Valentina

"Okayyyy," placing my body over the cushioned chair, I sighed. The team that would make my transformation from rags to riches was handpicked by Maria. At one point when the interviews were conducted - yes, there were interviews for selecting the bridal team, I felt as if Maria was vicariously living through me.

In my attempt to know more about the Moralez family, I had spent a lot of time with Agustin, knowing their likes and dislikes. Although mingling with the new family before the wedding was looked down upon, Maria was more than happy to allow it.

She wasn't a lady of old customs and traditions. She was a woman of new rules who favored family bonds. Blood ties were considered of high regard in this family - the closer the blood bond, the thicker the boil. It made me wonder how my plans about Antonio would affect this family.

"There, there...don't twitch your face," the makeup artist - Kirata, holding a foundation brush, stroked it over my cheekbones, holding my face still. "I told you to get your beauty sleep, Val. Lots of it. You don't listen, niña."

Her voice was irritated and rightfully. I, her mannequin showed flaws. Kirata had to spend more time making me look perfect, reapplying makeup. Pulling me up from the chair, her instruction paced up.

"Vamos...Now the dress..."

Her team assembled around me, disrobing me. I held onto the last inch of velvet fabric over my lingerie-clad body. I wasn't a shy girl but I would rather not be naked around strangers.

"Ahhh... Intacta," Kirata smirked, beaming proudly like my virginity made her happy. I wasn't. But her implication made me roll my eyes, my blood boil.

How dare she assume that? 

Dropping the robe, I straightened, unbuckling my bra. The air-conditioner worked at double power with the presence of so many in the room. Every bristle of hair on my body stood in attention, a trail of goosebumps followed.

"No asumas que todos son vírgenes!" I scoff at her. 

Kirata's assumption was wrong and the realization that her mannequin bride wasn't a virgin didn't go well with her. She walked away as I pulled the gown up. Her assistant chuckled softly, helping me with my gown. I gave her a soft smile in return.

"You were quite daring to say it," she said, bending down and rising, zipping my gown.

"It was required," I stated confidently. "People shouldn't assume a woman's virginity as her strong suit."

The zip ran till my mid-back, tightening my body into a meat casing. I held onto the chair, bending my head in the wake of nausea. My hands trembled and so did my body. Its nerves, I reminded myself.

"You might have to wear your bra," she picked up the garment which dropped on the floor - my sign of rebellion. "The dress won't let you breathe. You...are..."

"Busty? I know I have good boobs." As always, I was proud of my assets. Not one to hide my body, I was always comfortable in my skin. Yet, I wasn't stupid either to walk down the aisle without a cage for my breasts. After all, they had a mind of their own. That little stunt to shove away the lingerie was only for Kirata who wanted all her brides to be pious, untouched.

Fucking bitch.

Donning the gown, I walked out. Dad stood outside the bridal room along with Nicolas; the wild stallion of our family and my cousin. He was my first crush and the first man I wanted to kiss. Yes, I was a pervert when I was eleven, wanting to play with my cousin's tonsils.

With Nicolas's glorious face, sharp sea-green eyes and a majestic jawline, it was surprising how I wasn't tempted for more as a horny teenager. Maybe, I didn't want to screw up what we had.

Dad and I kept our pace aligned till he walked ahead to meet and greet with some people. Nicolas turned me around, evaluating my face, my body. His pupils stayed dilated and his mouth unhinged as those green orbs scanned me down till the hem. My heart tried escaping the rib barrier, watching his predatory eyes drink me up.

"God...did I miss my chance with you?" He sighed, pulling me closer. His lips contoured on a side. He stooped low, matching my length. I gulped air and saliva, holding my breath while Nicolas sniffed his prey. His mouth aligned near my ears, whispering. "Let's elope."

A gush of air left my lungs as I fell back onto the wall. My body vibrated with the joke he cracked. Holding onto my sides, I bend down. My stomach was hurting with the tightness of the fabric around me and from the pressure exerted by even a burst of mild laughter.

"Stop it. You are killing me," I somehow managed to speak between panting and breathing. "Don't make me laugh. I can't, in this dress."

Moving closer, Nicolas whispered. "Who said I was kidding?" His eyes remained transfixed on mine. His nails dug into my knuckles. He was hurting me on purpose.

