Page 14 of Ashes

Although I had my trials with my mother, I’d heard her fight with my father over his careless decision. But it was useless. We all knew there was no other choice.

I was sure my father hadn’t shared the full ins and outs with her, but it didn’t take much to figure out that I wasn’t marrying into one of the most influential families forlove.

Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“I know,” I said, forcing my voice to sound surer than I felt. “As long as it keeps you, Akari, and Iris safe, that’s what matters.”

With a heavy sigh and a concerned gaze, she came up closer behind me.

“Oh, mi hija hermosa.” Her voice trailed off and she rested her hand on my shoulder.

Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I’d made my peace with this being my future, but the finality of knowing this would become my new normal never failed to nip at my chest.

My tapping slowed when fleeting memories of lastnight and the ephemeral connection I had with the stranger flooded back into my mind.

It was so unusual andtempting.

What if I had gotten up and walked up to him? What if I had stopped overthinking about making the right choices and justlived?

I placed my hand over hers. “No pasa nada, mamá. I’ve made my peace with it.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but I spoke before she could say anything else. “I’m almost done getting ready and will be right out to meet Dad at the entrance.”

She placed a kiss on the top of my head. “All right,mi amor. Te amo.”

The words nipped further at my heart. I’d rarely heard her say them and hearing them in a situation like this was bittersweet. But I pushed it aside and said them back to her.

“Yo también te amo.”

She paused at the door and her eyes searched mine in my reflection in the mirror. She tried offering me a comforting smile, but all I could muster was a sad one.

When the door closed behind her, I stared at myself.

Today should’ve been described as one of the happiest days of my life, but it wasn’t, and I didn’t have it in me to pretend any further.

I finished applying a coat of mascara and dabbed some clear lip gloss over my brown-lined lips to complement my tanned skin. I usually didn’t wear much makeup and decided that today shouldn’t be any different.

Getting married already wasn’t much of a choice, so I wanted to at least feel comfortable during the ceremony.

I gathered my curls and pulled them tightly off my face and into a taut bun at my nape before putting on small, chunky gold hoops that would match my shoes. Then I slipped into my dress—a simple off-white gown with a scoop neckline and dainty straps that effortlessly hugged my curves in all the right places—and stepped into my favorite gold heels, then strapped them to my feet.

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time to secure my veil right above my bun before stepping out of the room. I made my way to the main reception room where everyone was waiting for me, but my steps halted when I felt a presence behind me.

I whipped around to see who was there, but no one was in sight. I was about to round the corner when I noticed a shadow at the other end of the hallway, but it was only for a brief moment that I convinced myself I was imagining it.

No es nada, Sienna.

I was probably overthinking things, especially after hearing my parents argue when I came home late after my night with Kenna and Esra.

“¿Estás seguro de esto, Antoni?What if he comes back?” I heard my mother say, her tone panicked.

“Mia cara, there’s no need to worry. I promise I’ve got it all under control, Yanira,” he said confidently, but I could hear the wavering fear beneath his words.