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Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Maria’s POV

I watched my reflection in the mirror as the maids got me ready for the wedding, I looked so hopeless and pathetic.

I spent three years trying to figure out my life, and how perfect I wanted it to be but it was all taken away from me in 48 hours. Every fight I had in me just collapsed along with my life.

What was left of me was just regret, two people died because of me, Joshua, and my nanny Anna, and yet I made their sacrifices worthless.

Rico might have been the villain in my story, but I was theirs.

A knock came on the door and the maids stopped to attend to the person. My aunt came in, ordering the maids to excuse us.

“You look beautiful, just as I expected you to look” she complimented and I wished she had said this on another occasion but right now I can’t stomach her words.

“You mean pathetic and unhappy.”

“Mia,” she called and knelt in front of me. She held my hand which was stationed on my lap. “I know you don’t want this, but it isn’t as bad as it means.”

“It is bad Aunt Aurora, I’m forced into a marriage I don’t want. What is worse than that?”

“But it isn’t bad, Rico isn’t a stranger to you. He might be angry for now, but…..”

I jerked my hand away from her, staring at her with disarray, is she still the aunt that I know?

“How could you? Rico will ruin me, he isn't capable of love, and the emotion he feels for me is ownership yet you want me to be ok with that. Knowing I will spend the rest of my life in lonesomeness”

“It is better than death Maria, we were scared.” she let out and paused, standing and moving away from me.

“Your mother and I, we prayed every single day that he doesn't find you, because if he does we weren't so sure what he will do to you, what they will do to you. Trust me, many runaways will kill just to be in your position, getting married to Rico might be the worst thing to you, but to us, it is better than death” She said as she walked out of the room.

Aunt's words taunted me, I felt selfish. I never thought how running away would affect everyone, but now maybe I was…..

The door opened again and it was my father who entered this time, fear gripped me.

It had been three years of not seeing him and no matter how bad it was of me to run, I'm glad I did, three years of freedom from him was surely worth it.

“The priest is here and I'm forced to do my duties as your father. Not that I'm complaining, you still have your worth after all”

“Who knows that Rico Russo, that arrogant fool, will still want you after all these years? I thought he would kill you the moment he found you, but here you are, ready to wed him.”

My grip on my dress was so hard I was angry and scared. My father and I have never been close. The only time he talked to me was when I messed up or did something worthy.

His favorite has always been Enzo, and sometimes Emily because she always obeys him, I was the least favorite and I was fine with it until I got engaged to Rico, he monitored my entire moves and punished me if I got on bad terms with Rico, praised me when Rico and I are fine and even once try to force me into sleeping with Rico in case his feeling toward me change.

Since Aunt Aurora couldn't give him what he was. I hated him just as much as I feared him, but to my mom he was everything, he was the bad father but the best husband to her, or rather that is what she wanted to believe.

“Many people are going to judge, and even worse try to harm you to get your position, to stay safe you have to secure your position, and by doing that. You have to give birth to a son.”

My breath seized at his words, I tried so hard to inhale but I couldn't. He is doing it again, tearing me into pieces just by his words.

“I hate to say this but the fate of our family depends on you, because of you my son lost the most important thing to him, so you have to make up for it.…..”

My head was ringing, and I could hardly listen or understand what he was saying.

I don't want this, the wedding, to be back home or be here with this man, I want to escape.

To disappear from here, I needed to. The door opened again and I could hear someone talking but couldn't recognize the voice.

My head hurt and I couldn't breathe. I wanted to disappear, I needed to. I…. I….

“Maria!” I heard as someone held me before I fell, sweet scent, protective arms, and worried voice, I clutched onto the person for air. “Fuck, what did you do to her?”

“We are just talking, I can't have a peaceful talk with my daughter,” My dad asked while I wanted to yell at him to leave, his voice alone distraught me.

“Then why is she trembling?”

“I don't know, she might be pretending. You can never trust a whore, can you?”

The next thing I heard was the sound of the gun's clicks.

I hang on to the person holding me, still feeling dizzy.

“Rico, what are you doing?” Enzo questioned, alarmed.

Rico?

I looked at the person that was holding me and it was indeed him. I didn't know whether to be glad or scared if it was adding more to my panicking or relieving me.

“Get out before I put a bullet into your fucking head!”

“As you wish.” Father grunted and left.

“You too,” Rico said to Enzo and he followed Dad.

He put down his gun and pulled me closer to him. “Look at me Maria. It is alright you are fine now. He is gone.”

“No, he isn't. They are never going to leave me alone, both you and him. It is all the same, I have no free will, I'm locked in here forever.” I said in my head.

“Maria, please calm down. Try to breathe, please.”

“I can't, I don't want to be here. I don't deserve to breathe, everyone hates me, and they all suffer because of me. I'm the bad one, I'm the……” My thoughts were killing me and adding more to my anxiety.

“Look at me princess,” he held my face up to look at him. “You are safe, no one is going to hurt you here. I promised I die before I left anything to hurt you, you are safe with me, I protect you”

His words shouldn't have brought me peace. They shouldn't have calmed me down but they did. Those words, I'm safe with him, he will protect me from others.

He won't let my dad hurt me. I'm safe.

I finally found myself breathing and the pressure was gone. “That is it, you are okay now,” he said, hugging me tight while I broke down into tears.

“I shouldn't have let him come near you, that bastard. It is ok, Princess, this is the last time he will ever have effects on you”

“That bastard isn't going to come near you again, I will protect you from everyone.”

“Including yourself?” I found myself asking, maybe I should keep it to myself because the way his muscles tensed scared me, he pulled away and stared at me.

He said nothing but I could see his answer and as scary as it was, I was ok with it.

He will protect me from the world but not himself, no one will maybe hurt me but him.

It was toxic but it was our truth.

He was my poison just as I was his.

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