Kidnapped by the Arab

In Italy, Carlo arrived at his parents’ house. His mother had summoned him, and he came out of respect, though he knew what his mother had in mind, and it irritated him. He planned to stay only a few days before returning to the United States, as he wouldn’t rest until he found Mía.

“Bambino, you’ve arrived.”

“Mom, what was so urgent that you had to call me here?”

“We’ll talk later. First, settle in, freshen up, and come down to have dinner with us. Your father will be here shortly.”

“All right, mom.”

Carlo was a very handsome man, and it was his bad manners that made him intolerable. He was tall and well-built, with honey-colored eyes that illuminated his face. He had a rugged charm that attracted women, but his arrogance and haughtiness spoiled it all.

When he came downstairs, he realized that it wouldn’t be a simple family dinner.

“What’s going on here?”

“Son, come here. This is Vittoria, the daughter of your godfather, Tommasso Nicolo.”

His father said joyfully.

Carlo put on a look of annoyance. The girl was beautiful, but so were many others. His parents didn’t understand that he would find Mía and bring her back.

“Bambino, I see your father has already introduced you to Vittoria.”

His mother said as she approached with a platter of appetizers.

“Nice to meet you, Vittoria.”

He replied with a scowl, trying to discourage any hopes she might have about him.

“Don’t you remember me?”

She said while smiling sweetly.

“To be honest, your name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“We used to play together when we were kids. We were very close. Then my parents divorced, and my mother took me with her to Brazil.”

“Were you the little freckled girl?”

“Haha, you remembered! That’s what you used to call me.”

“Wow, I really didn’t recognize you. You look very different now.”

They spent a pleasant afternoon reminiscing about their childhood, sharing anecdotes and mischievous adventures. Everything was going well until his mother decided to speak up.

“Bambino, the families have talked, and we want to unite them through your marriage to Vittoria. She has accepted.”

“Damn it, Mom! I’ve told you that the only woman I’ll marry is Mía.”

He struck the glass on the table with his fists, and a thin line of blood appeared instantly.

“Son, calm down!” his father exclaimed.

Vittoria approached, trying to cover Carlo’s hand with a cloth, but he pulled away rudely.

“Don’t come near me. Do you think that just because I remembered who you are, I’ll marry you? Not even in your dreams. How little self-respect you must have to accept this.”

He turned around, leaving Vittoria with tears in her eyes. She had always cherished her memory of him and loved him since childhood. When her parents divorced, her mother took her to Brazil and prevented her from returning to Italy. Now that her mother had passed away, she had decided to come back and win Carlo’s heart.

“Daughter, don’t worry. He’ll come around. It will take time for him to forget that terrible woman who left him at the altar. It’s not easy to overcome that.”

“I know, Aunt, and I’ll be here to support him until he can forget her.”

“Just remember that you’ll need a lot of patience.”

Carlo packed his bags, ready to return to the United States. His father stood in front of him, blocking his way.

“If you leave now, Carlo Román, forget that we ever existed for you. You can leave after resolving things with your mother, not like this.”

“I care little about what you think, feel, or want. I tried to be respectful, but you won’t interfere in my life like this. So move aside and let me pass.”

His father stepped aside, and suddenly he clutched his chest. Carlo thought he was lying and trying to blackmail him.

Pietro fell to the ground unconscious, and Greta screamed, rushing to his side. At that moment, Carlo realized that his father wasn’t acting. He tried to revive him but couldn’t.

An ambulance arrived quickly, and at the hospital, the doctor spoke with Carlo.

“Mr. Román, your father urgently needs open-heart surgery. Mr. Pietro had this condition for some time and chose to keep it from his mother. I won’t lie to you; your father may not survive the surgery.”

Carlo felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over him. He had no idea that his father was ill, and he regretted his rude behavior.

His father asked him to come in; he needed to talk to him.

“I’m here, Father.”

“Mio figlio, I’m dying, I can feel it. Promise me you’ll take care of your mother.”

“I will, Father, but don’t think like that. You’ll get better.”

“I want you to marry Vittoria, son. She loves you, and I know that you’ll fall in love with her in time. She’s a beautiful and educated girl. That woman you’re in love with doesn’t love you. Stop searching for her.”

“No, Father. They took her against her will. I saw the anguish on her face when they took her away. I can’t leave her in their hands.”

“Take it as my last wish to see you married to Vittoria. You’ll get married right here before my surgery. It will be a civil wedding, and later, you can plan the religious ceremony and a grand celebration.”

“Fine, Father.”

Carlo resigned himself to fulfilling his father’s wish. He knew that another contradiction would undoubtedly kill him. Afterward, he’d figure out a way to divorce Vittoria; he had no intention of remaining married to her.

He tried to appear calm in front of his father, but as soon as he left the room, he couldn’t contain his fury. He punched the wall repeatedly with his fists, and the hospital staff pretended not to notice. They all knew of his power and rage. He ordered his trusted man to bring a civil judge and his documents and alerted his mother to have Vittoria bring hers.

A while later, Vittoria approached him with a smile on her face, holding her documents.

“I know you won’t regret this. I’ll make you fall in love with me soon. Thank you for accepting to share your life with me.”

Carlo looked at her with contempt, grabbed her by the neck, and pinned her against the wall.

“You got what you wanted, but don’t blame me for how I might treat you. I’ll make your life a living hell.”

His mother arrived just then and hurried to separate them. Vittoria was in tears, terribly frightened, but still naïvely believed she could conquer him.

“Son, what you’re doing is not right. Vittoria loves you. You can’t treat her like this.”

“Hahaha, of course I can, and I will. Let her find out what awaits her by my side.”

His eyes were bloodshot from the fury he felt. He regretted the moment that woman returned to his life.

The civil judge had arrived, and they all went into Pietro’s room. The doctor granted them a special permission due to Pietro’s grave condition.

The judge went through the necessary procedure, and when he asked the customary question, Vittoria answered quickly, but Carlo hesitated for a moment. Yet, upon seeing his father’s pleading gaze, he agreed immediately.

The marriage took place, and Carlo’s face seemed like he was attending a funeral. Regardless, Vittoria was excited; she would finally be with him.

After signing the papers, the judge left, and everyone stepped out of the room so Pietro could rest. Carlo decided to go eat, as his mother would stay with his father.

He left, ignoring Vittoria, who followed him.

“Why are you following me?”

“I thought maybe we could have lunch together.”

“Well, after all, you do think. You haven’t understood anything, are you really that stupid, or are you pretending?”

“My father pressured me to marry you. As soon as we can, we’ll get divorced. I couldn’t deny his last wish, but as for you, do whatever you want. Go wherever you want. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if you got hit by a car right now.”

Vittoria lowered her gaze, unwilling to give up on him so easily. She would have the patience necessary to win his affection. She had idealized that man since she was a child, and after waiting so many years to be with him, she was ready to endure his outbursts.

On Carlo’s part, he already detested her. Who did she think she was, considering herself worthy of being his wife? No one could compare to Mía, something his parents couldn’t understand. Her beauty and purity were unique; he dreamt of her every night for all those years.

He was so close to having her by his side forever, and now he would have to endure being with a woman who meant nothing to him, a woman who provoked no feelings. All because of his parents’ whim.