Captive Bride: A Dark Obsession Romance Read online

  Doesn’t everyone want a team of beauty experts at their disposal?

  Well, not me because I’m used to it and because I know what it all means.

  A marriage to one hideous man.

  The most expensive stuff in the world couldn’t make me happy now.

  It never does. I’m dripping with diamonds, gifts from my father, but it means nothing because to him I’m nothing more than a hot commodity to trade.

  I’m the fucking Capulet princess, Daddy’s little girl, or so he’d like the world to believe.

  He doesn’t love me. Never has.

  I’m a girl after all. Not a strapping man to take over the business. I’m here to look pretty and to remain a virgin and most of all, to remain safe.

  Some life, huh?

  I wish for an escape almost every day. Even now, I dangle myself over the balcony so I can feel the rain, and I think about death and how falling would mean freedom.

  Now, don’t get all depressed for me. I get out...sometimes. Like once in a blue moon.

  My cousin Theo is fond of helping me escape every now and then. He thinks of me like his little sister, and he feels bad for me being all alone up here.

  So, I’ve been out. I’ve been to a club...like three times.

  And besides him, I have Thelma.

  My live-in bodyguard, caretaker, and overall best friend. She lives the life I can’t have and then comes home to tell me about it. She’s wild, and her stories sustain me…for now.

  She tugs on my arm to come back inside.

  “Baby,” she says. “Come in. You’ll catch a cold and then your father will kill me.”

  She’s always worried about my father killing her because he could—and he might if I ever came in harm’s way under her watch.

  She always calls me ‘Baby’.

  I don’t know why. I think to her, I’m like a child that needs guidance.

  And she’s always there to help.

  In a moment of honesty, I tell her, “I can’t do it. I can’t go through with the engagement to that man. What am I going to do? He’s horrible!” I throw myself into her arms.

  She’s the only comfort I have. She and my cousin Theo are the only people I talk to on a daily basis. They’re the only ones who care about me.

  My parents certainly don’t care—otherwise they wouldn’t be doing this to me. For them, it’s all about money and business. But what about me?

  I’m getting lost in the mix, and pretty soon, I’m going to go live with that monster, the Governor. My mood is sullen and forlorn as I wipe away the tears.

  I can’t even believe this day has come.

  I can’t even believe my fucking parents put me in this position.

  There’s nothing to look forward to now. If I ever held some sort of hope in the back of my mind that I could fall in love, well, tonight is going to totally ruin that.

  “Baby, are you okay?” Thelma asks.

  I give her a look that tells her no. She understands me, and she understands that this is the worst night of my life. I’ve been dreading this news for some time.

  Just as soon as my parents had the Governor’s attention, I was being prepared for this day. They need him so they can operate their illegal businesses and crime out of the city.

  He turns a blind eye, and he makes sure all the other politicians and the policeman do so as well. He’s the ringleader of the politicos and essential to their success.

  He is so essential, in fact, that I have to marry him in order to have a sort of binding contract between him and my family.

  I always knew he had his sights set on me. When he would come visit, he’d always leer at me in a disgusting way.

  And now I’m going to have to sleep with the old rat bastard and share his bed and house.

  “It’s okay, Baby. It’ll all work out in the end, you’ll see. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but you’ll be okay,” Thelma says.

  Her words always soothe me. I only wish that I could believe her.

  I know this is my death sentence. I know my parents are signing away my life.

  I’m exchanging the Capulet prison for the Governor’s mansion. It’ll be the same kind of thing, bodyguards everywhere, and no freedom, but I’ll have to sleep with the guy.

  The thought makes my skin crawl.

  Thelma takes my hand and leads me gently inside. Stylists are running around the place.

  They think I should be happy. They’re showing me all kinds of gowns and dresses.

  The makeup and hair people are waiting impatiently for me.

  I slump down on the velvet stool in my opulent en-suite where there’s a glam station all for me. People primp and pluck at me. But my somber expression gives everything away.

  I’m not happy, and after tonight, I probably never will be.

  “Darling, what are you gonna wear tonight?” the stylist says, holding up several gowns.

  “Um, how about the least sexy thing you have?” I say.

  He looks at me like I’m ungrateful.

  “Girl, you should be happy. It’s your engagement night after all.”

  Yeah, happy...right.

  I roll my eyes at him and look at him.

  “Patrick,” I say, “Why don’t you pick out my outfit because I really couldn’t care less?”

  He ignores my blasé attitude, used to it by now.

  He goes about skimming through the racks of clothing that he’s brought in. The makeup people start highlighting my face, ensuring I look perfect for the evening. And the hair people simultaneously curl my long blonde locks.

  My glam squad.

  They can transform me from a sullen girl in her lingerie to a ravishing Capulet socialite.

  Makeup is like magic. So are clothes. So are diamonds...at least, for my outside image.

  Nothing can fix what’s going on inside.

  Thelma brings me a glass of champagne, and I take it gratefully.

  The more alcohol I can have in my system tonight, the better.

  “Baby, you better start smiling otherwise your parents are gonna be upset,” she says.

