10. Dominico
10
DOMINICO
I ’m up at the crack of dawn, unable to sleep after the disastrous events of last night. I always pictured my wedding night to be one of breathless anticipation, a hurry to get to our rooms so we could tear each other’s clothes apart and fall into bed, whispering words of love to each other as we become one in every sense of the word.
Well, we got the fucking part right. We just sucked at the whispering words of love to each other.
My mind is racing, replaying every harsh word, every cutting remark that Sofia hurled at me. The memory of her cold, unyielding eyes as she told me she hoped that she got pregnant immediately so she wouldn’t have to sleep with me for a whole year… it’s like a knife twisting in my gut.
I can’t do this. I can’t spend the rest of my life trapped in a loveless marriage, shackled to a woman who despises me. I don’t care if it’s been less than twenty-four hours since we said our vows. I don’t care if an annulment will embarrass my family and the Marinos.
I need out, and I need out now .
Throwing on some clothes, I head downstairs determined to find my father and plead my case. Surely, he’ll understand once I explain the situation. Surely, he’ll see that this marriage is doomed from the start, that there’s no hope of salvaging it.
As I’m stalking through the hallway, I run into Valentina, dressed in workout clothes. When she spots me, a sly grin spreads across her face as she looks me up and down, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the newlywed. How was last night, dear brother? Did you and your blushing bride get any sleep last night?” She laughs, winking at me.
I clench my jaw, my hands balling into fists at my side. I’m in no mood for her teasing, her lighthearted banter. Not when my life is falling apart around me.
“Shut up, Valentina,” I snap, my voice harsh and cutting. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her smile falters, her brow furrowing in concern as she finally takes in my appearance. God, I can only imagine how I must look—rumpled clothes, bags under my eyes, and a five o’clock shadow that could rival anyone else’s. “Dom? What’s wrong? Did something happen between you and Sofia?”
I let out a mirthless laugh, the sound bitter and broken even to my own ears. “Oh, you could say that My darling wife hates my guts, Val. She wants nothing to do with me. In fact, she made it quite clear that our marriage is nothing more than a business arrangement to her, a means to an end.”
My sister’s eyes widen, her mouth falling open in shock. “What? But… but I thought… I mean, the way you two were looking at each other during the ceremony, the dance… I was sure that there was still something there, some spark of the love you once shared.”
I shake my head, my voice tight with emotion. “You were wrong, Val. Whatever love we once had… it’s dead and buried. Sofia will never forgive me for what I did to her, for the way I broke her heart.”
Valentina is silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful as she chews on her bottom lip. “So, what are you going to do, Dom? You can’t just give up, not after everything our Families have been through to make this marriage happen.”
I snort derisively. “Watch me. I’m going to find Dad and demand an annulment. I don’t care what it takes, Valentina. I won’t spend another night under the same roof as that woman.”
She scoffs, rolling her brown eyes, “An annulment? Dom, don’t be ridiculous. It’s clear that you and Sofia consummated your marriage last night. There’s no way the church will grant you an annulment now.”
I feel a flush of anger and embarrassment heat my cheeks. The thought of my sister knowing the intimate details of my wedding night… it’s mortifying.
“That’s none of your damn business,” I snarl, pushing past her roughly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a marriage to end.”
“Your funeral,” she mutters.
I stalk off down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind consumed with a single, desperate thought.
I have to get out of this. I have to find a way to escape this nightmare, to break free from the chains of a marriage that’s suffocating me.
Even if it means defying my family, even if it means breaking those vows… I can’t do this anymore.
I won’t do this anymore.
I’ll find my father, and I’ll make him understand. I’ll make him see that this marriage is a mistake, a disaster waiting to happen.
And then… I’ll be free.
Free from Sofia’s hatred, free from the weight of my own guilt and regret.
* * *
I take a deep breath before knocking on the heavy wooden door of my father’s office. My heart is pounding in my chest, my palms slick with sweat. I know this won’t be an easy conversation, but I have to try. I have to make him see reason.
“Come in,” my father’s deep voice calls from within.
I push open the door and step inside, trying to project an air of confidence and determination. My father is already seated behind his massive oak desk, a stack of papers spread out before him. He looks up as I enter, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Dominico,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “To what do I owe this early morning visit? Shouldn’t you be with your new bride, basking in the afterglow of your wedding night?”
I clench my jaw, ignoring the suggestive tone in his voice. “Father, we need to talk about my marriage to Sofia.”
He raises an eyebrow, his expression guarded. “Oh? And what about it?”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction. “It’s not going to work, Father. Sofia hates me. She wants nothing to do with me. I can’t trap her in this marriage, not when I know how miserable it will make her.” And me , I think silently, but I don’t tell him that.
My father’s eyes turn icy cold, his mouth pressing in a thin line. “Dominico, let me make one thing very clear. This marriage is not up for negotiation. You wed the Marino girl, and now it’s your duty to make it work. I don’t care what you did to make her hate you. It’s your responsibility to fix it.”
I feel a surge of anger and frustration rise up within me. “But Dad, you don’t understand. Sofia will never forgive me for what I did to her. She hates me, and nothing I say or do will change that. Forcing her to stay in this marriage… it’s cruel and unfair.”
