His Discarded Bride: Lied to from birth. Manipulated into marriage. Does love stand a chance?

by Joy, Melita

  She groaned and pulled the sheet over her head like a teenager. He could heat her up in an instance, heighten all her senses and walk away without glancing back. Renato was made of granite, she determined. While she, on the other hand, was at the mercy of her desires. If only she were bold enough to do what she felt, he would be tumbled in the sheets with her right now instead of waiting for her in the dining room.

  “What’s this exciting news,” she reached for the teapot and poured herself a cup adding sugar and milk.

  “I’ve spoken with Sav. We don’t have anything concrete yet regarding how Vittorio went in search for you at the same time you were looking for him. However, we may have stumbled onto a starting point,” he explained.

  “Really, what did you find,” she questioned eagerly.

  “First tell me this, why didn’t your mother just give you Vittorio’s details? You know right before we met I went to her house looking for you and she recognised me on sight,” he revealed.

  Leilani’s eyes widened. Her mother had mentioned nothing of the meeting, mind you, their last conversation had been quite rushed, and she hadn’t exactly given her mum her new contact details. “Mum denied everything claiming that Franco was, in fact, my biological father,” she explained.

  “Talk me through how it all eventuated. I’ll need all the details possible if we are to have a chance of figuring it out. When and how did you find out about Vittorio, the conversation with your parents and how you came to find Anselmo, all of this information is relevant,” he stipulated.

  Leilani thought back to when it all happened, staring at her tea she remembered the exact moment when she found out. Burnt in her memory banks unable to be shelved or denied; it had been a shocking truth almost unbearable. “I was actually on the computer enjoying a lazy night in at home in my apartment. It was just a couple of months ago, and I had been talking to my cousin from my father’s side on Skype. She grew up in Sicily and to this day I haven’t ever met her in person, I only found her through Facebook. I noticed we had the same Davide surname and asked her if we were related. It turned out that we were second cousins or something like that. Growing up in Australia I didn’t have any extended family, so I was somewhat eager to connect,” she mused.

  Renato waited patiently her to unfold her story, “Understandable,” he murmured.

  “Well, it was a weekend, Saturday mid-morning for me and the early hours of Saturday morning for her. Giulia had just got home from a big night out, drunk and thought it would be fun to chat. I answered her video call. It all started out quite funny with Giulia exaggerating her drunkenness. She was having a good giggle about a couple of men who had tried to hit on her earlier in the night,” she smiled reflectively.

  Renato didn’t disturb her train of thoughts and continued to listen just nodding his head, “Mm.”

  “Anyhow, the topic twisted from men to cheating men. It then progressed to a story of a girl Giulia knew. The friend was the result of an affair with this person or that, and then she simply slipped up and apologised for talking about what could have been a sore point for me. I remember being a little confused, she was drunk, and I wasn’t sure what she meant but without any prompting Giulia clarified. ‘I can’t imagine growing up with a step-father,’ were her words, ‘I’m so close to my father,’ she’d summed up.”

  Renato could see the pain resurfacing and wanted to help her, but he gave her space and allowed her to relive it and tell the story in her way.

  Leilani raised her head and looked at Renato, “I didn’t know what to think, so I called my mother and confronted her with the conversation.”

  “What did she have to say for herself?” he asked.

  “She denied it,” Leilani said flatly. “She denied outright stating that dad’s side of the family had always been jealous of us because we’d moved to the lucky country. ‘Huh, they know how hard we’ve had to work for the little we have,’ she ranted at me effectively closing off the conversation. I knew at that moment that there was no point in continuing the conversation with her. My mother is a proud woman and she wouldn’t be going back on her word anytime soon.”

  “You must have believed your cousin though because obviously you pursued the matter further,” he urged her on.

  “Yes, to be honest, I believed my cousin the moment she slipped up. My mother’s denial somehow only reinforced my belief. Her firm insistence that Franco was not my father wasn’t convincing to me. After I had hung up the phone the first thing I did, well, I fell to pieces,” a tear slipped down her cheek and without hesitation Renato leant closer and wiped it away. He didn’t want her to feel pain, but his wishes would be futile. All he could do was sit by her side.

  “Certain things made sense you know,” she looked at him for understanding.

  He nodded but really what did he know. He hadn’t grown up with his biological parents. His childhood was no picnic. However, he always knew that he was an orphaned boy and once taken in by Vittorio he knew without a doubt where he belonged. He never had an ounce of insecurity about his place in the family.

  “There was a small feeling of relief, in some ways it was good to lose that blood tie to Franco, he could be a mean ignorant man and we had never gotten along. It made sense that he could be so horrible once I knew that he hadn’t conceived me. The alternative was to admit that my real dad simply didn’t love me,” another tear escaped.

  He curled his fists, wishing he could do something for her. He reached out and patted her hand hoping it would be enough, knowing that it wouldn’t.

