Page 36 of Broken Princess

"For one thing, it means you and this child will be free of Lorenzo," Dad answers. "One day, you'll thank me for that. As for how it benefits Stefan, I'll let him explain that."

As much as I want to argue, I have to admit I am at a loss for words, and I want to hear what Stefan has to say. I can't believe he's actually going along with any of this.

Maybe he's lost his mind, too.

I mean, he was honest about the fact that he's interested in me, but still, an arranged marriage?

"To put it simply, the Romeros could use a PR boost," Stefan says with a shrug. "The alliance would be beneficial for both of our families. That, and my parents have been on me about settling down for a while now."

"You're in your early twenties!" I protest.

He gives me a slight smile. "Different standards when you're a Romero. I expect you'd know something about that."

I'm at a loss for words again. What can I say to any of this? It's surreal. I figured Dad would be due for a freak out when he learned the truth about my pregnancy, but this is not the form I expected any of it would take.

In a way, I'm relieved he's not pressuring me about getting rid of the baby, but I really didn't have any arguments prepared against a fake shotgun marriage.

Certainly not with a guy who's not even the father of my baby.

"Lorenzo already knows," I tell them both, figuring that's my best chance at arguing against this. That's the one thing they can't argue with. Or so I hope.

"Unfortunate as that is, it's not a dealbreaker," says Dad. "You're simply going to tell him that you made a mistake, and that he isn't the father. Stefan is."

"That's ridiculous!" I cry. "We haven't even…"

I trail off, feeling my face grow warm.

"It doesn't matter," says Dad. "All that matters is that he thinks it's true. He doesn't know how far along you are, does he?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then it's settled," Dad announces.

I frown. "And if I refuse?"

He raises an eyebrow. "You’re really not in a position to do that. But if you insist on making things even more difficult than they already need to be, I won't have any choice but to send you away for the time being. Long enough to make sure you never see Lorenzo again."

"This isn't fair," I seethe, tears of frustration stinging my eyes. "This is insane."

At least Stefan has the decency to look like he feels guilty for his part in all this. I don't believe for a second there isn't more to it than he's letting on.

I don't know if Dad has something on him, or if things with his family are much worse than I thought. It's not at the forefront of my mind right now, though.

Right now, I'm feeling claustrophobic, like the walls are closing in.

"Be that as it may, it's the way things are going to be," Dad says, his hands folded in front of him. "One day, you'll understand this is in your best interest—and your child’s."

"And what about Kayleigh?" I demand. "Are you just going to let her go through with her sham of a wedding, too, without any idea what's actually going on?"

"You leave me to worry about Kayleigh," Dad says firmly. "I'm not going to hear another word about it. Not unless you want to end up on the first plane to Italy to stay with your aunt."

It's not an idle threat, and I don't dare to call his bluff. I can barely see through the tears in my eyes. Tears of frustration and panic. They come more easily nowadays, anyway, thanks to the fluctuating hormones I have to deal with on top of everything else.

I get up from my chair and stalk toward the door. This time, Dad doesn't try to stop me.

"Amelia," Stefan calls, his voice laced with guilt.

I ignore him, slamming the door behind me. I don't want to talk, certainly not to him.

---