Giant crystal chandeliers adorn the ceilings.

There are candelabras everywhere and dim lighting. Things are sexy as ever with the crème de la crème of society here. Celebrities, socialites, businessmen, and everyone else from the fashion industry mingle in the ballroom trying to get a look at me...the Capulet princess.

A live band called Ember is playing. It’s a band I happen to adore…but nothing will make me happy tonight. These people are the classic social set that would attend a Capulet affair.

Tonight is no different. Me plus the Governor means big business.

There’s not one person here who doesn’t want to be seen.

Nobody cares that our lives are funded by crime and degradation.

Nobody cares how sinful my father is. They just know he has money, plenty of it, and that must make him important.

Being in close proximity to him and to the illusion of grandeur is enough for them. Little do they know this whole operation is built upon layers of blood and death. Their hands are dirty by association, and so are mine—about to get dirtier, too, once I marry the old Governor.

It’s a fabulous party though. Capulet parties always are.

My mother would never want a Capulet society event to be seen as anything other than grand. And this one certainly is.

It’s my engagement party after all. Daddy dearest is going to give his blessing tonight, and then the Governor will take over. Nausea forms in my stomach as I realize what this means.

This is the beginning of a life that sickens me. Being around the Governor makes my skin crawl, and pretty soon, that’s going to be a daily affair.

Even though I hate my Capulet prison, I think I’ll hate the Governor’s mansion even more.

My fate is sealed, and all I can do at this moment is drink more and more champagne.

Normally, I’m so well-behaved that I leave the heavy drinking for behind closed doors. But something about this night is so off-putting that I need alcohol to get through it.

My cousin Theo approaches me, and I’m happy to see him.

He looks handsome as ever in his tux.

“Hey, Isobel,” he says, kissing my cheek. “You okay?”

I sip my champagne and say, “What do you think?”

“Yeah, I know. But listen, maybe it won’t be so bad. Being married to the Governor means that you’ll have more freedom than you ever had here. I mean, I’m sure he’ll let you at least go out during the daytime.”

I look at him and think how lucky I am to have such an awesome cousin. He always has my best interest at heart.

“You know, I hadn’t thought of it that way, Theo. But it’s still gonna suck. I still have to sleep with the old geezer.”

He laughs a sinister kind of laugh because he knows it’s the truth. I’m going to have to give my body to this man, this incredibly gross human being.

“Yeah, but, Isobel—look at it this way. He’s so old and out of shape, there’s no way he’s gonna last very long. You can do your five-minute duty at night and the rest of the time be free.”

“You think?” I ask.

“Yeah, definitely. Besides, I’ll come visit you often.”

“You will? You mean you won’t leave me to wallow by myself in the life of an arranged marriage to a nefarious criminal?”

He kisses me on the cheek and says, “Of course not. I would never leave you.”

“Thanks, Theo. The future is still bleak, but I feel better having talked to you.”

He’s sipping a dark liquid the shade of amber, and I know it’s gotta be stronger than what I’m drinking. So, I take his glass from his hands and help myself to a heavy sip of what I find out is scotch.

Like I said, the more alcohol, the better.

“Be careful, Isobel. Your father is watching. Don’t get too drunk tonight,” he says.

“Daddy dearest is watching? What else is new?” I say sarcastically. “Hey, Theo, you know what would make me really happy?”

He looks at me like he doesn’t want to know.

“Let me guess. You want me to bust you out of here tonight?”

I nod playfully.

“Tonight, Isobel? Has it got to be tonight of all nights? Come on, your father’s gonna have even more security on you now that they’ve made the announcement.”

I continue to drink his scotch, thinking of what to say to convince him.

“Come on, Theo. I really, really need to get out tonight. It’s more important than ever. I’m feeling like the walls are closing in on me here.”

He looks around the room, gauging the crowd, trying to study anybody who might be looking at us or paying attention to our conversation. He’s always careful.

Too careful if you ask me. But with a man like my father breathing down your neck, I guess you can never be too careful.

I would never run away under Theo’s watch. I know my father would kill him, so I never even consider it. But slipping past the bodyguards to have a night on the town?

That’s something I consider doing every day or as much as Theo will allow it to happen.

He’s like the best big brother or cousin a girl could have.

“God, Isobel, you put me in such a precarious position,” he says, and I study his face, waiting for an answer. “But yes, I’ll try to get you out tonight. I’ll come knocking on your door if I can make it work, okay? Just make sure to be the one who answers,” he says, and I’m thrilled.

“Okay, Theo, anything you say. One more time out together before the Governor puts me under lock and key.”

He looks at me with a saddened expression. He and I both know it’s not a joking matter.

