Deadlier

Chapter 1

Deep breath in, deep breath out, I think to myself as I attempt to adjust to the pain and calm down. Not a moment later the second blow lands just below my shoulder causing me to let out a shriek as it feels as though it is breaking. The amused look on Alfonso's face only grows as he continues, as if hitting me brings him some sick form of pleasure, as if this is therapeutic for him. It is almost humorous how desirable he had seemed before our marriage. How he appeared to be this muscular, mysterious man. Almost. Now all I see is a monstrous, psychotic, narcissistic, abuser.

I try to let myself escape the pain Alfonso (my husband) is putting me through, but to no avail as he continues striking me. "Get up. Get ready for the ball now, Lombardo is finally getting remarried, let us hope that he chose better than I did and is not stuck with an imbecile like you. Make sure the gift is ready, and as he is one of my friends, they better be the best linen clothes I have ever laid eyes upon," he declares before sauntering away. I struggle to stand but barely manage to stumble a few steps before I collapse upon myself. Grasping the table, I pull myself back up and cling onto it as I crawl back to my room. I look into my dressing room mirror and blue eyes and blonde hair frame a purple and blue face. I can barely recognise myself now, the girl that liked reading and running wild in the forests long gone, the loud, joyful, kind girl long gone, a meek, cowardly skeleton all that remains.

Upon our arrival at the ball, Alfonso puts on a huge smile before roughly grabbing me. He puts on an unnaturally large smile. "Congratulations!" He quickly hands over our gift to a servant before pushing me away. I quickly make my way to the bathroom as per usual so that I can hide from the crowd but happen to find a girl crying in the bathroom- it is Lombardo's fiancé Aelia. She tells me all about how she hates her husband and is dreading their marriage, about how she fears what he is going to do to her. I do not know what to tell her, that it will be alright? But it will not. That everything will turn out fine? But that is a lie, there is no escaping this reality. So instead, I hug her and tell her that I will be there for her, that I can be the friend to help her navigate this scary new reality and by the time the ball is over we have become close friends.

Over the past few months Aelia and I have gotten closer and tonight our husbands are going to be out of town, so she is staying over at my villa. The one benefit of having Alfonso as my husband is that he is rich and close with the emperor, so our home is beautiful. The walls are decorated with tapestries and art. There are multiple rooms and a servant's quarter, baths, a pool, an exercise room, gardens, and a courtyard. The house is always warm, and the walls are covered with beautiful art.

I am awoken from my thoughts at the sound of horse hooves hitting the driveway, "Aelia!" I cry out before running to the front door. She jumps out the carriage like a teenager, though I suppose she is, and comes running to me. The servants bring her stuff in as we rush to my room to giggle and gossip. Suddenly she stops and she looks at me seriously, "Alessandra, I need to tell you something. Remember when we first met and I was upset because I was getting married? And you told me that you would help me get through this? Well, I have something I need to confess. I recently met a woman who told me about how she killed her husband. There is a lady called Giulia Tofana who sells poisons and I reached out and I bought a bottle. It only takes four drops, so there is plenty for both of us." I look at her for a second and can barely comprehend what she is telling me. Would it really be so bad though? I mean after all he has done; would he not deserve it? And what if one day it gets out of hand, and he goes too far? No one would do anything as he is important to the emperor so my death would simply be ignored. 

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