I woke up crying, not silent crying either, but very loud, bed shaking sobbing crying. The past sneaking up on me like a ninja bitch and my current situation coming in like the loud aunt in the middle of the reunion, finally hitting like a two by four to the jaw.

I had jumped up in the bed, too big and soft to be the one I curled myself up in at my grandma's, it was like I couldn't breathe. Giuseppe's non-threats played in my head, watching him stone cold faces of his cronies as they shielded the world from the beating he was giving his nearly grown son. Luca's face when he saw me sitting in his living room, that moment in school when I was completely humiliated by him, the blank look in his eyes as he handed me his T-shirt to sleep in.

God! I covered my head with my hands, what had I gotten myself into?

I could feel myself start to hyperventilate just when, by some miracle, a soft snore grasped my attention, districting my chaotic mind. My eyes flickered to Luca, who laid beside me on his side, his face a bruised mess. I would have thought he was dead, if he hadn't been snoring because of his broken nose. I was freaking loud with all of my crying, and he slept through the whole panic attack.

I also realized we were sleeping in the same bed. I remembered changing out of the borrowed dress last night and literally passing out on the bed, Luca had still been in the bathroom then. I guess he had gotten into bed with me...It wasn't a big deal, right? We were married and I was already pregnant by him.

I forced myself to calm down. I ran a hand through my messy curls and looked around the semi unfamiliar room, my eyes landing on the clock. Oh, God, we were a whole hour late to school.

"Luca," I shook him without turning my gaze from the clock, "Luca!" I shook him harder, hoping he wasn't in some sort of coma.

"What?" He asked groggily, shrugging my hand off his shoulder.

"We're late for school." I had already missed a day and...I still worried about school. I was on a scholarship to the school, I obviously wouldn't have been able to afford the expensive prep school any other way. Obviously, I only had so many days I could miss before it became a 'big' issue. And after everything happening to me, I wanted the normalcy.

"So, what?" He rolled over to his other side, his half bandaged back to me now. "Go back to sleep, Nessa." He said, clearly annoyed.

"Your dad said go to school," I blurted.

"Yeah?" He asked carelessly.

I glared at the back of his messy head. "I don't want to catch those hands of his, I rather make things easier on myself." I snapped. Jesus, was this guy insane? Why does he keep testing his clearly insane father?

He grunted. "Then go, help yourself." He glanced sharply at me over his shoulder. I was pretty sure he couldn't see anything, considering it was his swelled eye. "My keys are in my pants pocket."

I huffed and pushed the comforter from my bed before stepping out of bed. I didn't have anything to wear or time to find anything, so I grabbed up the dress from the floor but stopped short upon seeing the clothes I had been wearing(my uniform) when I had first gotten there folded neatly on tidy desk in the room.

"How?"

"Maid," Luca grunted putting the pillow over his head, and completely ignoring me from there.

Maid? There was a maid here? I dropped the dress, but remembering it had belonged to someone and picked it back up, and folded it, placing in the place I got my newly washed clothes from. I rushed into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later I raced out of the bathroom and looked around the room for the pants Luca had mentioned. There were obviously multiple pairs of pants on the floor, I picked the pair closest to the bed and struck gold.

Four minutes later I found myself sitting in Luca's expensive car, finger hovering over the start button. After another moment of hesitation, he had said I could. I would just drive slow and careful, the last thing I wanted to do was mess up the pricey car.

I made it to school at the end of second period, made up something for the reason I was late, got my pass and went to class. No one gave me a second look, for some reason had been expecting people to be staring at me, somehow knowing I had missed school a day before and went off the marry one of the school's most popular seniors. But I was just as irrelevant as usual, and I couldn't have been more pleased.

The only odd looks I got were from the teachers when I had to sheepishly explain how I had 'forgotten' my backpack and needed to borrow paper and pencils to take notes.

I was in the middle of fourth period when I was called to the office over the intercom. In true immature, 10th grade fashion, my classmates ooh'ed about me being in trouble. I only hoped I wasn't.

I wanted to take my precious time getting to the office but my nerves had me speed walking to the front of the school, wanting to get whatever it was over with.

When I got there the secretary made me sit outside of the head master's office, so obviously I was in trouble.

