Page 20 of A Sinner's Truth

“I need to ask… Are you both entering into this union of your own free will?” Judge Michaels glances between us.

“Yes,” Santo growls.

“Yes.” I nod my head.

“Okay, sign here and here.” Judge Michaels hands the paperwork to Santo first. He scrawls his signature in the two places and then slides the document over to me.

My hand shakes a little as I sign my name.I’m really doing this.When I’m done, I place the pen down and slide the paper back towards the judge.

“Thank you. You’re now man and wife,” he announces.

“Thank you, Judge.” Santo stands and I follow his lead.

“Thank you.” I smile at the older man.

This was… not how I ever expected I’d get married. But it’s legal. I feel a huge weight off my shoulders. Whatever happens now, I cannot legally marry Oliver.

“Thank you for doing this for me. I don’t know what you’re getting out of this deal, but I will be forever grateful,” I tell Santo when we’re back on the road. Where we’re going, I have no idea.

“We should celebrate, right? Breakfast?” Santo asks.

“That would be great.” I smile at him.

We end up at a small café that’s near my apartment. I’ve been here a lot with Drew. “What do you fancy?” Santo says while eyeing the menu in his hands.

“I’ll have the avo smash and a pineapple juice. What do you feel like having? I’ll go order,” I tell him.

Santo’s brows pull together. “I’ll order. Wait here,” he grunts, already pushing up from the table.

Okay, so my husband has got the sexy grouchy routine down pat. Scratch that,just grouchy. My husband is not sexy. I am not attracted to him.

“There are a few things you should know about being my wife,” Santo says as he reclaims his seat at the table a couple of minutes later.

“The rules? I remember them.”

“Not just those. If we’re out together, I pay. No matter what it is,” he tells me.

“Okay, but I’m not a freeloader. I work. I can pay for my own meals,” I remind him.

“You work for your father. That’s going to have to stop,” he says.

“Excuse me?” My eyes jump to my hairline before I can stop them.

“Your father offered you up as a bargaining chip, Aria. He’s not the kind of man I want you around, especially not alone.”

Looks like someone is taking his husband role a little too seriously.

“I can’t quit my job, Santo. I need it.” Besides the fact that I like my job, I don’t have any other options for money. Although, I’m sure once my father learns I have no intention of going along with his plan, he’s going to fire me anyway. I probably should have thought this whole thing through better. What if he still takes away my trust? He could. I’ve defied him and he’s going to be pissed.

Chapter Eleven

If Aria thinks for one minute she’s going to continue working for her father, she’s delusional. She probably should have spent some time researching who she was marrying. If she had, she wouldn’t be trying to argue with me on this.

“You’re not working there. I don’t know why you’d even want to. Your father traded you off in a business deal, Aria,” I grind out. “I get it. I do. My father did much worse things and it’s hardto comprehend that a parent would do anything that would see their child harmed. But the world’s a cruel place and evil walks amongst us daily.”

“I need to work,” she says, seeming to ignore the edge in my tone that tells her this is nonnegotiable.

“Why?”

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