Page 64 of Righteous Deceit

My beautifully insightful brother. I stand, leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you to be fine. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

The thickness in my throat stops my ability to swallow, so I turn away from him, moving toward my dress. “I need to get dressed. I’ve made him wait long enough.”

“Alessia.”

“I love you, Salvatore. Thank you for giving me this. I know your preference was CJ.”

He sighs. “I’ll wait for you outside the door.” He pauses. “I love you, too. I’m sorry you have to do this again.”

I can’t acknowledge his words because my throat has closed in emotion.

He closes the door softly behind him, and I refuse to give in to my tears the way they long me to. I inhale deeply, exhale purposely, and blink rapidly.

* * *

Pinkand white roses have been placed in a messy formation along the grass. They’re softer than the grass under my pearl Jimmy Choos, and I mourn their beauty as they wilt beneath every step Salvatore and I take down the aisle.

Diego keeps his back to us the entire time, staring past the priest and into nothing as he waits. His black suit fits every angle of his body, and the tension in his frame is palpable to every person watching him. His hands sit fisted at his sides, and I wish I’d had the chance to apologize to him before this unfolded.

Salvatore kisses each of my cheeks when he reaches the end of our path, and Diego turns.

He’s so handsome. Somber features and disapproving lines make me want to reach out and soothe his irritation. Only I know I’m the one responsible for the look on his face.

He dips his chin at my brother, then turns the full force of his gaze on me. A bite of lust hoods his eyes as he takes me in, but it doesn’t warm the flat line of his mouth. His jaw still tics with anger as he reaches for my hand and brings me onto the platform where we’ll become husband and wife.

“Diego,” I whisper, but the priest begins speaking, and I’m left to apologize with my eyes.

I recite the words the priest tells me to, and Diego does the same. I slide an onyx ring onto his finger, and he flexes his hand, uncomfortable at the feeling. I want to cry, but I refrain.

Goose bumps break over my skin when he lifts my hand. He shows no reaction and slides not one but two rings onto my finger. First, a gold band with round sculpted diamonds across the entire circumference. Each diamond shares prongs with the one beside it, the brilliance of each cut shining with perfection. It’s exquisite. But it’s the next ring that robs my breath. The gold band is centered with an internally flawless cushion diamond that must be at least three carats. A pear-shaped purple sapphire sits on either side of the exquisite rock, and I look up at him in surprise.

He meets my eyes, and fire burns deep in his pupils.

He chose or designed this ring so I’d know what I’d tied myself to.

Purple.

Indigo.

The cape that promises no rules.

Diego Greco just branded me with a color that opens me up to be hunted in a way that gives him full access to whatever he desires.

And I let him.

I stare at the rings in shock. He would’ve spent well into six figures on the shackles now forever branded onto my hand. I don’t know whether to be petrified or impressed.

The rest of the ceremony passes through my ears with a hollow echo. Then the priest pronounces us man and wife, and the single kiss we’ve shared slams into the forefront of my mind with the ferocity of a punch to the gut. I’ve daydreamed about his lips. But this is different. Over a hundred people are watching, and this kiss won’t be of Diego’s free will. He’s been forced to press his mouth against mine in a kiss that will signal our new forever.

I expect him to place a chaste kiss on my lips, tasting his acidity before his lips are close enough to feel. But he shocks me when he steps into my body, placing his newly ringed hand against the side of my neck, resting his thumb against my chin.

“Big mistake, Sia.” He pulls at my chin, opening my mouth before slamming his lips to mine in a soaring kiss that leaves no room for debate. My new husband has threat on his tongue and danger in his eyes.

I’m fucked.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

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