“That won’t be—” Cece says.
Mara claps. “Thank you, Eden. That will be very slimming, perfect for you.” She smiles sweetly and I want to go full catfight on her.
“I’ll need to change the color to black,” I add.
“Black? At your wedding reception?” Cece scowls, her head tilting to the side. “Absolutely not.” She shakes her head and clasps both hands on her left hip. “We cannot have you looking so morbid on what is supposed to be your wedding reception. No.”
“As you said—my wedding reception. I’ve already had a wedding dress. This dress,” I tap the photo, “was made to be in black.”
Cece fumes, her eyes bulging and her lips working overtime, pinching together. She seems shocked and I think it’s stunned her into silence. I hold back a grin.
“Oh, I agree,” Teresa jumps in. “I have just the material. Well, would you be opposed to it having bits of silver too?” She hustles to her bag and pulls out swatches. A gorgeous black lace that has silver circles of various sizes embroidered into it. The effect is muted yet shimmery. “You will be a vision in it with that glorious red hair…”
“I love it. Yes, this is perfect,” I tell Teresa, risking a glance at Mara.
She looks annoyed, and for a second, I think she’s going to decide she needs this to be her dress too. But then she waves her hands as if to say “get on with it” and Teresa bends down to make new notes on her paper. I decide to get out of here while things are tolerable. I have a feeling it will only go downhill if I stick around.
When I reach Luka’s bedroom—it still doesn’t feel like mine—he’s pacing the floor and stops when I come in. I attempt a smile, but I’m nervous. He looks angry, and I’m still feeling a bit off since he wasn’t in bed when I woke up. It’s dumb, I know, but I’m new to this honeymoon/wife business.
“Are you okay?” I ask when he doesn’t smile back.
“I’m not. I need to be alone.”
I don’t know what to do with myself and take a few steps back.
Luka stalks to the window and puts his hands up on the doorjamb. “My father refuses to let us get our own home, even though I have the money. He says it’s not safe and it defeats the purpose of us looking like a united front if we’re not here in the family home.”
“I don’t see how that’s showing a united front. If the objective was for us to be married, we’re married. That should be enough.”
He shakes his head. “He’s just on a power trip, as usual. I’m so sick of being his pawn.” The words are like angry stabs and I hold my stomach, feeling desperate to help. “You know what? It’d be best if you moved into your bedroom tonight. I-I need to think and I can’t with you around every second.”
I stare at him in shock then turn away before I lose it. I don’t want to cry, the last thing I need to do is cry right now in front of him, but my heart is being ping-ponged at a rapid rate and I can’t keep up.
“The least he could do was give me this…knowing how much I didn’t want to get married…” It’s like he’s forgotten I’m in the room and is spewing what he’s really thinking.
He’s right. It’s best I get out of here.
Chapter Seventeen
I haven’t even explored my suite when Hanna knocks on the door, carrying my clothes. I try to help, but she smiles and skirts around me.
“It won’t take long,” she says, putting the clothes in my closet. “Your bathroom is stocked similarly to Luka’s; although, he might wish for you to take all the makeup.” She laughs lightly and when she’s done hanging up the clothes, she clears her throat. “One more trip should do it.”
She’s back in no time and I sit numbly on the chaise lounge by the windows.
When she’s done hanging up the second batch of clothes, she looks at me expectantly. “Do you need anything else?”
“No. Thank you, Hanna.”
“My pleasure.”
She seems a little too happy to have the extra work. Maybe…maybe she’s happy Luka and I aren’t getting along. Maybe she wants him to herself. I close my eyes, fighting back tears. Now I’m going to be jealous too?
No, separate lives.
That’s how it’s going to be. The sooner I get used to it, the better.
It feels strange sleeping alone in a strange place after sharing a room with him. It didn’t take long for me to get used to having his warmth against my back or waking up to him kissing me. My body heats at the thought. Why did I let myself feel anything at all?
I barely sleep but make my way to the dining room the next morning. Everyone is there already…everyone but Luka. They all stare at me when I walk in and Cece is the only one to speak.
“Good morning. Where is your husband?”
“Sleeping?”
Mara smirks. “I just saw him. He’s not sleeping.”
My face heats, but I pile my plate with eggs and then wish I hadn’t once I start eating. My stomach is a mess. I hear a clatter behind me and turn to see Luka stumbling in.
“Mornin’, my fine family. Scoot over, Eden, I need to sit by my wife.”
I wrinkle my nose when I get a whiff of him. He reeks of gin.
“You’re drunk at nine in the morning?” Titus shakes his head. “Get him some coffee now,” he barks at the woman standing near him and she hustles to bring Luka a cup and saucer. It rattles in her shaky hand.
Once Luka has a few sips of coffee, he slams his hands on the table and everyone jumps, me included.
“Did you know my wife was a virgin when I married her?” he asks, nudging me with his elbow.
My eyes widen. “Luka!” I put my hands on my face to cool it and look around the table.