“Don’t say it like that, Isobel. Thelma will be there, and like I said before, you might have more freedom, remember?”

I kiss him on the cheek, hand him back his drink, and say, “Thank you. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, walking away.

I know he’ll do it. He’ll do whatever he can to bust me out of her tonight, and that’s all I can ask of him. The thought of making a small escape tonight is enough to get me through the evening.

I sit at a table that has the most ostentatious centerpiece of flowers I’ve ever seen in my life. My mother no doubt chose these. Her taste is flashy, to say the least.

She likes to scream to the world, We have money, so much money.

People are looking at me like I should be happy. In truth, I’m hiding here behind this massive centerpiece hoping the Governor won’t find me.

This isn’t a good beginning to married life.

I guess you could say I looked pretty stunning tonight. I’m not afraid to say it.

My beauty team put serious effort into my look. I’m wearing the white lace dress that my mother picked out, and it reveals my long, tanned legs. I’m also wearing a white silver mask that does nothing to make me look incognito.

People still recognize me. And of course, I’m still dripping in the diamonds that my father gave me.

He doesn’t give me little luxuries to make me happy.

He does it so that I look like the Capulet princess that I am.

Thelma comes over to me and takes a seat. She can see that I’m slightly drunk.

“Baby, you need to be careful. You’re drinking too much and not eating enough. You don’t want your father to see you acting sloppy, do you?”

I defiantly look her in the eyes and take a deliberate drink of my champagne.

“I don’t care what he thinks anymore, Thelma. He’s married me away to another man, a monster. That man’s my new jail keeper, not him.”

She pushes a piece of cake towards me and says, “Eat. You need to have something in your stomach.”

I reluctantly take the fork and dig into my own engagement party cake. It has a thick layer of icing, and I can’t say it’s a bad thing. Then, she pushes some strawberries towards me because she knows I like to eat those with my champagne.

I have a look around the room.

“So, have you met anybody interesting tonight, Thelma?”

“You know me, I have my eye on several men,” she says pointing to a couple of guys across the room.

Everyone loves Thelma. She has a social attitude and a way of making people feel at ease. That and she also loves to have sex...like a lot.

She’s not in captivity like I am, so she goes out almost every night.

Like I said, I have to live vicariously through her life.

“They’re cute, kind of,” I say honestly.

“You know I don’t care about cute. I want a man, a real man,” she says laughing.

I push the cake around on my plate and eat a strawberry. It helps. My mind is starting to steady a little bit.

A big pair of hands slides over my shoulders.

I spin around to see who it is and to my total dismay, I realize it’s him.

“Isobel, my soon-to-be bride, my fiancé—are you having a good time at the party?” he says to me.

I shy away from his touch and say, “Yes, of course. Everything’s just fine.”

He leans down and kisses my cheek. I smell the alcohol and cigars on his breath.

Every part of my body is saying run away, just get out of here.

He leans in close and whispers in my ear, “I’m extremely excited to make you my wife. Mostly because the wedding night will be mine, my time to deflower that virgin pussy of yours. And let me just tell you—you better be a fucking virgin.”

He says the words, and I feel like crying.

Yes, I’m a fucking virgin. But I didn’t save it this long for a guy like him.

Again, the image of my fantasy guy, the man I’ve been dreaming about since I was young, flashes across my mind. I think I’ll never get to see him or know him.

It’s all just in my head. The reality of having to marry the Governor is smashing down on my shoulders.

Thelma is looking at me like she’s concerned. She realizes that I’m in deep trouble with this guy. He’s mean, and if he turns out to be meaner than my father, I don’t know what I’ll do.

All I can hope is that I’m allowed to have Thelma come with me.

If she doesn’t move with me to the Governor’s mansion, I’ll truly be lost.

“Sweetheart,” the Governor says, suddenly being so cordial, “It’s time to take the stage and make the official announcement. Come with me.”

I plead with my eyes for Thelma to help me. But in truth, I know there’s nothing for her to do. My future’s set in stone, and I’m afraid.

He grabs my hand and takes me up to the stage. On the way, my mother finds us. She immediately starts to schmooze the Governor. He loves when people suck up to him, and my mother has no shame.

“This is it, Isobel. Aren’t you excited?”

Excited is definitely not the word. Terrified, yes. Depressed, obviously.

“Smile, Isobel. All eyes are on you. Make us proud, or you know your father won’t be happy.”

The Governor pulls me away from her and leads me up to the stage. He’s crushing me with the weight of his arms. My size pales in comparison to this guy.

I look into the crowd. I see my father, and he’s not happy. I think again about Thelma and Theo, all that he could take away from me.

And in that moment, I plaster a smile on my face.

Fake it until you make it, right?