  “I disintegrated that day into a million pieces. Every fragment of my life a lie, can you imagine? Every story that belonged to the fabric of my life ripped out from my false claim on it. Stories of grandparents and cousins all lies, my history a lie, my medical history gone, the whole lot, ripped out shamelessly from me. I became hysterical not knowing what to think and finally after crying my eyes out I repaired the damage in the bathroom and do you know what happened? ” she asked without waiting for a reply. “I looked into the mirror and realised that I didn’t even know my face,” the tears were dripping now.

  Renato continued to squeeze her hand, “What do you mean,” he asked gently.

  “Features that I thought I’d inherited from him, I no longer knew where they originated. I broke down again and in a world of self-pity I cried and cried for the longest time.”

  Unable to bear her pain he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, dropping his chin to the crown of her head. He patiently waited for her to regather herself, gently stroking her arms in the process.

  “I’m sorry, I’m okay now,” she hiccupped and he moved back to his seat.

  “I can’t imagine how you must have felt. Do you need a break? We don’t have to continue talking about this right now,” he offered.

  “No, really, I’m fine. I don’t know why I gave you all those details; they’re not even relevant,” she deprecated.

  “From here on everything about your life is relevant to me. Don’t ever think otherwise. We are about to be husband and wife,” he insisted when she only gave him a half smile. “Give me a chance to prove to you that I can be there for you, that I will protect you and bring happiness to your life,” he asked. Renato knew Leilani needed more, but he didn’t want to let her down by making empty promises.

  “Thank you, I appreciate your support more than you know,” she whispered.

  Helping her to move forward with the conversation he asked, “So how did you find Anselmo. I assume since your parents were of no assistance, you in went in search of an investigator?” he prompted.

  “It was a couple of days later and I was sitting at my computer when an advertisement popped up for Anselmo’s services. I didn’t hesitate; I emailed a response through explaining that I wanted to find my biological father and within the hour Anselmo called me. I felt comfortable with him; he seemed like he was genuinely interested in assisting me. His fees were, unfortunately, astronomical. Due to
the cost I declined. However, he was so lovely and told me that he would do the work pro bono. I couldn’t thank him enough and promised him that I would still pay him a modest fee that we ended up agreeing on,” she smiled.

  Renato’s brain ticked over figuring out the puzzle, a few calls, and he would have his suspicions confirmed.

  “Do you think we’ll get to the bottom of it all,” she asked hopefully.

  “I know we will. Now eat up, it’s the day before our wedding, and you know what that means. It’s going to be manic,” he smiled at her and leant in for a kiss to brighten her up. He breathed in possessively, she would be his wife, and if any of these people thought they would hurt her again, they would have him to reckon with first.

  Leilani couldn’t believe how much she had opened up to Renato earlier in the day and just how supportive he could be. She imagined what it would be like to be loved by him, not one to do things in half measures his love would strong and sure and she knew he would be protective of her. She would be desired and treated as a partner. He would never ridicule or put her down, and there would be a lighter side that she’d seen glimpses of over the past few days. With growing familiarity, he would be sure to tease her playfully. Intimately he would possess her completely making her forever his killing even off even the remotest thought of any other.

  Oh god, she was falling. No, it couldn’t be possible, it was too soon. She’d dumped out her emotions on the man, and the last thing he needed was her throwing herself at his feet with proclamations of undying love. She needed to get a grip. This marriage was still the same proposition he’d presented her with mere weeks ago, and she had better remember that if she didn’t want was left of her bruised and tattered heart destroyed.

  CHAPTER fourteen

  Leilani’s nerves felt scattered, in her room at Pontelandolfo, standing in her wedding dress with an assortment of staff finalising last minute touches to her dress, hair and make-up. There was a knock on the door, “Can I come in,” Renato asked.

  That was a first, Renato asking for permission. A dressmaker who was inspecting the dress for runaway threads nodded her head. Leilani was cloaked royally in a swath of white satin. The dressmaker was obviously accustomed to impatient grooms. “Yes, come on in,” she agreed.

  Renato walked in taking in her hair and make-up, “You are beautiful,” he stated simply.

  Colouring lightly Leilani accepted the compliment as graciously as she could, “Did you need something,” she pressed.

  Dismissing the staff he stood in front of her, “I know it's late notice, but Vittorio would like to give you away in the absence of your step-father,” he stated.

  Taking a minute to digest this Leilani asked the logical question. “He wants to acknowledge me publicly as his daughter?”

  “Ah, not entirely, he intends to show that he is welcoming you into the family and offering you his support. He probably realises that walking down the aisle on your own would cause unwarranted speculation,” he admitted.

  “Well in fairness to my parents they might have been more likely to attend had they been invited,” there she had said it. At no point had Renato asked her about guests for her side. Their wedding was supposed to be one of the biggest moments in her life. Her lack of supporters would be noticeable, no matter how they tried to cover it. In some ways, it was for the best. Anyone that truly knew her would see immediately that this was no ordinary marriage; people expected to see love and happiness radiating from the newly-weds. Her nerves heightened with this line of thought, to be honest; she hadn’t even thought of how many people would be attending, and now that she contemplated it she started to fret.

  “I didn’t want to mention this to you because I knew it would upset you; they were both invited Leilani,” he said softly.

  “They chose not to attend,” she stated, her tone flat.

