Page 21 of Shadows of Steel

I say nothing, stepping past him and into the solitude of my apartment.

Family.

The word still feels foreign.

Heavy.

Loaded with expectations I’ve never cared to carry.

Chapter 8

Harlow

Today marks my engagement party.

And in the days to come, I will be a married woman.

I have long known this day would come, dreading its arrival with every fibre of my being. But dwelling on the unavoidable serves no purpose.

I know who I am.

I know my worth.

My grandfather and Michael remain in Italy and will stay through the wedding. My cousins will arrive in a few days, just in time for the ceremony. Since Sofia and Elena have yet to arrive, I am left to choose my engagement dress alone. A minor inconvenience. If I had to wager, Sofia will bring my wedding gown along with several backups, because, in her world, one is never enough.

In truth, it is a relief. I have no interest in this charade, nor the burden of orchestrating the details of a wedding I never wanted in the first place.

Last night, my brother assigned his men to watch over me, their presence an unspoken force lingering on the periphery, unseen yet ever vigilant. But when I stepped out of my apartment this morning, two more figures emerged, unfamiliar yet unmistakably meant to shadow me. These ones, it seemed, had been sent by my fiancé.

Now, I weave through the bustling streets, drifting from boutique to boutique in search of the perfect outfit for tonight, my newly assigned guards trailing behind like silent phantoms. Their vigilance is absolute, eyes scanning every movement, every shifting shadow.

I insisted on having only two men accompany me. No one was willing to risk the wrath of my brothers or my fiancé, so we compromised. Two would follow me openly, though I’m certainothers linger beyond my line of sight, concealed in the crowd, ready to emerge at the first sign of danger.

The engagement celebration will be held here in Palermo. Dante wasn’t particularly pleased, his reluctance was evident, given that this isn’t his territory. But it’s only temporary. The wedding will take place in Naples.

His city.

My future home.

A strange thought, as I have never set foot in Naples, yet soon, it will become my world.

What if I hate it?

What if it never feels like mine?

Not that it matters. Whether I like it or not, I will belong to it, just as I will belong to my husband.

Husband.

Home.

Words that should evoke warmth but instead feel foreign on my tongue.

I’ve never truly had a home.

And I have no intention of making this one mine, either.

This is business. Nothing more.