My wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Instead, my new husband sold my little sister to the heir of the local mafia. It was their dirty transaction. ...... My little sister came to see me off on my wedding day. Marcus's groomsmen cornered her in the bridal suite upstairs. I grabbed a chair. Slammed it against the door. Screamed for them to stop. Marcus wrapped his hand around my throat and threw me to the floor. "Relax, baby. It's our wedding day." "The boys are just blowing off some steam." His mother sat on the velvet sofa, swirling red wine in a crystal glass. Her eyes never left the La Dolce Vita rerun on the television. She didn't even glance up. When the door finally opened, my sister stumbled out. Her clothes were torn. Her mouth was full of blood. She'd bitten through her own tongue trying to end it. The Mafia - Zane family lawyers buried it as an "accident." They forced me to stay quiet — for the honor of both families, they said. I picked up a knife. Ready to take someone down with me. Marcus kicked me square in the chest. I coughed blood and died at the door of the bridal suite. My white dress soaked dark red. ...... Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the moment the limousine pulled up outside Hollow Oak Estate. The first thing I did was send Sophie away. I told her to find Uncle Ray. Don't come back. Don't look back. I watched her walk through the iron gates and finally let out a breath. I thought I'd outrun fate. A few minutes later, a scream came from upstairs. I stared at the closed door in horror. Sophie was already gone. So who the hell was in that room?
A scream from upstairs. Then a heavy thud — something hitting the floor hard enough to set the crystal chandelier in the foyer trembling. I looked up at the closed door on the second floor. My bridal suite. I gathered my skirt and bolted for the staircase. A hand shot out and shoved me hard in the shoulder. I lost my footing. My lower back slammed into the banister. I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth. Chloe was leaning against the railing, chewing gum. She wiped her hand off on her bridesmaid dress like I'd dirtied her. "Where do you think you're running off to, Yara?" "It's your wedding day." "You jinx whatever's going on up there, and trust me — you can't afford the karma." I stared at her face. That thick, carefully applied foundation. That smug set of her jaw. Another crash from upstairs. Glass shattering. Then the sound of fabric ripping. A woman's muffled sobs. The noises came through the door — muffled. Desperate. I tried to push past her. "Move! Someone's crying for help!" Chloe didn't budge. She shoved me back. Her long nails raked three bloody lines down my arm. "Help? Honey, the groomsmen are just having a little fun with her." "That girl should count herself lucky." "Half the women in Ashford Bay would kill for a night with Bash." "Today's your wedding. You should be on your knees thanking him for noticing that little nobody." I was shaking. I raised my hand to slap her. Someone caught my wrist mid-air. Marcus. My brand-new husband. Reeking of bourbon. He flung my arm aside. I staggered back several steps and nearly went down on my heel. He yanked at his tie, impatient. "Yara, what the hell is wrong with you?" "Those are my groomsmen up there blowing off steam." "Why are you trying to kill the mood?" I jabbed a finger toward the second floor. "Kill the mood? Raping a girl is the mood?" "That's a crime, Marcus. Open that door. Now." He blocked the stairs with his whole body. "Rape? Don't be so dramatic." "It's just roughhousing." "Your nobody sister plays the virgin act all the time." "Bet she's loving it up there. One night with Bash, and she's set for life." Donna remained seated on the velvet sofa, sipping her wine. She didn't even glance up. "Enough already. Stop embarrassing yourself." "Bash taking an interest in her is an honor for your family." "You should be grateful, not screaming like a lunatic." Another scream from upstairs. Sharp. Desperate. "Help! Please, someone help me!" My heart hammered. I lunged for the stairs again. "I'm calling the police." Marcus's eyes went dark. He kicked me hard in the stomach. I doubled over, gasping. My phone flew from my hand. He stomped on it. The screen cracked under his heel. He picked it up and tossed it into the champagne ice bucket. It sank to the bottom. Good thing he didn't know about the second one. Then he pulled a key from his pocket, walked to the front door, and turned the deadbolt. "Nobody leaves until Bash is done." "Yara, if you screw this up for me, I'll kill you right here." Donna stubbed out her cigarette. She flicked the burning butt at my wedding dress. The ember caught on the white silk and burned a small black hole through it. "Really bad bitch," she said. "Calls the cops on her own husband on her wedding day?" "Honestly, some women deserve what they get."
