CHAPTER EIGHT

1 stood frozen as he held me in the middle of the rose petals. His arms wrapped around me like I was precious, but I knew better… I was just a body that felt familiar in the dark.

"Elena," he whispered again, his voice soft, almost tender.

My heart pounded; I should have pushed him away, screamed, and told him the truth. But my body wouldn't move, and my voice wouldn't work. I stood in his arms, letting him hold me while he called me by my sister's name.

His hands moved down my back, finding the zipper of my dress.

"Finally," he breathed. "Finally, you are mine."

My skin crawled on every touch. But I could not speak; the words stuck in my throat like thorns.

He pulled the zipper down slowly. The sound was loud in the quiet room. My dress loosened around my shoulders.

"Damiano," I tried. My voice was barely a whisper. "Stop."

But he didn't hear me; his mind was somewhere else.

He pushed me backward, and my legs hit the edge of the bed, and I fell onto the mattress. Rose petals were scattered around me; their sweetness made me sick.

Damiano climbed on top of me, his weight pressing me down. I couldn't breathe. His hands were everywhere… my arms, my waist, my face.

"Say my name," he demanded.

I stared up at him; his eyes were dark and unfocused.

"Say it."

"Damiano," I whispered.

He smiled. "I love you so much.I have always loved you."

The words should have made me happy. Every wife wants to hear those words on her wedding night. But they weren't meant for me; they were meant for Elena.

Tears slid slowly down my cheeks, disappearing into my hair. Damiano didn't notice; he was too lost in his own world.

His mouth found my neck; I turned my head away. I closed my eyes and pretended I was somewhere else.

His hands moved to the front of my dress, fumbling with the buttons.

"Please," I begged. "Please stop. It's me, Gabrielle."

He paused…his eyes met mine for a moment; something flickered, confusion and recognition, like he was seeing me for the first time.

"Gabrielle?" he said.

Hope flooded through me; he finally saw me.

But then the moment passed and his eyes went dark again.

"Elena," he said. "Stop playing games."

He pushed me back down and his hands found my wrists and pinned them above my head. I couldn't move. I couldn't fight.

"I love you," he said again.

I stared at the ceiling, trying to disappear inside my own mind.

His mouth was on mine…desperate, hungry. I didn't kiss him back. I just lay still.

The minutes stretched. Time moved strangely. It felt like hours, but it was probably only minutes.

Finally, Damiano stopped as his body went limp on top of me. His grip loosened, and I pushed him off. He rolled to the side, eyes closed, mouth slightly open with a soft snore…

"Elena," he murmured one last time. Then silence.

I sat up slowly. My whole body shook. I looked down; my dress was half undone, and rose petals stuck to my skin. I looked at the man beside me, my husband. The man I had just promised to love forever.

He looked peaceful in sleep, almost like the man I had dreamed about.

But I know the truth now that man didn't exist. I had married a stranger, a man who loved someone else.

My wedding ring sparkled on my finger. Beautiful, but it felt like chains. I walked to the window and saw my reflection, a bride in white, beautiful and perfect but completely broken.

The tears came hard and fast. I pressed my hand against my mouth to muffle the sound. But he wouldn't wake anyway; he was too drunk.

I walked to the bathroom and locked the door. The click was loud in the silence. I slid to the cold floor, pulled my knees to my chest, and cried.

I cried for the wedding that should have been beautiful. I cried for the love I would never have.

Why me? Why could Mom and Dad do this to me? I was supposed to be their daughter, not stock to be exchanged.

I looked at my ring again. This was my life now, a life of looking at a man who looked through me, who called me by my sister's name. A life of pretending to be someone I wasn't, I had let my family push me.

What a fool I had been.

I cried until no tears were left, and then I sat in silence. The cold floor numbed my legs as darkness wrapped around me.

I thought about what came next. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. A lifetime of being second best.

Could I survive it? Could I pretend to be happy? Could I smile and play the perfect wife while my heart shattered?

I didn't know.

I got up slowly. My legs were stiff and my head ached. I looked in the mirror; my eyes were red and swollen, and my makeup was ruined.

I splashed cold water on my face and fixed my dress as best I could. I pulled myself together.

I would not cry anymore; I would be strong,I would survive. I had to.

I opened the bathroom door. Damiano was still asleep. He probably wouldn't wake until morning.

I walked to the bed and lay down on the edge, as far from him as possible. I didn't want to touch him. All I wanted was to disappear into the darkness and never come back.

I closed my eyes and prayed for sleep, but sleep wouldn't come.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I don't remember when. The next thing I knew, light streamed through the windows.

I turned my head. Damiano stirred beside me; his eyes slowly opened.