Promises and Pomegranates by Sav R. Miller

thought, then refocus in the next second. “Is that what happened? Did he
seduce you and get you addicted to his cock?”
“Ariana.”
“What? It was your first time, presuming what Papá said about you and
Mateo waiting was accurate. It makes sense you’d feel an unnatural, souldeep
connection to him.”
I chew on the plum silently, considering this. It would make sense, but
it’d also suggest my motives behind accepting his forced proposal were
actually less altruistic than I’d thought, and I don’t want to think about the
fact that I’d probably have thrown my family to the wolves if only the darkhaired,
sharp-jawed sociopath asked.
So, instead of doubling down on the realization, I shove it to the recesses
of my brain and backpedal. “Wait. You said he stole me, just like Mamá said.
What did you mean by that?”
“He hasn’t told you yet? Papá and Mamá slipped a tip to Bollente and a
few other national news stations downtown, saying Kal slit Mateo’s throat
and kidnapped you from your very own balcony. They’re offering a gigantic
reward for any information on your whereabouts.”
I watch as she sets the phone down, dusting her eyelids with a soft gold
shadow. My makeup bag sits upstairs in my packed suitcase, probably
wasting away at this point—though where’s the sense in doing myself up for
a man’s haphazard attention the few hours he’s actually home?
Maybe Nonna was right, and my generation really does give up early on
in marriage.
Puzzlement twists my face up. “They know where I’m at. And even if
they didn’t, I’m video chatting with you right now. How hard would it be to
trace my location?”
“Harder than you think, apparently. Why else would Papá go to the
trouble of drawing attention to himself?”
An uneasy feeling settles low in my belly, anchoring me to my fears.
Something doesn’t feel quite right here.
I hang up with Ariana, assuring her that I’m fine and don’t need to be
rescued just as the front door swings open, banging into the wall with such
force the sink window rattles.
A few silent beats pass, and I half expect Kal to come in, even though
seeking me out doesn’t seem to be part of his afternoon routine.
If I’d known being married to him was going to be this lonely…