1. The Beginning

Aria’s pov

As I brushed my hair, I watched the long, dark strands flow over my shoulder, shimmering in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

Rosalie had always admired my hair, calling it 'beautiful brown silk' and claiming that men couldn't help but stare. But I knew that it was more than just my hair that made me special. She would often taunt me on why men wouldn’t look in her direction or pay close attention to her if we happened to be in the same room. ‘All eyes will be on you, riri.’ She’d say.

All in all, Rosalie was beautiful. She had midnight black hair and grey eyes. Tall and willowy like a top class model. Sometimes, I wished I had all her features, maybe just maybe, I wouldn’t be forced to marry a man like Matteo. Maybe someone else would have fallen for me and taken me away before the deal was struck.

Matteo was a self centered man so I’ve heard. I’ve heard tales of how cruel and misshapen his mind was and that was the man I was to marry. I remembered how my father said those words; ‘you are to marry Mr. Marino’s son, Matteo’. There was a break in his voice when he said them so I’m guessing he did want me to make the decision on my own long before the deal with the Marinos.

I winced when Rosalie forced my body into the oddly small dress. My dad picked it out for me and it occurred to me there and then it was all his plan to expose more than half of me to Matteo tonight. Rosalie murmured series of curses as she took in my frame tightly hugged by the freakishly small dress.

“Did he pick this out at the children section?”. She asked completely irritated.

“It’s going to rip apart if I laugh during dinner”. I said with a small smile on my face.

“Good thing Matteo isn’t known for his jokes. You’re good”.

We both laughed and I pulled her in for a warm hearty hug. She looked at me lovingly, pushed a few strands of my hair away from my face. Rosalie was my favorite person in the world. She filled every gap I had. She was everything to me.

To think we met in a toilet cubicle, she was being chased by drunk boys covered in mud and sweat. She ran into my cubicle and waited till they got fed up and went home. She didn’t care to look if it was occupied. She didn’t care to look if I was armed. After the scenerio, she turned to me and smiled. I remember her first words being; “you taking a shit?”. I was embarrassed and I was indeed taking a shit but in my own space which she invaded. She scoffed and left and ever since then, I have been seeing her more than often especially during school hours.

I bit down on my bottom lip slightly making sure not to smear the red glossy lipstick already there.

“You think he has two horns?”. I asked

“I don’t know. I bet three?”. She replied with a snarky smile on her face.

I was scared of Matteo. I mean who wouldn’t after all the tales of his cruelty and complicated nature going all around town. All I knew about my husband to be was, he was well known and popular for his atrocious behavior. And now, I had to look forward to this dinner with the Marinos; My father’s poor attempt of making me and Matteo meet before the wedding which was a few days from now. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be the wife of one of the wealthiest men in Venice. A man lots of women want. A man I wouldn’t want to have a thing to do with on a normal day.

“How many women would hate me for marrying Matteo?”. I asked Rosalie while she made my hair into a low bun.

“I’m guessing thousands”. She shrugged.

“Do you think-”.

“Hey! I need you to calm down, Riri”. She cut me right off. “From what I’ve seen in the magazines…he doesn’t have huge monstrous horns or claws or a tail. He’s a man. A real man. You can make the best of this, Aria. I know you can”. Rosalie hugged my frame from the back, released my quivering body and turned to look me in the eyes.

“I’m scared, Rosalie”. I cried

“Oh, there goes your make up”. She sighed.

“One last question-”

“I’m all ears, Ri”. She replied picking out my concealer and blush from the top section of my cupboard.

“Do you think I’ll ever get him to love me”. There was a piercing shattering sound made from the concealer dropping on the floor. My friend turned to me and smiled. Her smile, small and forced.

“You want him to love you?”. She asked

“I don’t expect anything from this”. I replied, my voice low.

“His wife is dead! Do you expect that man to fall for you after his wife? You’re back up, ri. Never forget that”

I felt a sudden tightness in my chest, and I struggled to catch my breath. Turning away from Rosalie, I caught my reflection in the mirror and stared into my own eyes.

Rosalie had finished her makeup hunting and was back before me applying it once again. She murmured some words and what I could make out of her streak of talking were; I’ll kill him if he hurts you. I smiled at her and she reciprocated. I grabbed the small purse from my plush bed, hugged my best friend and headed out of my room.

I sat like a newly bought porcelain doll watching Mr. Marino and my father talk about their childhood experiences and laugh horrendously over it. Matteo wasn’t present at the table or at my home yet. His father pleaded with mine asking for more time. “There’s traffic, he’ll be here soon” I didn’t think so. I hoped in my little head that he bailed on us all. I hoped never to see him but they looked happy. Marino and my father, Barone. They looked happy to trap us together in a marriage none of us wanted. What if he wanted this? I couldn’t help but think. There was no way he wanted to be with anyone else after his wife. And me? Definitely not. I watched the two old men laugh to their heart’s content and sip their expensive wines. I felt out of place at the table. I wanted to disappear and never return till Matteo finds someone else.

Marino’s gaze fell on me and he smirked “She looks like Kate”. He looked at me with disdain in his eyes. “Maybe not so much”. He collected himself and returned to his meal.

“Ah! she does look like Kate”. My father said, a proud smile on his face.

Kate was my mother. The one woman I loved more than anything in this world but she was taken away from me. I could never bring myself to forget the incident that took place that night at our home back in the states. My mother, on the floor laid in a pool of her own blood. Body, charred from the intense burning. I couldn’t recognize my mother.

I sat by her body, broken and scared. It was a horrible sight for a six year old. It haunted me in my dreams and in those dreams, I do nothing to help. I felt worthless. For the first time in thirty minutes of our dinner, I didn’t hear the men speak. I raised my head and I saw their eyes directly on me. Watching me. A large hand gave my hand a light squeeze and I turned to my father, Barone. He blinked away his tears and wiped my wet cheeks with his palm.

“It’s alright, honey”. I heard him say.

I gasped. Tears in my eyes. A trembling frame and a crowded mind. I forced a smile, pulled my hand away from his hold and excused myself.

“My makeup’s ruined. I better go fix it before Matteo gets here”. That was all it took for me to leave.

I headed straight to the guest room. Tapped a few times on the door and it was pulled open by my best friend. She rubbed her eyes and yawned a little. She was asleep. I woke her but I didn’t care. I dropped my purse and ran into her arms and she held me there for as long as I could remember. Then, I passed out.