Page 1 of Angel's Whisper

Chapter One

It was her final fitting, the last time she would try on her dress to ensure that it was perfection. Her mother, Celestina Conti, was there, as was her grandmother, the true matriarch of the family, Constanza Conti. They were both doting, being exceptionally accommodating and celebratory. They fussed over every detail from the hemline to the drop waist to the fulness of the skirt with a train that trailed thirty-some-odd feet. It was truly going to be a spectacle, yet Isotta, the bride-to-be, stood silent. The entourage, including the dressmaker and the boutique's owner, flitted around her, nipping and tucking and fussing and eyeing and then suggesting yet another alteration, all because Isotta's dress needed to reflect perfection even if she felt imperfect wearing it.

How else was she supposed to feel? She was the de facto bride-to-be, not the original daughter slated to be married. She was second in line, yet she was being married off first. Isotta felt truly mixed emotions about all the pomp and circumstance surrounding her wedding.

Her wedding…

It should have been her sister's wedding.

Valentina had been promised to Alessandro Esposito since they were new adolescents. The Conti family were shipping magnets, running international routes all over Europe. The Esposito family specialized in imports, exports, and logistics. They were wealthy in their own right. Valentina and Alessandro's wedding was not about love. It was about mergers. But that's just how things were done. The Conti and the Espositos lived in a world reflective of old-world values, where wealth, fortune, and family legacy were guaranteed by strategic nuptials, nothing more, nothing less. If love came to the couple, then that was an added bonus, but the primary reason for the promise, the impending wedding, was to solidify a contract drawn up between families.

Grandfather Eduardo Conti was the founder of the family business. He scraped and learned and conquered the open sea, establishing trading routes that crisscrossed a variety of territories. But Costanza was the brains behind the operation and continued to run the business through her son, Francesco. The first marriage of Francesco to Celestina opened the Baltics, and a new merger was necessary. It's how the family would survive the siege.

But first, proof of virginity must be solidified.

"Turn slightly to the left, dear," the seamstress spoke to Isotta, momentarily pulling her out of her daydream.

Isotta complied, as she always did.

"Just a little more," the seamstress instructed. Isotta mindlessly adjusted her position.

"There, that's perfect."

Isotta listened to her mother and her grandmother obsessing over every beaded jewel, every sequin, and every inch of satin that she wore and zoned out again.

The virgin bed. The ultimate and final test that the bride-to-be must endure in order to prove that she is worthy of marriage. The contract was not officially finalized until that piece was ensured. Both families had a vested interest in the bride's virginity.

The time had finally come for the festivities to commence. It was a celebration with everyone honoring the sanctity of the union by being dressed in white. The women, Celestina, Costanza, and Sofia, Alessandro's mother, sat right outside the examination room. They spoke politely and smiled in the moments of silence. Celestina and Costanza were cautious yet hopeful, all things considered. Valentina had no interest in marrying Alessandro even though she had been promised to him. Her parents were unwilling to entertain her objections, even though she objected loudly and fervently. Costanza was also unwilling, reminding Valentina of her duty to the family and her grandfather's legacy.

Isotta blinked, her mind filled with haunting memories.

Valentina confided in Isotta after Isotta found her older sister bawling her eyes out in her bedroom.

"I won't marry him."

"You have to, Valentina," Isotta reasoned more out of obligatory teachings than anything else.

"They don't care about me, my feelings," Valentina sobbed. It wasn't a polite, sophisticated cry. It was an ugly cry, her voice hitching in between tears.

"It’s for the family,” Isotta countered, reaching her hand out to console her sister.

Valentina snatched away, feeling the seed of betrayal by the one person she trusted with her innermost thoughts. “I am more than a bargaining tool.”

“But it's our duty, yours and mine.”

Valentina didn’t say anything more to her sister. It was pointless. Isotta echoed every painful statement her parents and her grandmother iterated to her. Valentina was no longer willing to listen.

Still, she found herself in the examination room. It was cold and sterile. Valentina was alone in the room, lying on an examination table with her womanhood exposed, only covered by a thin white sheet. No one was in the room with her to hold her hand, to tell her everything would be okay. There was no one in the room with her to answer questions before the doctor arrived. It’s not like her mom or grandmother truly explained what would transpire. Well, they did, but more in the context of sealing the deal, the final piece that needed to be in place in order for the new familial deal to manifest. It wasn’t personal. It didn’t feel personal until it did.

When Valentina heard the door open to the small room, her stomach tightened. There had already been a team of butterflies flitting uncontrollably in her gut. Her palms were sweaty, and she felt a little sick. But when she knew the doctor was in the room, all the nerves that she felt multiplied tenfold and then some. Valentina found it difficult to remain still. She felt her heart thump hard in her chest, and it pounded even harder with each step the doctor took toward her. The echo of the heels of his shoes, combined with the thudding of Valentina’s heart, echoed in her ears until it was nearly deafening.

And then, there he was, standing over her. She couldn’t see him lying flat on her back, but she knew he was down by her propped-up legs that she tried to hold tight.

“Good evening, young lady. I’m Dr. Stricknor, and I’ll be performing your examination.”

His voice was big and barrelly, too big for the small space they were in. Yet, he needed to speak with some vibrato to pierce through the echo of Valentina’s heartbeat that still resounded in her ears. Dr. Stricknor was trusted by both families and had been selected to perform this particular procedure. He may have been beloved by those who knew him, but Valentina wasn’t one of those who knew him, and she was frightened.

“I don’t understand why I need to be here,” Gabriel Esposito fussed. He was second in line, never to be first. Alessandro was the chosen one, and that had been made clear to Gabriel from as early on as he could remember. He, Alessandro, Carmine, his father, and Francesco sat in a separate room, awaiting the news.

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