Page 67 of Anastasia

She held me tightly as she rubbed my back up and down.

“Don’t cry. If you want, I’ll go steal Vincenzo’s keys and we can make a run for it,” she said, her eyes widening.

I chuckled slightly before shaking my head and grabbing her arm.

“I want to marry him. I really, really do. I am so scared, but I don’t even know why!” I sobbed.

Orabella burst out laughing while I cried into her shoulder. I was being so serious, but she must’ve thought I was joking.

“Orabella, I’m being serious!” I cried harder.

“It’s just your pregnancy hormones. Don’t worry, I’ve had them.” She chuckled. I pushed her slightly, leaving her to laugh harder.

When the door opened, my mother and Orabella’s baby boy, Andrea, walked into the room. He looked so handsome in his little suit that it brought a smile onto my face. My mother came up to me and gave me a huge hug before kissing my cheek.

“Look at me, I know you’re nervous. I promise that when you walk down that aisle and you see Valentino standing there, everything will gracefully fall into the place. All of your worries will disappear. You’re my strong little baby, I know you can do this,” my mum said. I smiled at her before nodding my head and wrapping my arms around her once more.

Andrea began playing with my dress, leaving me to look down to see his arms stretched out wide for me. I pulled away from my mother before bending down to pick him up. I pecked his cheek, leaving a bit of lipstick on him. He giggled before wrapping his small arms around my neck.

“He likes you.” Orabella laughed.

I sat him down on the floor, leaving him to run off toward his mother. A smile made its way onto my face as I turned to look back at my own mum.

“Can you help me fix my makeup?” I laughed. She smiled at me before sitting me down on the chair directly in front of a mirror.

“I’ll go make sure everything is ready for you to come out. By the way, you look very beautiful,” Orabella stated before walking over to me and smiling at me through the mirror. I returned her smile and then watched as she left with Andrea chasing after her.

“I’ve only been married once and that was to Alexandria’s father.” She smiled at the memory before wiping away the mess of makeup underneath my eyes thanks to my crying. I didn’t say anything and just allowed her to continue talking. “I was crying too. Truthfully, you’re lucky. You have a very handsome man who really loves you, and he would do anything to keep you happy. I couldn’t say the same for the man I married. I should’ve realized he wasn’t for me when I walked down the aisle to see he was high as a kite. Then, he introduced me to drugs, and I found them to be the love of my life.”

I looked into her eyes and could see the heartbreak in them. My mother had a very hard life, and I was happy Alex made me promise to help her get to where she is now.

“I’m so proud of you, Mom,” I told her as she reapplied my mascara.

She choked back a sob, leaving me to open my eyes.

“No, honey, I’m so proud of you,” she said.

Standing up from the chair, I embraced her in a hug once more. All of our emotions escaped into the small embrace that sealed our mother-daughter bond. I loved her and she loved me. Now, there were no factors getting in the way.

After she finished my makeup, I stood in front of the full-length mirror to gawk at myself once more. I did look really pretty as a smile made its way onto my face.

“You look stunning.” My mother smiled behind her tears.

I smiled brightly at her. Thankfully, since I was pregnant, I got to walk down the aisle barefoot. The gown was long enough to do so seeing as no one could see my feet. It was a tight white dress that left a long trail of white silk cloth behind me. It was beautifully elegant.

“Hey, it’s time.” Orabella smiled.

I let out a long exhale before following her out the door. There was loud chatter happening on the other side of the huge double doors before the bridal music began to play. I couldn’t stop the nervous smile on my face as I turned to look at Orabella.

Then, Valerio walked up to me with his elbow ready for me to take.

“You’re walking me down the aisle?” I asked, the urge to cry was quick to take over my emotions once more. I’d always wondered who would walk me due to the absence of my father.

“Of course, I wouldn’t let my Barbie go all on her own.” He smiled. The flower girl stepped slowly down the aisle, followed by all of the groomsmen, who were paired with Orabella, along with Liliana and Janice. My bridesmaids smiled at me as they began to walk down the aisle. After just a few seconds, I knew it was going to be my turn.

“I’m happy for you, my little block of cheese,” Alex said like she was suddenly standing right beside me. “You look beautiful, you’re going to have a baby, and most of all, you’re marrying a man who loves you. You never needed me, you only needed to believe in yourself.”

I could feel my eyes blurring as I looked at my imaginative Alex. “You need to let me go. I have always loved you, my banana, but now you love yourself enough for the both of us.”

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