Chapter 23

Vincenzo is standing, looking out the window of his office. Megan approaches him, holding a towel in her hands. She stops and looks at him while drying her hair.

“Did something happen?” Megan asks, still drying her hair.

“No, why?” Vincenzo responds with a question.

“You’re just standing there, kind of staring off into space. I thought you might have received some bad news,” Megan replies.

“No, I just stopped in time. I was thinking about everything that had happened and the irony of us getting married. Do you want this?”

“I’ve always been the type of woman who didn’t plan anything in life. I never imagined being married or having children—all those things women dream about their whole lives. I live at the moment, and that’s it. But I can’t deny that, since the first time we were together, there’s nothing I want more than you. I’m happy that your wife will be me.”

“I’m surprised by what you just said, but I have to be honest with you, Megan. It was amazing being with you that day, and today was wonderful, but I’m not the guy for you. I don’t see myself married; I’ve never even been in a relationship. I only agreed to this because my father didn’t give me another choice. Furthermore, I don’t want to start anything with lies, so I’d like you to know that if it weren’t for my father’s insistence, there would be no wedding.”

“Wow! At least you’re being honest. I just didn’t expect it. I thought you already knew it was me and accepted it because of that, but I see that’s not the case.”

“It’s nothing to do with you. I just don’t want us to start with lies between us. It’s nothing personal. I won’t be able to love you, do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand. Don’t worry, it’s clear as crystal.” (She laughs awkwardly.) “Let’s do this: since we have no way out, and we have to get married, I think we can make it a partnership,” she suggests.

“What kind of partnership?” he asks, curious.

“We can get married, since that’s what our families want, and after a year, we separate. We’ll say we tried everything, including couples therapy, but it didn’t work. You were honest with me, and that’s rare. Since we have no other options, I suggest this plan. We just need to make it look real. We can sleep in separate rooms, but in front of people, we act like everything is fine. What do you say?”

Megan extends her hand, waiting for Vincenzo to shake it as a sign of agreement. Vincenzo looks at her intently for a few minutes and finally extends his arms, returning the handshake.

“I hope we get along, Megan.”

“I hope so too. Well, I won’t take up more of your time. I need to leave. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the engagement dinner.”

“Before you go, I wanted to say I’ll schedule the wedding for a few days from now. Let’s move things along quickly. See you at the dinner tomorrow.”

“Okay, as you wish. See you tomorrow. By the way, she’s lucky.”

“She, who?” His cheeks flush with shyness.

“The woman who stole your heart before me. You might not say it, but your eyes give it away.”

Megan leaves, leaving Vincenzo alone. Going down the stairs, she reaches the first floor and walks to the parking lot. Her car is waiting for her. She gets in the car and calls her father.

“Tell me everything went well?” her father asks, already waiting for her call.

“Yes, Dad. He said he’ll schedule the wedding for a few days from now. He’s in love, which is why he agreed so quickly to what his father asked.”

“Daughter, you can’t let him escape. I want you to make this marriage work, just as we’ve planned for years. You can’t disappoint me.”

“That won’t happen, Dad. I won’t disappoint you. They will pay for everything we’ve been through. We’ll take everything from them, including the hour. Don’t worry. Now I have to hang up. I’m driving.”

“Okay, take care, daughter.”

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Davis and Lorenzo knock on Luna’s bedroom door. She lets them in. Her eyes are filled with tears from crying a lot after Davis’s revelation. It won’t be easy for her to leave her home and marry someone she doesn’t know.

“We came to see how you’re doing, daughter,” her father asks.

“I dropped a bomb bigger than you could bear. I’m sorry, but if there was something I could do to save you, I would. We have no choice,” Davis tries to explain.

“Don’t come at me with that story again. I’m in this mess because of you. The people who should protect me are the ones who hurt me the most,” Luna gets upset.

“You’re angry, and that’s normal, but even if you don’t believe it, it’s for your good. From what I see, you’ve already packed your things. We need to go now,” Lorenzo says.

“Fine, I have no choice,” Luna says with tears in her eyes.

“One day, everything will work out, I promise,” Lorenzo says.

“Nothing will work out, Dad, so just stop,” Luna cries.

Visibly shaken by the situation, Luna has no choice but to leave. From now on, she can’t even trust her family, as they couldn’t protect her. Luna grabs her bags and goes downstairs, with her father and brother following her. With every step, a tear falls. With a broken heart and full of disappointment, she opens the door. A car is waiting outside, and she takes one last look back. Her father and brother stand at the door with expressions of sadness and shame for not being able to protect Luna. Luna gets into the car and drives off into the unknown, her future now in the hands of a family she doesn’t know.

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Megan arrives home and rushes to her father’s office to tell him the details of her meeting with Vincenzo. With quick steps, she reaches the office door, knocks twice, and then opens it. Her father is already waiting for her.

“Come in, my daughter. Sit down and tell me how it went,” Dom Bonanno says.

“Everything went as planned, Dad. He and I were together. Now it will be easy for him to believe that this child is his. He’ll have no reason to doubt,” Megan says.

“Good job. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. They will pay for everything they took from us. Your mother’s blood will be avenged. They’ll be left without a penny. Their honor and strength will be ours,” Dom Bonanno drinks a bit of the remaining whiskey in his glass.

Shaking her head, Megan concludes, “We’re getting closer every day. Wherever Mom is, she’s happy for everything we’ve done. You don’t know how hard it is for me to pretend I like being with Vincenzo. Looking at his face gets on my nerves; I feel like choking him,” Megan expresses her frustration.

“In time, you’ll do that, my daughter. Let’s be patient; everything is going very well,” Dom Bonanno reassures Megan.

“You’re right, Dad. I need to control myself and be patient. We’re almost at our goals, and I can’t let my hatred for them ruin everything. I’m going to my room; I’m a bit tired.”

“Go, daughter. Rest. Tomorrow is the engagement dinner; you need to be well.”

Megan kisses her father goodnight and heads to her room.