Her Ravaged Life

Ch. -14-

 Is he crazy? 

 I just stare at him with eyes popping out of my head. 

 Marry? Like vow to spend the rest of our lives bound to each other with a contract that needs gods approval to be broken. Seriously, has he lost his freaking mind?

 He is smiling smugly at me and revels in my shocked state. What a bastard. At least I know how he gets his satisfaction- marrying unwilling women.

 When the world starts spinning again, I notice my surroundings once more and force a surprised smile on my lips to let the show get underway. This restaurant will remember me as the happiest girl on this planet because the love of my life wants to grow old with me. They’ll never know the girl who was kidn*pped and forced into this situation. They’ll never know how badly I want to run and hide.

 Instead, I grabbed his face into my arms and pulled him up to my height to kiss him. “Of course, Amore you know I love you more than my own life,” I purr at him loudly enough so our audience could hear. “You are my everything, my one and only,” I say trying to put up a good show, believable show.

 I can hear people cheering and clapping when I release his face and he lifts my hand to slip a ring on my finger. Ring that forever will symbolize the loss of my life, freedom, and soul. 

 He slips it on and only then I take a look at it, I am mesmerized by its beauty immediately. It is white gold ring with gorgeous cushion cut diamond that is surrounded by halo of tiny diamonds and the stones continue all around to band. I can feel the weight on my finger, it feels heavenly to wear something so exquisite. I am really blown away by the beauty of this thing.

 I don’t want to tear my eyes from it because then I have to deal with the reality why am I wearing it in the first place, and I am not ready for that part yet.

 “My love, you need to eat,” he says and kisses my temple while placing his hand on the small of my back to guide us toward the chair. He pulls it out and waits for me to sit and slides me closer to the table. Acting like the perfect gentleman when audience is observing.

 “When this thing is over, I am going to keep this you know!” I wave the back of my hand at him and point to the ring with my other hand. “This thing stays with me,” I smile at him and for my own surprise, it is genuine smile. Nice move from him to woo me with great piece of jewelry. 

 He starts to laugh and watches me with amusement. “After you say ‘I DO’ you’ll get a lot more than that ring when this thing is over,” he states casually and waives to the waiter who comes and takes our orders. 

 When the food arrives and other customers in this place have gotten used to us being there, he asks Jeremiah to hand him some kind of folder and then passes it on to me.

 I take it and flip it open. 

 “Prenuptial agreement?” Because I am money draining b***h who has been hunting him and his money for years now. Sounds about right.

 “Yes, if the marriage lasts until I have your parents at my estate or my possession, you’ll get fifty million dollars. If you decide to end our agreement earlier, you’ll get one million for your troubles and that will be it.” He looks at me with no emotion in his eyes. Just money, numbers, and business.

 “So, if I marry you and then dump you the next day, I still walk away with one million,” I ask cause this really needs to be clear, “Oh and this ring! One million and this ring?” Because I wasn’t joking, this baby stays with mommy.

 “Yes.” He keeps it short, simple, and very clear this time. 

 I get the feeling it won’t that simple because it sounds better than dessert. Why would he do that? He knows that I will walk away as soon as he eases his grip on my life. There’s more to it, there must be, but I know he’d never tell me what kind of scheme he stitched into this deal.

 I am eating my Spaghetti alle zucchini and reading the prenup to see if I can find what he is planning but everything seems to be rock-solid in my advantage. I glance at him in confusion cause this man is more complicated than messed up Rubik’s cube.

 “Where’s the catch?” I decided to ask him directly. I know my chances of getting any answers from him are slimmer than slices of Prosciutto but trying costs nothing.

 “No catch. It is all plain and simple,” he says and takes a sip of his vine.

 “So, you expect me to believe that you’re just letting me walk away even before I have fulfilled my end of the bargain? Why go through all this in the first place?” He must know how unbelievable it sounds and why I am not buying this s**t.

 He places glass down on the table, shrugs his shoulders and looks at me, “Why not?”

 “I will walk out right after the wedding if you are planning to go that far, you know that right?” I say because I want to know what it will take to get him to confess his plan. I refuse to believe that the so-called wedding will be his endgame. He wanted revenge not a wife.

 “I know. What I don’t know is why would you leave? You have no job, no family and you never bothered to make any friends. Why would you leave without experiencing what I am about to offer you?” 

 Unfortunately, he is right. Everything he said is true. I have nothing left, I never had much and now the little I had has been taken from me. I already knew everything he said but hearing it out loud cut right into my heart. “You’re the one who took everything from me.”

 “And I will give you so much more in exchange.” He waves to the waiter and gestures that we have finished. But it seems that this conversation is finished just like the dinner has.

 Waiter brings the check and hands it to Jeremiah instead of Barraza, I guess he doesn’t deal with the help. Asshole who thinks everybody else is beneath him.

 “Where are we going?” It is pointless to ask since I have no say in anything but at least I know what to expect.

 He raises from his seat and reaches his hand to help me up.

 “To get married”