Page 53 of His Vicious Vow
He goes still. “That’s what you meant. You were more afraid of living unprotected by money and a man than living without it.”
No, he’s wrong. I was more afraid he’d marry someone else than marry me. But I don’t have the chance to say it before he shakes his head. “As I said, it doesn’t matter why only that you did.”
Before I can tell him Sandro turns away and walks out of the shop. Oh god, I have to run to catch up to him. He stops suddenly, I almost slam into him. There’s a car waiting at the corner. A man is holding the back door open. Sandro nods at me to get in. With someone watching I don’t argue and get in. Sandro gets in beside the driver instead of sitting beside me in the back. It’s almost forty minutes of complete silence before a small airport appears. This isn’t the one I landed at.
Sandro is out of the car and opening my door before I have my seatbelt off. He look to another car I hadn’t realized was following us.
“Get on the plane, I’ll be right there.” The words are clipped and hard as he turns away to talk to the men getting out of it.
Oh god, I fucked up. I fucked up so bad. Sandro is upset. Taking the stairs slowly I wonder how the hell I can fix this. It’s fixable right? A few stupid, nervous words aren’t going to ruin the amazing hours before I said it—is it?
I’m surprised by the pretty female flight attendant waiting. “Mrs. Leonetti, good evening. My name is Ashley. I’ll be serving you this flight. Is there anything I can get you, coffee, tea, sparkling water or something to eat? We have a wide selection of premade food, margarita pizza, baked ziti, red sauce and green sauce enchiladas with chicken, a hamburger—"
“Sparking water with lemon please nothing else.” I stop her. My stomach is twisting too much to consider eating.
The jet is huge. There’s a small area toward the front separated by a curtain to the rest of the plane. At the very front there are a group of seats four sitting across from each other then another group of four are facing forward. There’s a freaking door, I have no doubt it’s a room hiding a bed. I’m not sure where to sit so take the second chair that faces forward in the first grouping of chairs. It’s so much nicer than first class was.
Ashley brings me my water at the same time Sandro steps on the plane. When he finds me I almost wilt beneath his icy stare. Prowling toward me he sits down across from me, surprising me given how cold he is.
“Mr. Leonetti, can I get you anything?”
“Whiskey, two fingers.” He says as he gives her a smile far warmer than his stare at me. His hands are entwined across his stomach. “I believe now has come the time we discuss how we move forward.”
I can’t swallow past the lump in my throat.
“The wedding will happen in Vegas instead of Chicago. We’ll be calling it a ceremony for our family and friends. As an apology for marrying at the courthouse without anyone there.”
“You’ve thought of everything.” The words escape me in a whisper. Because I didn’t think of the fallout of me running.
Sighing he runs a hand over his face. My chest squeezes tight at the exhaustion he shows for seconds before the mask is back. “I want to apologize as I clearly didn’t think of everything—only myself. I thought only of what I wanted and believed you would eventually grow content. As a young woman with few options of course you would pick the easier one. Anything other than what I first planned is unfair to you. You will have your own room. You will decide when we have sex. Your life will be your own outside the time I need you to play your role as a wife. If you want to work you can, although I would be happier if you didn’t. And my deepest apology. If you aren’t pregnant, you will decide when there is a pregnancy.”
Every word hurts. I keep my eyes on my hands twisted around each other, terrified if I blink the tears will spill over. All I can do is nod.
“Why don’t you go in the back and take a nap?” It’s not really a suggestion, more of a dismissal.
Pushing up from my seat I make my way to the closed door. I open it and it’s nicer than the last hotel I stayed in by ten—not a surprise really. I crawl into bed and cry.
* * *
Sandro
I’m a liar and a fool. I said I didn’t care why she called me, only that she did. Yet when she admitted it was because of my money the pain was almost more than I could endure. She didn’t want me, she wanted my money. Carina wanted the protection it gave her from a life without it. If it didn’t hurt like a motherfucker I would be proud of her for making the call with her head not her heart. But it did hurt. And all I want to do is go back in time to get it right to make her fall in love with me.
Watching her walk into the bedroom all I want to do is follow her. I want to spend the hours traveling back to Vegas with her in bed. Even if it’s only spent holding her. But that’s not an option until she tells me it is. On the drive from the dress shop all I could hear was her telling me she was more afraid of what would happen if she didn’t call me.
She was still making decisions from a place of fear. She didn’t choose me because she wanted me, Carina chose me because I was the lesser of evils out there. A humorless chuckle escapes me, she had no idea how truly evil I could be.
There is no going back, she is my wife and she will stay my wife. Maybe one day she can grow to have some affection for me. My head goes back and I close my eyes. This was the last thing in the world I wanted, locked in a marriage with a woman who only endured me, didn’t want me and my dumb ass completely and utterly in love with her. I’m sure somewhere ex-girlfriends are laughing their asses off.
CHAPTER 20
Carina
I’m woken by the flight attendant with the warning we’re due to land in a half hour.
Rolling out of the large bed I look over myself and am glad to see I don’t look too rumpled. There is a window I forgot to close letting bright sunlight in. When we left Florence it was late in the day, I wonder what time it is.
In the bathroom that’s bigger than the bathroom I had at home I clean up, brushing my teeth and washing my face. Once I’m done I go out into the cabin.