Page 24 of Forsaken Promises
And then… I’ll be free.
Free from Sofia’s hatred, free from the weight of my own guilt and regret.
* * *
I takea 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 willneverforgive 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 fuckingfortuneon 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 willnotembarrass 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.
