Chapter Two | To Start A Life Built On Lies

"He's here."

The words Liviana Santora had been anticipating all week, ever since she made the deal of marrying Blaze in place of her sister, just so Emilia could be free.

Livi had spent the past seven days preparing for this moment, the moment she would meet the man she was to spend the rest of her life with. But despite all the time she took to in convincing herself everything would be fine, she still couldn't help but panic at her brother's words.

He was here. Blaze Castelli ⏤ her fiance ⏤ the man she was marrying in only a few days, and the one she hadn't met yet.

How was she supposed to marry a man she's never even met? Well, she figured they had the rest of their lives to get to know each other. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Emilia was wrong and this wouldn't be the thing to end her life ⏤ maybe it was the thing that would finally start it.

"Take a deep breath." Tino advised, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her in any way he could, though he wasn't sure there was anything he could do to make her feel better. Not this time. "You need to calm down before you go down there. You'll make a fool out of yourself if you're this worked up."

"First impressions are important. I know." She nods, having heard this lecture from her mother too many times to count over the last week.

Livi takes a deep breath, pulling her long, black hair over her shoulders and making sure her makeup wasn't smudged. She needed to look good tonight. It was the first time she was meeting her fiance, and she wanted to make sure she looked perfect. She wanted him to remember this moment and make sure he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the room.

Attraction. It could replace the aspect of love.

"How do I look?" She asks, standing and smoothing down her dress, the emerald green silk making her tanned skin glow. "Do you think he'll like it? Mother said this dress was better for the occasion, because the red one made me look like a whore. Do I look like a whore?"

Tino shakes his head, quick to assure her that no, she didn't look like a whore. "You look amazing, Livi. I'm sure he's going to be impressed."

"Do you really think so?" She smiles, turning around to look in the mirror once more, double ⏤ quadruple ⏤ checking her appearance.

Tino nods, gently spinning her around, away from the mirror. "Yes, you look amazing, sorella." He promises, offering her his hand. "Now come on, we have to go now before mother or father come upstairs to get us. You know how impatient they are."

Livi sighs, nodding and accepting his hand, letting her younger brother pull her away, right into the open waters where she would drown in panic.

"You're going to be okay." Tino whispers to her as they walk through the hallways. With every step they took, they were coming closer to the stairs that would lead Liviana to the rest of her life.

The thought was terrifying.

"You're strong, and you always find a way to make the best out of unpleasant situations. That's all this is ⏤ an unpleasant situation."

"No, it's not that simple." She shakes her head, giving him a look of worry ⏤ fear. Regret. "This is going to be the rest of my life, Tino. If this doesn't go well ⏤ if he doesn't like me, he is going to make it hell. And I don't know about you, but I can't turn hell into heaven."

"But you could always try."

"But what if he doesn't try?" She asks, stopping them in their steps, in the middle of the hallway. "What if he hates me? How am I supposed to spend my life with someone who hates me?"

"He's won't hate you-"

"You don't know that!" she whisper-yells at him. "For all we know, he could hate this arranged marriage more than me, or Emilia! And he'll blame me for this and I won't be able to disagree, because I quite literally volunteered for this. He'll think it's my fault we're in this mess!"

"It's no one's fault except Drusilla and Alonso's ⏤ and his parents, since they agreed to it." Tino consoles. "If he blames you for this, then he's just as brain dead as you told mom she was." He jokes, Liviana unable to hold in her small laugh.

"I really said that?" she asks, feeling guilty over how she disrespected her parents, yet proud of herself for standing up to them.

He nods, an amused and proud smile sitting on his lips. "You really did."

"I was hoping it was a dream." She admits.

"It wasn't." He chuckles, their amusement vanishing at the sound of approaching footsteps. "I guess they're tired of waiting."

"What in god's name is taking you so long?!" Drusilla demands, grabbing her children by their arms and dragging them towards the stairs. "You both are such embarrassments to this family. Keeping our guests waiting? Unacceptable. And you, Liviana, are a disgrace ⏤ hiding from your fiancé? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"We're sorry." Liviana apologizes, trying to give her an explanation of how nervous she was, but Drusilla wasn't having it.

"I don't care for your excuses, Liviana, so quit trying to talk your way out of this with pity." She tells her. "What are you doing? Are you trying to look disgusting? Stand up straight. I won't have you look like a slob in front of our guests." She orders, pulling her daughter to a stop and looking her over, shaking her head, displeased with what she was seeing. "What did you do to your hair? It looks awful ⏤ and those heels, were you trying to make them as mismatched to the dress as possible?"

