The wedding day came sooner than I expected.

I didn't need a makeup artist and a hairdresser because my sister felt great in both roles.

"If I will make you look ugly, maybe the groom will run away?" Casey muttered, focusing on applying golden shadows to my eyelid.

"Oh he will lock you up in your room for a week"

"Would you let him?"

"Maybe for a day or two-!" She stabbed me in the shoulder with the clean tip of the brush.

Are you sure you want to divorce him after 5 months? He's loaded, you could be a trophy wife"

"I thought you didn't like him"

"And what does the wallet have to match his character? I will just force you to send me to boarding school with handsome disgustingly rich and spoiled hotties "

I rolled my eyes at my sister's strange fantasies.

"You watch too much TV"

"And you don't watch enough. You stick your nose in boring books and only spoil your eyes"

"Oh, be quiet. We don't need any men. We will also have money. A lot of them" I winked at her, although my heart ached strangely when I said that. Could it be that I didn't really want to leave?

"If by some miracle we get all this money, we don't know how to manage it anyway. Neither is the company. You will probably have to sell it.

"Casey, I'm the one here who's job is to worry"

"But I'm not worried. I'm stating the facts." She shrugged. "Okay, done."

Casey moved the mirror so I could look at myself.

This woman is me?

The makeup was soft, but somehow it made my face different, prettier. As for a dress I never thought I would be able to wear something so beautiful. My brown hair was in a bun and my loose strands were slightly wavy.

"Okay, I think it's time. We can't be late "

It was a civil wedding and the ceremony was to take place in the garden in front of the house. Today the whole house was buzzing with guests, really, for a make-believe wedding, this one seemed very real.

Today was a good day. Even if it is a contract for which I will have to pay by relinquishing part of the shares in my parents' company, I was still ... happy today.

But my happiness had a time limit.

As I was about to leave the room and go towards the garden where the wedding ceremony took place someone stopped me.

"Uncle Harvey?"

How did he got here? I looked around to see if someone else is with us other than Casey and no. We were completely alone.

"What do you want? What are you doing here?"

"Who's going to walk you down the aisle other than your uncle?"

"Get out of here. You are not welcome here "

"Ah. Such harsh words. You thought you had already outsmarted me, dear Eliana, right? Don't make me even more upset than I'm already am"

"Do you really think I'll let you do something like that?" I huffed in frustration. Casey, on the other hand, sat quietly like never before, staring at the man in front of her with clear disgust.

"And who's that?" Harvey asked with artificial enthusiasm while looking over my arm, "Isn't that our little Casey? We didn't have a chance to meet yet. So what are you coming to hug uncle?"

"I'm going to get help," Casey said softly, and I nodded.

Casey said and left without sparing Harvey another glance.

"You know, Eliana, I've been focusing on you so far, but maybe I should pay more attention to your sister. Seems that you care about her, what would you do if someone was about to happen to your poor Casey?"

"Please don't hurt her"

"Shall we go then?"

🌹🌹🌹

I wonder what Rafael felt or thought when he saw me in a white dress walking down the aisle with my uncle leading me.

Uncle Harvey was the reason why this wedding was happening in the first place.

My head was lowered. I wanted to break out of Harvey's grip as soon as possible, but couldn't. Some invisible force, fear for my sister, kept me from going against him.

When I finally stood in front of Rafael I had tears in my eyes it was met with his cold, unreadable expression, I looked at him and my eyes glazed over some of the guests melted over how my emotion must be caused by happiness. They couldn't be more wrong.

To my surprise Rafael in gentle gesture wiped a lonely tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met," he said quietly Rafael, he sounded sincere and I couldn't believe that man so perfect is completing my looks.

I've noticed that he completely ignored Harvey's presence, who was now sitting in the front row with a smug smile on his face.

The clerk finished speaking the traditional formula.

"Do you take this man for your husband?"

"I do"

"Are you taking this woman for your wife?"

"I do"

I realized that despite my time together, I was still afraid of Rafael. He was still a stranger to me. And yet, we were married.

Rafael took my face in his hands and then softly placed a kiss on my lips. For a while I forgot about the world and heard nothing because this kiss could not compare to anything. He made me completely melt away.

"You're mine. Only mine. I will not let anyone hurt you" he whispered in my ear.

That's when I realized it wasn't true. That our deal would end sooner or later and I'd be all alone again. I felt the pain growing in my heart.

🌹🌹🌹

When the guests started eating, we had a moment in private to talk.

"I don't know how it happened, I just went out and he was there. He was waiting for me "

"I will find out who let him into my house, you can be sure. Don't worry now we have all night ahead of us "Rafael brushing a lone strand of hair out of my face.

"Sorry to cause you so much trouble"

"We just got married, this is not the time and no place to worry."

"He threatened Casey"

"Eliana, do you understand it was a provocation? He wanted to scare you, but most of all let me know that he hadn't said the last word yet "

"What now?"

"Nothing. He wanted to provoke me, and he succeeded. Leave the rest to me"

🌹🌹🌹

We were dancing for the whole night of dancing, I didn't feel tired at all, I felt almost energized and somehow brave which might have been a result of the amount of alcohol I've drunk. I needed it.

"You have beautiful eyes, you know that?" I said, almost as if in a dream, for the first time bravely looking into those cold, black eyes, Rafael was so interesting. Everything about his looks was so perfect .

"I know," he replied and smiled and I rolled my eyes.

"But you have no modesty"

I felt his chest tremble slightly

"Tell me, love, how can a person with beautiful eyes like mine be modest?"

"You're right, it's impossible"

After the party was over, we held hands, and something unexpected happened.

When we finally got to the top floor and it was time to part: he had to go to the right to get to his room and I had to go to the left. But my hand was still holding his hand. I didn't want to let go of him. I looked at my treacherous limb with incomprehension and consternation. Come on, stupid hand, let go. It did not let go.

Instead, I could feel how my grip tightens on his hand. He looked at me for a moment and then pulled me towards his room, without saying another word.