Truths and Lies Duet

“You ready?” Aris asks.

“Yep.”

In the light of the day, the hotel is even more gorgeous. It was exquisite last night, but with the sun shining, I’m able to see every detail of the place. The pool is kidney-shaped, with a bar on one end and a beautiful rock waterfall on the other. Several people are already swimming in the pool and lying out in the loungers with drinks in their hands.

“Wine?” Aris asks, lifting the bottle from last night.

I shake my head. I need to keep a clear head.

“Just a lemonade if you have it. If not, water.”

He pours my drink then pops a top on a beer for himself. We take our drinks over to two empty loungers that are under an umbrella and have a seat.

“You’re from Italy, right?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.

“Yes, Rome, but I go to school in Florence at the Florence Art Institute.” And then it hits me. If somehow Kostas and his dad get their way, will I be allowed to go back to school in the fall? Or will he force me to stay here with him? Away from my mom, my family, my life.

“What’s wrong?” Aris asks.

“I was just thinking about school. I’m supposed to be starting my senior year. I hope this all gets sorted out before then.”

“Talia, I don’t think you understand—”

His words are cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. “I need to take this,” I say before I answer the call. “Mom.”

“No, Talia, it’s your grandfather.”

“Nonno!” A sob escapes my lips. “Please tell me I can go home.” There’s a deafening silence on the other line that causes my body to grow cold with fear. “Nonno,” I repeat.

“Talia, you need to listen to me,” he says, his tone unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s flat and cold, devoid of all emotion. “Your father made some terrible choices, and because of that, the Demetrious have decided the way for him to pay is through you. I’ve spoken to Ezio, and the decision has been made. You will marry his eldest son, Kostas, and become his wife.”

“No!” With a shaky hand, I set my drink on the table next to me. “Please, Nonno, I can’t marry him. I have a life. A boyfriend. I have my senior year! I didn’t agree to this.” Another wave of fury spreads through my veins like wildfire. How dare my father—No! Niles! How dare Niles use me to pay his debt! He’s a selfish bastard! “I’m not marrying him,” I tell my grandfather. “I don’t care if they kill Niles.” My eyes swing over to Aris, who is staring at me with pity in his eyes.

“You don’t have a choice,” my grandfather says so nonchalantly one would think he was discussing the weather and not the fate of my future. “The decision is final.”

At his words, I nearly drop my phone. My hands are trembling with fury, and I have to clasp the device tightly. “Ezio told me if I don’t marry Kostas, Niles will die. Well, fuck him! He did this to himself. Let. Him. Rot.” Without thinking about where I am or what I’m doing, I lean forward and swipe the glass off the table. It smashes against the ground, shards of glass flying in every direction. It’s not enough to tame the rage rolling through me, but it helps tamper it down a notch.

“Talia,” Nonno snaps. “Do not take up that language with me. I understand you are upset, and you have every right to be. But you will not speak to me with such disrespect.”

Seriously? All of these men want to jerk me around and dictate my life, then demand respect? Respect is earned. And as far as I’m concerned, they’ve all lost mine.

“Now, you will listen to me,” my grandfather continues. “The Demetrious family is not one you go against. The only way to get out of this would be death…for you. They’ve already decided, and once they make a decision, it’s law.”

My body falls back onto the lounge chair. My shoulders sag, and my head lulls forward in defeat. “So, that’s it then? My life is being taken from me? I’m being kidnapped against my will and being forced to marry that…that man.” I can’t think of anything to call him at the moment that would be fitting. “I would rather die,” I cry out.

“Oh, Talia, don’t be dramatic.”

“Dramatic?” I pop my head back up. “Dramatic? You aren’t the one stuck on this island with complete strangers. What about my school? And my friends? What about Alex? My apartment?”

“Your life will be wherever Kostas decides. I’m sorry, Talia. I tried to speak to them, but they made it clear this marriage will happen.”

A gut-wrenching sob tears through my chest. Complete hopelessness converts into tears that rain down my cheeks at lightning speed. If I don’t find a way out, I’m going to be sentenced to a life underground, just like Proserpina. But unlike her—who at least was stuck with Pluto, who in some versions of the story appeared to be a decent husband, despite beginning their marriage in such a horrible way—I’m being taken by Kostas. The man who found dark humor in Proserpina’s rape. The man who tried to argue that she enjoyed it. That the statue screamed passion.