  “Don’t let it bother you. We will make the day happy our way,” he took her mouth and kissed it lightly. “I’ll probably get in trouble for ruining your make-up.” He smiled to ease the tension, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him. Renato was trying so hard, and she had to acknowledge that.

  “In a way I just wish we’d had a bit more time and weren’t rushed into this so quickly. I feel like everything is still up in the air. I mistrust Vittorio, and there is a definite rift with my parents. Everything is so displaced,” she stated.

  “Look, I was going to wait until after the ceremony but I may as well let you know now. Vittorio did mastermind getting you to Italy. He paid your cousin Giulia to slip the information to you and from what Giulia has since said she felt that she was doing the right thing by you. Apparently even though she has only gotten to know you fairly recently, she felt that you had a right to know. I’d personally say the reward she was given prompted her conviction,” he searched her eyes for the impact of his message.

  “It’s too much to think about right now. She may have had honest intentions. However, to take the money and tell me in the way that she did, I don’t know. I just feel, I don’t even know how I feel about it,” she finished.

  “She was nothing but a pawn and the reality is whether it was Giulia or someone else who told you, in the end you would have eventually found out. Secrets of this magnitude always surface,” he stipulated.

  “I guess so,” she would think about it later.

  “Leilani, Vittorio wanted you to come to him and he made it happen. He organised Giulia, had Anselmo on his payroll and timed and delivered the Facebook ads to your IP address.” At her sharp intake of breath, he rushed on. “To be honest there was no malice in it, unsure of whether you would indeed come he even demanded that I collect you from Australia. He is a man used to getting his way and at his age he won’t change. At least his reasoning is honourable, he wants you to inherit his fortune, nothing has changed in that respect,” he finished.

  “A lot has changed though because now I know that the man is nothing more than a manipulator,” she had two fathers who combined weren’t worth one decent man.

  “Leilani it’s time to accept this situation for what it is. Let’s honour our commitment today and move on with our life,” he stood tall urging her acquiescence. “Will you come downstairs shortly and do me the honour of being my bride,” he asked solemnly.

  “You sound like you are proposing to me. Renato when you know full well that I have zero choice and that I’m standing under this cloak dressed in my wedding finery.” What was he trying to accomplish now?

  “I know how I delivered my original proposal to you and I know the requirements necessitate that we get married. Leilani I’m asking you, not insisting. Will you choose today to become Mrs Leilani Favalli so that we may stand together united and support one another throughout the rest of our years?” he asked earnestly.

  She imagined this scenario peppered with declarations of love and knew that deep down that was the only marriage proposal she wanted to accept, “Are you offering me a choice,” she asked with doubt.

  “I’m offering you all that I can,” he evaded and she knew that it was the truth. He felt no love, maybe a growing fondness and sympathy but love had not developed and possibly never would.

  “Yes, I accept your proposal Renato,” he looked unconvinced, so she smiled and leant forward to kiss him. It didn’t matter if she smeared her lipstick; she could repair it quickly enough. She just wished she could fix her heart as effortlessly. Today she would become Mrs Favalli, Renato’s wife; she shivered a little in anticipation. The basis of their relationship was a thin, shaky foundation, but her attraction to him was undeniable as was his to her. A rapport was starting to develop, and marriages had begun on a lot less, maybe it would develop, she would take the chance.

  Renato had done his best to ease Leilani’s mind. This week had been an eye-opener for him; she was no longer a nobody walking in the shadows of his life and home. She had unexpectedly come to life, a woman hurt deeply by family betrayal yet still willing to give of herself. When they kissed
their attraction was hot, undeniable, and she demonstrated that she had no spite or malice for him even though he had forced her into a marriage to suit his needs. She was a good conversationalist able to hold her own on a vast arrangement of topics. She was intelligent his initial conclusions were baseless, and he knew he should feel shamed by his shallowness.

  He just hoped that what he’d organised for today would show her that he’d taken her feelings into consideration. Renato knew that for a new groom he lacked the traditional romance and love requirements but he was not insensitive to her, and he wanted her to know that.

  The gazebo was idyllic, would she think it all too simple he didn’t think so. He knew he hadn’t convinced her the other night with his debate on the extravagance of an occasion and its relation to the overall wealth of the giver. She’d made some point about intent and meaning that had almost gone over his head at the time. He’d gone to great lengths in the last couple of days to change all the wedding plans so drastically. He’d almost terminated the wedding planner on Thursday. She’d obviously built her clientele on word of mouth or more importantly globalised news events. It was no wonder that she’d been reluctant to change course, worrying no doubt about the reduced level of exposure she would receive.

  Leilani stood in her room and took in her reflection, finally given a few minutes to herself, the team declared that she was perfected. They had done an amazing job, and she was happy that they’d not overdone her hair or make-up. She still recognized herself which was more important than ever. She needed to walk out there today with as much of a sense of herself as possible. Whether she was a Davide or a Favalli she needed to remember that more importantly she was Leilani. It was time to come out of her mouse like state and stand up straight in the world. Today was as good a day as any and looking this immaculate she had no reason to not feel confident.