Married to a scarred man.

When my father and I reached the end of the aisel, I glanced at him.

  Victro Viper had his eyes on Jacopo Nicolo. While my father's eyes were no longer void of any emotions, there was a certain look in them that I couldn't quite decipher.

  My father then dropped his eyes on me for a split second before he turned away.

  "Step forward." The priest spoke with a gentle voice, and I forced myself to move.

  No matter how hard I tried to stop myself from limping, I couldn't control it. My right leg was too weak to hold my entire weight for more than a few seconds at a time.

  I stood in front of the man without lifting my eyes to his. My line of sight was directed at his hands, both hidden within black leather gloves.

  The priest started speaking, and not a single word he spoke entered my ears. Nothing made sense to me as I continued to stare at the man's gloved hands.

  Why is he wearing gloves on a day this hot, especially one that is leather?

  Was it to hide the blood he had on his hands? To preserve them for the torture he would perform later? Was it because of germs?

  Questions popped into my head over and over again.

  Maybe it's because he doesn't like to be touched?

  If that was the case, then I was able to see a small light at the end of this nightmare-filled tunnel.

  "Have you prepared your vows?" The priest asked, and that was the first thing that entered my ears.

  I glanced at the old man and then at the man standing in front of me.

  No vows were needed in this wedding. The look on Jacopo Nicolo's face said it all.

  He was looking at the priest, his two different eyes zoned in on the man.

  "Skip it." He ordered, and the old man sighed as if he had been through the same interaction with another couple before. 

  "Alright then..." The priest cleared his throat. "Do you Jacopo Nicolo, take..."

  "Skip that too." Jacopo ordered, and the priest did so without a fight.

  "The rings..." The priest started but was once again stopped by Jacopo.

  "Skip."

  A soft murmur traveled through the small crowd, and I glanced towards my father to see that he looked displeased.

  "Well then..." The priest sighed. "With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. I assume you also want to skip kissing your bride."

  Jacopo glared at the Priest before he turned to the other side and walked out of the main room.

  I stood frozen in front of everyone, not knowing what to do or where to go.

  I glanced towards the crowd once more, feeling my chest tighten and my throat close. 

  My father was the first to stand, followed by the people who came with him and the ones who came from the other side.

  "I guess this wedding is over." My father commented, glaring towards one of the bigger men standing on the other side of the aisle.

  "It appears to be!" The other man confirmed.

  Tension filled the room, and it threatened to suffocate me.

 I need to get out.

 I need to leave this place.

 "Forget the reception." My father commented before he turned away and left.

 Something in my heart broke as I watched him disappear out of the hall, taking the rest of the men who came with him.

 He wouldn't even say goodbye. He wouldn't even apologize for leaving me in a place like this, leaving me to my death, leaving me in the hands of a scarred man.

 Tears blurred my vision, and I broke my neck, looking down to stop the eyes of the others from assessing my every move.

 "Well, that was a nice wedding." One of the men commented, and by the sounds of it, it was the same man my father had addressed earlier.

 "Elijah?" He called out. "How about you give her a ride to Nicolo's apartment? It's on your way." The man said, and while it sounded like he was asking for a favor, his voice made it obvious that it was more like an order.

 "Congratulations to the bride. I guess there won't be a reception after all." The man commented before he walked in the same direction as my father did.

 One by one, the people of the web started leaving, until I was left alone with a couple, and identical twins.

 "Connor, bring the car up front. You and Cane will go on without us." A man ordered, and I assumed he must be Elijah, the one who was told to give me a ride.

 The last thing I wanted was to be trapped in a small space in a car alone with two strangers.

 I glanced up, and my heart almost stopped beating when my eyes landed on him.

 I know him.

 He was one of the men who broke me out of my prison, who saved my life when that monster tried to break me.

The thought made my guts twist.

I am reminded of that horrible man with every limp in my leg. But now, I have to be reminded of him when I look around this place and see the people tied to my rescue as well.

There was no escaping that monster, and the simple thought shattered me even more.

 Despite knowing that the man might not hurt me, it still gave me little to no comfort.

My eyes moved to the twins.

I never knew a Cane, but I knew a Connor. He grew up in the town dominated by the Vipers, alongside my father. I knew him enough to be able to relax, but the tension in my body refused to leave. No amount of familiarity made me feel comfortable, not even in the presence of the beautiful, silver-haired woman standing close to Elijah.

"Come." The man ordered before he reached for the other woman's hand and turned around to leave.

I stood there, wondering if this was a chance for me to escape. The fate that awaited me in that man's house terrified me. 

The man I just married looked nothing better than the man who had taken over my previous home, trapped me in a dirty cage, and took pleasure in the tears spilling down my face. 

The man I just married looked nothing better than the man who broke my leg all for the purpose of hurting my heartless father.

The man I just married looked nothing better than the one who humiliated me, filmed my humiliation, and left it on the dark web for everyone to see.

Death is better than this.

I expected it as I forced my feet to move after the couple, humiliatingly and heavily limping with each step I took.