Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“I spoke with Adrian yesterday,” Giulia said softly, her hand rubbing comforting circles on my back. “I asked how you were settling in. He said you weren’t eating, that you’ve locked yourself in here since...” She trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. “I thought the newly-wedded bride would be in a much happier mood.”
My stomach lurched with the thought of Adrian discussing me… my misery, my humiliation… with his sister.
“Why does he care if I eat or not?” I pulled back, wiping angrily at my tears. “He ruined my life, and now he cares if I starve?”
Giulia’s expression shifted, confusion clouding her features. “What do you mean?”
“It was all a lie.” The words tore from my throat, raw and painful. “He married me to hurt Matteo. I was just a p-pawn in their twisted game.”
Giulia’s face fell. She didn’t seem surprised, which somehow made it worse. “Adrian doesn’t do... love,” she said quietly. “Not in the way most people understand it.”
“Do you know why he married me?” I asked, desperate for some explanation, some context that might make this nightmare make sense.
She shook her head. “No, but... his reasons have always been complicated. He has unconventional ways of doing things.”
“Exactly, and I’m paying for it.” I gestured wildly at the room, at myself, at the wreckage of my life. “Why am I collateral damage in the war between two brothers?”
“Adrian and Matteo are—"
“I don’t care what has happened between them.” My voice rose, surprising even me. “I won’t accept being used and discarded.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded firmly. “So what are you going to do about it then?”
I stared at Giulia, her words hanging in the air between us. What was I going to do about it? The question echoed in my hollow chest.
What could I do? I was trapped in this marriage, in this house, in this life I hadn’t chosen. Divorce wasn’t an option, not in our world, not for a woman like me.
“I don’t know,” I finally admitted, my voice scratchy from days of silent crying. “I’ve spent my entire life doing what I was told. Being the perfect daughter, the perfect fiancée, and now...” I inhaled, hating the next words that would come out. “I had to be the wife to a man I loathe.”
I wiped my tears, my chin wobbling. “My father thinks I’m a failure. I don’t know if he’ll ever even speak to me again.”
“You’re not a failure, Serafina.” Giulia squeezed my hand. “This is just a cruel situation you’ve found yourself in. You’re the catalyst of Adrian’s ruthlessness.”
“And Matteo’s obsession,” I added, bitterness coating my tongue. “I was never more than a prize to either of them.”
The realization that I had never truly been seen as a person by either brother cut deeper than any blade could. I was a trophy, a possession, a means to an end.
How pathetic of me. How stupidly naive I had been to think that I had been worth something.
“No,” Giulia said firmly, her voice hardening. “You’re a person, Serafina. And you have more power than you think.”
I laughed bitterly. “What power? I’m trapped in this house, with three massive dogs, married to a man who simply wants to use me.”
“You’re a Salvatore now,” she reminded me. “That means something in our world. And Adrian may have married you for the wrong reasons, but that doesn’t mean you have to play by his rules.”
My stomach dipped at her words. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m suggesting you stop being a victim because you’re a survivor, Serafina.” Giulia’s eyes gleamed with determination. “You have survived our world, been the perfect daughter, dressed the way you were told, ate the way they wanted you to, talked how they expected you to, smiled even when it hurt, laughed even when it broke you. You. Survived. All. Of. It.”
My heart hammered against my rib cage, slamming with such force it made my breath hitch.
“You’re his wife now,” Guilia said. “Use your position to your advantage. Adrian is… complicated, but he’s not entirely without honor.”
“Honor?” I scoffed. “He destroyed my life for revenge.”
“He could have abandoned you after what happened,” Giulia pointed out. “He could have let you face the shame alone. Instead, he married you.”
“To hurt Matteo,” I insisted.
“Perhaps,” she conceded. “But he also protected you from more humiliation.”
“Please,” I begged, shaking my head. “Don’t try to make him sound like some kind of hero when he’s not.”
“I’m not saying that,” she argued quietly. “But what I am saying is that you’re his wife now. And you can either use that to your advantage or you can continue to allow yourself to be a victim. Stay in this room until you disappear, until you’re living within these walls like a forgotten ghost. That is completely up to you, Serafina.”