Chapter 80 - A Life Of Despair

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The minister said.

Nina didn't know how the whole ceremony ended. Her mind was drifting off, and her heart was screaming inside. The man in front of her tilted her chin as he stared at her glassy eyes.

She wanted to run away when he slowly leaned forward. She knew she was going to be kissed by another man other than Andrew. She suddenly trembled, and her knees felt weak.

But the man didn't kiss her on the lips and gently gave her a peck on the cheek. He smiled at her, but Nina noticed that he was gritting his teeth.

The man in front of him was James Santelmo, now her husband. 

After the engagement of Caden and Alira, she left the palace and tried to run away. But she was caught by James and was brought to the Santelmo mansion. She left Andrew with the divorce paper she signed months ago and left a few letters to her friends confessing her sins. 

She was kept in the mansion until the day of her marriage to James. Paolo Santelmo promised her that he would release Andrew's mother once she married his son.

She didn't leave a letter to Andrew. She couldn't bear to write something to him, so she just left him the divorce paper. Nina knew that her friends would never forgive her, and she wouldn't ask for their forgiveness either. What she did to them was unforgivable.

The wedding was prepared by the Santelmo's. She was never allowed to share her opinion or comment on it. She wasn't interested anyway; she didn't care.

Her family wasn't there, and no friends of hers were present. She didn't know anyone in the entourage, and even the guests were all strangers to her.

When she started to walk down the aisle, they looked at her like she was some property that had been sold to the Santelmo Clan. Most of them stared at her from head to toe, especially the women. She could sense some envy and anger from some of them towards her. They were women of the Mafia Clan.

The reception was held in the Santelmo mansion, not in some fancy restaurant or hotel. Paolo said it was still dangerous for them to come out, and he was worried that Andrew might be looking for Nina.

Who would have looked for his wife after her deception and betrayal? Who would be interested in a woman who divorced her husband, only to marry another man? Andrew might be cursing her to death right now. He might be looking for her to punish her, and not because he wanted her to return. She thought to herself.

She was sitting beside her new husband in front of everyone, barely touching her food. She was staring at the delicious dishes on the table, but she couldn't even take a small bite.

She was thinking about her new life with James. She thought she would be Mrs.Cross for the rest of her life. She never imagined that she would become someone else's wife.

"You have a lovely wife there, James." One of the guests said.

"You must be aching to get your hands on her." Another guest commented.

Nina suddenly felt her heart rise. It was beating so fast, and her whole body started to tremble. She never thought of the honeymoon because she never wanted it anyway.

She couldn't look anyone in the eyes, scared that someone might see the sadness in her eyes. She couldn't even glance at her new husband, afraid that he would suddenly grab and hurt her.

The party ended. Nina didn't even stand up from where she was seated. She knew that Paolo was pissed with her behavior, and she expected that he would do something to her afterward.

Nina was taken to a large bedroom and waited. She wanted to die at that moment, knowing that someone other than Andrew would touch her. Her body started shaking when she heard the door open.

She was in the corner of the bed, hugging her knees when James walked inside. He looked at her and frowned. Then he walked towards her and sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

"I'm your husband now. I suggest you act as a wife and do your obligation. I was not too fond of your expression during the wedding, but I forgive you. Now, let's have our first night together." He said, not looking at her.

She didn't say a word and just started crying. James' face became dark, then he suddenly grabbed her on the wrists, pinning her down on the bed.

"Stop crying! I own you now, Nina. Whether you like it or not, you will have to serve me in bed from now on!" He said with gritted teeth.

Nina couldn't do anything anymore when the man started kissing her on the neck. She wailed. Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces. She wanted to scream Andrew's name, but she knew he wouldn't be there for her. All of it was her fault. She ruined everything they had together, and this was her punishment. She would live a life full of despair and loneliness in the hands of James Santelmo.

Andrew crumpled the paper in his hand. It was the divorce paper Nina left him. He couldn't believe that she had deceived him. She was really a good actress, using her body so he could trust her.

He glanced at the man sitting across from him. It was the lawyer Nina hired to process their divorce paper.

"Mr.Cross, I suggest you sign the paper so we can all move on from this." The middle-aged man said.

With a dark expression, he took the pen from his pocket and started signing the papers.

He gave the documents back to the man and asked him to leave. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist from the anger he felt towards Nina.

"I swear I will find you and the rest of the Santelmo Clan.. You will all pay for what you did to me."