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Father lowered my veil. I was glad for the extra layer of protection, no matter how thin. Maybe it would
hide my expression from afar.
Father led me toward the entrance and gave a low command. The fabric was pulled apart, revealing
the long aisle and the many hundred guests to either side of it. My eyes were drawn to the end of the aisle
where Luca stood. Tall and imposing in his charcoal suit and vest with the silver tie and the white shirt.
His groomsmen were dressed in a vest and dress pants of a lighter grey, and wore no jacket and a bowtie
instead of a tie. Fabiano was one of them, with only eight much shorter than the men.
My father tugged me along and my legs seemed to carry me on their own accord as my body shook
with nerves. I tried not to look at Luca and instead watched Gianna and Liliana from the corner of my eye.
They were the first two bridesmaids and seeing them gave me the strength to hold my head high and not
bolt for the outside.
White rose petals covered my path and were squashed under my shoes. Kind of symbolic in itself,
though I was sure it wasn t meant to be.
The walk took forever and yet it was over too soon. Luca extended his hand, palm upwards. My
father gripped the corners of my veil and lifted it, then he handed my hand over to Luca, whose gray eyes
seemed to burn up with an emotion I couldn t place. Could he feel me shaking? I didn t meet his gaze.
The priest in his white frock greeted us, then the guests, before he began his opening prayer. I tried
not to pass out. Luca s grip was the one thing keeping me focused. I had to be strong. When the priest
finally came to the closing lines of the Gospel, my legs could barely hold me up. He announced the rite of
marriage and the guests all rose from their chairs.
Luca and Aria, the priest addressed us. Have you come here freely and without reservation to
give yourselves to each other in marriage? Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the
rest of your lives?
Lying was a sin, but so was killing. This room breathed sin. Yes, Luca said in his deep voice, and
a moment later my own yes followed. It came out firm.
Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent
before God and his Church. Luca clasped my hands. His were hot against my cold skin. We faced each
other and I had no choice but to look up into his eyes. Luca spoke first, I, Luca Vitiello, take you, Aria
Scuderi, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I
will love you and honor you all the days of my life. How sweet the lies sounded from his mouth.
I recited the words expected of me and the priest blessed our rings.
Luca picked up my ring off the red cushion. My fingers shook like leaves in the breeze as I raised
them, my heartbeat hummingbird quick. Luca s strong hand was firm and steady as he took mine. Aria,
take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
He slipped the ring onto my finger. White gold with twenty small diamonds. What was meant as a
sign of love and devotion for other couples was nothing but a testament of his ownership of me. A daily
reminder of the golden cage I d be trapped in for the rest of my life. Until death do us part wasn t an
empty promise as with so many other couples that entered the holy bond of marriage. There was no way
out of this union for me. I was Luca s until the bitter end. The last few words of the oath men swore when
they were inducted into the mafia, could just as well have been the closing of my wedding vow:
I enter alive and I will leave dead.
It was my turn to say the words and slip the ring onto Luca s finger. For a moment, I wasn t sure if I
could manage. The tremor rocking my body was so strong that Luca had to steady my hand and help me. I
hoped nobody had noticed, but as usual Matteo s keen eyes rested on my fingers. He and Luca were close;
they d probably laugh about my fear for a long time.
I should have run when I still had the chance. Now as hundreds of faces from the Chicago and New
York Familias stared back at us, flight was no longer an option. Nor was divorce. Death was the only
acceptable end to a marriage in our world. Even if I still managed to escape Luca s watchful eyes and that
of his henchmen, my breach of our agreement would mean war. Nothing my father could say would
prevent Luca s Familia from exercising vengeance for making them lose face.
My feelings didn t matter, never had. I d been growing up in a world where no choices were given,
especially to women.
This wedding wasn t about love or trust or choice. It was about duty and honor, about doing what
was expected. A bond to ensure peace.
I wasn t an idiot. I knew what else this was about: money and power. Both were dwindling since
the Bratva, the Triad and other smaller crime organizations had been trying to expand their influence into
our territories. The Italian Familias across the US needed to lay their feuds to rest and work together to
beat down their enemies. I should be honored to marry the oldest son of the New York Familia. That s
what my father and every other male relative had tried to tell me since my betrothal to Luca. I knew that,
and it wasn t as if I hadn t had time to prepare for this exact moment, and yet fear corseted my body in a
relentless grip.
You may kiss the bride, the priest said.
I raised my head. Every pair of eyes in the pavilion scrutinized me, waiting for a flicker of
weakness. Father would be furious if I let my terror show, and Luca s Familia would use it against us. But
I had grown up in a world where a perfect mask was the only protection afforded to women and had no
trouble forcing my face into a placid expression. Nobody would know how much I wanted to escape.
Nobody but Luca. I couldn t hide from him, no matter how much I tried. My body wouldn t stop shaking
and his grip on my hands tightened. As my gaze met Luca s cold gray eyes, I could tell that he knew. How
often had he instilled fear in others? Recognizing it was probably second nature to him.
He bent down to bridge the ten inches he towered over me. There was no sign of hesitation, fear or
doubt on his face. My lips trembled against his mouth. My first kiss, if it could even be called that. His
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