“She was. Not anymore. Because I’m the animal who married her against her will. I mean, I want to think she wanted to do it, but really, let’s be honest, she was forced to marry me, am I right?” He laughs, but his head sags and I touch his arm. He flinches and turns to me, his eyes haunted. “I tried to make it good for you…God knows it was good for me. That’s what all the bastards say when they take a virgin though…”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Basile jumps in. He comes around and takes Luka by the arm, dragging him out. “Let’s get you sober, buddy. I’m all for a good buzz, but this is a train wreck.”
I stand up and follow them out.
“Luka?” I call just before they round the corner.
“I can’t even look at you right now,” he says in a singsong voice. “Go away.”
I fall back, uncertain what to do. I spend the rest of the day in my room feeling a strange sadness for Luka that I didn’t see coming.
* * *
The next morning, he’s at the breakfast table with Mara. When I walk in, she rolls her eyes and Luka avoids looking at me at all.
“Can you pass the butter?” I ask him.
“Can I?” he repeats. “I thought I told you to get out of my sight.”
“What?”
“It’s like you can’t take the hint: I. Don’t. Want. To. See. Your. Face.” He takes a long swig of coffee and slams the cup on the table.
I’m still in shock when he leaves the room.
Mara twists her hands together in glee. “It’s like I don’t even have to do a thing. It’s all falling into place. Brava, Eden. You’ve brought a great deal of entertainment into our home…just by being you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and stand up, leaving before I embarrass myself further.
He isn’t at dinner and I do my best to eat and leave without talking to anyone.
* * *
Each morning I don’t know which Luka I’m going to get. It reminds me of being with him at Kings Passage and I wonder if he was drinking heavily there too. He’s loud and mean when he’s drunk, and sometimes even when he’s not. It’s all very confusing.
During the next week, it’s not much better. After a particularly eventful dinner the night before where he yelled at his father and got thrown out of the room, I avoid
going to the dining room the next morning. I’m starving when Basile knocks on the door and hands me a tray of waffles with fruit and whipped cream.
“You’re a lifesaver, Basile. Thank you.”
“I figured you might need a break from all of us.”
“You figured right.”
Before he leaves, he turns and says, “The longer you avoid talking to him, the harder it will be.”
I nod. I know he’s right, but I can only take so much. And really, what can I say? I thought I was starting to get to know him, but he feels like a stranger now. I don’t know how to reach him when he’s like this.
As soon as Basile leaves there’s another knock on the door and assuming he forgot something, I fling it open. “What did you—”
It’s Luka. My mouth closes and I stare at him. He looks down at my feet.
“I need to go out of town for a few days. I’ll be back for our reception, of course.”
“I’m staying here? I thought…” The alarm rises in my chest. My mind is going a thousand directions at once. “Where are you going?”
He still hasn’t looked at me and that makes me more anxious than ever. Ignoring my question, he says, “Stick close to Basile if things get weird here. Everyone should be on their best behavior, but if they’re not, he’ll watch out for you.”
The lump in my throat is growing and my eyes are overflowing now. Not knowing what to do with myself, I go into the bathroom and lock the door. I sit on the window seat in the dressing room section of the bathroom, looking out at the water, and take huge gulping breaths. Nothing about this marriage has gone the way I dreamed it would—the good, the bad, none of it.
He knocks on the door and when I don’t answer, he turns the doorknob, cursing when he finds it locked.
“Open up, Eden.”
“Why? You can’t even look at me.” I sound like a child, but I don’t care.
He’s leaving me alone with his crazy family and hasn’t even told me where he’s going. All that talk about returning to our honeymoon was either feeding my ego or trying to rile his father up. And the craziness of the past week…I don’t know what to think.
“Don’t be like that,” he says softly. “Come on, Eden. Open the door. I want to talk to you.”
“Why can’t I go with you?”
There’s a long pause and then, “It wouldn’t be safe.”
I scoff and stand up, unlocking the door and flinging it open. “Don’t lie to me. That’s the least you can do in this so-called marriage—be honest with me.”
He looks me over, finally, his eyes assessing me as only he does. I turn away. I thought I wanted it, but I can’t handle his eyes on me right now. He affects me too much.
He moves in front of me, rubbing his hand over his face. His eyes are stark when I look at him again. “You would do well to not develop feelings for me, Eden. It won’t go well for you if you do—I can promise you that. This is not a typical marriage. I do not owe you answers, and I have been honest. From day one, I’ve been honest. You knew what I was all about.”
“How can you not owe me answers when I’ve given up my whole life to marry you? Whether willingly or not, you’re stuck with me. And if we’re supposed to be all about getting our faces seen together, distracting everyone from who knows what with Mara—what has changed overnight that you need to leave?”
“It’s a favor my dad conceded on when he said no to our moving out. He owes me this. This is something I need to take care of and then I will be here for our party, ready for our social media splash.” His sarcasm is gone in the next sentence. “Our time together has surprised me, I’ll give you that.” He stretches out his hand and drops it when I step back. “But I’ve realized during the past week that I would be doing you a disservice if I acted like this was a normal marriage. It’s anything but normal and my father agrees.”
He steps back and walks out the door without looking back.
I decide right then and there that I will not succumb to Luka Catano’s charm again.
My heart is mine and he can’t claim it.
