Chapter 46: No one leaves the Mafia alive.

I stand in the hallway staring at the doorway Lysander disappeared through.

My face is still burning.

That arrogant bastard actually had the nerve to embarrass me over morning breath.

I touch my lips and groan.

"Asshole."

I need coffee....Strong coffee.

Preferably enough to erase the memory of the last five minutes.

I head toward the kitchen, still muttering under my breath.

The kitchen is unusually quiet this morning.

Good.

I don’t feel like dealing with anyone.

I find the coffee, make myself a cup, and lean against the counter while it brews. The smell alone makes me feel slightly more human.

I take the first sip.

Ahhhh that’s better.

I carry my cup upstairs and head straight for my room.

I need a shower and I desperately need to brush my teeth.

I shut my bedroom door behind me, then I take a long bath, wash my hair, brush my teeth twice just to spite him, then change into clean clothes.

When I finally step out of my room, I feel a little more like myself.

It doesn’t last long though, one of the household women approaches me from the end of the hallway.

"Miss Nerissa?"

I stop.

"Yes?"

"The seamstress is waiting for you in the dressing room."

Of course.

The wedding.

I follow her downstairs. The dressing room is already occupied by an older woman surrounded by measuring tapes, fabric samples, boxes and several dresses hanging from a rack.

She looks up when I enter.

"Miss Luciano."

"Hello."

She smiles politely.

"I’ll need to take your measurements."

I sigh.

"Go ahead."

She takes my shoulders, waist, hips, arms and legs, recording everything carefully.

Then she pulls out a notebook.

"Now, for the dress. What style would you prefer?"

I look at the rack, it is full of white, cream and ivory dresses. Everything a traditional bride could possibly want.

I couldn’t care less.

"Anything."

The woman blinks.

"Anything?"

"As long as it’s black."

She stares at me and I stare right back.

"Black?"

"Yes."

"But most brides choose white."

"I’m not most brides."

She hesitates.

Then slowly writes something down.

"Black it is."

"Perfect."

I turn toward the door.

"Miss Nerissa?"

I look back.

She smiles awkwardly.

"You really don’t want to see the designs?"

"No."

And I walk out. The last thing I hear is her quietly telling one of the assistants to start looking for black fabric.

I almost laugh.

Then I run into Olivia.

She’s standing at the end of the hallway, the moment our eyes meet, she smiles.

I walk toward her.

"Come with me."

She follows as we head upstairs to the room we’re sharing now. It still feels strange seeing her things scattered around my room.

When I close the door.

Olivia sits on the bed and I sit beside her.

"So?"

She looks at me.

"So what?"

"Uhmmm the Sanchez household."

She sighs.

"How was it?"

I need to know, not because I’m curious but because I’m going there soon and if I’m going to survive being Lysander’s wife, I need to know exactly what I’m walking into.

"Tell me everything."

Olivia looks down at her hands.

"It wasn’t really terrible."

I raise an eyebrow.

"That sounds like a terrible way to start."

She smiles faintly.

"I mean... nobody really bothered me, I was mostly left to my own devices."

I stare at her.

"Meaning?"

"I was basically just ignored."

She shrugs.

"They had their own lives, their own business, their own problems. Nobody really cared what I did."

"Lysander?"

"He was busy."

"With what?"

"Everything."

She looks away.

"He wasn’t cruel to me, Ris."

That surprises me.

"But he wasn’t exactly interested in me either."

I nod slowly.

"So you were just... alone?"

"Mostly."

Her voice is quiet.

"I had a room. Food. Everything I needed. But I was lonely."

My chest tightens.

That’s worse than I expected.

I always imagined the Sanchez household as something terrifying.

Guards, guns, men watching every movement.

But Olivia’s experience sounds different...

I take her hands.

"You and Nathaniel are leaving."

Her eyes widen.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Where?"

"Somewhere far away."

I start thinking aloud.

"Somewhere neither family has connections, somewhere Uncle can’t reach easily, somewhere the Sanchez family won’t think to look."

"Nerissa, that’s dangerous."

"I know."

"What if Uncle finds out?"

"He won’t."

"You can’t guarantee that."

"No."

I squeeze her hands.

"But I can guarantee that I’m not going to sit here and watch him decide what happens to you and your baby."

She stares at me.

"You’re talking about helping me run away with Nathaniel."

"Yes."

She shakes her head slowly.

"Ris, that’s betrayal to the family, no one leaves the mafia alive....Uncle will see it that way."

"I know."

"He could consider it an act of rebellion against the family."

I look at her.

"Let him."

Her eyes widen.

"You don’t understand."

"I understand perfectly."

I move closer.

"You think I’m going to marry Lysander, walk into that house, and sleep peacefully at night knowing I left you here with Uncle?"

She doesn’t answer.

"I can’t do that."

"But where would we go?"

"I’ll figure it out."

"You can’t just make people disappear."

"I can when those people are my sister and the man she loves."

She looks down.

I continue.

"I’ll send you money."

Her eyes lift.

"Every month."

"Ris..."

"You won’t have to worry about money. You won’t have to work, you won’t have to beg anyone for anything."

She squeezes my fingers.

"What about you?"

I know what she’s asking.

"What happens to you?"

I shrug.

"I’ll handle myself."

"You’re marrying Lysander."

"I know."

"And you’ll be alone."

I smile.

"I’m Nerissa Luciano."

She rolls her eyes.

"That doesn’t answer anything."

"It answers everything."

She shakes her head.

"You’re impossible."

"So are you."

For a moment, we just sit there then she finally nods.

"I’ll talk to Nathaniel."

"Good."

"We’ll have to plan carefully."

"Very carefully."

"You’ll have to give us time."

"We don’t have much time, we move on my wedding day."

She takes a breath.

"And if something goes wrong?"

I look directly into her eyes.

"Then we improvise."

She laughs softly.

"You really think you can fix everything."

"No."

I shake my head.

"I just refuse to stop trying."

She leans into me and I wrap my arms around her.

For a moment, neither of us says anything.

Soon, I’ll be leaving this room, I’ll be leaving this house and I’ll be walking into the Sanchez family as Lysander’s wife.

But before that happens, I’m going to make sure Olivia has a way out, even if it costs me everything.

Especially if it does.