Chapter 51 The Calculated Sting

• (POV: Isabela)
• The night before the wedding. Not a countdown, but a slow, sure choke. My mind couldn’t escape that picture: Mateo, my father, Emilio, together. Allies from a past I didn't understand. What did it mean? How did that past connection fit with the present dangers, with my mother’s death, with this forced marriage? The questions twisted inside me, unanswered, adding another layer of confusion to the fear and dread.
• Tonight, there was another gala. Of course, there was. Another public display of the soon-to-be-united Montoya-Castillo power. Another chance for Mateo to show off his prized possession – me. I felt numb as Camila helped me into yet another obscenely expensive gown. This one was sapphire blue, cold and glittering, matching the heavy feeling inside me. That damn choker. Tighter than ever.