I came to realize that I would be the biggest fool of all if I decided to go through with our wedding. I simply could not, under any circumstances, marry Giovanni Romano. It didn’t matter what kind of arrangement my family had made with his, or vice-versa. At the end of the day, this was my life, and I was the only one who had to live it. I didn’t deserve to spend the rest of my life unhappily with a man who would grow tired of me and just move on to his next conquest behind my back. That simply wasn’t a way to live, and I wasn’t going to condemn myself to that kind of life no matter what.

Thankfully, when I’d made it back home, my parents were already sleeping. I crept up to my bedroom, closed the door, and lied in bed, staring at the ceiling late into the night until I fell into an uneasy sleep.

I stared at myself in the mirror, admiring the long beautiful wedding gown I wore. Behind my reflection, my father appeared. He smiled.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded, feeling nervous, yet excited.

He held his arm out to me. “All right then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Looping my arm through his, we turned around. A magnificent church door appeared behind us, adorned with flowers lining the doorway. Within the church, the opening notes of “Bridal Chorus” began to play.

We stepped inside the church, and my eyes immediately zoomed in on Giovanni, standing at the altar beaming at me. He almost looked too handsome to be real.

Yet, as I made my way down the aisle, I began to hear footsteps behind me. I attempted to turn around, but my father held me steady. “Eyes on the prize, sweetie. Don’t look back.”

But I couldn’t help myself. I turned around. Behind me, there was another woman, far more beautiful than I could ever hope to be. She gave me a sly grin and then slinked passed me, right into Gio’s arms. The two of them locked in a passionate embrace and began making out right before my eyes.

Bile rose in my throat. “How could you?” I said, blinking back tears.

Gio nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. Kissing the woman once more, he then pushed her aside. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He then held his hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s just get this over with already.”

I shook my head, turning around and bolting down the aisle for the door.

“Arianna! Come back!” Daddy yelled after me. “It’s too late! The arrangement has been made! You can’t back out now!”

“Arianna!”

“Arianna!”

“Arianna!”

“Arianna?”

I sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily. Disoriented, it took me a moment to realize that it had all been just a dream. And then it took me a moment further to understand that someone actually was calling my name. I noticed the knocking on my door, and my father’s voice calling from the other side.

I climbed out of bed, my heart still racing from the nightmare. I hadn’t even managed to change out of my clothes from the night before. Briefly glancing at myself in the mirror, my own reflection almost frightened me. My hair was a mess, and mascara ran down my face from the tears I had apparently shed in my sleep.

I opened the door.

My father’s eyes widened at the sight of me. “Arianna?” he said. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

I swallowed, not realizing until then that it was already past noon.

“Ari.” A note of sternness crept into Daddy’s voice, knowing something was wrong. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get away with lying and claiming everything was fine. “Giovanni just called not too long ago,” he informed. “He said that he’s b

een trying to call you all morning, but you haven’t been answering your phone.”

It took everything within me to not spit at the sound of his name. “I don’t want to talk to Giovanni,” I said through gritted teeth.

My father’s eyes widened again, startled. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “You want to tell me why?”

When I didn’t respond, he placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me into my room. He sat at the edge of my bed, his eyes never leaving mine. “All right, kiddo. Tell me what’s going on. Did something happen between the two of you that I should know about?”

What hadn’t happened between us was probably an easier question to answer. How could I tell my father about all the ups and downs that had already occurred in the short time Giovanni had entered my life? Yet, with the way he stared at me, I knew I had to tell him something. I had to tell him because I knew now that Giovanni Romano wasn’t going to change just because he was supposed to marry me; he was far too set in his ways, and nothing or no one would ever change that. You can’t teach an old player new tricks—and you certainly can’t get them to give up their old tricks either…

When I looked into my father’s eyes, a whole life of unhappiness suddenly flashed before my own. I and Giovanni would not have the kind of marriage that my parents enjoyed, so there was only one thing for me to do.

Tags: Nicole Elliot Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net