When Liviana Santora takes her sister's place in an arranged marriage with Blaze Castelli, it isn't only her last name that changes, it's everything she's ever known ⏤ her life, her mind, her heart and soul ⏤ her idea of love. But could the same be said about Blaze?
View More“Don’t panic-““Don’t panic?!” Liviana repeats in a hiss, asking if he was joking. “Do you not see me? Already panicking?” She asks, pointing to herself in a show of how ridiculous of a thing he had just said to her. “It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?!”“Relax,” Blaze hisses back, telling her to take a breath. “You don’t know why they’re here,” he points. “They could just be here to arrange that dinner they were talking about, or to visit, or they’re looking for you- you just don’t know. You can’t panic until we know something’s wrong.”“Them even being here is wrong!” She argues, and she makes a point Blaze can’t exactly argue with because it was true.“You’re right,” he admits. “They shouldn’t be here. But they are.”“Exactly!” She shouts. “It’s wrong. Therefore, something is wrong and I should panic, because something is wrong!”“So we handle it,” he grits, his patience thinning with his own panic as he tells her she needed to pull herself together. “We don’t panic.
"Liviana!"The girl in question couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice, turning to greet her darling mother-in-law with a grin. "Elara!" She sings, quick to tuck herself into the older woman's embrace."How are you, my dear?" Elara wonders, stroking Liviana's dark hair as she holds her, pulling back to get a better look at her. "Are you doing well?" She asks, voice going quiet as she assures her that she could tell her."I'm doing fine," Liviana tells, smile dimming to nothing more than a soft curve of her lips. She had been fine- she had no reason to be anything other than okay. And yet, the words felt like a lie. Still, she swore she was. "I promise," she adds, prompted by the woman's prying gaze.Elara nods, accepting her answer and pulling her in once more. "Oh, it's been so long, dear. We need to catch up!" She insists, patting her hand gently against Livi's back, eyes lighting up once more when the door opens behind her, her son making way inside. "My boy!"Liviana sm
Liviana loved the Castelli's.She adored them. They were her family- in-laws, but family, nonetheless. And she loved them.In the months she's been with them, since becoming a part of their family, she had learnt what family really means. And compared to the definition she had before- the standards she previously held for family... It was strange. It was sad.Before she had met the Castelli's, Liviana believed in doing anything for your family, as in you would sacrifice yourself for them over and over again. She was taught that, for family, you should be as selfless as possible. You give up your happiness, your hope, your time and energy, your passion, and you give it all to them- the people you share your DNA with. Because they were your family, and for family, you should do anything, right? Anything that benefited them, too. Because a real family helps each other. A real family puts their family first.At least, that's what her parents said, and of course, she obliged. She put hersel
Blaze Castelli was a mess.He, himself, wasn’t a mess- in fact, he was always well put together. Organized and dapper, he was clean. He didn’t appear a mess on the outside, but inside... it was as though a tornado had ripped through his soul, releasing the heart he had spent years trying to forget and allowing the feelings he buried to roam free within him, pumping through his veins and fueling him with a strange flutter in his stomach.He wasn’t sure what this feeling was exactly. He was never good with emotions- expressing and at some point, he even had some trouble identifying his emotions, as well as other peoples. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t feel them, he just couldn’t explain which he was feeling. If he was angry, he couldn’t tell anyone he was angry- he would never put it into words or acknowledge the way he felt at all. Instead, he would act out. His anger would take hold of him tightly and walk him about as he threw tantrums wherever they went. He was a constant storm of
Liviana was a liar.She was a good liar- she lied for good reasons; for safety and peace of mind. Fibs is what she called them, minimizing the act of deception by telling herself that it wasn't with any ill intent. She wasn't a horrible person or untrustworthy- she was smart. She was careful. And she only did what was necessary for her survival. She told little white lies, which, in comparison to the lies her parents told- waving them like a red flag as they dared the world to call them out, was nothing. Compared to the rest of her family, Liviana Castelli was a saint.It was something she often had to remind herself of, as anytime she did something even slightly immoral she began to spiral, panicking as she wondered if, one day, she would turn into the very thing she fears- the person she always said she wouldn't become. Someone like her parents. Someone who lied for the simple pleasure of deception instead of doing it out of desperation.That's what Liviana was. Desperate. She was d
Liviana wasn’t an angry person.She was a woman all about peace. She believed in that saying ‘treat people the way you want to be treated’, and though she never actually received the kindness she gave back, she continued to give it out like candy on Halloween, passing out handfuls to each person who entered her life, if even for a moment. And though she had tried to do this with Blaze, offering him all she could - all she had - it wasn’t enough. Blaze never had much of a sweet tooth, and though she wished it was the case, Livi was no exception.It was a painful life to live, being married to a man who punished her for her mere existence when she had always dreamt of the husband she would one day have, who was supposed to love and accept her for herself- understand her in a way that no one else did. Liviana wanted a soulmate, someone who bettered her and helped her heal, not a man who looked at her broken pieces and sharpened them into weapons. And that was exactly what Blaze was doing
Liviana Castelli was homesick.For weeks- months, ever since the wedding when she and Blaze had left for their honeymoon, the night she was whisked away from the only home she's ever known, she had been sick. It was a longing, an empty feeling in her chest as a piece of her heart went void, being left in the house she grew up in while the rest beat for her new home, and a fresh start.It wasn't that she missed the house itself or even the people inside of it; it was the memories- the moments in time that lived there, the ones that got her through it all. They were the bones that held her up and made the house a home, and she was heartbroken to find that she couldn't bring them with her as she left and the people who had helped craft them. People like her siblings, her little brother; Tino. Livi was homesick for her brother.It was why, despite her shock and slight irritation in his impromptu visit, she couldn't help but start to cry. It was tears of relief, of joy. "T!" Livi yells, r
From the moment Tino Santora was born, he had a built in best friend. A protector, a mentor, a partner-in-crime, a confidant, a friend to last a lifetime, his sister; Liviana Castelli.The two, being the youngest siblings, had shared a bond. An understanding of what it was like trying to live up to their older siblings, being cast to their shadows and played against each other as they tried to dance and fill each step just right. They knew the pressure each other was under and just how heavy it all was. The attention that often turned to neglect the moment their older siblings stepped into the spotlight. How their gazes felt as though they were burning through their entire being every time it was their turn in the spotlight. The knowledge of simply being the backups that gnawed at their hearts, killing them with the reminder of just how disposable they really were.Their existence was meant to please their parents and be a pawn on Drusilla and Alonzo’s chess board, being used to fight
Liviana was a survivor.Drusilla and Alonzo had four kids, none one of which they ever treated as their kids. Instead, they treated them like vermin, as though these poor souls that they chose to bring into the world were simply put there to steal their happiness and ruin their lives. Though things had always seemed to work the other way around.Surviving in the Santora household took an expert. It took someone who grew up in the home and knew all of its secrets. Someone who knew everything from which floorboards creaked and which employees would be willing to help them had they ever been caught in their secret shenanigans and the ones who would turn them in without a second thought. It took the children who grew up in that hell to know how to survive in it. And the Santora siblings were survivors. They learnt all there was to know- the floorboards, the employees, how to manipulate and how to deceive, how to lie. They learnt it all. But through all the skills the siblings had picked u
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.