An Arranged Marriage To The Mafia...?

"Amelia! Ethaniel!" The high pitched outrage of Ethan's Aunt Agnella made us spring apart instantly. "Have you not heard of tradition? The groom not see the bride before wedding." She closed her small eyes and placed her chubby Italian hand against her forehead as she made her way toward us.

Ethan let a small laugh from his lungs and looked down at me, his voice soft for only either of us to hear. "Our situation isn't very tradition at all really." He rolled his eyes and left a lopsided smile in the corner of his mouth, he pulled a little further away, though he kept his hand tightly clasped around my own.

"Amelia you're not in your dress, Ethaniel the rest of your suit is still in your wardrobe and you're due at the church any minute now. Aiye! you're make-up needs touching, you hair is falling..." The plump woman tapped her foot and motioned inside, expecting me to follow her. Instead I looked up into Ethan's eyes silently questioning everything, looking for reassurance that only he could give me.

"Go." He smiled softly and squeeze my hand gently. "It'll be alright love, trust me." He pressed his lips to my forehead stepping back slowly he cupped my left hand in his and smiled slyly, his free hand reaching inside his pocket and soon revealing a small blue pouch. Slowly I studied it for a while, familiar velvet like material with golden ribbons keeping it closed. Agnella coughed impatiently, though Ethan rolled his eyes, his fingers prying the contents from the bag and holding it in his palm. My curiosity peaked and his smile grew as something cold and metallic was slid onto my ring finger. Quickly I looked down only to find my diamond once again situated perfectly upon my knuckles. "I think you misplaced it a while back."

"H-how?" I barely stammered the question from my brain, my eyes glued to the princess cut engagement ring I had thought to be lost.

"I have my ways." His smile only grew and he placed another kiss upon my forehead while I gazed down at my hand in utter shock, my heart swimming in a warmth I'd never felt toward him before.

Agnella cleared her throat and stared Ethan down, his eyes held a cheeky glimmer before he turned and walked back inside, his aunt calling a string of Italian at his turned back.,

"Come, come." Her creased hands reached out to me and caught my arm, dragging me inside once again and down the same hallways. "To be so in love you cannot stay away from eachother for few hours." She sighed dizzily and smiled a broad toothy grin while she delivered me back to the make-up chair. A young girl fussing over the small creases and imperfections I'd caused with simple tears, but Agnella's words were fizzing through my brain.

Love?
We were not in love.
Ethan cared only to an extent, he wasn't in love with me.
I had always had a crush-type affair with him in my head. His presence gave me butterflies and made my head giddy. But I wasn't in Love with him... was I?

In an instant I was poked and prodded into the loose fitting dress, the white fabric perfect, imple and elegant and it hung from my chest and wait and danced around my feet. flat white ballet slippers slipped perfectly onto my feet. I made a pass on the tradition veil and a bouquet of white lillies and blue orchids was thrown into my arms as I climbed inside a black wedding care.

The church loomed before me faster than I would have liked and I could hear the soft dull chatter of the guests who had arrived and were seated just beyond an incredibly thick wooden door. I struggled to breath calmly, these were my final moments of being a "Miss" of being an individual and of freedom. The next time I walked through the door I would be a married woman, with a husband and responsibility.

"He's at the alter. I can see him." Two of the Radev cousin's giggled and squeeled before they looked over in my direction, I knew they weren't my biggest fans and I was sure that the younger of the two was helplessly in love with Ethan.

I gave them no reaction and instead focused on breathing deeply, fluidly, naturally. I felt a hand lightly touch my arm and looked up to find Guiesseppi smiling down at me. I looked down at the carpet sadly. Guiesseppi was giving me a way, he was in place of my father, the one man who was entitled since birth to this singular role.

"It's time, it's time." Maria's voice for the first time that day smiled over every person in the small enterance way, she fussed over the bride's maids dresses, making sure the black waist ban sat perfectly, that they flowers were alive and held in the right way. She counted them in and allowed them down the aisle first. I bit my lip as she approached me a look of total adoration spread across her face. "You look absolutely breath taking." She smiled and touched my hand before she hurried through the door.

"Are you alright love?" Guieseppi's eyes were warm and sincere as he looked down at my pale complection.

I shook my head honestly, "I think I just need a moment." He noded in understanding and allowed me to take a moment for air. My head was whirling with everything, it was over bearing and completely insane how quicly my life had changed, altered, deteriorated and become something entire new.

"You still think he loves you enough to go through with this?" A bitter voice laughed coldly from beside me.

I rolled my eyes as Gabriella saunted over in my direction, a figure hugging red dress her choice of formal wear for my wedding.

"He's just waiting by the alter to tell you he can't go through with it, he really is-"

"You can keep telling yourself this for as long as you like, it doesn't effect me, only makes you seem more and more pathetic." My voice snapped and I shot hatred at her that had her spluttering to a silence. Content with my outburst a new determination filled my body; a determination to prove to anyone and everyone who ever doubted me that I could do anything.

Guieseppi stepped out from the doorway and smiled, his older hands motioning me in his direction. "One last thing." He smiled casually as his hands passed me a small booklet, it's pages lined with small print that I immediately recognised. "The agreement was made and before you get married it must be signed, Ethan signed his this morning, now all we need is you."

I gripped the pen tightly in my right hand, poised at the dotted line that would hold my life. These were the contracts that my father and Antonio had drawn up from the beginning, they were the ones that stipulated our inheritance, our wealth and fortune, our future. They were the ones that negotiated allowances and had burned offence at the idea of being paid to be married. These were the contracts of my life and quickly I signed away.

The sound of the wedding march blasted from everywhere and before I could prepare myself for anything the wooden doors were opened to a standing ovation of friends and family, their attention focused completely on me, my attention burning to the person standing to the right of the alter.

I was vaguely aware of me being passed off to Ethan, a kiss on my cheek and the final step to standing before him alongside a smiling priest, his hands open to a thick, worn book. Ethan let a comforting smile barely touch the side of his lips and squeeze my hands lightly, reassurance that we could do this, we could feign pure happiness, we could get married; the hard part was being married.

Dizzy, it whirled around my head and muffled the sounds of any voices talking. I spoke when directed and barely listend while Ethan promised himself entirely to me. I didn't regard this as my wedding, a marriage was between two people completely devoted to one another. Ethan couldn't devote himself to me nor I to him. It wasn't fair, what happens if he fell in love with another. He would be risking eternal sin for actual happiness. It made me feel guilty for something that was by no means either of our faults.

My biggest fears were if I gave him my heart entirely and he returned it unwanted and broken. I struggled to think of how I would ever manage to go on, to live with pride and determination. Though it struck me as somewhat silly, to care about something which may or may never happen so far into the future I couldn't even taste it. This wedding, this marriage, this entire hoax was never about Ethan or I, it was about possibility and advantages, to better families and benefit all the lifes of those immediately effected and for that to fail; I could not be held responsible.

"Do you Amelia Mia Louisia Samuels take Ethaniel James Antonio Radev to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."