Chapter 494

494 I’m Not Going Anywhere

Music Recommendation – In the stars – Benson Boone

What she feared the most finally happened, Arianna didn’t know how to feel anymore. She was currently seated in Marcel’s bedroom which was deemed the safest with a large number of soldiers guarding the entrance and Luca in the other room with Samson. The windows and doors were tightly sealed so that not even an ant could come in, not to talk of Daniel’s people coming in to murder her.

It still felt like a dream to Arianna honestly, one moment she had been having the time of her life and the next, chaos descended. Even at that, Arianna was not stunned by the violence, but rather by the ultimatum, Marcel had to marry Clara. Even thinking about that, made her stomach churn and she wanted to throw up.

Arianna sank her nails into the bedsheet because the thought of Marcel marrying Clara brought out the masochist in her. And to think the wedding day was tomorrow, Arianna wanted to find Clara wherever she was and stab her numerous times with a knife till she died – till there was nothing left of her for Marcel to marry. Then Daniel wouldn’t threaten him anymore to marry the bitch – and she would go to jail for murder.

God, she had to remove the violent thoughts out of her head, Arianna reasoned as she wiped off the tears that slipped down her cheeks. She didn’t mean to cry, but the thinking of Marcel marrying Clara made her feel suffocated inside. She felt like dying. She had her doubts from the beginning, but Marcel assured her that it was not going to happen.

But then, Marcel told her that she was the woman that he was going to spend the rest of his life with and they would have many children. Although Arianna opposed the idea of having a large family, at that moment, if having a large family would stop Marcel from marrying Clara tomorrow, then she would do it.

Wait a minute, wasn’t their suspicion that she was pregnant? Arianna looked down at her still flat tummy. What if they told Daniel that she was pregnant, would that stop the wedding....? She remembered Daniel’s words instantly, he wouldn’t accept the child.

But that should stop the wedding, right? It would buy them enough time to do what exactly? What if she predicted wrongly and wasn’t pregnant? Not only did she stop the wedding, but she deceived Daniel as well and would bear his greater wrath. Maybe, she would discuss that idea with Marcel when he returns? Arianna was desperate to do something and hated to feel helpless. God, when did she even become this pathetic?

Devastated, Arianna bent and buried her face in her lap. She was scared. She was scared of losing Marcel. She was scared of being lonely. Maybe, if he does end up marrying Clara, she could stay by his side as his mistress, it was better than nothing, right? Arianna gave in even though she had been against the idea from the very beginning.

.....

She let her face remain that way, afraid to lift her head and face reality. Her world was crashing down and Arianna was feeling devastated and overwhelmed. There wasn’t even enough time for her and Marcel to spend more time together before saying goodbye to what they had together.

Arianna was aggrieved, why was the universe against her? Why must this happen? Unlike Clara, she and Marcel had something real, why must she say goodbye to that? Why was life always unfair to her? Arianna was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice someone come in until he was lifting her face and she smelled his familiar cologne.

Marcel’s scent made realization set in and Arianna burst into tears. She pushed her face into his chest and cried hard for what she stood to lose If Marcel married Clara tomorrow. He would no longer belong to her. Marcel would no longer be her man. She wouldn’t get to hold him, kiss him.

Even if Arianna does end up as his mistress, she was not the woman Marcel would take to a formal occasion. She was not the woman he would proudly introduce to people as his legal wife. She would not bear his children and would only be his second option. She would be the woman people talked about with disrespect and disdain. As his mistress, she would be kept away. She would not be seen and would always be a second-hand member of that household.

“Shh, it’s alright. Nothing would happen. I’m not going anywhere,” Marcel murmured into her ears but that made her cry the more because she couldn’t trust those promises anymore when the trust was staring her in the face.

Arianna didn’t want to say goodbye yet because it could mean forever. She began to regret those moments she fought with him and should have made beautiful memories instead. But then, people usually never know what they have until they’re close to losing it. Why did it hurt so much? She felt like dying.

“Arianna,” Marcel called her, but when she kept on sobbing, he pulled her back and that was when her gaze fell on the bad bruise around his eyes and her lips trembled. What the hell? That black eye hadn’t been there until he went after his father.

Arianna cupped his face, her hands trembling as she gently traced the injury, “He did this to you, didn’t you?” Her gaze was fierce and she dared him to lie to her.

“He wasn’t spared either,” Marcel told her.

“Good,” Arianna nodded, her jaw clamped tightly. She valued older people but Daniel was a bastard, and she would kick him in the groin if she had the opportunity.

“Listen to me, Arianna,” Marcel told her, cupping her cheeks as well, but there was determination in his gaze as he said, “I’m not marrying anybody but you. I would find a way out of this, do you understand?”

Arianna nodded even though she knew inwardly that there wasn’t a way out of this. There was no more time to find a solution.