Vengeful Lies

The wedding day.

Had someone told me months ago I’d fall for my fake fiancé, I would’ve openly laughed and then shot them in the head. I never imagined this day for myself. In fact, before now, every time I even thought of it, it felt like a noose around my neck.

Although I don’t feel like I’m suffocating now, jittery nerves still take hold. The hair and makeup team arrived half an hour ago, around the same time as Rya. I told them all I needed to have a quick shower, and I haven’t moved from the bottom of the tub since.

Thoughts still plague me as to whether marriage is right for me. I know I love Eli and that there will be no other man who can handle me like he can. But marriage still scares me. Because, ultimately, I could be signing myself up for the most painful type of love. But also the most rewarding. It was just deciding to take the risk.

I love Eli, but it’s still a wild concept to be marrying a mafia heir.

“Jewel?” Rya’s voice comes through the bathroom door.

She apologized profusely when she discovered what her husband had been up to. And despite the strange situation, I can’t say I’m entirely surprised by Crue’s involvement. He’s a terrifying man in the same way Eli is, and I definitely think Eli got his scheming brilliance from both his father and mother. They just execute their goals differently.

“I’ll be right out!” I say, realizing I’ve been in here for too long. Yet again, running away. I turn the shower off and reach for a towel to dry myself. When I step out, Rya is waiting patiently. She’s a vision in a light blue dress. The makeup artists are nowhere to be seen, and I sigh in relief that she sent them away to give us some privacy.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course,” I reply tightly.

“It’s okay if you aren’t.” She takes a seat at the end of the bed and taps the spot beside her. I inhale and sit down.

I’ve never really had a woman-to-woman conversation. Or a mother-daughter heart-to-heart. Is that what this is? “I was so scared of marrying Crue, I pushed him so far away, he got engaged to my sister,” Rya says calmly.

I try to mask my surprise, and she laughs at my shit way of hiding it. “Don’t worry, neither of them liked each other. And it all worked out in the end.”

“That sounds a little hectic,” I whisper.

“Oh, it was.” She chuckles. “All I’m saying is, I know this is scary for you, but I raised a good son, who is now a good man. Well, he’s good to the people he cares about at least.” At least she’s aware that her son isn’t the definition of “normal” or “good.”

“He can be a little ruthless like his dad, and I actually liked that about Crue a lot,” she says with a smile. “I’ve come to terms with the type of people they both are, and I’m elated that Eli has found someone who accepts him just as he is. It makes me feel a little better to know you can also protect him as much as you can threaten to put him in his place.” She laughs, and I can’t help but find that amusing as well.

“What I mean to say is, this might be a scary day, but it’s also a beautiful day. I’ve never seen my son come to life the way he does when he’s around you. And so I thank you for being that beacon for him and joining our family,” she says, hugging me. I feel awkward at first until I lean into it. Much like I have with Eli. Perhaps having a mother isn’t so bad after all. Perhaps having a husband won’t kill me either. “Now, let’s get you ready.”

She requests that I keep on the towel and come out to start my hair and makeup. When I’m sitting on the seat, feeling overstimulated, she passes me a glass of champagne but warns me I only get one before walking down the aisle. I blush at that, remembering how drunk I’d gotten when trying on the wedding dresses.

Rya tells me stories about Eli growing up and how his favorite word was “asshole.” That makes me giggle because that was one of my first words to him. I tell her that, and she absolutely loses her shit, laughing. I like hearing her laugh. I wonder if my mother ever laughed the same way when someone talked about me.

I doubt it.

But despite feeling a loss at that, I’m filled with acceptance from this woman who owes me nothing but is giving me all of her love anyway.

“Eli said you had no one to walk down the aisle, and I did offer that I would do it for you, but he requested something special for you.”

I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about. I know when you get married, someone usually walks you down the aisle, but I never dreamed of being married in the first place, so I never even thought about that part of it. By the time my hair and makeup are done, I’m starting to feel the jittery nerves again.

I look in the mirror as Rya zips my dress up in the back. It’s a simple but elegant gown with a slit up the side. A tiny smile pulls at my lips as I consider what happened to the first wedding dress we had to buy because we absolutely destroyed it in the bridal shop.

“He really outdid himself when he picked you,” she says as she admires me. I turn to her then and hug her. She seems caught off guard as I embrace her.

“Thank you for accepting me into your family,” I say, and I feel the gentle caress of her hand on the back of my head.

“We will always be home for you now,” she replies, and I can sense her smile.

I’m stuck in the car, frozen in place. My breathing comes in shallow pants as I reconsider this wedding. I know I want to be with Eli, but it makes this no less terrifying.

Rya left the car ten minutes ago. I’m certain she knew I wouldn’t be able to get out without some sort of encouragement.

I consider running away, as cowardly as it is.

I’m scared.

I’m scared mostly of the unknown, even though Eli is one of the things I’ve been surest about.

The car door suddenly opens, and I let out a shaky breath as Eli’s beautiful face comes into view. I try to turn away from him as if that will keep the dress hidden. We are far from traditional, but I feel like I’ve wasted the surprise moment.

He gently pushes me across the seat and sits down beside me, closing the door. He pulls my hand from my mouth as I bite the skin around my nails and brings it to his lips. I watch as he does, those silver eyes staring at me expectantly. “You’re beautiful. And late.”

