Page 15 of Stolen Vows
I sneer in disgust at my thoughts.
The man who attacked me today was not my uncle.I won’t think of him that way anymore.He’s no longer the gentle, caring man I yearned to give everything to.Instead, he’s a devil in disguise sent to torture me for all eternity.
He turned my body against me.Just the thought of his piercing amber eyes sends heat to my core, while the memory of his oversized hand grasping my breast quickens my heart.
I can’t marry him.I never want to see him again.He threatens my very sanity.
My only option is to convince my father to let me elope with Romeo.
With my decision made, I shove my thoughts into a tiny box and slam it closed, finalizing the act by slapping the faucet handle down and shutting off the water.
After checking the time on my phone, I toss it onto my bed and shut myself away in the bathroom for my new normal, blocking the vent with a washcloth, draping a towel over the mirror, and turning the lights on the lowest setting before turning on the shower.
I stand under the warm spray much longer than usual, enjoying the water pounding on my back and the heat seeping into my bones.With my mind blessedly numb and my body relaxed, I sigh and lean back into the downpour.
My nipples bunch.Need pulses between my legs.
I stiffen when my fingertips brush against my mons.
No.I will not encourage the monster he awoke within me.I’ve never masturbated before, and I won’t start now.
Bitterness curls my lips.I don’t need to hide my emotions here, but the expression feels foreign.For the last decade, I’ve lived to appease my father.He holds my future in his hands.
I need him to pass the baton over to Romeo before Mario ruins everything.
With my determination bolstered, I dry off and prepare for bed, dressing in the hideous nightgown and braiding my hair, donning my battle armor for the fight to come.
After fixing the bathroom and turning on the television, I settle on the couch and play the only game on my phone—a matching game—and only doze a few times before the electronic door lock beeps as my father inserts his keycard.
I jerk to full alertness and rise as he pushes open the door and staggers inside.
My insides twist.All traces of arousal dry up and leave me feeling like a brittle husk.Nausea grips me.I step around the coffee table, putting it between us, and pull my braids in front of my shoulders as I force my lips into a smile.
I yearn to close my sweaty palm around the hilt of my knife, but it’s tucked safely away under my cabinet in San Francisco.
“You’re still up?I thought you’d be in bed by now,” he mumbles.
Bile rises in my throat.
“It’s not that late, Daddy,” I lie.
I move around the coffee table as he drops onto the couch, keeping the glass monstrosity between us.
“Be a doll and get me a glass of water, yeah?”he demands.
“Of course,” I respond and jump into action.With more pep in my step than I feel, I bounce into the kitchenette and pour a glass from the pitcher in the fridge and place it on the coffee table before perching on the edge of the recliner.
“Is everything okay?”I ask.
He leans forward and props his elbow on the armrest as he slurps down half the glass.Despite the flush on his cheeks and the stench of whiskey wafting from him, he cracks his neck and sits upright with enough calculation in his eyes to assure me he isn’t on the brink of mania.
My nausea eases.
“It would have been better if you’d sat next to Romeo today.What were you thinking, Valentina?”he scolds.
I take a deep breath and aim my face down at my lap as I fiddle with the end of my braid, hoping to elicit my father’s protective instincts by embodying the younger version of myself as best I can.
“I really wasn’t feeling well, and, honestly, I got scared, too.I… I’m worried that if we wait until next month, my body will ruin everything.Can’t I just marry Romeo now?”
