Page 6 of Vow of Desire

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I don’t trust him.”

“So why am I being married to him then? I think it does matter. Tell me.”

He narrows his eyes. “You don’t get to make demands of me, daughter. I don’t like this new tone with you.”

“Maybe if you had told me you agreed to a marriage alliance with a man I have never met before, I wouldn’t be so upset.”

“Because I didn’t agree to it!” he shouts, making me flinch. “Gabriel is forcing my hand. If I had my way, I’d never let you get married. But it’s not up to me. You have to marry him. And that is that.”

“But why do I have to marry him? Why him exactly?”

“For peace. He will bring a war to our doorstep otherwise.”

“What did he do?” I ask. “Please tell me. Don’t keep me in the dark forever. Clearly, it hasn’t helped matters.”

With a sigh, he sits back down in his seat. “Gabriel promised Matteo Leo’s wife Emma in exchange for peace but Leo wasn’t happy about that. So Gabriel went back on his word and told Matteo he wouldn’t be marrying Emma. It made Matteo angry and he attacked Leo and kidnapped Emma. Gabriel offered you to Matteo instead for peace and I have no choice but to go along with it. I have no say in this, Luciana.”

“So I’m being married off to a man who has kidnapped a woman? Who has tried to hurt the people closest to you? That’s my future husband?” I ask, horrified.

“I’m afraid so. Which is why I didn’t want you to know. I wanted you to live in ignorance for a while longer. I am sorry for putting you in this position, Luciana, but I am not sorry for trying to give you more moments of peace before the truth came out.”

“But the truth was always going to come out and I deserved to know. You should have told me.”

“It doesn’t change anything,” he says.

“I would have been prepared to meet Matteo. Instead, I felt like a fool in front of him.”

“This is happening. I am sorry to say that but it is. I have to give you up and it’s killing me inside.”

“What about me?” I whisper. “You’re only speaking about how you feel. But what about how I feel? What about me, Daddy?”

Shame crosses his features and he bows his head, not responding. With a huff, I storm from his office. Once my father decides a conversation is over, that’s it. There’s no more talking until he decides to resume it.

None of this is fair. Yes, he’s my father and I love and respect him. But he holds my life in his hands. And now my life is being given over to another man. To Matteo. A man I just learned has committed horrible crimes against Leo, Gabriel’s right hand man.

How am I supposed to marry him? How am I supposed to survive this?

When I return to my room, I grab my teddy bear and hold it close to my chest. Most likely, I’ll have to give up everything I know. My bedroom. My stuffed animals. How ironic that I wanted to get rid of them just days ago.

But now, I want to cling onto them for dear life because I know everything is about to change.

The bakery is beautiful. Soft wood tones. Warm lighting. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla in the air.

Or it would be all beautiful if I didn’t have to attend this cake tasting with Matteo.

He’s waiting for me inside the bakery with his back to me. His strong looking back. Matteo has a strength to his build which is both handsome and terrifying. Conventionally, he’s everything a woman would want in a man looks wise. But that means he has the strength to hurt me if he chooses to do it. And knowinghe’s not opposed to kidnapping means he could hurt me at any moment.

He turns around at the sound of my high heels on the hardwood. “Ah. Luciana. You’re here.”

“Yes.” It’s my duty to be here and I will honor my duty but it’s taking everything inside of me to not run away. “Let’s try cakes. That’s what you wanted.”

“We both want a delicious cake for our wedding, do we not?”

“Of course.” I plaster a fake smile onto my face though it doesn’t stretch far. Matteo smiles back and I can tell it’s just as fake as my own. What is he thinking? What does a man who looks like a model and who clearly has money and power have on his mind?

He motions for me to sit down at one of the tables in the corner.

A woman approaches us after we’ve sat down. “Hello. I’m Anna. I’m the owner. We’ve made you multiple cakes to try. I hope you enjoy them all.” She leaves and comes back a moment later with a large selection of cakes to choose from. “Take your time.” I want to ask her to stay but she walks away to attend to another customer.