Page 17 of The Forbidden Husband

“It’s about time to go to the reception hall,” I said, pushing back from my chair and giving no further explanation.

It was too easy to forget who she was while I spoke to her.

Forgetting that she was my enemy—that she had no true loyalty to me—was dangerous.

I couldn’t let myself fall into that trap.

Chapter Six

Aria Bianchi

When Enzo returned, he was the same cold man I had seen in photographs and heard about in rumors my entire life. For just a moment, the conversation with Enzo had seemed almost normal. It made me feel like I was marrying an ordinary man.

But Enzo was not normal. He was a monster, and I would be a fool to forget that.

This detached silence between us became almost comfortable. Detachment was better than the alternative and preferable to all the questions he had been asking.

The word “consummation” had been used no less than two dozen times this evening, and as we sat in a conversation with another family friend who couldn’t help but bring up the chance for heirs, I felt a bead of sweat creep down the back of my neck.

“It will be so wonderful having more heirs to take over for Giovanni—so much less of a risk,” she said. “I hope you’re ready for a big family, Aria. We need it.”

She said it with a light-hearted nature the way someone would comment on the weather or my wardrobe choices.

Enzo nodded and wrapped an arm quickly around my waist. My logical side wanted to push him away, but the warmth his embrace offered—the comfort—had me sinking deeper into his grip. It made no sense. I shouldn’t have felt comforted by the same man who would soon take a part of me I wasn’t ready to offer.

But the weight of his arm still had that effect.

It still calmed my rising nerves.

“Are you ready, Aria?”

“For what?”

She laughed as if I was making a hysterical joke. “The consummation!” she squealed. “You have to be excited for your first time.”

I glanced around, wishing Livia or Evelina could be here with me.

But Dad had sent them home hours ago when the drinking had started. He said it was for their safety, but I knew the truth.

He didn’t want me to get any ideas.

He didn’t want me to tell them the truth and try to convince them to leave when I got cold feet.

“Speaking of the first time,” a man said, coming beside Enzo and patting him on the shoulder. “Your car is here to bring you both to the hotel.”

If my heart wasn’t already pounding in my chest, it certainly was now. It thumped so hard that I could hear my blood flowing through my ears. I tried to keep my limbs from trembling as the guests began moving out of the way and clearing a path for our exit.

No, this couldn’t be happening. Not already.

When I left this venue, I would be completely at the mercy of my new husband.

I would be living with a monster, and there would be nobody to save me from his corruption and cruelty.

Would he skinmealive next?

The voices of everyone surrounding me couldn’t break through the potent thoughts that ran through my mind. Was sacrificing myself worth this? I would give this man my body, soul, and every ounce of my spirit. I would have no choice if I wanted to get in and learn what I needed.

My feet moved on their own, reminding me of the dream I had most nights—the dream of my father’s betrayal. Like in that dream, I felt like I couldn’t control my legs or how I moved forward.

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