“I’m not late. I’m just thinking…”

“About running away?” he says knowingly. Rya most likely went inside to get him. I hate how well he understands me. How did he so quickly learn my ins and outs?

“Aren’t you supposed to be inside?” I ask. His gaze greedily takes me in.

“I’m wherever you are. Everyone else can wait.” He gets comfy in the seat. I nervously laugh as I rest my head on his shoulder.

“What’s bothering you?” he asks as we both look out the front windshield.

“I don’t know. I’m just scared.”

“I’m not. I know without a doubt that you are meant to be my wife, and we will have a permanent truce,” he says, cupping my cheek.noveldrama

“Well, maybe not permanent,” I tease. “We want to keep it spicey, don’t we?”

He looks at me with a smile. “I have a surprise for you when you’re ready.”

“I think it’s redundant when you say that because I will always be surprised by you, Eli Monti,” I tell him, feeling the tension leave my body.

“I take that as a compliment, Jewel Diamond.”

I stare at our linked fingers, thinking that, after today, I’ll have his has last name. This is real. Me moving forward into a world I thought never existed for me. And maybe that’s why it feels so terrifying.

A tap on the window startles me, and Eli opens the door. When he does, Craig peers into the car. He’s wearing a suit, which is strange considering his usual casual attire.

“Craig?” I straighten.

“Hey, kiddo. This little shit asked me if I’d do the honors of walking you down the aisle since, apparently, this is legit. You’re really marrying him, right?” He hooks an accusing thumb in Eli’s direction.

Eli turns to me then. “I’m going to wait for you at the end of the aisle. I came here to make sure you aren’t overwhelmed. So let’s go get married, get drunk, and fuck all night.”

Craig looks away, and I can feel a blush spread across my face in embarrassment. Eli presses a kiss to my cheek with a smirk as he slowly but surely pulls my hand farther out of the car and into Craig’s waiting hand.

“Come on, kiddo, you’ve done worse than this,” Craig jokes as he leans in. “Unless, of course, you do want to run, and we can fuck off and stick to the previous plan.”

I laugh, my nerves feeling as if they’re subsiding. It’s like the final missing piece has arrived. I would have never been brave enough to ask Craig. He barely leaves the house, and I didn’t want to be disappointed if he said no.

Craig idly speaks about the latest episode of his TV show as he walks me to the chapel. It’s massive and, apparently, the same chapel where Eli’s parents tried to marry before Rya shot Crue in the leg and ran away.

I smirk at the thought. Rya’s such a badass. But why do I feel like she’d laugh if I did the same to her son?

I focus on my breathing as I wait outside the doors. I can hear the commotion on the other side as Craig clears his throat. “I don’t like the little arrogant asshole, but if he really makes you happy, this is where I want to be.”

I turn to him, and there are so many things I want to say and thank him for. We’ve never been the kind to share feelings or gratitude, so instead, I hug him. Craig seems surprised, and he awkwardly hugs me back. I still don’t enjoy touching people, but I think a small part of Rya is rubbing off on me.

“Thank you for being here today, Craig, and for everything you’ve done for me. You’re my family and are always welcome here.”

Craig clears his throat, and I’m pretty sure he looks away to wipe a tear. “Your father would be proud of you. You’ve turned out to be such a beautiful woman. Though, I don’t know how he’d feel about handing you over to Eli Monti.”

I laugh and agree with him. But I also consider how he could fault my soon-to-be husband, who would move heaven and earth to get to me.

The wedding planner grabs our attention and counts us down. I try to clear my throat and roll back my shoulders.

“Why do the moments before pulling a trigger on someone feel easier than this?” I ask nervously to Craig. The wedding planner looks horrified as Craig laughs and puts his hand over mine.

“Make no mistake; you’ll give them hell just as much as you do when you shoot.”

The doors open, and I can’t smile, my gaze dances along the colossal number of people. Most of whom I don’t know.

But at the end of the aisle is a man I do know.

The man I love.

The man I hate.

The man who calls to my dark soul and feeds it instead of shuns it.

I take my first step. And that’s when I spot the other familiar faces.

His parents. Hawke and Ford. Dutton and Billie. Hope and Ivy. Sage.

Even the rest of the Ivanov family are here.

My heart is pounding, but I use Eli as the anchor he is, allowing my feet to take me home. To take me to him.

Eli’s gaze devours me, and heat rises up my neck. Suddenly, it feels like it’s only us again. Just him and me in that small room the night of the masquerade. Him looking like a monster coming out from the shadows, and me holding a dagger. He was my target. My enemy. And now he’s my everything.

Craig slides my hand into Eli’s, and all the tension and fear I felt evaporates because I realize this wedding means nothing. Because it’s only Eli and me.

His fingers curl around mine as he leans in. “You’re so beautiful. It’s a crime, really, and I can’t wait to rip this dress off you just like I did the last one.”

My core throbs as I think about the last time he ripped apart a wedding dress I wore.

“Are you ready for this, Mrs. Monti?” he asks as he leans back. Dutton, Hawke, and Ford are his groomsmen. Sage, Hope, and Ivy stand as my bridesmaids. I’m not that close with these women yet, but have a feeling that I will be soon.

“I was ready for you the day your name came across my desk, Mr. Monti,” I say with a smile. And I once again lean into the man that my world was always going to collide with. And now I’m sure as hell going to make his life go up in flames and enjoy every moment of it.