Blood and Roses

The Wedding

One week.

That was all it took to change my life.

One week to choose the dress.

One week to arrange the flowers.

One week for both families to announce that Vivian Rose Callahan would become Vivian Vassallo.

One week to prepare for a marriage that neither of us had chosen.

The morning of the wedding, I stood in front of the mirror.

My dress was beautiful.

My mother would have loved it.

White silk.

Long sleeves.

A fitted waist.

A delicate train.

Nothing excessive.

I looked like a bride.

I just didn't feel like one.

There was a knock.

"Come in."

Adrian entered.

He stopped when he saw me.

For a moment, his expression softened.

"Rose."

I smiled.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Look at me like you're about to cry."

He scoffed.

"I'm not crying."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

He looked away.

I laughed quietly.

It was the first genuine laugh I'd had all week.

Adrian looked back at me.

"There she is."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He walked closer and adjusted the veil around my shoulders.

"You sure about this?"

I nodded.

He studied my face.

"Rose."

"I'm sure."

It wasn't completely true.

But it was true enough.

He sighed.

"If he hurts you..."

"You've said that."

"I'll kill him."

I smiled.

"You're very dramatic."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

He placed a kiss on my forehead.

Then he whispered,

"You deserve to be happy."

My throat tightened.

I wanted to believe him.

I really did.

The ceremony passed like a dream.

I barely heard the vows.

Barely noticed the cameras.

Barely noticed the people watching us.

Then came the words.

"I do."

Nico said them first.

His voice was steady.

I looked at him.

For the first time, I saw him not as Adrian's best friend.

Not as the man I had loved from a distance.

But as my husband.

The realization terrified me.

When it was my turn, I whispered,

"I do."

The priest smiled.

"By the authority granted to me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Applause filled the room.

Nico leaned toward me.

His lips brushed mine.

It lasted only seconds.

A brief, formal kiss.

Nothing like the kisses I had imagined while reading romance novels at two in the morning.

When he pulled away, his expression remained controlled.

Mine probably did too.

At least, I hoped it did.

Because inside, something had shattered.

The Vassallo estate was nothing like my home.

It was colder.

Darker.

More modern.

More intimidating.

A place designed for a man like Nico.

He walked through the entrance beside me.

"You'll have everything you need."

I nodded.

A housekeeper greeted us.

Nico spoke to her briefly before turning to me.

"Your room is upstairs."

"My room?"

He looked at me.

"You remember our conversation."

Of course I did.

Separate rooms.

Separate lives.

No expectations.

I forced a smile.

"Yes."

He studied me for a moment.

Then walked away.

I stood there alone.

My wedding dress felt heavier than it had that morning.

I looked around the enormous house.

I was married.

I had finally married the man I'd loved my entire life.

And I had never felt more alone.

The first month of my marriage taught me something.

You could sleep under the same roof as someone and still feel like they lived in another universe.

Nico came home late.

Sometimes after midnight.

Sometimes close to dawn.

I learned not to wait for him.

I learned not to ask questions.

I learned not to expect dinner together.

I learned not to expect anything.

And then there were the women.

The first time one walked through the front door with him, I was sitting in the library.

I looked up from my book.

A blonde woman stood beside him.

Beautiful.

Tall.

Confident.

Her hand rested on Nico's arm.

He saw me.

"Vivian."

I closed my book.

"Yes?"

"This is..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

He didn't need to.

I understood.

The woman smiled at me.

"Nice to meet you."

I smiled back.

"You too."

Then I returned to my book.

I didn't look up again.

But I couldn't read.

Not a single word.

That night, I cried quietly into my pillow.

Not because Nico had broken a promise.

He hadn't.

He had told me exactly what he would do.

I simply hadn't understood how much it would hurt to watch.