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“Yes, why?” he asks, as if I’m the odd one for asking that.

“Because it’s awkward enough without having my family watch me be sold off as cattle.”

“Jesus, Mia, that’s not what’s happening.”

“It is. Even if you don’t see it that way, that’s exactly what’s happening.” Standing, I smooth my hands down the sides of my skirt and loop my purse into the crook of my arm before walking out of there with my head held high. I refuse to cry in front of them or throw a fit like a child.

I’ll find a way to make this my own.

I’ll find a way to gain control.

I’ll find a way to have Santino Antonucci wishing he never chose me as his bargaining chip. He doesn’t know me. And hell, if I annoy or piss him off enough, maybe he’ll ask me for a divorce within a few months. Problem solved.

Chapter 3

Mia

“Are you home this week? Are you going out tonight? Because I need you to take me to the best club you know so I can dress up and dance,” I say to my cousin, Aria, as soon as she answers the phone. Her and her twin sister, Gia, live in Manhattan and are models for a huge agency. They’re always traveling, going out, and enjoying their lives to the fullest, which is the complete opposite of me, and I find myself envious of them a lot.

“Yeah, we’re in the city for the next few weeks. Of course we can go out tonight. Why? What happened? You sound desperate.”

“I am. I’m getting married and I want to blow off some steam before…” I pause and take a breath. “Just…before whatever happens, happens.”

“What the hell did you just say? I could’ve sworn you just said you’re getting married, but that’s absurd since I know you’ve never dated anyone in your life.”

“Okay, when you say it out loud like that, I sound pathetic. But it’s true. Katarina didn’t have to marry Santino, but I do.”

“Why the hell do you have to?” she asks angrily.

“He said he wants me. I don’t know. Some deal needs to go through and I’m a part of that deal.”

“Mia, are you messing with me right now?”

“No,” I sigh, pacing my room. “I wish I was.”

“Okay, just get over here and we’ll talk. I’ll fill Gia in.”

“Thanks, Aria.”

Hanging up, I pack a small overnight bag, and as I’m leaving, I pass my mom in the living room. She raises her eyebrows at my bag slung over my shoulder.

“Are you going somewhere?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m spending the night with Aria and Gia. I need a girl’s night. I need to talk things through with them.”

When I came back from my talk with Leo and my brothers a few days ago, I vented to my mom straight away. I thought she’d be as angry and upset as I was, but she just sat there and let me talk before she spoke, telling me it was my duty to help the family and that we all have our role we need to step into when necessary.

To say I was angrier with her than my brothers is an understatement. She made it sound like it was no big deal that I was giving up my choice in who I married for the sake of a business deal. Like my life doesn’t matter. My brothers and Leo were at least regretful in some capacity.

“There’s nothing to talk through, Mia,” she tells me, looking at me like she already knows what I have in mind for tonight. “You’ve already gone off the deep end and dyed your beautiful hair, ruining it in some fruitless rebellion. Don’t do anything else that will alter your appearance and don’t do anything that will reflect badly on you or the family tonight.”

I ball my hands into fists at my sides to refrain from lashing out. “I already know your thoughts on everything, mother,” I grind out. “I need to talk with people who realize how insane this is, though. You can understand that, can’t you?”

I ignore her dig at my new hair, because frankly, I fucking love it. After spending a pitying two days in bed feeling sorry for myself, I went to the salon yesterday and spent hours in the chair being transformed from my natural light brown hair to a honey gold light blonde by way of about a thousand highlights. Myhead was a heavy mass of foils that I was starting to regret until I saw the end results. My mom can say it was an act of rebellion, because it was, but she can’t tell me I ruined my hair. It looks amazing.

“Just be careful,” she says instead of answering my question. “You don’t want to do anything you’ll regret or will compromise this family’s future.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be back some time tomorrow. Maybe.” I shrug. “I may stay two nights with them.”

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