The Mafia's Good Girl
The Mafia’s Good Girl – Chapter 87

~ Violet ~

“Dearly beloved and honored guests, we are gathered together here to join Damon Michael Van Zandt and Violet Rose Carvey in the union of marriage…”

The officiant spoke proudly as the bride and groom stood before him. They were standing under a beautiful flower arch in the warm summer light. Violet looked absolutely beautiful in her white wedding dress. She looked up to see Damon’s dark, piercing eyes boring into hers. He also looked dashingly handsome, wearing his signature black three-piece suit.

“…Will you, Damon Michael Van Zandt, take Violet Rose Carvey to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?”

Damon kept his eyes on her as he said, “I do,”

Violet’s heart was fluttering in happiness and excitement. She couldn’t drop her smile no matter how hard she tried to stay calm.

“And do you, Violet Rose Carvey, take Damon Michael Van Zandt to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?”

Violet was staring deeply into his eyes and it was like she could see his soul. There were no doubts or negative thoughts. She knew exactly what to say. With confidence and absolute conviction, she opened her mouth to speak.

“I…”

* BANG! *

A loud thundering noise cut through the air and Violet felt a pang in her chest. Damon’s eyes jolted wide as he stared down at her. She followed his gaze and saw b***d-red stains forming on her chest. She had just been shot!

Violet’s knees went weak and her vision became blurry. She fell down to her feet, but Damon was quick to catch her in his arms. B***d was gushing out of her chest and soaking her beautiful white dress through and through.

“Violet!” Damon’s eyes were filled with anguish and fear.

“…Damon…?” she tried her best to speak, but her throat was closing up.

* BANG! BANG! BANG! *

More gunshots were heard and the whole scene turned into chaos. The warm afternoon sunlight was now covered in fog and gunpowder. People were running and screaming for their lives. Some even collapsed to the ground with b***d pouring out of them.

“Damon… help me…”

Violet was holding on to dear life. Damon looked lost and his eyes were filled with rage and anger. Letting out a deadly scream, he then pulled out his gun and aimed it at anyone and everyone. Anyone who tried to come close to them, he’d shoot them all.

* BANG! BANG! BANG! *

Damon kept shooting and shooting like a maniac. He shot everybody, women, children, and even the wedding officiant. Violet could only watch in terror as he annihilated everyone. Until finally, there was no one left and nothing left but silence.

“…Damon…” she called out for him, and he turned his eyes to her.

There was something in his eyes that Violet didn’t recognize. He wasn’t looking at her the way he used to. His eyes were cold and sharp. He was looking at her the way he was looking at that old man that he once killed.

“Finish her,” A voice came from behind him and Hugo DeSantis appeared. Hugo put his hand on Damon’s shoulder and smirked a menacing smile, saying, “My son,”

“No…!” Violet begged. “Please!”

Damon just stared at her with an empty look on his face. He lifted his gun and pointed the mouth straight to her heart.

“No…! Damon…!”

* BANG! *

Violet woke up with her whole body jolting up from the bed. She was sweating, her breath was ragged, and her heart was racing. She looked around the room and realized that she was in her bedroom.

Oh, thank God. It was just a dream.

Violet calmed her breathing and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She glimpsed at the clock, it was 5 in the morning. The sunrise would come very soon and it was useless to go to sleep now. Today was the big day and she had to be up early for hair and make-up anyway.

Letting out a sigh, Violet climbed off the bed and headed for the shower. Damon wasn’t sleeping with her tonight because they decided to follow tradition, sleeping apart until the wedding day.

Last night, other than when Dylan showed up out of nowhere, the rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. Damon appeared moments after she got back and they were inseparable throughout the night. Adrian and Talia did their speeches and they were beautiful. She felt so much love from everyone, for a split second, Violet even forgot that they were surrounded by hundreds of strangers.

Pushing off the negative thoughts in her head, Violet decided not to ask Damon anything. Not about the godfather thing or about his plans for the wedding. She remembered the last time they tried talking about things and maybe it was better that she didn’t know anyway. And as for his love for her… she figured it was useless to doubt him.

“Sweet girl, you’re not doubting my love, are you? Because if you are, then I don’t know why we bother getting married,”

Exactly, she told herself. Violet finished her shower and walked into the closet. Her beautiful wedding gown was displayed in the middle, waiting for her. And next to it was the purse she wore last night. Violet took a deep breath and grabbed the purse. The contents were still intact. The gun was there, as well as the plane ticket from Dylan.

They’re leaving in a few hours…

* KNOCK! * KNOCK! *

The knocking sound on the door broke Violet’s train of thought. She quickly pushed the purse away and went to the door. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Elena, Talia, and Celina standing in front of her. They, along with a few other maids, were there to help her get ready.

