Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Soon the party winds down, and Bane’s left me alone to head off to bed while he goes and smokes cigars with those closest to him. I make my quick getaway, Ledger fresh on my mind.
I lock my door, and change into my night clothes. I gaze out the window, wishing Ledger were here with me. How am I supposed to marry Bane and lust after another man? It’s sinful. It’s completely insane, yet I can’t stop myself from thinking about him.
I get ready for bed, and once I slide under the covers, I flip my pillow, fluffing it so I can try to sleep. There’s a pink post-it note under there, and written on it is,
I know you don’t love him.
He doesn’t even have to sign his name for me to know who wrote this. I grab my phone from the nightstand and send him off a message.
I don’t love him.
His response is immediate.
Then tell me why you’re marrying him.
Tears fall, racing down my cheeks.
Because.
I deserve a real answer. I’m going insane. I can’t eat. I can’t think. I want to be with you. So, please tell me why.
I’ve done this to him. I’ve caused Ledger to go crazy, and it crushes me. It makes my heart nearly split in two, and I don’t know what to do about it. I wish I could stop this wedding. I wish I could call it off, but I can’t.
Even if I had the money to pay off my father’s debt, it would be no use. Bane no longer cares about the money. He cares about his reputation. How he’s viewed in the public eye, and if his fiancée were to call off the wedding, it wouldn’t look too good.
There’s no way out. In a few days time, I’ll be Mrs. Bane Delgado, and I will give the one man who scares the living shit out of me the one thing I can—my virginity.
I tap at my screen, answering Ledger, knowing what I need to do.
I’m marrying Bane. What we have isn’t real. Now please, don’t ever call me again.
And then I shut off my phone, and bury my face into my pillow and cry myself to sleep. The next morning I wake up to sunlight streaming in through the windows. I open my eyes, trying my best to push away the sadness I still feel.
As I get ready for the day, there's constant chatter coming from downstairs. I hurry down the staircase to find Bridgette along with a few other people I’ve never seen before.
“You’re finally awake,” Bridgette says, and I stifle a yawn.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
Bridgette looks at me like I’ve grown another head. “Your wedding is in a few days. There’s a lot to do.” She snaps her fingers at one of the women at her side. “Fawna, get a list of vendors.”
“You need to find your dress,” a short, bald-haired man says to me. “I’m Eduardo, and I’m here to help you.”
“I thought I had picked a dress,” I say to Bridgette as Eduardo pulls out a tape measure.
“Bane didn’t approve of it. He wants you in something more…” her words fall away as she just gawks at me like I could never wear anything worthy enough for Bane.
“I’m on it,” Eduardo cuts her off, and then grabs my hand to lead me down the hallway and toward the den.
Once we’re both inside, Eduardo taps at his phone. “Simone is bringing some dresses for you to try on.” Eduardo just stares at me, like I’m missing something.
“Thank you,” I tell him, yet he still stares.
Until finally he says, “Get undressed.”
There’s a knock at the door, and Eduardo ushers a woman, who must be Simone, into the room with a rolling clothing rack full of white wedding dresses.
“Bane approved of all of these,” she says as Eduardo shuts the door.
He returns his attention back to me. “You’re not undressed yet.”
I fling my shirt off as Eduardo and Simone create a frenzy around me, and for the next forty-five minutes, I’m propelled into the world of trying on dress after dress, until we find one that ‘sort of’ works. Their words, not mine.
As I gaze into the mirror, a stranger meets my eyes. The woman reflected back at me bears little resemblance to the person I once knew. Her eyes lack their usual sparkle, dulled by an indiscernible weight that seems to burden her spirit. And there she stands, dressed in a wedding dress that feels foreign against her skin, a garment I would never have chosen for myself. It's as if I'm observing someone else's life.
A solitary tear cascades down my cheek, betraying the storm of emotions within me. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Eduardo's words, mistaking my tear for one of joy, linger in the air, adding to the complexity of the moment.