DANIELLE'S P.O.V.The sea waves, unlike the turmoil in my mind, were calm and peaceful. They rolled slowly and crashed with their white caps cresting over and plunging back into the water, displaying the beauty of the sea from the shoreline on which I stood. I buried my bare feet deeper into the sand which was wet from the sea water and took in a deep breath of the fresh, salt tinged air before letting out a deep sigh.I had hoped that walking along the beach would clear my head and my mind, but it had only barely managed to somewhat soothe my nerves. The tension that had driven me all the way to the beach's shoreline still sat heavily on my shoulders while the wheels of my memory kept spinning the burning scene of abject betrayal that I had been privy to earlier in the day.I recalled how I had stood, frozen with shock at the doorway to Tony's room earlier that day while my brain had refused to process what my eyes had been subject to. I had refused to believe the scene that unfolded
DANIELLE'S P.O.V"Wake up!"I heard the voice before I felt the tapping and I wondered who exactly could be disturbing me so early in the morning."Wake up!" the voice repeated.This time the tapping was more painful and hurried. I groaned in pain as I sat up on the bed.What do they say about alcohol?It is said to induce inhibition loss, enhance poor decision making, and encourage impulsiveness.So, why do we keep taking alcohol?The answer is very simple actually. We do so because we always want what is bad for us.I questioned my decision to ingest as much alcohol as I had last night. My regret deepened further as the rays of light, which escaped from the shielding of the curtains that covered the windows; fell on my face, causing my already banging head to split further apart in pain. Usually, the feeling of the early morning sun rays on my face was comforting, but this morning, they reminded me of the reasons why the intake of spirits should be declared illegal.I applied pressu
ADRIAN'S P.O.V.I stood, gazing out of the window in my hotel suite. The events of the past few hours of the day replayed in my mind, and with it came a seething anger that coursed through my veins and caused my fists to ball up.How could one person, a mere woman at that, get the better of me?I recalled the way in which she had insulted me and I could still feel the sting of the paper bills as they slapped against my skin.How the hell had she dared to insult me in such a manner?I hated the fact that she had gotten under my skin. I was not easily phased by anything or anyone, and I had never imagined that a mere woman would be able to annoy the hell out of me like that woman had.What?My performance in bed was unsatisfactory?I had never received such a huge blow to my pride before, and the memory of the expression on her face when she had said that caused my ears to redden from fury. I could not even bear to digest the fact that a woman had spoken to me so rudely; the fact that a
DANIELLE'S P.O.V30, 31, 32, 33,...I counted from the car window as the trees passed by in a blur. It had always baffled me; the way the trees seemed to be the ones moving instead of the car. I was no physicist so I registered it as one of the numerous wonders of the world. Although the internet recorded only seven wonders, I believed the world had more mind-blowing, as well as, inexplicable events and sites that should have also be considered wonders of the world.I was sited in the back seat of Dad's SUV while he sat across from me, typing away on his tablet at the same time as he made and received seemingly endless phone calls, as usual.Work, work, work; all my dad ever did was work. It was so frustrating that sometimes all I wanted to do was to scream in his face. I wanted to tell him to just take a goddamned break from all of the work, but I knew that he would just remind me that the reason why he worked so exhaustively was because he wanted to secure my future. I believed tha
DANIELLE’S P.O.V.The news of Dad’s illness continued to echo in my mind and yet, it remained a struggle for me to process it. I tried to wrap my head around it, but the reality refused to settle in. The ground felt like it had shifted beneath me and the weight of the news pressed against my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. I wanted nothing to do with the men sited at the dining table, I wanted nothing to do with the arranged marriage, and I most especially wanted nothing to do with the snotty, rude bastard that sat across from me at the table, but I had a choice no more. Dad’s confession had practically forced my hand, and now, I had to endure the torture. For his sake, and his sake alone, I forced myself to go through with the introductory dinner with Adrian Valentino and his father, Alfredo, putting on my best behavior as if having to act so civil with the rude bastard were not killing me inside.As the evening slowly wore on, I stole quick glances at Adrian, expecting to s
Danielle's Pov"You look gorgeous"Layla, Sofia, and I, hooted at and applauded Janelle as she walked out of the dressing room in a sexy and elegant fuschia colored silk slip dress."It's gorgeous but I don't think it would be appropriate for a wedding" Layla said."That's true. Adrian's sister is going to be a member of the bridal train. She's still a girl; I don't think her parents and brother would like seeing her in such a dress" Sofia added."I think I would disagree to agree with that point." a smooth voice purred.My friends and I turned to see a dark haired beauty. She was tall and was elegantly dressed in a navy blue two piece suit and silver stilettos. Her perfectly manicured fingers clutched a small silver purse and silver jewelry adorned her ears, neck, and fingers. She did not look at all like the girl Sofia claimed she was."You must be Danielle." she said as she approached me.Still stunned by her, I only managed to nod in reply. She beamed with elation and hugged me ge
DANIELLE'S P.O.VUpbeat hip-hop blared from the sound system which was connected to a smart tv that hung on the wall in the center of my bedroom. Layla and Sofia choreographed the moves displayed on the tv screen, moving their bodies in tune with the beat of the music, while Sofia and Alisia flipped through magazines, in search of the best hairstyles everyone would wear tomorrow.It was the night of my bachelorette party. The night before the deal between both Adrian's family and mine will be sealed in holy matrimony. The thought of running away had crossed my mind severally during the day but dad's voice from the night of the dinner when he told me of his illness, rang in my head everytime I pondered on the thought, successfully keeping me from going through with the plan.It scared me that my first and last shot at marriage was a sham. I had always dreamt of a fairytale marriage for myself. A marriage that would be a result of a fairytale friendship that boomed into something deeper
DANIELLE'S P.O.VI stared at myself in the mirror of my vanity. The makeup artists and hair stylists had done a spectacular job; I looked breath taking.I opted for natural makeup because I didn't want to look extravagant. The hair stylists curled my naturally curly hair and held it together in a bun with hair pins with some of the curls framing my face. Pearl earrings dangled from my ears and a delicate pearl bracelet sat on my left wrist.The day I have been dreading for the past few weeks was finally here. The D-day.I should not have counted my eggs before they hatched by thinking my nerves would be calmed by the heart to heart I had with Alisia the night before. Letting myself relax in the belief that today would go smoothly was a big mistake on my part.My hands shook in fear, and my left leg trembled from nervousness. I looked like I was having a spasm with the way my body was shuddering.I sat, staring at myself in the mirror as a rush of emotions swirled in my mind. I was sca