Isabella’s POV
I couldn’t shake the feeling of regret that gnawed at me, growing more intense with every passing minute. What had I done? What did I think I could accomplish by tearing those papers apart, by defying my family in front of everyone?
I stared out the window of the small waiting room, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. The sky was darkening, and the air felt thick with the storm that was about to hit. But it wasn’t just the weather that made everything feel suffocating. It was the guards. Hundreds of them. They were everywhere — all around the chapel, keeping watch as though I was some kind of fugitive.
I hadn’t realized just how tightly they had secured the place. They weren’t just here to protect the event; they were here to make sure I didn’t run. I wasn’t going anywhere.
I should have known better. They wouldn’t have let me escape without a fight. My parents wouldn’t let me slip away. They had planned this for so long. They had their future tied up in this marriage.
Elio didn’t even seem bothered by my outburst. His smile had been replaced with a quiet anger, a smoldering resentment toward me for making things difficult. But that didn’t matter anymore, did it? What mattered was that the wedding was happening. Whether I liked it or not.
I glanced down at my phone. No new messages from Leandro. Of course, he hadn’t texted back. How could I expect him to? He had his own loyalties, his own family, his own life. I had crossed a line when I involved him in this, when I expected him to save me.
I texted him earlier, but I couldn’t really expect him to come, could I? He was the son of the Moretti family, and I was a D'Angelo. I was still tied to Elio by the weight of our families’ expectations. Leandro couldn’t just walk in here and take me away, no matter how badly I wanted it. He had too much to lose.
But as the minutes ticked by, I couldn’t stop myself from hoping. Hoping that he would come, hoping that somehow he would defy everything and make this all disappear.
I wanted so badly for him to walk through that door, to pull me into his arms, and take me away from all of this. I wanted him to stand there and tell me that everything would be okay, that we could leave this place behind and make our own future.
But the rational side of me knew better. He had his own expectations to meet, his own responsibilities. And as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t force him to meet mine.
I was on my own.
My heart raced as the door to the waiting room opened. The staff walked in, their faces all business, no emotion. “It’s time,” one of them said, glancing at me with an almost apologetic look. “You need to come out now.”
I stood frozen, my mind swirling. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to go out there and pretend, to smile and walk down that aisle like everything was fine when I was being crushed under the weight of it all.
But there was no other choice.
I glanced at the window once more. Still no sign of Leandro. The guards were still there, vigilant, watching every move, waiting for me to make the wrong one. It felt like I was suffocating.
I couldn’t run.
I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for a rescue that might never come. I couldn’t just sit here and wait for something that was never going to happen.
I had to face this. I had to walk down that aisle, marry Elio, and figure out the rest later.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my legs to move, walking slowly toward the door. The staff didn’t say anything else, but I could see the hurry in their movements. They were anxious to get this over with too. They just wanted the ceremony to happen.
As I stepped into the hall, I felt the weight of it all hit me. This was it. I was trapped in a life that wasn’t mine, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Not now. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but hope. Maybe there was still a way out. Maybe Leandro would come.
And maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for me.