He slams his hand down on the desk, making me jump. “Enough! I will not have you jeopardizing our family’s alliance with the Marinos over some petty lovers’ quarrel. Do you have any idea what it would mean to make an enemy of Don Marino? To insult him by rejecting his daughter after all the effort he put into arranging this union? To humiliate him by returning his daughter after we just spent a fucking fortune on this wedding?”
I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off with a sharp gesture. “No, Dominico. You will do whatever it takes to win Sofia over, to make her see you as a worthy husband. I don’t care if you have to grovel, beg, or move heaven and earth itself. You will not embarrass this family by failing in this most basic of duties.”
I feel my shoulders slump in defeat, the fight draining out of me. I know my father, and I know that tone of voice. He’s made up his mind, and there's no changing it now.
“Yes, Father,” I mutter, my voice hollow and resigned. “I understand.”
He nods curtly, his eyes still hard and unyielding. “Good. Now go back to your wife and start making amends. I expect to hear of your progress in the coming days and weeks.”
I turn to leave, my heart heavy in my chest. As I reach for the door handle, my father’s voice stops me.
“And Dominico? Don’t forget what’s at stake here. The future of our family rests on your shoulders now. Don’t let me down.”
I swallow hard, my throat tight with emotion. “I won’t, Father. I swear it.”
As I step out into the hallway, I feel a sense of hopelessness wash over me. How am I supposed to win Sofia over when she can barely stand the sight of me? How am I supposed to build a life with a woman who hates me, who will never see me as anything more than a monster?
But I know I have no choice. My father has made that abundantly clear.
I have to find a way to make this work, to prove to Sofia that I’m not the same man I was all those years ago. That I’ve changed, that I’m worthy of her love and forgiveness.
As I wander through the halls of the mansion, my mind is racing with thoughts of how I’m going to approach Sofia. What can I possibly say to her after everything that’s happened between us? How can I even begin to bridge the chasm of hurt and betrayal that yawns between us?
I’m so lost in my own head that I almost don’t notice her at first. But then I hear a soft voice calling my name, and I turn to see Sofia standing there, looking up at me with those blue eyes that have haunted my dreams for so long.
She looks awful, like she hasn’t slept a wink all night. Her hair is tangled and her face is pale, with dark circles under her eyes. A small, vicious part of me is glad to see that she’s clearly suffering too, that I’m not the only one who’s been tormented by the events of the last day.
But mostly, I just feel a deep, aching sadness, a sense of regret for all the pain I’ve caused her, all the damage I’ve done to the love we once shared.
“Dom,” she says softly, her voice hesitant and unsure. “Can we talk?”
Part of me wants to snarl out a no. Why should I allow her the opportunity to explain herself when she denied me that ability over and over again?
But my father’s warning is still fresh in my mind. It’s your duty to make it work.
I nod, my throat tight with emotion. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”
She takes a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what she’s about to say. “I wanted to apologize for last night. For the way I behaved, the things I said to you. I was being unreasonable, and I’m sorry.”
I blink in surprise, hardly able to believe what I’m hearing. Sofia, apologizing to me?
“Do you… do you think we can make this work after everything that’s happened?” she asks in a small voice.
Am I dreaming? Is she really saying this to me?
I reach out and take her hand in mine, marveling at the way it still fits so perfectly. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes, Sofia. I want to be the husband you deserve, the man you always believed I could be.”
She smiles up at me then, a real smile that lights up her whole face and makes my heart skip a beat. “I think we can build something together if we’re both willing to try.”
I pull her into my arms, holding her close and breathing in the scent of her hair. For a moment, everything else falls away—the hurt, the anger, the bitter words and shattered dreams.
I can’t help but marvel at the turn of events. Just minutes ago, I was dreading the thought of facing her, of trying to make this marriage work when she so clearly hated me.
But now with her apology and her tentative hope for our future, I feel a glimmer of relief. Maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to move past the hurt and the anger to make something real and lasting together.
And yet, even as I bask in the joy of this moment, I can’t shake the feeling of imprisonment that lurks in the back of my mind. The sense that no matter how much I may want this, no matter how much I may love Sofia… I’m still trapped by the expectations of my family, by the iron will of my father.
I think back to our conversation just a short while ago, to the icy coldness in his eyes as he told me in no uncertain terms that I had to make this marriage work. That I had no choice but to win Sofia over, to prove myself a worthy husband and ally to the Marino Family.
It’s like a leash around my neck, a constant reminder that my life is not my own. That every decision I make, every move I take, is dictated by the needs and desires of the Sicura empire.
And as much as I may want to break free, as much as I may long for the freedom to choose my own path… I know that I can’t. I’m too deeply enmeshed in this world, too bound by the ties of blood and duty that have shaped my life from the moment I was born.
But still, I can’t help but feel a flicker of resentment, a spark of rebellion that burns deep in my gut. Is this really the life I want for myself? Is this the future I envisioned when I was young and naive and full of dreams?
I push those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the woman in my arms. The woman who, despite everything, still holds the key to my heart.
We’ve been given a second chance, a chance to make things right. And I’ll be damned if I let it slip through my fingers again.