Page 23 of Forsaken Promises
I can only pray that I have the strength to see it through. To be the woman my family needs me to be. If only I can find the faith to believe in myself, in us, in the possibility of a future that's worth fighting for.
Despite the odds, despite the obstacles, despite everything that stands in our way. It’s a daunting prospect, a terrifying leap into the unknown.
But it’s one that I know I have to take.
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 outnow.
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 getanysleep 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 wassurethat 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.
Iwon’tdo 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.