The headmaster poked his head out a few minutes later, and motioned me inside with a stern face. I swallowed hard as I followed the man in. He sat behind his desk, leaving me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of it.

The stern, bald, white man stared at me hard. "We got a call from your grandmother asking if you've came to school. Is there any reason you've worrying her by not coming home, Ms. Tyler?"

Oh... I thought about my poor grandma and felt awful. It must have taken a lot out of her to call up here, she hated to talk on the phone, too talk period.

She's worried about me. The thought had tears feeling my eyes and me quickly blinking them away before Mr. Banks could notice.

"No...no," I said quickly. "It's just a misunderstanding... I've been at a friend's house and...lost track of time." I didn't even believe myself.

"Well, wouldn't it be wise to call your grandmother before she contacts the authorities like she was contemplating doing this morning?"

"Yes!" I said quickly. He stared at me, oh, he wanted me to do it now.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and shot the man a nervous smile. I dialed my grandma's number and she answered on the second ring.

"Nessa!" She screamed. "Where in the hell have you been? Where in the hell or you?"

I winced. "School, I'm at school, grandma...I told you I was at a friend's house."

"And I told you to bring your narrow behind home!" She yelled. "What are you thinking? You can't stay out all night because you want to. You're still my responsibility!"

"Grandma, I'm fine! I mean, I'm even at school right now, if anything was wrong, would I come to school? I'm sorry for making you worry. Mr. Banks told me you called the school and was taking about calling the cops, you don't have to do that. I'm...safe." What a lie.

"Come straight home after school, young lady, you hear me. You got me missing work because of your mess!"

I winced, mostly because I couldn't go home, I had to return Luca's car. Also, I wasn't sure how Giuseppe would feel about that.

"I...grandma, I'll come home as soon as possible."

"What?" She asked shrilly. "You did not just tell me that, Nessa!"

"I have to get back to class, grandma." I said quickly as she continued to scream at me. "I love you." I hung up. She wouldn't appreciate that, but oh well. I'm already in hot water anyway.

I looked up at Mr. Banks, who was staring at me over his glasses. "Is everything alright, Ms. Tyler?"

"Fine!" I said quickly and forced a smile. "Can I go back to class?"

I was dismissed.

I didn't know Luca had ended up coming to school after all, until I was in the Lunch room and overheard a group of girl's gossiping about him being beat up. I had frowned in confusion, but didn't do much else. I didn't seek him out, I didn't even stick around to listen to their gossip.

I didn't see him until after school, and I found him leaning against his car obviously waiting on me. When I reached him he wordless held out his hand, and it took me a moment to remember the keys in the pocket of my skirt. I handed them to him as we both avoided looking at each other.

I could hear the whispers of the other students in the parking lot. Well, I was invisible to them, not that seemed to be over. Rumors would spread like crazy.

"Get in," he said simply, already getting in. I quickly went to the other side and got in, having no doubt he would leave me if I moved to slow.

"You said you weren't coming to school," I said after two minutes of silent riding.

"I needed my car," he said simply. He was driving fast, I feared for my life.

"How did you get to school?" I asked instead of telling him to slow down, I had a feeling he would just speed up.

"Uber," he said like I had asked him the dumbest question in the world. Well, hell, I guess I should be relieved he's answering me at all.

I stared at of the window and the rapidly moving scenery. I winced because I had subconsciously bit too hard into my lip because one of my nervous habits. "You do know I didn't want this." I said. We had to speak. We were married... I shivered at that thought. But we were, and we were having a baby.

Talking, it was the proper thing to do, right? We couldn't just ignore one another. ideally, I would like for us to be cordial, put the whole bet, humiliation, dirty dealing, bull- anyway, just put all of that behind us. The way I saw it, after spending most of the school day zoning out, deep in thought on the matter, our biggest 'issue' was Giuseppe Mato himself. The insane, controlling, man was dangerous. How dangerous, I could guess.

I shivered again.

"Are you cold?" He asked with a quick glance my way. He reached for the air controls, turning the cool air pumping into the car, down. I didn't say anything about the fact that I was not cold, especially not with unseasonably warm late-fall temperature outside being in the 80s. Instead, I was encouraged by his considerate words and actions to ask my initial question again.

