Page 55 of Broken Princess

But... he does know. And he still wants to marry me anyway.

He hasn't tried to force me to change. He hasn't pushed anything, really, other than the union itself, and my father is the overpowering force behind that one.

I already care for him as a friend. Maybe I even love him in that way. There are worse things than spending your life with someone you care about.

Maybe if I hadn't let myself indulge in the fantasy that I could actually be with Lorenzo, a man who makes me feel things I never even thought possible, it would have been enough.

There's a soft knock at the door, and I'm so jumpy I almost jolt out of my skin.

"Try to relax," Natalie says with a laugh, going over to open the door to reveal Anthony standing on the other side.

"You look beautiful," he says as he reaches out to take my hands. "I'm sure Stefan will be absolutely speechless when he sees you."

I force a smile, even though the thought of Stefan's reaction is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I'm more concerned about how I'll react when I see Lorenzo in the crowd. If I’ll break down and start crying, or if I'll be able to keep it together long enough to get through this wedding.

Only time will tell, I guess.

"I'll give you two a minute, but don't forget, your father is waiting," Natalie calls on her way out of the room.

I can already hear the church organ playing downstairs, the music sending vibrations through the floorboards.

"I won't be long," I promise her.

Once the door is closed, Anthony turns to face me. "She's being awfully chummy."

"Oh, she's been downright pleasant ever since Stefan showed up," I mumble.

"I hate to sound like the cynic I am, but everyone in this world has an ulterior motive," Anthony says, growing uncharacteristically somber. "Take your allies where you can get them."

"Oh, yeah?" I ask. "And what'syourmotive?"

He smiles. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a bitch. Before you came along, it was hard to find someone to hang out with."

"Stop it," I laugh.

Anthony always makes me laugh, which is dangerous when I feel like I could easily go from laughing to crying on a hair trigger, but it lightens my spirit all the same.

"In all seriousness, you just being here makes it a little easier," I tell him honestly. "If you weren't here, I’d be a total wreck by now."

"Glad to be of service," Anthony says with a wry smile. "You know, you don't have to go through with this, Amelia. You could always just bolt. Say the word, and I'll help you disappear."

I shake my head. He probably could, too. His father is one of the best fixers in the business, but just doing that would put a huge target on his head. There's no way I could risk that. "Tempting as the offer is, I can't. I've already tried running from my problems, and from now on, I think I just have to face them head on."

No matter how much I don't want to.

Anthony nods thoughtfully. "For what it's worth, I think you're making the right decision. And after getting to know Stefan these past few weeks, much to his chagrin, I can grudgingly say I think he's a good guy. I don't know what the truth is about his past, but I do know he cares about you. And I think he'll do whatever he can to make you happy in the future."

"Yeah," I say quietly. My lingering trepidations on Stefan's account settle a little at Anthony's words. If there's anyone whose judgment I trust, it's him. I'm still plenty nervous about everything else, though. "Thanks. That's worth a lot, actually."

A look of remembrance crosses Anthony's face, and he reaches into his pocket. "Oh, on that note, I got you a present."

"A present?" I ask, tilting my head as he places a small box in my hand. I unwrap the ribbon tying it shut and pull off the lid to reveal a small pink device inside. "Is that—?"

"A taser," he says brightly. "It's just in case Stefan does get out of line."

I press a hand over my mouth, taking care not to smudge my lipstick as I smother a laugh. "Anthony... God, you're too much."

"Just a little something to lighten the mood," he says with a bittersweet smile. "But really, if he ever hurts you, you tell me and I'll kill him."

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