Chapter Eighteen
I spend the next week hidden away in my room. Hanna brings my meals and I barely touch them. Basile tries to talk to me, but I tell him I don’t feel well and he eventually leaves me alone. Brienne checks in throughout the day and I tolerate her more than anyone else. The nights are endless. What keeps me going is the thought that I will see my parents soon. I will try one more time to get out of this before leaving my fate in the Catanos’ hands.
It’s Friday, the day I’ve been dreading. Our reception is tonight. I’m stir-crazy, but I still don’t want to face anyone. Knowing I have to see Luka tonight fills me with anxiety.
I think what hurts the most is that he pretty much admitted he’d been pretending with me. That the times we’ve had sex or when he was affectionate were just him playing a part. I think back to our time in his bed the night before he kicked me out of his room. The moonlight shone on his face and it felt like he was laying another part of his soul bare for me.
“You’re perfect,” he’d whispered after we both came down from our high. “I had no idea how perfect.” He smoothed my hair back and kissed me slow, like he meant it.
He’d pulled my back to his chest and we’d fallen asleep like that, cocooned in a hazy afterglow.
All an act and one I don’t intend on falling for again. There won’t be a repeat.
Around four p.m., I begin getting ready for the party. The dress was dropped off earlier and has been hanging in the window. The silver threads catch the sunlight and I stare at it for a long time, feeling like a different person than when I picked it out. So much can change in so little time.
I fix my hair in a deep side part with sleek waves, and it falls against my pale skin like red ink spilling onto the snow. I’m heavy-handed with my makeup, creating a dark, smoky eye that looks more Maleficent than Little Mermaid. I step into the dress and wish that the princess feeling it gives me wasn’t being wasted on the Catano family.
In all that time, I never see or hear from Luka. When he left, he really left. For the hundredth time, I wonder where he went, what he was doing, and what the urgency was—why did he run? Every time I think of him, I curse myself and try to redirect my thoughts to my parents. I wish they’d hurry and get here. My mom promised she’d call when they arrived.
It’s a quarter to eight when she sends a text instead. I’m sorry we were delayed a bit. We’ll arrive a few minutes late, but we’re here! Can’t wait to see you.
I fling my phone on the bed and sigh. Of all times for them to be late.
At exactly 7:59, there’s a tap on the door and I open it to see Basile standing there. We speak at the same time.
“He can’t even be bothered to escort me to our reception?”
“You look dressed to kill. Deadly and sexy as hell. Nice choice.”
He doesn’t answer my question and I nod my thanks to his comments. If I say another word, it will be vicious and he doesn’t deserve that. As we’re rounding the corner to go to the ballroom, Basile lets go of my arm and disappears, and Luka steps out of the corner, dressed in a black tux with a black shirt and black tie. We look like a matching set…and like we’re dressed for a funeral rather than a celebration. How fitting.
His eyes drink me in from head to toe. He reaches out and runs his fingers down the deep line of my cleavage and I allow him the touch before stepping back. When his eyes meet mine again, he looks shell-shocked.
“How do you keep surprising me, Mrs. Catano?” He licks his lips and steps forward again.
I step back again.
His brow furrows. “No hello kiss for your husband?”
“No. Shall we go inside?”
“You’re mad.” He lifts his head to the ceiling and rubs his hand across his scruffy chin.
“You’re astute.”
“Will you be able to do this tonight? We’re expected to—”
“I will play my part
just as convincingly as you’ve played yours, don’t worry about me.” I smooth down my dress and press my lips together. “Now, shall we go inside?”
“You look like a wet dream I want to make—” he starts.
I hold up my hand. “No one is around right now. Save your lines for when someone else is around to hear them. That’s what tonight is about, correct?” I crinkle my nose. “And seriously, a wet dream? That’s the best you can do?” I shake my head. “Weak, crude imbecile.”
His mouth drops open and he stares at me for a long beat then bows his head and nods. “Let’s go inside,” he says eventually, his voice matching my coldness this time.
He holds his arm out for me and I take it.
When the doors are opened wide for us, we step through and the flash of cameras is blinding. I smile and look adoringly at Luka, and he stares back at me with what some could confuse for heat and lust, but what I know is really confusion and disbelief. The great Luka Catano has never had anyone put him in his place.
This might be more fun than I thought.
His parents allow me to kiss them on both cheeks and I do the same to Mara and Basile. We’re one big, happy family. What a joke.
My parents arrive at a quarter after the hour and I rush to them, my eyes instantly welling with tears. I try to get a grip as I hug my mother and then my father.
My father holds me out and frowns. “What is this you’re wea—”
“Neil, don’t start,” my mother jumps in. “You look beautiful, dear. I was expecting something more…happy bride…but this is…quite something.” Her eyes fall to my cleavage and she looks away quickly, flushing.
“Thank you.” I grab my dad’s arm. “Do you think we could find a chance to talk somewhere later? I don’t think I can do this. I really don’t.”
“Eden? Are they not taking care of you here?”
“Everyone has been fine. I have everything I could want. But I feel like a pawn. And I’m not sure you and Titus are on the same page. It feels like something el—”
Downfall: Kingdoms of Sin, Book #1 Page 10