Chapter 4 - marriage dial

Everly POV

I have been locked in this estate for the past three days, and I am about to lose my mind. My dad is terrified, and my brother looks like he has seen a fucking ghost; I have been staying in my small house, writing and exercising on my peloton.

I close my eyes as I rub my forehead with my fingers. I have a headache arriving. I stand up, walk to the kitchen, and make myself a cup of English tea. I am taking my first sip when the front door opens, and my brother walks in.

He looks deranged. He sits at the kitchen island and rests his head between his hands.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask him, and his eyes meet mine. He shakes his head closes his eyes, and rests his forehead against the cold granite. I walk to him, placing my tea in front of him while I make another one. He raises his eyes to meet mine and thanks me for the tea. I nod my head sitting next to me, slowly sipping my tea.

“I need to talk to you”, he says, and I look at him. He looks heartbroken, and I know that something bad has happened. His eyes meet mine again, and then he looks down at his hands.

“What the hell is going on?”, I ask him, and he takes a deep breath before drinking his tea.

“So, you know how you always said you would do anything for me?”, he asks, and I frown looking at him. Oh, fuck, what the hell is going on?

“Yeah?”, I say, and he looks at me with sorrow all over his eyes. His gaze meets mine. “I need you to help me close a deal”, he says, and I pull away from the island, standing up and placing my mug in the sink. I cross my arms, resting my hips against the cold sink, and he gathers the courage to talk.

“What kind of deal? You know I don’t get involved in the family business; that’s your thing, I don’t want anything to do with it”, I say, and he nods his head.

“I know, and trust me, if there was any other way I would take it, but dad had this idea, and he already spoke to the Irish, and they said yes, and I know you will hate me for asking you this, but I need you to understand that marriage bond is the strongest one between mafias,” he says, and I raise my eyebrows looking at him. I don’t think I heard him right.

“I’m sorry what?”, I ask taking one step closer to him. His eyes locked on mine, and I see the hesitation in them. “I could swear you said marriage, but I know you’re not that stupid”, I let out, and he shakes his head.

“Evie, please, you know I wouldn’t ask if there was any other way, and dad feels terrible about it too, but he negotiated the terms, and you know he wouldn’t put you on the line if it wasn’t necessary”, he says, and I start laughing. This feels like one of my book's plot, arranged marriage to save the family. The difference is that I am not one of my main characters.

“No”, I say, and he looks at me in shock, I know he wasn’t expecting me to say no, I never say no, I always do what they ask me to.

“Come on, Evie, we need you”, he says, and I start pacing in front of him, shaking my head as I rub my hands on my face.

“No, are you out of your fucking mind? I am not marrying a stranger, not for you, not for dad, not for anyone, not happening”, I say, and he stands up, slamming his hands on the counter, and my eyes fly to him. This is the first time he has become aggressive toward me,

“I am not asking now, Everly, you are going to get married to one of the Irish, and that’s final”, he says. I take one step closer to him with my arms crossed in front of my chest, looking him directly in the eyes. He is taller than me, but that’s not difficult as I am short.

“Wanna bet?” I ask, and his nostrils flare as his dark eyes are glued on mine. Christian storms out of my house, slamming the door. I feel my entire body shaking. I close my eyes, resting my back and head against the wall. My entire body is shaking. I can’t believe this is happening. How do they think I would do such a thing?

I walk into my bedroom, close the door behind me and fall on the bed. I hug a pillow and scream against it. I know I am refusing to help my family, and I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I won’t be able to get out of this. Not without a fight. This would’ve been too easy, and just as I thought, the front door slammed open, and I heard footsteps inside my house. I sit on the bed as I hear my dad calling me.

“Everly come here right this minute”, he shouts, and I stand up slowly. He never calls me Everly unless he is upset with something or having a serious conversation.

Dad is standing right in the middle of my entryway, and I stop in front of him. He looks me in the eyes, and I can see the disappointment plastered all over his face.

“Get dressed; we are going out”, he says, and I frown, looking at him. I stand still in front of him, and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. Dad is a lot taller than me, but I was never afraid of him.

“Dad, I am not..” I start, and he looks at me with evil eyes, and I stop talking. I look around, and he takes one step closer to me.

“Listen to me, and you listen to me good. You are going to get dressed, and you will come with me to meet your future husband, and you will do it with a smile on your face. Did I make myself clear?” he asks, and I shake my head, taking one step back.

“Dad, you can’t ask me that”, I say as I feel tears threatening to spill.

“I am not asking Everly, and I am telling you this is going to happen. Since when have you been this selfish?”, he asks, and I feel like I have been shot. Selfish? I have lived my entire life in the shadows, hiding who I am because he asked me to. And now he says I am selfish?

“I am not selfish, and I am not going”, I say. Dad takes one step closer to me, grabbing my arm, and dirt makes me flinch the amount of strength he is using.

“You will do as you are told, now get a move on”, he says before letting go of my arm.