Page 3 of Pretty Plaything

I don’t get to go out much either, and I’m lucky my cousin lives close by and can visit often. Without her, I don’t know what I’d do.

Probably go crazy in this house.

She keeps me sane, and I’m glad I have someone to talk to other than my parents and my brothers, who aren’t really all that great at understanding my problems. None of them were ever going to be a mafia princess.

“What?” I meet Emilia’s blue eyes.

“What were you looking at?” She cocks her head, her blonde hair hanging in long curves around her shoulders.

“Nothing. I just had a weird feeling, like someone’s watching me.”

She lets out a laugh. “Maybe it’s just a guard. Who else would be watching you? A ghost? A vampire? I can’t imagine anyone can get past your guards.”

“I know. I just... Forget I said anything.” I glance at the window again.

It’s totally crazy to think a stranger may be out there.

Emilia’s right.

The guards would’ve gotten him in a second. The shadow I’ve seen in the trees is just a shadow.

“I’ve been here for an hour and you still haven’t told me if there’s any news.” Emilia gives me an expectant look.

“What news?” I furrow my brow.

“Oh, come on. Is your dad considering any proposals? Are you going to get married soon?” Excitement laces her voice. “I mean, a lot of families already agree on marriages when their kids are just babies, but your dad is obviously waiting for someone special. Do you get to choose?”

I wish I could share her excitement, but the prospect of marriage only makes me want to be someone else or run far, far away.

“I think he’s already gotten a few offers, but he hasn’t told me anything about it.” I’m going to hear about it once he makes a decision. “I hope he’ll ask me if I agree once he picks someone. He kind of promised me I’d have a say in it.”

“That’s so awesome!” Emilia claps her hands. “I hope I’ll convince my dad to give me a choice too. I know he already has someone in mind, but he hasn’t told me anything about it either. He says I’m not ready to know. Can you believe that?”

“Actually, yeah, I can. Being a mafia princess is the worst.” I take a seat on the red sofa and pick up a cookie from a plate that’s on the low glass table.

“Well, it’s not all that bad. We have big families that adore us.” She grins. “And we can buy any dress and shoes that we want, and we don’t have to worry about the cost.”

I sigh. “I’d rather go to college than have a closet full of expensive dresses.”

“To college? Why?” She looks at me as if I just said the craziest thing ever.

Because I don’t want to marry someone I don’t know or love.

Because I don’t want to be trapped in a house.

Because I want more out of life than just have a big family I need to dedicate my life to.

I open my mouth to answer, but my mom enters the room. Her dark brown eyes narrow at my hand, and I realize I’m holding a half-eaten cookie. She doesn’t even have to say anything for me to know what she’s thinking right now.

I drop the cookie as if I’ve been burned.

My mom always tells me I should take good care of my body because it’s my greatest asset. If my future husband isn’t attracted to me, he’ll find someone else, and that won’t be good for me.

The whole thing sounds absolutely ridiculous and so damn outdated, but my family values its own tradition, and the underground plays by different rules than the rest of the world.

I’ve wished a thousand times that I was just a normal girl and that I could do whatever I wanted.

I wished that I didn’t have a duty to my family.