The noises upstairs lasted ten more minutes. I tried to run to the window to call for help. Chloe grabbed my hair and yanked me back. A whole clump tore from my scalp. Tears flooded my eyes. I clawed at her face. Chloe shrieked and dug her nails into my cheek, drawing blood. Marcus rushed over. He pinned my shoulders and threw me onto the sofa. Donna stood up slowly. Almost lazily. From her wine. She lit another cigarette. Took her time. Then pressed the burning tip into my arm. The skin sizzled. "You little bitch — want to hit my niece?" "I'll teach you!" She ground the cigarette into my flesh. "How dare you hit her?!" I curled up in the corner of the sofa, protecting my head. Then the sounds upstairs changed. A dull thud. Like a skull hitting a wall. A few weak, spasmodic noises. Then silence. Absolute silence. That kind of quiet was worse than any scream. Chloe smoothed her dress. A smug smile spread across her face. "Well. That's quiet." "Guess she finally gave in." "I told you. She's just like the rest of them." "Yara, you should be thanking me. Don't forget who set it up." Donna set her wine glass down on the coffee table. She lifted her espresso cup instead. Took a slow sip. "These young girls. All 'no, no, no' until they get a real man." "Bash has the stamina." "Not everyone can tame a wild one like that." I stared at the closed door upstairs. My nails dug bloody crescents into my palms. I had seen Sophie walk out of the estate gates with my own eyes. But what if she had come back? Marcus checked his watch. He straightened his tie and allowed himself a satisfied smile. "Alright, time's up. Bash is probably done." "I'll go check on him. Bring our guest of honor down for a toast." "Once this deal goes through, the harbor construction bid is ours." "After that, the Castello name walks tall in Ashford Bay." He climbed the stairs. Each footstep echoed through the foyer. Each one landed somewhere inside my chest. He stopped in front of the dark wood door and reached for the handle. *Click.*
The door swung open. Marcus disappeared inside. Seconds of dead silence. Then his voice cracked through the house. "Jesus —" Bash's furious shout followed. "Don't just stand there yelling! Goddammit, what a mess—" "This bitch is insane!" "Threw herself at the wall — I couldn't stop her!" "Almost got her blood all over me!" Downstairs, Donna flinched. Coffee spilled down her dress. She shot up from the sofa. "What happened? Oh my God, is someone dead?" She ran for the stairs. Chloe's face went pale. She hiked up her dress and chased after her. "Marcus! What's going on?" The living room emptied. Only me. I dragged myself off the floor and lunged for the front door. Locked tight. I grabbed a crystal vase and hurled it at the window. Glass shattered. But wrought iron bars sat on the other side. I turned and stared at the stairs. Five minutes passed. Then heavy footsteps came down. Marcus led the way. His face was the color of paper. Sweat ran down his temples. Donna gripped the banister, her legs shaking. Chloe followed, hand over her mouth. Bash came last. Shirtless. His chest and hands dotted with blood. The victim was not with them. Marcus collapsed onto the sofa. His hands shook so badly he couldn't light his cigarette. Three tries before the flame held. Bash shrugged the shirt back on, still cursing under his breath. "Marcus, your sister is unhinged." "I barely touched her, and she went ballistic." "Started slamming her own head into the wall. Nothing I could do." "If word gets out, people are going to think I have some kind of problem." I grabbed Marcus by the collar. "Where is she? What did you do to her?" "I'm calling an ambulance!" He shoved me off, his eyes bloodshot. "Shut up! No ambulance!" "She's upstairs. She just passed out, that's all." "Nobody goes up there!" Chloe patted her chest, relieved. "God, that scared me." "Her face is so swollen I couldn't even tell who it was." "She did that on purpose, didn't she? Wants to bleed Bash dry." Donna narrowed her eyes. "Exactly. It's a shakedown. Classic gold-digger move." "Trying to worm her way into the Zane family with that sob act." "Bash, don't worry. It was an accident. We all saw it." "She slipped. The whole family will swear to it." Bash dropped a bloody tissue onto the floor. He opened his wallet and tossed a black card onto the coffee table. "There's half a mil on that." "Clean this up. If this leaks, I'll make your whole family disappear." Marcus's fear turned to greed in real time. He snatched the card. "You got it. We'll clean it up. A family matter. That's all." "You'll never hear about it again." I scrambled for the landline in the corner. "It's a human life! She needs a hospital!" Marcus seized the heavy crystal ashtray and brought it down on the phone. Crack. He turned on me, finger inches from my face. "Yara. Are you trying to put us all in prison?" "Bash is running for Chamber president. This can't come out." "We handle it here. We'll bring in a private doctor." "Until that doctor walks through that door — nobody opens the one upstairs." A thin, scraping sound drifted down from the second floor. Like fingernails dragging across hardwood. In the dead quiet of the living room, it was hideous. Donna jumped. Her coffee cup fell. "That girl… she's still alive up there?" "After all that blood — she's still moving?"
Watch? https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/20260619W1LLE6ertp ? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "Novelix" app ? search for "ni019112", and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix