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Celia

Marriage A legal bond of love and the union of two people becoreatestthey’ve dreaeous venue, and a handso ould swoop in and sweep them off their feet

When I was a little girl, I had those saht I would marry for love That ht in shining armor It’s too bad that was all a lie

As soon as I was old enough to realize thatfor love go and accepted reality Which leads me to my current predicament

I have tothat echoes inroom at dinner Like always, no one speaks The only sounds are the scraping of forks across porcelain and the occasional tinkle of ice when lass Her third since dinner began, if I’ correctly

She’d gone all out for tonight’s ether I spend ainst the kitchen counter as the chef tosses things on a plate for me to scarf down between my local volunteer appearances I’ve never even seen this china set before In fact, I didn’t even knoe had any

I glance over at my soon-to-be husband froh cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and soft black hair, but looks aren’t everything At least not to me We’ve only spoken a handful of times since my father ceo An agree Marco, the dumbest of the five Gardello brothers

As a second son, he won’t be heir to his own family, but as the only child left to the Ricci’s, I suppose he becomes the successor to mine

The thought causes bile to rise into my throat, and any appetite I had evaporates into thin air My sister should do this—my beautiful, smart, brave older sister

Pain slices through my chest at the reminder, and I spare a look at her empty chair on the other side ofaround since her suicide six o

Blinking back tears, I suck a breath into s I won’t cry in front of these people It will only enrage ain,himself into