“Good morning, Mrs. Van Zandt,” Talia teased as she entered the room.

“Good morning,” Violet chuckled. “But I’m not Mrs. Van Zandt yet,”

“You will be, very, very soon,” she replied with a wink.

Violet’s lips curved up a smile, but it wasn’t a full smile. There was something bothering her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger around it. Shaking it off, Violet sat down on the chair and let the girls helped her with the hair and make-up. The girls were chatty and excited, but Violet was mostly quiet. No one seemed to notice though because the maids also brought a bottle of champagne with them and everyone was drinking merrily.

About an hour later, Violet stood in front of the mirror studying her reflection. She was wearing the most gorgeous dress she’d ever laid her eyes on. Her hair was beautifully done and so was her make-up. Everything looked perfect, and yet, she felt something was missing.

“Hey? Are you okay?” Talia asked when she noted the look on Violet’s face.

“Yeah, I…” Violet thought about the right words to say. Suddenly she felt weirdly suffocated. “I just need a minute,”

“Sure, anything you need,” Talia nodded her head, taking a step back to give Violet some space.

“I think I’m gonna go take a walk,”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Violet shook her head. “I’ll be right back,”

“Oh, okay…” Talia said with a half-smile. “We’ll be here,”

Violet forced out a smile and took the purse with her, leaving the other girls in the room. She didn’t know why she took the purse. Maybe she just didn’t want them to replace it.

Violet wandered aimlessly down the hall and she found herself walking towards the garden. The decorators and other maids were busily running around, carrying flowers and other things for the wedding reception. The reception would be held in the middle part of the garden where there was a beautiful fountain.

Violet didn’t want to be around people, so she walked towards the abandoned church because she knew the place would be empty. She was right. She entered the church and it was dark and quiet, like always.

Violet found the quiet comforting. She stepped forward towards the altar and kneeled before the cross. It had been a long time since she last prayed. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head down and began a prayer, hoping it would give her the peace of mind she desperately needed.

“You’re Violet, aren’t you?”

Suddenly, a voice was heard and Violet’s eyes jolted open in shock. She whipped her head back and saw a familiar-looking girl walking towards her. The girl had dark hair, fair features, and light-colored eyes.

“Isabella?” she gaped.

“The one and only,” the girl replied with a smile.

“Are you… real?”

“Don’t worry, I’m only as real as the thoughts that are in your head,” Isabella went up to the altar stood at an arm’s length away. Then she stretched out her hand and said, “Anyway, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,”

Violet was confused. She took Isabella’s hand and got up to her feet.

“You do?” she asked.

“Damon talks about you sometimes,” Isabella nodded.

Violet stared in bewilderment at Isabella. This couldn’t be real. Was she dreaming again?

“I heard you two are getting married today?” Isabella said again.

“Yes… we are,”

“I wish I could say congratulations, but that wouldn’t true,”

“What do you mean?”

“Marrying Damon is not a celebration. It’s a one-way ticket to hell,”

Violet narrowed her eyes in protest. “That’s not true…”

“But it is,” Isabella stated matter-of-factly. “Or did you forget who he is and what he’s capable of?”

Suddenly, flashes of images appeared before Violet’s eyes. She saw the first time she and Damon made a deal. She saw how he tormented her and rough he could be. She saw how bad he treated the other girls before her. And then she saw the moment where he killed that old man in the basement. He was cold and ruthless. He had no heart.

“No!” Violet shook her head firmly. “That’s the old Damon. He’s not like that anymore. He’s a changed man,”

Isabella let out a smile, but it wasn’t the friendly kind. It was more like she pitied her.

“You really are a good girl,” she said. “No wonder he likes you so much,”

Violet narrowed her eyes further, not knowing what to make of that comment.

“Look, you don’t understand this right now, but that’s okay. One day, you’ll realize that we’re all just pawns in his game,” Isabella continued.

“What do you mean?”

“Damon’s not capable of love, sweetheart. He’s never loved anyone,”

“He loved you,” Violet argued.

“He loved the idea of me. I was the daughter of the most powerful mafia in the state. Winning my heart means he’ll win the entire game,” Isabella then paused for a beat and said, “The only person Damon ever really loves is himself,”

Those words hit her deep in the heart. Violet took a step back and shook her head.

“That’s not true,” she denied. “Damon loves me, and he has nothing to gain from it,”

Isabella cócked her head to the side and asked, “Are you sure about that?”

Before Violet could say anything else, she heard a cracking noise coming from the door. She turned around and saw Damon standing at the doorway. He was wearing his signature black suit and he was carrying flowers in his hand. The warm morning light shone from behind him and it made him look like he was glowing in the light. For a split second, he even looked like God himself.