Chapter 2: The wedding
1617 Words
Elena's POV
Exactly three weeks in the Romano’s mansion.
Today was the day I became the wife of Lorenzo Romano.
The Cathedral. 7:30 AM.
I walked down the aisle alone.
The cathedral was too big, too quiet. My heels echoed on the marble floor and it felt like the whole place was listening.
No guests. No friends. No family. No flowers.
Just cold air, black pews, and Lorenzo’s guards standing along the walls with their hands folded in front of them.
At the altar stood Lorenzo.
Black tailored suit. White shirt, no tie. His hair was neat but he looked like he hadn’t slept.
Next to him was the priest. Old man. Tired eyes.
And Adrian. Lorenzo’s right-hand man. Navy suit. That same smile that never reached his eyes.
God, this wasn’t the wedding I’d ever dreamed of.
I’d imagined music. Laughter. Someone to hold my hand.
Instead I had silence, and a man who looked at me like I was the reason his life was ruined.
My dress was white and borrowed from storage. It was too big at the waist and I had to keep pulling it up.
I was so nervous my hands were shaking under the thin fabric.
When I reached the altar and stood in front of Lorenzo, he looked at me.
And the hate in his eyes was so clear it made my stomach turn.
Why is he acting like this? I didn’t force him to marry me. If he hates me this much, why did he bring me here?
He didn’t answer. He just looked at the priest and gave a short nod.
“Begin,” he said.
The priest cleared his throat.
“Lorenzo Romano,” he said. “Do you take Elena Hayes to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward?”
Lorenzo didn’t look away from me.
“I do.”
One word. Flat. Like he was signing a business deal.
My chest felt tight. Oh God, I don’t know if I’m ready for this.
The priest turned to me.
“Elena Hayes, do you take Lorenzo Romano to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward?”
“I... I...”
The words got stuck in my throat.
Lorenzo’s gaze got darker. His jaw tightened.
“Do not push me, Elena.”
“What if I refuse?”
I didn’t mean to say it. It just came out. Small and stupid.
The priest sighed. He looked at me with pity, like he already knew how this would end.
“Then it’s not up to me,” he said quietly. “It’s up to Mr. Romano. And I don’t think... I don’t think you have any other choice, my dear.”
Oh. So he knows. He knows what this marriage really is.
Lorenzo stepped closer. He didn’t touch me. He didn’t need to.
His voice was low so only I could hear.
“Do not push me. It’s either you say it, or your uncle goes to jail. Your family goes bankrupt. And one more thing. I’ll still take you. So you don’t have a choice here.”
There was nothing warm in it. Nothing kind. Just truth.
I swallowed. My throat hurt.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I do.”
The priest nodded, like he was relieved it was over.
“Alright. Now you may exchange the rings.”
He walked to the side table to get the marriage contract.
Lorenzo grabbed my hand. His grip was harsh, cold.
“You think I want you?” he said under his breath. “Dream on. You’re nothing but payment. A piece for revenge. Don’t ever think I feel anything for you.”
He slid the ring onto my finger.
It was heavy. Platinum. The Romano crest was carved into the inside of the band. It pressed into my skin like it was trying to mark me.
I looked at him.
He held out his hand for me to put his ring on.
I slipped it on. It was too big for him too.
“I’ve told you before,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I don’t know anything about how your father died. I don’t know how the Hayes betrayed him. I was ten years old in a group home when it happened. I have nothing to do with it.”
He laughed. But it wasn’t a real laugh. It was ugly.
“You pathetic liar. How do I know you’re not planning something stupid? You won’t get the chance to. Because by the time I’m done with you, you’ll regret ever having the name Hayes.”
His words cut deeper than any slap.
A tear burned at the corner of my eye. I blinked it back fast. I’d heard worse things before. I’d survived worse.
The priest came back with the marriage certificate.
“Sign here,” he said, pointing to the line.
Lorenzo signed first. Sharp, angry strokes.
Then he pushed it to me.
My hand was shaking so bad the pen almost slipped. I signed anyway. Elena Romano.
After that, Adrian stepped forward with another set of papers in his hands.
“Marriage rules,” he said, smiling. “Just a formality.”
I took them.
MARRIAGE RULES: MRS. ELENA ROMANO.
1. You will have no access to phones, headphones, smart watches, or any communication devices.
2. You will not leave the Romano Estate without written permission.
3. You will have no contact with the Hayes family.
4. You will be under surveillance at all times.
5. You will not touch anything that belongs to Mr. Romano.
6. You will not attempt to run. That would be a very big mistake.
All of this applies to Elena, the undersigned.
“Excuse me,” I said, looking up at Lorenzo. “Why no phone? No contact with anyone? I don’t understand...”
“You don’t have the right to question anything on that paper,” Lorenzo cut me off. His voice was ice. “Go against any of those rules and you will regret ever knowing my name.”
He turned and walked off the altar. No kiss. No “you may kiss the bride.” Nothing. Just walked away.
“Here,” Adrian said, handing me a pen. “Sign at the bottom.”
I wiped the tear I’d been holding back and signed my name again.
When I was done, I handed the papers and the pen back to him.
Adrian took them and gave me a soft look.
“You can talk to me, you know,” he said quietly. “If anything bothers you. Don’t feel bad, okay?”
Then he walked off too, like nothing had happened.
Two guards appeared at my sides.
“Mrs. Romano. This way.”
Lorenzo was already gone. He’d taken his own car out of the cathedral parking lot. He didn’t wait for me. Didn’t even look back.
I followed the guards out in silence. My head was spinning.
But how did his father die? What really happened between his father and the Hayes?
Adrian was waiting by the black SUV. He was on a call. The moment he saw me, he cut it and slid the phone into his pocket.
“Sorry about that,” he said with that easy smile. “Business. You ready?”
I nodded and got in. The car was black leather and cold. The doors locked with a soft click.
Adrian got in beside me. The driver pulled away from the cathedral and into the morning traffic of Houston.
I stared out the window and held my hands in my lap. The ring felt heavy, like it was dragging me down.
I was married now.
To a man who hated me.
In a house that wasn’t mine.
With rules that made me a prisoner.
The silence in the car was thick. Adrian kept glancing at me, then at his phone.
“First day as Mrs. Romano,” he said finally, trying to sound light. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” I said. I wasn’t.
He nodded. “Lorenzo’s just... he’s got a lot going on. It’s not personal.”
I didn’t answer.
I’d been in the Romano mansion for three weeks. Long enough to watch people.
Adrian smiled too much. He laughed too easily. He acted like he couldn’t hurt a fly.
The staff liked him. He brought them coffee. He remembered names.
But there was something about him that didn’t sit right.
Those smiles were too perfect. Too practiced. Like he’d rehearsed them in a mirror.
And the way he’d hung up that call the second I appeared...
Like he didn’t want me to hear who he was talking to.
Earlier, at the cathedral, he’d leaned in and whispered “Don’t feel bad.” But his eyes weren’t soft. They were calculating.
And now he was sitting here, too calm, like a man who already knew how this story ended.
My stomach twisted.
Lorenzo hated me, but at least he didn’t pretend.
Adrian was pretending to be kind. And that was worse.
What if he was the one feeding Lorenzo lies about me?
What if he was the one who told him I was a traitor before I even did anything?
The thought made my blood go cold.
I pressed my forehead against the cool window and closed my eyes.
This wasn’t a wedding.
This was a sentence.
And I had no idea who I was supposed to be more afraid of.
The husband who hated me,
or the right-hand man who smiled too much.
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