Liviana stays quiet, taking her mother's criticism silently. She was used to it, so what good would it do to speak up? It would only cause trouble, and that was the last thing she needed tonight.

"At least you wore the green dress and not that slutty red one you were trying to wear ⏤ Blaze doesn't want to marry a whore, Liviana, have some dignity." Drusilla insults, playing with her daughters in attempts to make it 'perfect.' "I guess this will have to do." She sighs, as if disappointed. "It's too late to fix you now. We can't keep them waiting any longer than you already have."

The two siblings share a dreadful look as their mother pushes them forward, hands on their backs as she walks them, forcing Liviana toward her future.

Liviana watches her step as they descend the staircase, too afraid to look up and see who she knew was waiting for her. She couldn't look at him, it would make it too real ⏤ to see his face and know it's the one she was going to be looking at until the end of her days ⏤ the one she would call handsome as it belonged to the man she "loved".

But she didn't. She didn't love him. She didn't even know him. How was she supposed to spend the next, who knows how many years, lying? Telling everyone she loved this stranger enough to marry him? And maybe even one day have kids with him?

It would be a life built on lies.

So what was one more lie of 'she could do this'? Or the other of 'she would be okay'?

It wasn't just a lie, though. It was also a wish. A prayer. A hope.

"You must be Liviana?" The girl raises her head at the question, startled as she's pulled into a hug by an older woman who had to be nearly fifty, if not already there. "I'm Elara Castelli, Blaze's mother. It's so nice to meet you!"

"Oh, um- Hi." Livi stutters out with wide eyes, awkwardly patting her back, not sure what to do or say. It was obvious she wasn't a social butterfly. "Nice to meet you too?"

"Let the girl breathe, honey." A man steps in, pulling Elara away gently. "I apologize for my wife's behavior. She's just been very excited to meet you. I'm Lucius, his father, and her husband." He introduces.

"Hi, I'm Liviana-" She says, giving the couple a small smile, grateful for their kindness. "But you already knew that..."

Elara smiles with a laugh, nodding and telling her that yes, they did indeed know that. "These are my kids, Armani and Amara ⏤ twins." She informs, pointing out the two before moving to the blonde woman standing by Armani's side. "That's my daughter-in-law, Violet. She's Armani's wife. That's Leona, my eldest."

Leona smiles at her name, walking forward to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you, soon to be sister-in-law."

"Right." Liviana mumbles, her smile dropping for a split second before she forces another, nodding at the girl. "Nice to meet you ⏤ all of you." She adds, acknowledging the three still lingering behind, before her eyes finally move to him, finding his dark blue eyes already on her, looking at her as if he were studying her, trying to figure her out.

"This is Blaze." Lucius introduces her fiancé once he realizing he wouldn't do it himself, refusing to acknowledge the situation directly and making it clear he didn't want to be there.

"Oh, don't mind him, dear." Elara sighs, assuring an uncomfortable Liviana that it wasn't her that had him acting in such a way. "He's just not very fond of this arrangement yet, but give him some time and I'm sure he will come around."

"Doubtful." Leona mumbles, Armani nudging her in warning when Elara sends a glare over her shoulder at her daughter. "Sorry... No offense."

"None taken." Liviana assures, silence taking over the group.

Armani looks between them all, hating the tension. So what to do but break it?

"How about dinner?" He proposes, Elara nodding and pointing to him.

"Yes, great idea." She praises, turning to Drusilla. "Is the food ready?"

Drusilla nods, motioning the way toward the dining room. "Yes, let's eat, shall we?"

"Thank god." Tino mumbles to his sister, walking away with the rest of the group, all desperate to get away from the tension, leaving only two behind ⏤ Liviana and Blaze.

The fiancé's stand in silence, Liviana too afraid to break it while Blaze simply refuses to.

It was when Liviana opened her mouth, taking a moment to convince herself she had the courage to actually speak to him, that Blaze walked past her, leaving her behind without so much as a look in her direction.

Liviana is left disappointed, in herself ⏤ in him ⏤ with the entire situation, and for a second it left her questioning if this was worth it.

Was it? Emilia could fend for herself, she could have gotten away. So then why would she get herself into this mess of misery?

It was a question she would spend her life asking herself.