-lipped expression on my face.
"Are you jealous, Wife?" Alessandro asks in a mocking tone.
"You wish." I respond while rolling my eyes at him.
"You are not allowed to take on any lover." Alessandro says abruptly and out of nowhere.
"That's the last thing on my list right now. But let's say it's actually a subject to be discussed, would the same rule apply to you?" I ask in an intentionally naive tone.
"No. Infidelity on the woman's side is punishable by death. That is how it has been in our world." Alessandro responds without breaking stride.
"It's a good thing I don't plan on staying here for long." I respond under my breath.
Like I told his mother, I couldn't care less about their rules. I will be out of here the first chance I get.
"I prepared a wedding gift for you." Alessandro says after some time, the intense hatred which is always present in his gaze, surprisingly absent for the first time.
My inquisitive gaze lands on him but he says nothing else in explanation.
Alessandro leads me out of the hall, and up a flight of stairs. He stops in front of a room, pushing the door open. He holds the door open for me, stepping in behind me.
I find a large box sitting in the middle of the bed. I look questioningly at him, but he says nothing in explanation.
I move slowly towards the box, grabbing hold of the ribbon tying it together. I pull on the ribbon, unraveling the whole packaging.
"Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!" I scream in fright and terror as I fall backwards.
Sitting on the bed is the head of Josh who had attacked me at the event where we had met. Alessandro had killed him and given me his head as a gift.
That has to be the most fucked up thing in the entire world.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" I ask Alessandro as terror builds in my veins.
I will never ever get used to the sight of blood and death no matter how many times I'm forced to see it.
"I told you. No one will ever harm you and go free." Alessandro responds in a tone that says I should have known this by now.
My hands fly to my neck as I fight for my consciousness. My gaze lands on the torn skin on Josh's neck, the blood pouring out and staining the bed and I find myself giving in to the darkness.
I wish to never wake up again. I must have said that aloud because Alessandro's next words shocks the life out of me.
"You are stuck with me, Piccola morte, and not even the grim reaper will keep you away from me." Alessandro says in a deathly calm tone.