Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
I put all thoughts of a potential accidental pregnancy aside, hike up the skirt of my wedding dress around my thighs, and open the latch on the window, holding my breath as I push the pane open and hope that it doesn’t creak. Big, old churches like these are notoriously creaky, but perhaps God is looking over me now because the window swings open without a sound.
I peer out the window, looking quickly down both sides of the street to make sure Leonardo didn’t have the foresight to place guards outside. There are undoubtedly guards outside the front of the church, as there are outside the door to where I’m soon expected to walk out of. But I can’t see any here outside my window. Perhaps he didn’t think I would be bold enough to climb out the window and escape onto the street. Honestly, even I didn’t think I would be bold enough to do something like this. I don’t even know where to go. My only friend here is Isla, and she is sitting inside the church right now. I’ll have to rely on the kindness and sympathies of the Italian people meandering the streets outside since I have nowhere to go and nowhere to hide once Leonardo finds out that I’ve run away from our wedding. I just need to make it somewhere safe to hide.
I climb out the window as fast as I can. My dress snags on the window hinge, and I have no choice but to tug at it until it tears. Once free, I take off running down the street alongside the old brick exterior of the church. For a second, I feel exhilarated and hopeful that I’ll get away from all of this. Granted, I feel the weight of guilt over my father sitting in the front pew of the church, waiting to see this arrangement come to fruition, he married me off into, , but I can’t let that remorse slow me down.
I kick off my heels, letting my bare feet scrape against the sidewalk as I run, and take a sharp turn around the building to disappear into a side alleyway. But no sooner do I turn the corner, one of Leonardo’s men turns from his position at the perimeter and spots me.
“What the—hey! Stop right there!” he shouts as soon as he sees me standing out like a sore thumb in my brilliant white dress against the rich, reddish-brown buildings. He whistles for backup, and within seconds, several of Leonardo’s men are racing toward me.
Frantically, I look around as panic sets in. I can’t outrun them in this heavy wedding dress, and I can’t fight against them as they’re much stronger than I am. They’re also armed, although I’m not sure how kindly Leonardo would take to them creating as grisly scene, shooting the bride on his wedding day. Still, I wouldn’t put it past them. Leonardo values appearance and reputation above all else, but he also despises humiliation and rejection. Such things trigger volatile responses and amplify his intense rage if he feels his power threatened. It’s the one thing that can crack his unsettling public composure, and it’s something that I would prefer not to test with my life. I’ve been careful all this time not to upset his emotionally volatile demeanor, but this act of betrayal on my part will undoubtedly put him over the edge. I have to get away.
I turn and run in the other direction but can hear them closing in on me from behind. From my peripheral vision, I can see how narrow the streets here are, and how uneven the cobblestone is too. I decide to take the chance, crossing the street to see if I can slip away among the people perusing the quaint little shops surrounding the area. But as soon as I step out onto the street, I hear the squealing brakes of a car and turn to look at a black car stopped merely a few feet from me.
“Get in!” a voice calls from the open window.
Adrenaline pulses through my veins so hard that I can hear my heartbeat in my ears over the sudden fear of nearly being hit by oncoming traffic.
But then Luc sticks his head out of the driver’s side window and motions for me. “Valentina, get inside the car now!”
Instantly, I do as he says and run toward the passenger door that he’s flung open for me. I jump into the seat and slam the door closed on the train of my wedding dress just as Leonardo’s men reach the side of the car and try to grab at me. One of them aims his gun at Luc, but Luc punches the gas and runs over the guard’s foot. Behind us, there’s a loud scream of pain and a few poorly aimed shots fired.