  “You’re wrong,” I say wryly. “They don’t need me to smile. They just need me to show up. Hopefully, I can just make a quick appearance and be gone.”

  “I don’t think so, Baby, not tonight. Your parents are expecting you to be there. It’s your engagement night after all. You’re gonna have to dance with him.”

  Oh, ew—did she just say ‘dance’?

  The guy looks like he could be my father. He’s so...old and ancient.

  Again, my skin crawls. To think of actually having to sleep with this man really makes me want to kill myself. I’m not exaggerating.

  Is it wrong that I think about that so often?

  You would, too, if you were held captive in a skyscraper in the city and never allowed to leave. You would think about it if you had to marry the Governor, who is old, portly, and scary.

  I look at her and say, “Do me a favor?”

  She knows what I’m going to say before I say it.

  “Yes, honey, I’ll go downstairs and check things out.”

  “Thanks. What would I do without my spy?”

  She smiles at me warmly and leaves.

  We have kind of a system for these parties. She goes down to check things out and to determine exactly how long I’ll need to stay while I stay up here and get ready, wishing my life was over.

  I know tonight is different.

  I know my parents will expect me to be there to make a solid appearance for the Capulets. But that doesn’t mean I’m dreading it any less. I can’t even imagine having to mingle tonight.

  Every other time there’s been a party, it was different because I wasn’t engaged.

  Tonight, the spotlight will be on me, and I’m dreading the attention.

  Just as I’m trying to control the hot tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks, my mother enters the room. Everyone becomes silent, not wanting to upset the m
atriarch of the family.

  She walks in, fully dressed.

  She always has a face full of makeup and the most expensive clothes on.

  “Isobel, you’re not even ready yet,” she chides me. “What’ve you been doing here this entire time?”

  “Well, mother,” I say taking a sip of my champagne, “I’ve been enjoying my last few moments of freedom.”

  She buzzes right past my statement. She’s just ignoring me now.

  “Is this what you’re wearing?” she asks more to Patrick than to me. “No, no, no. Patrick, she can’t wear black. This isn’t a funeral, this is an engagement party. Put her in something light and bright. Something white. And she needs to look dazzling. Everyone needs to be jealous of Isobel tonight. She’s marrying into old money, you know.”

  “Mom, I’m right here. You can say this to me. I’m not a doll for you to just dress up. Come on, tell me more about the Governor and just how much money he has,” I say, the champagne obviously starting to get to my head a little bit.

  She looks at me with disappointment written all over her face.

  “Isobel, I don’t know why you have to be so sulky all the time. Your father and I have gone to great lengths to make this match for you. Be happy. You’re going to be living in the Governor’s mansion and be inside for all the most important social events. What more could you ask for?”

  I turned towards her and say, “How about love? What about love, mother? Don’t people marry for love? Didn’t you even consider that?”

  She looks at me like I’m insignificant and like my words and opinions mean nothing because it’s true...they don’t mean anything to anyone around here.

  “Don’t be silly, Isobel. No one marries for love anymore. They marry for capital gain. And the Governor is essentially the most important person you can marry in this town.”

  I sigh and take another drink of my champagne.

  My mother has one thing on her mind—money. She’s never cared about me or my happiness. She cares about the image of me and my happiness.

  She forgets about me immediately and starts telling the makeup and hair people exactly what to do. She controls my image all the time, from top to bottom. It’s the only thing she’s good at, making me beautiful.

  She’s used to coming in here and transforming the moody girl into a bright Capulet princess. I have to play my role tonight just like every other night. I know if I don’t, my father will make me pay.

  He knows how to get to me, by taking away the people I love. He’s made the threat several times already and the thought of him removing my beloved Thelma—or Theo—from my life, well, it’s just too much. And if there’s one thing I know about my father, it’s that he never makes an empty threat.

  My father is a powerful man, but he’s powerful in the worst kind of way.

  He’s a disciplinarian and unkind.

  I avoid him at all costs. And I’m not required to see him very often.

  But these events are crucial to him. He wants to present his perfectly beautiful and docile daughter. What he doesn’t know is that inside of me, somewhere, there’s a fire raging, dying to be released.

  I’m that close to losing my shit.

  I’m over him, and I’m over this life.

  Tonight, I’ll have to play my part as usual, but, in the back of my mind, I’m always planning how to escape.

  Then, what will my father do?

  He’ll go fucking ballistic, and that’s a sight I want to see.

  My mother holds up a white, lacy gown with plenty of room to show some skin. It looks like a wedding dress already, and I have to tame my beating heart as I break out into a small sweat of fear.

  “Is it hot in here?” I say to no one in particular.

  This is really happening.

  If I don’t get out soon, I’m really going to have to sleep with the old son-of-a-bitch.

  “This one,” she says as she hands the gown to Patrick. “Goodbye, Isobel. Please try to look happy tonight. You know how your father is.”

  My mother takes her leave.

  As soon as soon as she shuts the door, I feel anger coursing through my veins.

  Finally, I find my voice.

  “Everyone, leave. I want every single person out of this room,” I say.