Shoving his hold off my arm, my expressions switched to something sour, heated. Nobody ever played rough with me without my consent. 

"Don't you dare hold me like that again," I growled in a lowered tone.

Nico waited for my seriousness to fade, rubbing his face before looking back at me. With every passing second and a delayed apology, he was conjuring death wish upon himself.

Maybe it was the pent up patriarchal hatred towards men which made me marry a man I didn't love or the fact that Nicolas thought it was okay to hurt me like I was some toy for him. Whatever it was, it worked in conveying to the man that I cannot be treated like his whore.

"I'm sorry, Tina," Nico held his head low, voice lower. "I couldn't get the thought of you with El Demonio sleeping..."

Possessive. Good. But at the cost of hurting me. Bad. I liked my men strong yet sensitive. Possessive yet understanding. Nico just fell off the charts.

"Don't let it happen again." I matched his eyes and he nodded. Something inside me wanted to clarify further. The rebel girl who angered the beautician came back once more for Nico too. "I am not yours to be jealous. I decide who does what to me, NOT YOU."

Nicolas's expressions changed in the blink of an eye. The funny man was lost, replaced with an angry one. His voice vibrated through his throat like a growl. The predator could have killed me if it wasn't for our bond.

"Let's go, Tina. We don't want to keep your husband waiting."

~

Antonio

My tie wasn't in place and so was my head. The mansion was bustling with people, letting me have no option but to perch on the roof.

Alejandro was the first one to find me. He walked over the slanted roof to hand me a cigarette. We both stood in silence, watching the smoke disappear in the air much like my life. Words didn't matter at this point. Thankfully, Agustin wasn't present to break the peace and silence. He was the talker in the family.

"I never told you this before..." Al took a long drag before exhaling. "...but I liked Elena."

Al's words ripped through my heart. Elena was hidden away at the back of my mind. I had tried many times to avoid thinking about her but like a light-weighted object, she always resurfaced. It took me two whole years to even let go of her memories and regain the understanding that she wasn't coming back. Today, I had to let go of her status to someone else.

Nobody spoke about Elena's loss in our family. We pretended to move on. While I took care of those responsible for her death, roasted them alive for the world to see, the hole in my heart was never filled itself. No amount of alcohol or women could replace her or her memories. I vowed never to remarry. I never wanted anyone else to take over.

But life had other plans. Maria's cancer scare convinced me to give her a grandchild before she passed away. Although the later test results declared her fit as a fiddle, I had caved in by then.

"You think she'd be good?" Alejandro spoke, eying the horizon. His words flew out along with the smoke from his mouth. "This new woman, Val?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

Al got up and lent me a hand. Before descending downstairs, he checked my tuxedo, eyed my tie. "You'd be the world's first man to have a second marriage in his first marriage suit."

Tapping my shoulders, he walked away. One last time, I checked myself in the mirror. I didn't care at this moment if I wore a used tuxedo or a garbage bag around me.

I just wanted to get it over with.

~

Valentina

The occasion though was formal, Antonio wanted it to be just family. So here we were - me, my dad and Nicolas at the registrar's office. The Moralez family had a few more people than us but that was the only number to witness our union. 

I walked into the little chapel where the documents were placed. There was no double door entry for the bride, no string quartets and no vows till eternity. This was a deal - a shady deal to be precise. A deal where the Moralez took both our pride and dignity.

Dad handed me the pen. Quickly, I to scratched a signature on the registry. The ink squirted in my hand with the pressure I applied on the nib. Passing over the pen to Antonio, I sighed. My life was being signed away. The man who was buying it didn't even bother to check the bloodstain from the paper cut while I handed him the pen.

This would be your life, Val.

Nobody would care for you. Nobody would check if you bleed and die. Val, you were replaceable.

The witnesses signed after us, hugs were delivered and everyone except Antonio and me smiled and talked. Celebrated. Only we stood in a corner like two admonished children whose parents asked them not to move.

Antonio had a mule by the end of this day and a womb to provide an heir to the family. A body to warm his bed and a woman to stand beside him. Everything was a deal between us Ramirez and the mighty Moralez.

Everything including the façade of being his wife.

~

Dearies,

Hope you like this Christmas gift. Do let me know in the comments, your thoughts...

Enjoy :)