𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵

4 - Forbidden Ties.

Marrying Alessandro, the same man who had recently sought to end my life, was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. Yet here I was, about to live through the horror.

Alessandro Rossi was the kind of man you could spot from a mile away and immediately know to steer clear of. Standing over six feet tall, he had a body that was covered with a fearsome amount of muscle and the darkest kind of tattoos. Looking at him, it wasn't hard to tell that this was the kind of man who had control, someone who held people's lives in his hands like insignificant pieces on a chessboard. Alessandro carried around him a dangerous aura, and I swear, if fear had a scent, Alessandro would reek of it.

I'd seen how his men trembled in his presence, and being a woman at his mercy, I wasn't an exception. But I wasn't about to show him I was scared. In Alessandro's world, where monsters disguised as men, the second they smelled fear, you were done. They fed on it, thrived on it. And the last thing I wanted was to give Alessandro more power over me.

The door slammed open, and there he was, his usual cold, piercing gaze locking onto me. "Get up," he commanded, his voice as authoritative as always . I didn't move, didn't even look at him. I just sat there, staring at the floor, pretending he didn't exist.

But pretending he wasn't there was probably a mistake.

Alessandro crossed the room in two quick strides and yanked me up by the arm, his grip strong enough to leave bruises. "I said, get up," he growled, pulling me to my feet like I weighed nothing.

I tore my arm from his grasp, glaring up at him. "Why? Where are we even going? You've already taken everything from me. What else is left for you to threaten me with?"

"We're going to get you a wedding dress. We're getting married today," he said it so casually, that for a moment, it sounded like he was discussing what's for dinner.

I recoiled in shock at the absurdity of his words, "Wait, what? Married? Today? No way!" The shock hit me like a ton of bricks, and I recoiled from him, stumbling back a step.

"We made a deal," Alessandro said, his tone darkening. "Are you going back on it?" His voice dripped with quiet menace, instantly making my skin crawl.

"No! I'm not going back on it! It's just... it's too soon! There's still time! I need more time to... to come to terms with this." My words felt small, choked out between my rising fear and the crushing realization that this was really happening.

He smirked, that infuriating smirk that made my blood boil. "Did I ruin your little fairytale dreams, principessa?" he mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Were you hoping for a beautiful beach wedding at sunset? The princess with her princess dreams. How... convenient."