"I didn't know this would happen, you know that, right?"

"So, you say." I grumbled with a scowl.

I frowned at him. "He gave me about as much choice as he gave you."

The car stopped and I looked out to see we were in front of the mansion. He didn't turn the car off and instead looked at me expectantly. Oh...he wanted me to get out.

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and climbed from the car. He gave me barely enough time to slam the door in anger, before he was speeding off.

I guess he didn't want to be civil.

(FT)

A maid I ran into dusting a vase in the main hall helpfully revealed to me Mr. Mato was in his office on the second floor when I asked. I didn't want to approach the man, I wanted to run away from him in fact, but my visit to my principal's office reminded me that grandma wouldn't just sit around and do nothing as I 'hung' out in the streets.

Maybe...just maybe...he would let me go home. I was still married to Luca, but did I really have to live here?

I winced at the naiveite that was my way of thinking. Still, I had a feeling that if grandma did report me a runaway or something and the cops did give a damn, that it all wouldn't go over well with Giuseppe. I had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate the cops knocking on his front door. I was also pretty sure Giuseppe could 'talk' his way out of any issues that might arise from that.

I smiled at the older woman (the maid) who had been kind enough to show me to Giuseppe's office. "Thank you," I said softly as I faced the door. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her give me a curious look before she went on to do her duties.

Taking in a deep breath I knocked on the solid oak door and waited.

"Enter," I could barely hear the command through the wood.

I twisted the knob and pushed the door open, poking my head into the massive office. Giuseppe sat behind his desk, looking down at something, and another man stood stiffly in front of the desk. All I could pin point about the man was blonde hair and a leather jacket.

Giuseppe looked up and caught me peeking in. "Ah, daughter," he greeted in a way which made me completely uncomfortable, "I was just going to send for you."

I stepped further into the room hesitantly, glancing at the man in front of the desk again. He was looking over his shoulder, not even fully, just a tilt of a head, one dull green eye studying me.

"Marc, you're dismissed." Giuseppe said, dismissing the man.

Without a word the man turned and stiffly and made his exit, walking right past me like I wasn't even there. I had never seen a pair of emptier eyes. If I was in his way, I was sure he would have walked straight through me. The door closed with a soft click behind him.

"That was Marc," Giuseppe spoke pulling my attention back to him, "not the friendliest of my...associates, but he does his job with spectacular...precision."

I swallowed thickly, not wanting to know what that meant. "Why were you looking for me?" I blurted, to change the subject.

Giuseppe opened a drawer on his desk and removed a black, velvet box, sitting it on the edge closest to me. "The sign of holy matrimony." He stared at me expectantly, look almost identical when compared to the one his son had just given me minutes before.

I stepped forward and took the box, in surprising steady hands. I opened it to find a golden wedding band and matching diamond ring inside. It was beautiful, a beautiful shackle.

I didn't put it on right away, but the silent, expectant air in the room, had me sliding both onto my ring finger, signifying me as a taken woman.

"You needed something." Giuseppe spoke as I stared down at my hand.

I forced myself to tear my eyes away and focus them on Giuseppe, who raised an eyebrow. "I think I need to go home." I said, instead of my prepared speech, it had fled my mind the moment I entered the room. Mr. Mato remained silent, making more nervous. "I mean...my grandma is worried, she even called my school. She might even file a missing person report on me if I don't show up soon!"

Giuseppe seemed unbothered. "That's nothing to worry about."

That was all he said. What did that even mean? "I- She's worried about me. Its disrespectful if I don't at the very least give her an explanation."

He leaned further into his big, leather chair and watched me calmly. "And what is the explanation, Mrs. Mato?"

I flinched at the name. "I...got married." He stared at me. "I...fell in love with a boy from school and decided I was old enough to get married. I didn't tell her because I knew she wouldn't approve of and try force me not to go through with it. I...I...might bring up the fact that I'm pregnant."

How did he do that? How did he get me to come up with that balled face lie with just a look?

This man scared me more the longer I knew him. He smiled at me after an awkward moment.

"I'll call a car to drive you home and speak to your grandmother, please, return before dinner at seven though." He said picking up the landline phone sitting on his desk. "You are dismissed, Mrs. Mato."