78 – Too Late
78 – Too Late
Leonor…
I lost control of my life a long time ago. That much I already knew.
What I didn’t know is that no one else has any control either, not in this mess.
I jump out of the car and straight into my mother’s arms waiting at the entrance. She holds me for long, endless minutes before we finally let go.
“Never pull a stupid stunt like that again, do you hear me, Leonor? If you ever try something like this again, we’re going to have a serious fight. Do you hear me?” I say.
“I know, my love, I know. Never again. Next time we run away, we’ll do it together,” she answers softly.
Lucius appears through a doorway to summon us inside. He complains about the delay and sends someone to announce my arrival. Then, as always, he leaves us, there’s always something more important than me.
“Come on, you can’t be late for your entrance. The groom must be waiting,” she says, tugging my arm. I plant my feet, refusing to move.
“I hate when you order me around. When you try to control everything in my life. You drive me insane, you know that? I hate how you always make me do what you want.”
We both stand there looking at each other.
I take a deep breath and am as honest with her as I've probably never been before, and I probably won't get another chance like this any time soon.
“But I love you, Mom.”
She nods, her lips trembling, about to say something when her phone rings. Lucius appears again, saying it’s time for him to walk me down the aisle.
We exchange a silent nod, one that says everything we won’t have the time or courage to say out loud.
She glances at her phone and tells me to go ahead with Lucius. I obey. We wait by the door for the cue to enter.
A moment later, she joins us. Together, they hand me over to my new owner. Leonora’s grip tightens before she lets me go.
I know this isn’t what either of us wanted.
I breathe in, once, twice, three, four, five times.
My groom looks at me, and I force myself to stay calm, to not fall apart in front of all these people.
“Here we are, darling,” Romero says, leading me toward the officiant. “Will you say yes to me?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, groom. Think you’ve done enough to earn it?”
He takes my hands in his.
Even with the weight of every eye in the room on us, it feels like we’re the only two people here, locked in some private war.
He leans close, pretending to greet me with a kiss. His words are a whisper against my ear.
“I could be a good husband to you, if you’re a good bride to me. As a sign of goodwill, I have information about who Bianca made her last run with.”
My blood runs cold.
It takes everything in me not to slap him right there.
“That won’t bring her back,” I manage to say, though my chest aches for answers, for who saw what happened and left my friend to die.
All I want is to leave. Leave him standing at the altar and run. If I’m lucky, Damien will be waiting outside.
I shake the thought off and force a smile.
I chose to be here.
And I’ll see it through.
Hand in hand with my groom, my husband-to-be, I can only think of Damien. My eyes flick toward the door, half-expecting him to burst through it and drag me away.
He’d have the nerve to do it.
But then what?
The ceremony goes on.
In the end, I say yes.
And he doesn’t come.
Strange, but fitting. My favorite mafioso must be at the meeting point by now, realizing I’m not coming.
Too late for both of us.
It was always too late.
We step into the next room for the reception. Confetti rains down on me. My parents flank me, a dozen guards around us.
I look everywhere, searching for him. Trying to convince myself I don’t want him here. But still, I look.
My fiancé, no, correction, my husband, wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer. I let him. I’m a rag doll, moved and posed however they please.
But not for much longer.
My gaze drifts through the crowd, and finds him.
Those furious green eyes.
That single glance burns through me. Every nerve, every breath.
I want to run to him. But people start approaching to congratulate us, and when I look again, he’s gone.
Once again, no one has control of anything.
Damien thought he could kidnap me.
My grandmother, the one I barely know, thought she could move the pieces without my mother finding out.
Leonora thought she could trust Damien.
And Romero and Lucius, they thought their deal would go exactly as planned. Turns out, they’re the only ones who got what they wanted.
Maybe the Dons always win. Maybe this was their plan all along, to break me, to make me stop believing in escape.
I’m pulled to the side by my paternal grandparents. They drone on forever.
More politics. More pretending.
And still no scandal.
What the hell is Damien doing? I expected more from him.
Finally, I manage to slip away, muttering something about needing air. I find a balcony and step outside, hoping he’ll come to me.
For a moment, it’s just me, and silence.
The door slams open behind me.
“What the fuck just happened?” Damien’s voice, rough, furious, fills the space as he grabs my arm and spins me around.
God, I hate how much I love it. It’s exactly what I wanted.
He just came too late.
“You shouldn’t be messing with a married woman, Damien,” I say, voice sharp, teasing. “My husband is a mafia Don. He won’t take kindly to this.”
“Is that what you wanted? To marry a Don? Or did you do this just to get back at me?”
“Not everything revolves around you. There are other people in my life, other things that matter. You’re not my world, Damien.”
“The hell I’m not,” he snarls. “All you did was make it harder, not change the outcome. I’m taking you out of here, right now. I’m not letting him touch you.”
He moves toward me, intent on dragging me away, but I step back, ready to run. I don’t even know what I want anymore, to go with him, or to stay.
But I know what I must do.
And I must stay.
I have to fight the pull of his arms, the chaos he brings.
The door slams again.
A third person steps inside.
We freeze, the three of us, staring at one another.
Whatever’s said next won’t change what’s already true.
I’m married.
And Damien came too late.