***Sequel to The Choice, Can't be Read as a Standalone***
The competition is over and Amancio has shown his true colours. The Dark Lords have taken over Aridia and half of the nobles- including Princess Barbara have been kidnapped. Along with the fa...
It was a few hours after the wedding 'celebrations' were over. I was forced to eat dinner with Amancio, even though I'd rather be anywhere else. I pushed my pasta around my plate, trying hard to come to terms with the events of the day. I tried to think on the bright side, at least Carlos was safe.
Carlos' safety didn't do much to warm my heart though. Despite how much I cared about him, I was still married to his ex best friend- something I felt he would not appreciate. Thankfully, Amancio did not expect me to share a room with him. I could hardly exist on the same planet as him, talk less of share a living space.
Amancio had no problem with his food. He ate religiously, humming a low tune. He made my blood boil.
"Why so grim, Madeline?" He mocked me, his grey eyes twinkling.
I ignored him, looking away. There was nothing I could say about my feelings towards him that he didn't already know.
"You've lost a lot of weight, Madeline. You should eat," Amancio noted.
Who did he think he was? He couldn't tell me what to do.
"I'm not hungry," I muttered.
"Don't be childish, Madeline," Amancio snapped.
"Last time I checked you forced me to be your wife, not your child. Or do you want to force me to be your child too?" I snapped back.
Amancio narrowed his eyes, looking like he wanted to say more. Before he could speak, a guard interrupted him, whispering something in his ear.
I watched as the colour drained from Amancio's face. His eyes hardened and his hands gripped the fork he was holding so hard, his knuckles turned white.
"You can leave now, Richard," Amancio's voice was curt. "But before you leave, take Madeline to her bedroom."
My stomach grumbled in protest. Despite my stubbornness, I was quite hungry and I'd hardly even touched my dinner.
"I haven't even finished eating!" I protested.
"I thought you weren't hungry?" Amancio raised an eyebrow.
I scoffed, turning away as I stomped out of the dining room.
A few minutes later, I was in my room, sitting on my bed. I folded my arms across my chest, pouting. Nothing could calm the aggressive grumble of my stomach. I hoped Imogen would revisit my room to prepare me for the night, bringing along food this time.
I let out a breath, staring at the patterns on my dress. The dress' designs were intricate. I assumed it must have taken at least a month to prepare. A month ago, The Choice was ongoing, which meant Amancio must have been planning to force me to marry him for a while.
Tears welled in my eyes. The tears that I had been holding since I woke up in the morning. My life was going in a direction I could have never imagined. My best friend was dead. I had no idea where my family was. The person I cared about was imprisoned in a cell. I was forced to marry a man I detested, a man that'd lied to me for weeks. The list seemed to go on and on. I felt so overwhelmed with grief. I didn't want to let it consume me. I didn't want to let it take over.
My soft sobs turned into gulps and in mere seconds, I was hiccuping, my breath catching in my throat. My tears were black, thanks to the mascara Imogen put under my eyes. My neck and wrists were still sore. Even my heart was sore.
A knock on the door interrupted me.
"Who is it?" I croaked, quickly wiping at my eyes with the heels of my hand.
"Imogen," Imogen said.
"Come in," I sighed, my stomach grumbling.
Imogen opened the door. Her eyes were red. Had she been crying?
"Imogen...what is it?" I asked.
She opened her mouth multiple times, trying to get the words out.
I got up from the floor, grabbing her by the arms. "What is it Imogen?!"
"I-it's Carlos," She started, tears streaming down her cheeks.
It felt like someone was squeezing my heart with an iron fist.
"What is it? What happened to Carlos?!" I shook her.
"He...he's dead," Imogen sobbed.
That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
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By "popular" demand, another chapter- which I wasn't planning on publishing right away but I didn't want to leave you guys in the dark for too long. I'm trying my best to write more but it's very hard, especially with the dark cloud of school lingering over me.
I hope you guys understand that updates may be a bit slow after this, but I promise there will be updates. This is only half of chapter 69, chapter 69.5 is coming in a minute.
