Page 12 of The One
“I was so desperate for a way out that I actually planned to fake fainting,” I confess quietly as I step out.
“Did you? After the vomiting?” Isa asks.
“Pretend, you mean?”
I rid myself of the high heels too. That feels so much better! I hadn’t even noticed how much my feet were hurting.
“Yes,” Isa replies, keeping her voice low.
“No, I didn’t pretend. I think I fainted from pure mortification.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Isa, I vomited on a priest!”
She chuckles again. “I know! This will be talked about for years.”
I groan. “God, I hate being the center of gossip.”
There’s a moment of sobering silence, and all jest fades.
“I made us and the Contis a laughingstock. I tarnished both our reputations. There will be consequences. If Father somehow convinces the Contis to give this union another chance, Renaldo will make me pay for his humiliation for the rest of my life. Maybe it would have been better to let Father kill me.”
“Don’t say that, Mari. For now, let’s focus on the fact that you’re safe.”
Yes, I am safe.
But for how long?
Chapter Five
Mariella
The car ride to the private airport in Catania blurs as we speed down the winding roads. My thoughts are as scattered as the scenery.
For the first time today, I’m all by myself. Well, sort of, if you ignore the guy driving the car, which is easy given he doesn’t talk to me.
Leaning my head against the window, I close my eyes. I’m so tired. The adrenaline high from earlier is fading, leaving me exhausted. All I want to do is sleep.
Yet, my mind won’t rest. The events of today cling to me, looping in endless circles.I’ve heard nothing about my fate with the Contis. I’m grateful for that, though I doubt I’m out of the woods.
This morning when I woke up, the world looked bleak.
I was set to marry a man I didn’t care for and enter a marriage built for his convenience. I had resigned myself to leaving my family and the life I’d always known, uncertain of what he would expect of me.
Now, the world still looks bleak.
But perhaps a ray of sunshine is breaking through the clouds.
I’m still leaving my family behind, still walking into uncertainty. But at least there’s no ring on my finger, binding me to a stranger.
Wow, I really got out of marrying Renaldo Conti!
Truth be told, I’d intended to faint before saying ‘I do’, but my stomach had other plans. I felt nauseous all morning, but the final lurch caught me off guard. It was humiliating and unstoppable.
I’m grateful for it, though!
It was my ticket out of this marriage.
When the car drives over a speed bump, I open my eyes. We’re at the airport already.
