Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 102566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
I close my eyes and command her, "Come with me, bambina."
She does.
As I pump my load inside her already bred pussy, I make a vow to myself to make Marzia mine officially. Fuck Father, fuck Gustavo and fuck Nicoletta. This is the woman I belong with.
Hours later, I knock on the door of Father's office with the test back in the paper bag he gave me.
"Come in," he calls out.
I enter.
He's alone, looking strangely fragile behind his huge desk. "What is it? Did you do it?"
I nod, wordlessly handing him the brown paper bag.
Father heaves a deep sigh before pulling out the test. His eyes widen at the sight of it, but he doesn't comment. Instead, he rubs his temples before asking, "Does Marzia know yet?"
"No," I say. "I thought it would be better not to tell her for the time being."
"Good call," Father mutters. "What do you want to do about this?"
"We need to get her to safety as soon as possible," I mutter. "The summer home, probably."
Father nods thoughtfully. "And what about the wedding? What about Nicoletta?"
"Even if I go through with it," I start. "We have to find a way to end it. I'm not going to stay with Nicoletta either way. Can you figure out a way to annul the wedding?"
Father groans, rubbing his temples again. "Gustavo Carlucci is a powerful enemy. One we don't want to anger."
"I don't give a shit," I hiss. "I want Marzia. And I'm never going to change my mind."
Father watches me with an unreadable expression.
I half-expect him to lose it, to tell me my obsession with Marzia will have to come to an end one way or another.
He shocks me by nodding along. "Is Marzia the one you want?"
"Yes," I reply firmly. "The only one I want."
"Then we'll make it work."
His words shock me now. It feels as if things are finally going right.
Maybe, just maybe, everything will work out after all.
36
Marzia
This was the only chance I would get. My one window at escaping.
Eleanora stands before me, shivering. My brother had sent a letter only a few days ago telling me the plan in detail.
I forced myself to memorize every word, knowing I couldn't risk anyone seeing the letter after me. As I watched the paper burn in the fireplace, my heart sped up with the thought of finally being free of this place, of escaping Adrian once and for all.
But it gives me horrible anxiety too—to think about a life without Adrian. Chewing my bottom lip, I place my black cape around Eleanora's shoulders. She looks up at me and I manage a shaky smile before gently placing the hood on her head.
The previous day, Eleanora sneaked a small lock-picking device into my room. With her help, I managed to get off the anklet on my leg tracking my location. We'd carefully looked through the quarters to determine spots that the camera couldn't reach. There would be no trace of what we'd done. Not until it was too late for them to find us.
"It's going to be okay," I whisper. "We'll wait for you at the docks like we discussed. Slip away when they start looking for me."
She nods in silent agreement.
Just then, there's a knock on the door.
We exchange a panicked glance.
I call out, "Just a moment, please."
"Signorina, we have to go right now!" the guard calls from the other side of the door. "We're already running late."
"Just a second," I reply before pulling Eleanora against me. "Remember, keep your head down. You're in mourning. Don't speak to anyone."
She opens the door, doing as she's told so the hood covers her face. I’d put some of my gold bracelets on her arms to make her look more like me.
I wait with bated breath, as the guard leaves with Eleanora. Everything depends on the next moment.
He leaves the door unlocked.
It takes me seconds to slip through the house. All the guards and maids are in the chapel for the ceremony. The only people are in the help's quarters, but I'm wearing Eleanora's uniform, so I think I can slip past them unnoticed.
This time, everything has been laid out for me. There's no chance this plan will fail. Luigi and Vitto planned everything to the T.
But do I really want to leave? I bite my bottom lip as I wait, hidden behind a statue in the hallway. Two maids pass by without noticing me. Dashing down the stairs, I go running out of the servants' exit. Now I just have to walk down the road where a car will be waiting.
I was told not to run, because it will look suspicious, and they timed the car to arrive a few minutes later, but I can't help speeding up my walk and dashing toward the point where I'm supposed to meet the driver of my getaway car.