An Arranged Marriage To The Mafia...?

Weddings were never something I attended because I was interested in the romance and love, I didn't favour the dancing or the cliche band that played every over used love song imaginable. I wasn't a fan of the thousands of dollars worth of white silk, saturn, lace and orgaza the bride called a dress or the heavy tuxedos the men were force to wear. And yet, there I was standing on a platform in the middle of half a dozen mirrors, drowning in an ocean of white puffy sleeves and sequin bodices.

Maria fussed over colours, decorative pins, skirts, fabrics. She mumbled about lengths and styles, and sighed as dress after dress failed to impress either her or myself. Skirts were too full, or not full enough, bodices were styless or over dramatic. Hours felt like days and eventually my brain started to burn out. Inwardly I groaned as Maria asked an assistant to bring out yet another dress, truth was I was completely hesitant to my upcoming marriage.

Several days seemed like an eternity. Ethan rarely acknowledged my existance, let alone spoke a word to me unless his mother, father or uncle were present. He left me alone to sit and ponder in the giant house on a dialy basis and only bothered to find me after Maria demanded we begin to organise the wedding.

Of course Ethan had straight out refused to begin with, though that was until his uncle had grown tired of his childishness and demanded he commit to marriage for the good of the family, that though I was the daughter to a traitor I wasn't half as treturous as he was defying what could potentially re-establish his family's good fortune.

Ethan said nothing more after that.

I could hear Maria gasp in total delight for the nineteenth time that day, her eyes sparkled and a smile spread across her face, in her mind she had just found the most perfectly ideal gown and Iinstantly zombified myself as I was poked, proded and shoved inside the mess of white. I focused absent mindedly on a dirty spot upon the wall before me as finers fastened buttons and ribbons along my back. When I felt the tight pulls cease completely I slowly lifted my head and turned on my heel to face a tear-eyes Maria. She whispered something about perfection and grasp my forearm to shove me before a mirror. The reflection revealed someting which suprised me completely, perfect whites filled with silks and satins danced around organza skirts and pearl buttons. The skirts were filled just enough to sway around my hidden ankles, the bodice styled just to perfection. I smiled weakly and nodded my head an unsure yes.

There had once been a time when i had hoped I would marry somebody I was completely in love with, somebody who had themselves asked me of all the girls in the world to be their forever and after. But as life would have it I was marrying somebody I never wanted to and who didn't want me as theirs, I was forced to marry a man in order to save his family and the reputation of my name; it was and always had been a marriage of complete convenience.

I let my grip loosen around the steering wheel as I eased the car around a small bend, maria sat by my side humming with excitement, her arms cradling a box of expensive Italian heels while bags littered the floor at her feet. I tuned out to her rampaging pleasure at the prospect of Ethan and I being married in the same church as her and Antonio in less than a two weeks.

"Amelia." Maria's voice was low and she almost sounded apprehensive as she spoke from the passener seat, I turned my head slowly encuraging her to continue. "Forgive me dear, and please don't think of me as prying or get offended... it's just." She stopped and fiddled with her hands, clearly thinking of a way to word her wonder, "I notice these kinds of things, especailly when they involved my son."

"Is there something you're trying to say?" I offered her an easy option to state whatever it was that was bugging her.

"This current affection between you and Louis," She paused again and I instantly felt nervousness rise through my whole body. "It needs to be abandoned Amelia. You're about to be married to my son, it is hardly fair to be fraternising with another man, even more inappropriate his cousin. This infatuation you have, it will stop."

I stammered in perfect silence and applied the break slowly as the car rolled gently to a hault inside the pebble drive way. Silently I stared out the windows before me, my eyes burning along the house before me, I knew perfectly what Maria was talking about and guilt riddled my every nerve ending. In the days since we had come to the estate Louid had rarely left my side, quickly he had filled any void I had obtained when friends were concerned. He allowed me to vent my frustrations, share my apprehensions and became my voice of reason when Ethan was concerned. At first it felt deceitful, as if by befriending Ethan's cousin I was being unfaithful and breaking unspoken restrictions between the family memebers. Though I quickly ignored the voices nagging inside and denied that it was a form of cheating, even in my forced situation. Ethan rarely spoke or made and effort to even acknowledge me, he thought I was a traitor like my father and I knew without a doubt he didn't want me as his wife. Louis on the other hand went out of his way to display affections and paid every bit of attention he could offer.

"Amelia..?" Maria raised her voice slightly and I could feel her eyes boaring into my body waiting for my reaction. Slowly I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and allowed my head to nod a slow, steady yes. "Thank-you." She said nothing more and instead slipped from the inside of the car, disappearing through the wooden front door.

Inside the house was practically empty, I could faintly hear chatter filling the living room and Maria fussing in the kitchen but my embarrassment and shame kept me from wanting to mingle with the family inside. Instead I turned toward the bedroom I still shared with Ethan and shrunk inside as quietly as I possibly could and my blood ran cold when my eyes landed on Ethan, his slouched figure sitting on the edge of the bed, face twisted in deep thought.

"I-I didn't think you'd be in here." I stammered slightly and walked toward the bathroom adjusting my hair and splashing cool water across my face.

"I would have thought you'd be out with louis." his voice held a tone of hatred and I lowered my eyes shamefully, thankful that he couldn't see me through the wall. I grabbed a small hand towel and patted my face dry as I stepped back into the main room.

"What do you mean?" I figured for now playing dumb would be the most beneficial in the situation.

"Don't act like I'm stupid Amelia," Ethan stood up from the bed, turning around quickly so his eyes now burned into my own. "You don't think I notice how you both look at eachother?"

"No. I don't think you notice at all." I raised my voice slightly and dropped the hand towel over the bed spread. "You don't notice that I'm even alive let alone what I do with my time."

"Don't even try that shit." His voice was filled with rage. "I would have thought seeing as we're getting married you'd put away all your school girl crushes."

"Because you care so much about this wedding and me." I laughed and rolled my eyes in a degrading tone. "I'm the last person you want as your wife, to you I'm just as much a traitor as my father."

"I didn't think that until I saw you trying to call him while I took a shower. What were you even doing, calling him to tell him where you were? that you forgive him and want him back as your daddy? It's funny how you're so ready to forgive the man who tried to kill you, but you don't hesitate to double cross the only one who actually cares about you."

"Who? you? you think you care about me? You have a funny way of showing it Ethan, between ignoring me and having public tantrums about marrying me I'm suprised I didn't realise you cared for me sooner." I ignored the calm look of shock that fell over his face and grasped for the door handle. "As for my father, i had no intentions of ever calling him. I just miss who he used to be."

Ethan said nothing as I closed the door, he made no attempts to run after me as I fled down the hallways and it wasn't him who stepped out along the verandah or wound their arms around my sobbing figure.