CHAPTER FIVE #3
His eyes, so like mine, studied my face with an intensity that made me want to look away, but there was something else in them that held my gaze.
“The last time I saw you, you had just turned fifteen. A child. With big glasses and braces, and silly bows in her hair. Now you stand before me as a full-grown woman, barely recognizable, but nonetheless… beautiful and worthy of the Morelli name.” His lips curved into a rare smile. “I am proud of what you’ve become.”
Something cracked inside me at those words. They were words I had yearned to hear as his daughter, but they felt hollow now that they had been spoken. They were empty compliments, more a performance than truly meaningful.
“I’ve done as you asked,” I replied, careful to keep my voice steady. “I always have.”
He nodded, seemingly pleased. “And you will continue to do so. You’ve impressed the Salvatores. Particularly your future husband.” His grip tightened slightly on my waist. “You’ve done well to capture his interest so quickly.”
The music swelled around us as he guided me through a turn. “Remember what we discussed. The future of our family depends on it.”
I felt my chest constrict at his words, the weight of expectation pressing down on me like a physical force. “I understand my duty.”
Ah yes… My father's advice on marriage. They were not very different from Lucia’s now that I thought about it. I guessed they knew what a woman like me needed to do to keep a man like Matteo interested in our marriage. For a lifetime.
“Good girl.” His eyes softened fractionally. “I know this arrangement wasn’t your choice initially, but you’re doing what needs to be done. For family. For legacy. Your mother would have been pleased to see this day.”
I doubted that. Caterina Morelli had never been pleased by anything I did.
“You’re so much like her, but with fire in your eyes.”
Oh. What?
“I see it burning, Serafina. You’ve been trying so hard to keep in control. It’s unexpected but I like it. You’re different than I imagined.”
My head spun at his words…
Was it possible he could see past my facade? No, that couldn’t be.
“Innocent but not so docile. I think that’s why the Salvatores seem to like you so much. They are rather unruly themselves.”
As the final notes of the waltz faded, my father released me with a formal bow. Applause surrounded us, the sound thunderous in my ears. I smiled and curtseyed, the perfect daughter, the perfect bride-to-be.
But I couldn’t breathe.
My father’s words echoed through my ears, they were almost deafening.
The ballroom seemed to shrink around me, the air growing thick and stifling, suffocating. My skin under the mask started to itch and I felt the urge to dig into and claw at my flesh.
Too many eyes, too many expectations, too many lies.
Nausea filled my mouth, bitter and choking.
I needed air. Space. Escape.
I needed to get away.
I needed someone to take me away. From this hell. From this sham of reality.
My lungs clenched and I swallowed back a bitter, dry gasp.
God… I can’t breathe.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I murmured to my father, “I need a moment.”
He frowned slightly but nodded. “Don’t be long. The toast is in fifteen minutes.”
I made my way through the crowd, accepting congratulations with practiced smiles, my lungs burning for a breath of fresh air. The French doors to the garden beckoned, promising escape, if only for a moment.
I rushed toward it in the most elegant way I could.
My heels clacked against the marble floors as I took my first steps outside and finally…
finally, the night air hit my face like a caress, cool and sweet after the perfumed heat of the ballroom.
I drew it into my lungs greedily, feeling the tightness in my chest ease slightly as I walked deeper into the garden.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
The garden beyond stretched into darkness, moonlight casting silver over sculpted hedges and marble fountains. I descended the stone steps, my white gown reflecting almost luminously in the night.
The cool air caressed my heated skin, offering momentary relief from the suffocating performance inside. I wandered deeper into the garden, following a winding stone path toward the large center fountain. The sound of the falling water called to me, urging me to come closer.
I inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet liberation of solitude and the fragrant roses. The full moon hung low, large in the dark sky.
My fingertips brushed against the cool, dewy leaves as I passed and finally… I could simply just breathe again. I felt human, alive…
God, I didn’t realize how desperately I needed this escape until now. For just a few precious moments, I could be just me. Not the Morelli princess, not Matteo’s fiancée.
The farther I moved from the ballroom, the more the sounds of music and chatter faded, until everything was just quiet.
I walked and walked, leaving everything and everyone behind, until I was alone.
Until it was just me and the silence of the night that filled me with a kind of peace I had been searching for, for so long.
This was everything I had needed before I lost myself to the insanity of this cruel marital game.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
But even this tranquility didn’t last long.
It was ripped away from me in a single, shattering breath when a strong arm suddenly snaked around my waist from behind, yanking me backward against a solid chest.