Page 11 of His Stolen Bride

“Did he hurt you?”

“No.” I grasp her wrists gently. “There’s going to be a wedding tonight.” I change the subject, giving her something else to focus on.

“Right. A wedding.” She starts to play with my hair. I pull my eyes away from Santino and lose the staring competition.

“Thirty minutes,” Santino says before leaving the room. Gianna grabs my hand and pulls me back toward the bedroom. The last place I want to be. Leo stands at the door, Gianna always in his sights.

I stare at the bed as she fusses with my hair and makeup, all three of us wondering what tonight will bring.

“Your lip is almost healed. I bet lipstick would cover it over.”

“No.”

She lets out a huff and starts braiding my hair. “Are you going to wear the same wedding dress?”

“No,” Santino says as he walks back into the room. He drops a plate on the table in the sitting area. My stomach growls again when the smell reaches me.

“Then what should she wear? It’s not as though you're giving her time.”

“I don’t give a shit what she wears as long as it’s not that dress.”

“I don’t understand why it matters.” Now Gianna is getting worked up.

I grab her hand. “Stop.”

Her eyes fill with tears. She hates that I’m doing this. Again. “You know it’s not that kind of wedding.”

“That kind of wedding? It’s a wedding. A wedding that will be had when you have eaten everything on this plate.”

What if it were a wedding that every girl dreams about? Every girl except me. I’ve known my fate for as long as I could remember. I never let myself have such dreams, knowing they’d never be a reality for me.

“You’re ordering her to eat?” Gianna is as confused as I am about the request. She lets out a gasp. “Did you poison it?”

He gives her a withering look that is the equivalent of an eyeroll, then walks back over to the plate and takes a bite.

“The priest is here,” he says before he gives Leo, who’s been standing in the corner of the room, another dirty look. He has it out for Leo. But Santino had better stow that animosity. Leo is the father of Gianna’s child, and no number of dirty looks will change that.

“He’s in a hurry to get married,” Gianna says as she finishes the braid in my hair.

I walk over to the plate of food, my stomach growling again.

“I’ll find you something to wear.” She flutters off into the closet.

I sit down and take a bite. The taste that hits my mouth is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s the best frittata I’ve ever had. It looks so simple, but the flavors all come together nicely. It doesn't take me long to clean the plate. I can’t believe he cooked something so delicious.

“Are you okay? You inhaled that.” Gianna stands next to the table, a dress in her hand.

“I was hungry.”

“Clearly.” She lets out a small laugh. “This should work. Change before he comes back and barks more orders at us.”

I take the dress from her.

“Do you think he doesn't want you wearing the same dress because he’s jealous?” Gianna asks.

“Jealous of what?”

“You got married to someone else in it.”

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