“You’re twenty-one. I’ve waited long enough. This deal has to happen, Antonia. And you are not going to cause me any grief.” He aims a finger at me to make his point.
“Who?” I ask him.
“Whowhat?”
“Who have you sold me off to, Papa?” I push to my feet.
“Don’t be dramatic. I haven’t sold you to anyone. It’s a merger of families. You will meet your fiancé at the engagement party. I expect you to be on your best behavior, Antonia.”
“What if I say no?” I counter.
“You will give me no choice but to hand you over to someone else. Someone less… civilized. Need I remind you of what happens to daughters who don’t do as they’re expected?” He raises a brow at me.
When I was thirteen, my father sat me down and made me watch video after video of women in cages. Being raped. He told me they were the daughters of other bosses. Daughters who didn’t do as they were told. I believed that would be my fate if I stepped out of line. For a really long time.
Then, as I got older, I realized it was nothing more than a scare tactic. I’ve been friends with other bosses’ daughters. Sure, we all might end up in arranged marriages, but never have I heard of anyone being sold off into sexual slavery.
I get it. Those videos were real. Those women were someone’s daughters. But they were stolen; they were not given to the traffickers. Would my father follow through on his threat?I have no idea.Am I going to push the boundaries to find out?Absolutely not.
I mean, who knows? I could end up with a decent husband. This marriage could be the thing that gets me out of this house and earns me some semblance of freedom. Once I’m married, my father won’t be able to tell me what I can and can’t do anymore.
“Okay, I’ll find a dress,” I agree and walk out of my father’s office, my heart racing in my chest.
Please let it be someone kind. I don’t care what he looks like. I don’t care how much money he has. I just want someone kind. I’ve experienced enough cruelty already.
Then again, whomever my father has married me off to is someone in the life. Chances are he’s not much better than the kind of men surrounding me.
I don’t go back to my room. Nope, I need to get out of this house. Brian follows me as I stroll out the front door. “Get the car. I’m meeting the girls for lunch,” I tell him while I pull out my phone and text my two best friends.
Me:
SOS! Lunch, now!!
Georgia:
What happened? I can be there in five. Usual spot?
Me:
Tell you when I get there. Leaving now. And, yes, usual spot.
Luna:
On my way. Don’t start without me.
I smile. These girls are my ride or die. Always there when I need them. Without question. If I ever needed to hide a body, I’d call them. I mean, technically, Brian would probably handle thebody for me. But still, it’d be these two women I trusted with that kind of secret.
Georgia is already waiting at our usual table when I get to the café. We’ve been coming to Rachel’s Diner for lunch since we discovered the place back in high school.
“Hey.” I fall into the bench seat opposite her.
“Shit, it’s bad,” she says, looking at my face.
I nod, my teeth biting into my bottom lip. “I’m going to wait for Luna to get here. I cannot have this conversation twice,” I tell her.
“Okay, well, let’s order a drink first.”
The best thing about Rachel’s Diner? They serve wine and have been serving us for a lot longer than they should have been. “Thank you.”
