Page 10 of The Forbidden Husband

“Perfect,” she said, clapping her hands together. “I just knew we’d find something that better suited you.”

I nodded. “This is the one.”

I didn’t particularly care to try on more dresses. This was the first one that didn’t make me look sickly. I would have typically chosen a lower neckline and a tighter fit in a dress, but the modesty of this one felt more appropriate. I didn’t need to give Enzo a show of my body on our wedding day.

Not when he would see plenty that night.

The thought sent another burst of nausea crawling up my throat, and I coughed it back.

“So, Jillian. Why are you here instead of Enzo’s mother?” Livia asked in a clear attempt to get her attention off of me.

Jillian’s smile morphed into a bitter expression. “Why are you asking?”

Under different circumstances, I may have laughed as Livia’s expression shifted to one of excitement. Accomplishment. She had found something to upset Jillian, and knowing her, she would take full advantage.

“It’s unusual for anauntto come in a mother’s place, that’s all.” Livia lifted her shoulders and leaned in to speak a little more quietly. I watched through the mirror as Jillian shifted away from my sister. “Unless there’s a reason. Who doesn’t love some juicy gossip?”

Jillian turned up her nose. “We don’t speak of Rebecca, and you’d all be wise never to bring her up. There are members of the family who have wounds much deeper than mine because of that disgrace.”

Interesting.

I tucked away that piece of information for later. Aunt Lia had been Enzo’s mother for all intents and purposes, butthey had no biological relation. His mother had always been a mystery to us. One that Livia and I were both excited to uncover.

Rebecca.

“Your family is quite accustomed to betrayal, too, as I recall. What was her name? Noemi?”

I could hear the cunning in Jillian’s tone, and I turned up my nose as I whipped around.

“My sister isn’t a traitor.”

“From all accounts—”

“I don’t give a shit about your accounts. She’s not a traitor.”

And even if she was, more power to her. Getting out of this hellhole was worth it.

Jillian closed her mouth, looking offended by my outburst, almost identical to hers. We each had things we weren’t willing to discuss, so we skirted around the topics expertly.

As the afternoon continued, the conversation remained tense among everyone other than Evelina, who didn’t seem to notice the tension. I didn’t say much more as my mind whirled around the big question mark in the room.

Who was Rebecca, and why was she so hated by Jillian?

How could I use the information to get me out of Enzo’s clutches?

Chapter Four

Aria Bianchi

The purple of the flowers lining the aisle reminded me of the bruises I had seen on the victims of my father’s brutality. They reminded me of the light purple color of a bruise right before it cleared away from the skin.

They reminded me of the bruises I had gotten the night I tried to run.

I shook away my thoughts as I rubbed one of the petals between my fingers and looked down the aisle.

“Are you looking forward to it?” a woman I had only met a few hours ago asked.

She was a cousin of Enzo’s—one who seemed keenly interested in the ceremony. I had a few distant relatives of my own in the dressing rooms, but they all had the unassuming, unspoken auras around them that came from years of being silenced.

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