Chapter 92

Stella

Tonight, I have a date with Dante. My father was adamant that I go on it instead of issuing one of my many excuses and reasons on why I cannot go. He even called me to make for sure that I was in the process of getting ready, even offering to send my mother over to help me with my outfit and makeup.

So…this is really happening, isn’t it?

My short lived time as a single woman is coming to an end. The time was well spent, I suppose. I was able to finally get the alone time that I so desperately wanted, stayed inside and watched movies while devouring tubs of ice cream.

I could barely bring myself to look at the calendar, to count down the days until my date with Dante. I knew my father is the most excited person about this date because I sincerely doubt that anyone would want to date the Obsidian Don’s princess daughter. With me comes a life where one will forever have a target on their back simply for the association with the biggest mafia family in the city.

Who would want such a thing? Even my identity has been kept a secret out of the fear that someone will come and get me, snatch me away from my life of solitude and anonymity. The risk should be way too high for them to take and yet here I am, getting ready to meet a man I have never met before, I do not even know what he looks like, with the chance that he will be my future husband.

I sigh and pluck a pair of diamond earrings from the velvet box. It is a pair I bought for myself after the divorce, a piece of jewelry that I can call my own instead of having the memory of someone gifting it to me. I put them on and turn my head when I hear a knock at the bedroom door.

Sebastian walks into my bedroom. I look at him from my vanity, a small smile spreading across my face. His once hardened expression softens at the sight and he slowly approaches me.

He wears a nice suit, the tie around his neck is loose, and he looks tired. Solemn, even. I stand from my vanity and look up at him, my dress hugging my body like a warm hug, comforting me during my time of need.

“I wanted to stop by, if that is okay,” Sebastian begins with a sigh. He pulls out a single red rose form behind his back and holds it between our bodies, his eyes trained on the red petals instead of me. “I wanted to wish you good luck on your…date.”

I raise an eyebrow at the venom in his voice when he says the word ‘date’. I don’t call attention to it, though, and take the rose from his hand. I look down and admire it, noting that the stem does not hold any thorns to harm me.

“Thank you, Sebastian, it means a lot to me,” my voice is just loud enough for him to hear. He simply nods and takes a step back but I catch his wrist before he can move too far away from me. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Did you have a hard time at work?”

Sebastian doesn’t immediately respond to my questions.

“You look…so beautiful, Stella,” he lets out a quiet sigh and takes a step back towards me, taking my hands in his own. There is tension in my hands, the way he squeezes mine as if I am going to disappear at any given moment.

“I will be okay,” he slowly nods his head. Our eyes finally meet and my breath hitches.

“You will?” I whisper, my body slowly slipping into the trance that is Sebastian.

“Yes,” he nods his head, “I will be okay soon enough.”

I pause and tilt my head to the side. Soon enough? What could he possibly mean by that?

Sebastian takes my hands and presses a kiss to both sets of knuckles. His thumb grazes over my fingers. He leans forward as if he is about to say soothing else but he doesn’t. Sebastian drops my hands and turns around, leaving my bedroom, and closes the door behind him.

I cannot move and have to watch as he leaves, a pang of guilt and desperation forming inside of my chest. Oh, how I wish that things are okay with him. He doesn’t deserve to be struggling over anything and if he has any doubts about my blind dates, then he shouldn’t worry about it either. It is my life and even I do not have control over it.

I turn to sit at my vanity once again. I stare at myself in the mirror, memorizing the way the highlighter on my cheekbone shimmers under the lights. A sigh leaves my lips and I look down at my fingers, my eyes floating towards my ring finger.

My hand reaches for my jewelry box. I rummage around inside and push my lips to the side, unable to find what it is that I am looking for. I swear I had it here just a few days ago…

It is a gorgeous diamond ring, one that made my finger feel heavy from the sheer weight of it. It shimmered and sparkled under the light and it would be perfect for the dinner I am going to have with Dante…ah. I remember.

I gave the ring back to Adrian on the day of our divorce. It was just another reminder of the pain and suffering that I had gone through with that old part of my life. I did not want the reminder of the way I was treated by those people and that ring was the biggest one of them all.

To me, the ring was a symbol of Adrian’s ignorance to what I endured during our marriage. To him, it was a band aid that could cover a bullet wound.

I can’t help but wonder, though, how he is doing. I wonder if he is eating all of his meals and is getting to work on time. He’s always had a rough time getting out of bed in the morning, so I wonder if he has found a routine or alarm that will get him out of bed.

No, Stella! You can’t think about this! You cannot think about your ex-husband before your blind date with another man!

What am I even thinking? I am the one who divorced Adrian. I am the one who wanted to get away from him so desperately, so why am I sitting here wondering if he is okay?!

He is the one who hurt me. I should feel free after our divorce, so why does it feel like I am being chained beneath the waves, ready to drown at any given moment?

I grab a random ring and shove it onto one of my fingers. I snatch my handbag from the side of the vanity’s table and stand, walking out of my bedroom. I grab my keys and throw them inside, letting out another huff of air as I slam the door shut behind me.

I cannot think of Adrian. I must get him out of my mind and life. If that means marrying the first man that my father throws at me, then so be it.