Chapter 1 One

VIVIAN

Here comes the bride…

The soft tune of the classic wedding entry song seemed to mock me. It felt mocking, the longer I continued to listen.

“One foot before the other.” My father growled in a low tone.

I nodded, tightening my grip on his arm. The whole cathedral seemed to smell of incense and roses. On any other day, I loved the smell of roses. It always managed to calm me regardless of how disturbed I might have been at that moment.

But not now. I hated it. It made the whole place feel even more suffocating than it already was. Men in black tailored suits and women equally dressed for the occasion lined the seats of the cathedral.

“The devil’s bride.”

A shiver ran down my spine, but I forced myself forward. Whoever said churches were the safest place you could be had clearly never stood at the altar with a monster.

“Stop shaking so much.” My father hissed under his breath. He sounded more irritated now.

“S—Sorry.” I stammered quietly.

His jaw was still tight. “Act natural. And smile, Veronica.”

The very name seemed to stab at my chest. My name is Vivian, I wanted to say. But I was Veronica now. I had to be Veronica.

My sister.

She should have been here wearing this dress. She should be the one having to walk under this veil. She should have been the one to marry Dominic DeLaurentis. Dominic happened to be the Don of the most feared family in Italy.

Being poor meant choice wasn’t a luxury for you. We’d spent year after year swimming in debt. Then my father crossed the wrong people.

Normally, Dominic would have taken our heads without so much as a sweat. But oddly enough, he demanded something else from my father. One of his daughters. Being the eldest, Veronica had been chosen.

And she should have been his bride. My grip on the flower bouquet tightened. She escaped last night. Left her room empty without so much as a word. Of course, she’d taken half her wardrobe with her. God knows she wouldn’t survive a day without her berry blast lipstick.

I felt a slight pain in my arm. “Don’t slow down.”

My father had pinched me back to attention. I sucked in a breath, trying to still my trembling hands. I was Veronica now. Not Vivian. Nobody could ever know that.

The bodyguards in the hall seemed to line the wall, their guns carefully concealed underneath long coats. With how hard my heart was pounding, it was a miracle they hadn’t heard it yet.

“Here is she is.” My father’s voice had taken a lighter edge now.

We were at the front of the altar. I raised my head, daring to take a glance at Dominic. He stood like a dark god, hair as dark as midnight itself. His eyes alone seemed to pin me down where I stood and yet I couldn’t look away.

“D—”

I tried not to stumble as my father pushed me towards Dominic. I bit back a bitter laugh. You’d think he was all to eager to wash his hands of me.

The priest cleared his throat. “We gather here today to witness the sacred union of Dominic DeLaurentis and Veronica Carter.”

I’m not Veronica.

It took all my strength to hold back from screaming. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of it. The veil was hiding my face so no one could see the panic, the way I was forcing myself to breathe.

“In sickness and in health…”

I was barely listening to the priest, not really. My focus was on Dominic and his intense stare. He didn’t blink even once, didn’t look away either.

“You’re shaking.” He murmured in a low voice so only I could hear. “Scared, Veronica?”

Yes. Every single nerve body screamed yes.

“No.”

The few seconds that passed after that was like torture. Then slowly, his lips curved into something cruel.

“Good.”

The priest’s voice cut through. “Veronica Carter, do you take Dominic DeLaurentis to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

I raised my eyes, daring to meet his gaze. My throat felt tighter with each passing second. The image of my father flashed in my mind, his threats and the cold look in his eyes playing like an endless loop.

I forced the words out. “I do.”

“And do you, Dominic DeLaurentis, take Veronica Carter to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” He replied without hesitation.

The priest gave a small nod. “You may now kiss the bride.”

He didn’t waste a single second, reaching out for me and tugging my veil back with one hand. The other hand held onto my waist like a vice, before he crashed his mouth onto mine. It was rough, and every single one of my senses was screaming to pull back.

Seconds later, he pulled away, moving to my ear instead. “You’re mine now, Veronica.”

My blood went cold. The whole audience began to clap. It felt fake and hollow. A couple of them seemed to be whispering in awe while the rest just looked outright terrified. Dominic didn’t let go of my hand once even as we walked down the aisle together.

My parents were at the edge of the stairwell. As always, my mother’s face was unreadable while my father’s face was set like stone.

I dared to look at Dominic. “Can I talk to them? I—”

The remaining words died in my throat when I saw the look on his face. They didn’t seem to care either, their eyes sliding past me like I was already gone.

“Move.” Dominic ordered coolly.

He pushed me into one of the black cars that lined the steps. The crowd was following us. Everybody must want to get a look at the Don and his new bride. He followed right after me, tapping lightly at the window.

With that the engine started and began driving off. By the time I looked out the window, the cathedral was long gone.

“I’m not Veronica.” The words were so low I almost didn’t hear them myself.

With how much my hands were trembling, it was a surprise I hadn’t fainted yet. Dominic turned to me. His eyes were as sharp as a predator’s. And he was enjoying every moment of my fear. I flinched when his hand brushed against my knee.

“I’ll enjoy unwrapping you, Veronica. Every single inch of you belongs me, and I plan on claiming it fully.”