Chapter 2: Take Her
1311 Words
Alessia’s POV
The man’s words echo through the room.
“The bride comes too.”
My legs refuse to move.
Bride.
He says it as though my future has already been decided.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“My name is Matteo Romano.”
He pauses, his eyes meeting mine.
“I work for Dante De Luca.”
The name alone changes the atmosphere in the room.
My hands curl into trembling fists.
“So it’s true,” I whisper.
“This isn’t some horrible joke.”
“No.”
His answer comes without hesitation.
“It isn’t.”
Matteo’s expression doesn’t change.
“I’m not marrying a stranger.”
“Miss Moretti, this isn’t a request.”
I turn to my father.
“Tell him to leave.”
Dad stares at the floor.
“Alessia…”
“No!” My voice cracks. “Tell him this isn’t happening.”
The room falls silent.
I wait.
I pray he’ll look up and tell me this is all a terrible mistake.
He doesn’t.
Instead, he whispers the words that shatter what is left of my heart.
“I signed the agreement.”
A lump forms in my throat.
I stare at the man who has spent my entire life protecting me.
Then I realize…
He isn’t protecting me anymore.
“How could you?” My voice trembles. “How could you sacrifice me?”
His face tightens.
“Alessia, I was trying to save this family.”
I let out a bitter laugh and shake my head.
“Save this family?”
My eyes fill with tears.
“I am your family.”
The words silence the room.
My mother breaks down beside me, wiping away her tears.
“Please, Alessia…”
But I can’t look at her.
I can’t look at either of them.
Because the people I trust most have made the biggest decision of my life without me.
“You promised you would protect me,” I whisper, staring at my father. “But you were the one who handed me over.”
“Alessia…”
“No.”
I step back, my heart breaking.
“You didn’t just ruin my future. You betrayed me.”
My father looks away, and that hurts more than anything.
Because deep down, I hope he will fight for me.
I hope I am worth fighting for.
But he chooses the family’s survival over his daughter.
And now, I have to live with the consequences.
I think the worst part is knowing my father has chosen this.
I am wrong.
“Alessia…” My father’s voice is barely above a whisper. “You don’t understand.”
I look at him coldly.
“Then make me understand.”
His shoulders fall.
“I tried to stop this.”
The words catch me off guard.
“What?”
“I went to Dante. I begged him for more time. I offered everything I had.”
My anger slows for a moment.
“You begged him?”
My father nods, shame filling his eyes.
“I thought I could fix it before you ever found out.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because Dante De Luca doesn’t make empty threats.”
A chill runs through me.
“The deadline is today,” he continues. “And when it expires…”
He stops.
My stomach twists.
“When it expires, he gives us one final choice.”
I already know I’m not going to like the answer.
“What choice?”
My father looks at me.
“You.”
The room feels smaller.
“If you don’t go tonight, Alessia, there will be no family left to save.”
My breath catches.
“What are you saying?”
His silence answers before his words do.
“Dante will destroy everything.”
My mother covers her face, crying harder.
I stare at my father, my anger mixing with fear.
Because for the first time, I realize something.
He hasn’t just handed me over because he wants to.
He has been backed into a corner.
But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Because whether he has a choice or not.
I am still the price everyone expects me to pay.
“Ten minutes.”
Matteo’s voice cuts through the silence.
My head snaps toward him.
“Ten minutes to say goodbye.”
Goodbye.
The word feels heavier than it should.
My mother reaches me first.
She pulls me into her arms, holding me so tightly it almost hurts.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers through her tears. “I’m so sorry, my baby.”
I close my eyes.
I want to be angry.
I want to push her away.
But she is my mother.
So I just stand there, letting myself have those few seconds.
Then my father steps forward.
“Alessia…”
I look at him.
“I failed you,” he says quietly. “I should have protected you.”
My chest tightens.
For a moment, I see the father who used to carry me when I was little.
But then I remember what he has done.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers.
I look away.
“I’m not ready to forgive you.”
The words hurt him.
They hurt me too.
But they are the truth.
I walk through the house one last time, letting my eyes take in every corner.
The walls.
The memories.
The life I know.
Because in ten minutes, I’m not just leaving my home.
I’m leaving everything I have ever been.
The sound of footsteps makes me look up.
Matteo stands at the doorway.
I already know what that means.
My time is over.
He glances at the clock before looking back at me.
“Are you ready?”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Ready?”
I tighten my grip on my bag.
“Ready to be handed over like I’m some kind of possession?”
Matteo’s expression remains unchanged.
“Miss Moretti.”
“No.”
The word comes out before he can say anything else.
“I’m not going.”
For the first time, the silence feels heavy.
Matteo studies me for a moment.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just calm.
Then he gives a small nod.
My stomach drops.
The doors behind him open.
Two guards step inside.
My heart starts racing.
“Wait.”
But they don’t stop.
I take a step back.
“I said I’m not going.”
Matteo looks at me.
“I heard you.”
His voice is quiet.
“But the decision was never yours to make.”
I grab my bag, my family picture tucked safely inside.
Not because I accept this.
Not because I forgive them.
But because I need to remember who I am before everything changes.
The guards move closer.
I look around the room one last time.
My home.
My family.
The life I am losing.
And for the first time that night, fear replaces my anger.
Because I realize something.
I’m not leaving willingly.
I’m being taken.
The first guard takes a step.
Then another.
Every instinct screams at me to run.
My mother rushes between us, spreading her arms.
“Please!” she cries. “Give us more time!”
Matteo doesn’t even blink.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Moretti.”
“Please…”
“My orders are clear.”
My father stands frozen, his head hanging in shame.
I look at him one last time.
“Are you really going to let this happen?”
He can’t meet my eyes.
That is all the answer I need.
I take a step back.
The guards take two forward.
I spin toward the front door.
I barely make it two steps.
A hand clamps around my wrist.
I gasp.
The grip is firm.
There is no escaping.
“Take her”
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