“D-dad, where is Mom?”I asked, my voice breaking.
“Don’t let your useless mother stall you at your own wedding, dearie — she’ll arrive shortly,” he said smoothly.“Now come on.Don’t make this complicated for us or for yourself.”His words carried a threat beneath the velvet.
I searched the crowd again, desperate, but the church was swarmed with his men.Nicola’s presence froze me.My arms trembled when D’Angelo took my hand and we began down the aisle.Moments like this should have been beautiful; for me they were unbearable.Tears blurred my vision.
“You really thought you could get away with this, huh?”D’Angelo murmured in my ear.I looked up at him, my heart sinking — what had he done to Mom?
At the end of the aisle, D’Angelo handed my arm to Nicola.He took my hand and kissed it.I was frantic; this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.Mom was meant to arrive before I reached Nicola; she was supposed to stop this.But she wasn’t here.
This was not part of the plan, mom was meant to get here before I reached Nicola however, since she wasn't here, I was going to get married to him today no matter what..
“Ty vyglyadish' tak krasivo, Ariana,” he whispered.“YA lyublyu tebya.”He nodded and blinked at me like he was in love.I couldn’t look at him the way he looked at me — every time I tried, everything he’d done came rushing back.It made it impossible to love him like I had loved Alessandro.
The vicar began to speak, and I prayed with everything I had that something would happen to stop this wedding.With every passing second my stomach turned; I felt so nauseous I thought I might throw up on Nicola.
“Do you, Nicola Luciano, take Ariana Valentina Vallezi as your lawful wedded wife?”
“I do,” Nicola replied, smiling as he looked at me.
“And do you, Ariana Valentina Vallezi, take Nicola Luciano as your lawful wedded husband?”
My heart hammered.I glanced over my shoulder one last time, searching for Mom—any sign of her—but she wasn’t there.A single tear slid down my cheek.Why had I ever thought escape was possible?
“I—I...do,” I whimpered, eyes squeezed shut as goosebumps crawled over my skin.My sobs echoed in the church, but everyone ignored them.They ignored me.
I didn’t even realize how loud I’d begun to cry; my thoughts were only on Mom and what D’Angelo might’ve done to her once he discovered her plan.He must’ve hurt her.
“Does anyone here object to this marriage?”the priest asked.
“I object!”a voice cried.Every head turned.
Relief ripped through me — pure, overwhelming relief — because it was the one voice I’d been desperate to hear.“M-mom!”I gasped as she limped into the hall, the gun I’d seen earlier clutched in her hand.She looked beaten; seeing her alive and standing at my wedding felt like waking from a nightmare to a strange mercy.I threw my bouquet of lilies and started to run toward her, but Nicola grabbed my wrist and locked his fingers around it.
I turned to him, horrified, as he grew visibly agitated.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, detka,” he growled.“Listen to me — you don’t want your mother dead.”
“Valentina, what are you playing at?”D’Angelo bellowed.“Come on, honey — not at your daughter’s wedding.”
Mom glared at D’Angelo as she limped down the aisle.Nicola’s men raised their guns at her; my heart hammered at the sight of so many barrels trained on her.D’Angelo gave a curt gesture to stop them, but Mom kept her aim on Nicola, who still wouldn’t let me go.
“Valentina, please put the gun down,” Nicola said — and for the first time in a long while I heard softness in his voice.Mom looked like someone who’d escaped an asylum and walked into the wrong room, but she was real and furious.
“Let go of her!”she hissed; the sound startled me — I’d never heard her like that.
“Not until you put the gun down!”Nicola snapped.
“Valentina, I’m telling you once — put the gun down, or God help me, I will fucking kill you today!”D’Angelo thundered.
Mom turned her glare to him.The air crackled.If this escalated, it would be my fault.If she died today, it would be on me.
“You like playing these games, don’t you, D’Angelo?”Mom spat.“You’ll only get the chance to kill me when you escape from me.”Her words landed hard; his eyes widened.Even I was stunned — Mom had never stood up to him like this.
“You wouldn’t do that, Valentina — so I’d like to see you try,” he sneered.
“This is not a challenge, D’Angelo.I’m desperate.Help me — I’m trying to save our daughter from something that could ruin her life forever.Give her back to me and I’ll put the gun down.Please.”
“Ariana’s life will not be ruined, Valentina — you have to see this from my point of view.Please, darling, just put the gun down.You wouldn’t shoot your husband over this.”D’Angelo tried to reason, but his words wouldn’t sway her.She was desperate — and right.This was our only chance.