  They look at me in surprise because in their opinion, my image isn’t yet perfect.

  But I don’t care. I need alone time.

  “But Isobel—” Patrick starts to say.

  “Out!” I shout.

  They all leave in a hurry, and I’m happy to be left alone for just a couple minutes. Wearing nothing but my white lingerie, and of course my diamonds, I walk back out to the balcony where the rain is starting to fall fiercely.

  I need fucking air. I need to breathe. I need out.

  I look over the edge, and again, I think about jumping.

  In the end, I don’t have the courage to do it. I guess you could say there’s still a glimmer of hope in my heart that things will be different.

  I’ve had this image of a dream guy in my mind and my heart for as long as I can remember. I’ve always hoped that it’s real, that it’s not just some fantasy.

  Like I feel him in me already, finding his way to me, and that’s what I’m holding out for.

  Even if I have to screw the Governor, even if I have to wait forever, I feel like I would do anything for this guy, this dream I have of happiness.

  But tonight will cement my future. And despite my delusions of happiness, I know that this is my burden to bear. I have to marry the Governor.

  That means no more fantasy man, no more anything that could ever even attempt to make me happy.

  I sip my champagne and start to get drunk.

  What else is there to live for?

  I need this alcohol like a tonic for my burning and sad soul.

  I need out.

  3

  Isobel

  Giant crystal chandeliers adorn the ceilings.

  There are candelabras everywhere and dim lighting. Things are sexy as ever with the crème de la crème of society here. Celebrities, socialites, businessmen, and everyone else from the fashion industry mingle in the ballroom trying to get a look at me...the Capulet princess.

  A live band called Ember is playing. It’s a band I happen to adore…but nothing will make me happy tonight. These people are the classic social set that would attend a Capulet affair.

  Tonight is no different. Me plus the Governor means big business.

  There’s not one person here who doesn’t want to be seen.

  Nobody cares that our lives are funded by crime and degradation.

  Nobody cares how sinful my father is. They just know he has money, plenty of it, and that must make him important.

  Being in close proximity to him and to the illusion of grandeur is enough for them. Little do they know this whole operation is built upon layers of blood and death. Their hands are dirty by association, and so are mine—about to get dirtier, too, once I marry the old Governor.

  It’s a fabulous party though. Capulet parties always are.

  My mother would never want a Capulet society event to be seen as anything other than grand. And this one certainly is.

  It’s my engagement party after all. Daddy dearest is going to give his blessing tonight, and then the Governor will take over. Nausea forms in my stomach as I realize what this means.

  This is the beginning of a life that sickens me. Being around the Governor makes my skin crawl, and pretty soon, that’s going to be a daily affair.

  Even though I hate my Capulet prison, I think I’ll hate the Governor’s mansion even more.

  My fate is sealed, and all I can do at this moment is drink more and more champagne.

  Normally, I’m so well-behaved that I leave the heavy drinking for behind closed doors. But something about this night is so off-putting that I need alcohol to get through it.

  My cousin Theo approaches me, and I’m happy to see him.

/>   He looks handsome as ever in his tux.

  “Hey, Isobel,” he says, kissing my cheek. “You okay?”

  I sip my champagne and say, “What do you think?”

  “Yeah, I know. But listen, maybe it won’t be so bad. Being married to the Governor means that you’ll have more freedom than you ever had here. I mean, I’m sure he’ll let you at least go out during the daytime.”

  I look at him and think how lucky I am to have such an awesome cousin. He always has my best interest at heart.

  “You know, I hadn’t thought of it that way, Theo. But it’s still gonna suck. I still have to sleep with the old geezer.”

  He laughs a sinister kind of laugh because he knows it’s the truth. I’m going to have to give my body to this man, this incredibly gross human being.

  “Yeah, but, Isobel—look at it this way. He’s so old and out of shape, there’s no way he’s gonna last very long. You can do your five-minute duty at night and the rest of the time be free.”

  “You think?” I ask.

  “Yeah, definitely. Besides, I’ll come visit you often.”

  “You will? You mean you won’t leave me to wallow by myself in the life of an arranged marriage to a nefarious criminal?”

  He kisses me on the cheek and says, “Of course not. I would never leave you.”

  “Thanks, Theo. The future is still bleak, but I feel better having talked to you.”

  He’s sipping a dark liquid the shade of amber, and I know it’s gotta be stronger than what I’m drinking. So, I take his glass from his hands and help myself to a heavy sip of what I find out is scotch.

  Like I said, the more alcohol, the better.

  “Be careful, Isobel. Your father is watching. Don’t get too drunk tonight,” he says.

  “Daddy dearest is watching? What else is new?” I say sarcastically. “Hey, Theo, you know what would make me really happy?”

  He looks at me like he doesn’t want to know.

  “Let me guess. You want me to bust you out of here tonight?”

  I nod playfully.

  “Tonight, Isobel? Has it got to be tonight of all nights? Come on, your father’s gonna have even more security on you now that they’ve made the announcement.”

  I continue to drink his scotch, thinking of what to say to convince him.