Page 5 of Beneath the Shadows
Her hand flies up to her chest, her expression theatrical. “What are you waiting for? There’ll barely be enough time to get your fittings done and have any alterations made.”
“I have an appointment tomorrow.”
“Excellent,” Val says and takes my hand. “I’ll go with you.”
“No,” I say firmly. “You can’t see the dress until the ceremony.”
Val raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “I didn’t realize you believed in old wives’ tales.”
“It’s tradition,” Shannon chimes in, placing her hand on his thigh.
“Well,” Val says. “I’m not much for traditions. Are you,sweetheart?”
“Whatever makes you happy,” I reply, knowing there’s no point in arguing.
“Let’s move on,” Shannon says, pulling out fabric swatches.
Without hesitation, Valentino picks up the most expensive one. “This,” he declares with certainty, “is perfect."
I glance at the swatch, feigning interest. “It’s lovely.”
“Lovely? It’s magnificent,” Shannon exclaims. “Shantung silk is the finest linen you can get.”
“All eyes will be on this event. I’ll accept nothing less than the best,” Valentino adds.
Shannon nods, clearly impressed. “Of course, Mr. Comiso. Let’s move on to the floral arrangements.”
“I want roses, lilies, orchids.” Valentino’s eyes gleam as he starts rattling off flowers.
Shannon taps furiously on her tablet, her focus entirely on the details, while my mind drifts. For so long, I held onto a fragile hope—that somehow, I wouldn’t be forced into this. That I’d find a way out, or maybe Val would change his mind. That hope, faint as it was, was the only thing that kept me going.
Part of me even held onto the impossible idea that Antonio might somehow come back for me, that he’d rescue me from this nightmare. My mind drifts back to high school—to those stolen moments when it felt like we had all the time in the world. To the last day he ever spoke to me.
"We can't keep doing this," Antonio says as the smile disappears from his face. "Hiding. Sneaking around. It's been six months, Alessia. I want to take you out on a real date."
I want the same things, too, but I don’t see any way for that to happen. "Antonio,” I say softly, his name carrying all the uncertainty I can’t fully express.
"I'm serious," he says, using his finger to lift my head. "I want to go to your father. I'll tell him straight up that I want to date his daughter."
"No. It won't work." I shake my head, hoping he doesn’t press the issue.
"Why not?" he asks. "I'm not scared of him. I'll tell him how I feel about you. I'll make him understand."
I’m afraid of what my father will do to him if he tells him about us. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to him. "You don't understand, Antonio. He won't listen. He won't approve."
"How do you know that if we don't try?"
"Because I know him,” I whisper. "He's controlling. He'll never let me be with anyone he doesn't choose."
"I don't care," he replies, his voice soft but firm. "I'll do whatever it takes to make this work. You deserve more than hiding and sneaking around."
His beautiful brown eyes draw me in. They make me want to believe in the future he sees for us, but reality is too strong and pulls me back. "I don't know if it's possible."
"We'll make it possible," he says.
But now, I see how blind I’ve been. Antonio was the one person I thought truly cared—the only one I couldn’t let go of. But when I needed him most, he walked away, proving he was no different from anyone else. That truth cuts deeper than anything. To him, I was just a fling, someone to forget. And the void he left behind gave Val the perfect opportunity to convince my father I belonged with him.
“Alessia, what do you think of this centerpiece?” Shannon asks, holding up a design that I actually like.