Page 15 of Vow of Desire

“Thank you,” I respond, because it’s good manners. “And you’re a wonderful dancer yourself.”

“Thank you. How did you learn to dance?”

My eyes land on Sienna, who looks like a ghost. Then I see Gabriel and Aurora, looking like a power couple. Gabriel caused all of this. He signed my life away.

I stumble again.

“Maybe you’re not as good of a dancer,” Matteo comments. “You keep stepping on my toes.”

“I’m sorry” I whisper. My head is really lightheaded. Woozy. “Is it warm in here? I feel warm.”

Matteo spins me around the dance floor faster and faster. I think I might pass out. I can’t stand any of this. None of this is what I wanted. I wanted love. I wanted to choose my life. I wanted the fairytale I was promised.

“I’m sorry,” I say, pulling myself out of Matteo’s arms but the action of doing so makes me lose my balance and I fall backwards, right onto the floor. My head hits the ground and the next thing I see is darkness.

“Luciana, wake up,” a deep voice says to me, calling out from the darkness. Blinking my eyes open, I see Matteo hovering over me. My father is on the other side of me.

It’s then that I remember: my wedding day. The reception hall filled with people, all looking at me. Some with concern. Others with judgement.

Matteo helps me sit up and touches the back of my head. “You’re not bleeding but you could have a concussion. You hit your head when you fell.”

“Why did you fall?” my father asks. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”

Before I can answer, Matteo speaks. “I did nothing to her. We were just dancing. You saw it. Be careful with your accusations, Rocco.”

My father ignores him, keeping his eyes on me. “Luciana, are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” I lie, getting to my feet. “I’m fine. You don’t need to make a fuss around me. I just… fell. But I’m fine.”

“It looked like you passed out,” Matteo comments. “I’m not sure you’re fine.”

“I’m fine,” I snap. Taking a deep breath, I repeat, “I’m fine. I swear. I just felt lightheaded but I’m fine now.”

“Lightheaded?” Father frowns. “Why? Maybe you should lie down. We should end the reception right now.”

I glance at Alexandra, who looks like she’s won a trophy at my expense. She’s loving that I’m struggling. A lot of the mafia women here all look the same. They want me to fail.

But I cannot fail.

Not when there’s so much on the line.

“I am fine,” I repeat. “Let us eat.” I hurry towards the main table and sit down. After a moment, Matteo joins me. The servers come out with food, which helps distract people from what just happened. My embarrassment.

“Why did you pass out?” Matteo murmurs to me, making me jump.

“I felt overwhelmed. It happened but I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

He huffs and doesn’t press the issue. If I have to admit that I’m terrified and that’s the reason I passed out, I’ll never be able to live it down. I’ve always been known for my composure. I can’t ruin that now.

I try to take bites of my steak but the food just won’t go down. This wedding is not going how I wanted it to go. Nothing is.

“I know you think I’m the villain,” Matteo says into my ear, “but I am not. I don’t want you to pass out again. I don’t want you to get hurt, Luciana. You are my wife now. I want you to be safe.”

There’s a sincerity in his voice that startles me. I look into his eyes, trying to see if he’s telling the truth. It seems like he is.

“Thank you,” I say with more honesty.

“Good. That’s settled. You are a high strung woman, aren’t you? I can tell.”