Eighteen-year-old Isabella Stephens might seem like your usual, sheltered, and innocent girl, but she harbors a secret that could turn her life upside down. This secret isn't just any ordinary revelation; it has the potential to be truly life-changing. Isabella's hidden truth revolves around her intense feelings for someone unexpected - her dad's twenty-eight-year-old best friend, Dr. Rio Anderson. It's not just a simple crush; she's deeply and hopelessly in love with him. Little does she know, Rio also holds a secret of his own – he's in love with Isabella. Their emotions come to light after a magical night, but their story isn't a typical love tale where a boy meets a girl and falls in love. It's far from simple. Isabella's family is entangled in a cult that enforces arranged marriages for girls as soon as they turn eighteen, often with someone they've never met before. As Isabella approaches her nineteenth birthday in eight months, trouble looms over her. A new fiancé, arranged by the cult, enters the picture, pushing Isabella and Rio's relationship to its limits. When they find themselves in desperate need of each other, an unexpected turn occurs, forcing Isabella to confront decisions she never thought she would have to make. The complexity of their situation adds layers of challenges, making their journey far from the conventional love story.
Chapter 1 1
I look at my floor-to-ceiling mirror at my reflection. Running my eyes down my tall, slender frame, I can't help but smile. I'm not normally this vain but I look really pretty.
My long locks of chestnut brown are slightly curled at the side of my face and my dark brown eyes are sparkling thanks to the mascara, that has made my eyelashes full and long.
I grab the fabric of my off-white cotton dress and pull it up a little higher, so it now sits at least an inch above my knee.
My father will kill me for having it so short but I will just remind him this is just a family and close friend-only dinner.
No one will look at me inappropriately.....
Well hopefully a certain someone notices me...
That certain someone is my father's twenty-eight-year-old best friend; Rio Anderson.
I have had the biggest crush on him, for as long as I can remember and that wouldn't be such a bad thing if I wasn't seventeen.
No one knows about my crush on Rio and I have to keep it that way. My parents are so old-fashioned and closely monitor my phone. We're also part of a religion that forbids any contact with men that aren't related unless you're married.
I'm not even allowed to have a boyfriend or guy friends. If they find out about my feelings for Rio, they won't let me see him again and that will literally kill me.
Plus my feelings for Rio are completely one-sided. Rio doesn't see me anything differently than "his best friend's kid."
It's so frustrating!
Walking away from the mirror, I look at the small clock on my bedside table; it reads, ten minutes to six. The dinner party will be starting soon.
Just after that thought, I heard cars driving up my driveway. I tilt my head towards the window as I hear the cars pulling up in front of my house then slamming doors followed by voices. I walk over to the window of my second-storey bedroom when I hear my favourite voice; Rio.
He is helping his seven-year-old daughter, Jenna, out of the car. Once Jenna is out of the car and Rio is holding her hand, he looks up to my window and catches me staring at him. I smile embarrassed at him as my cheeks flush pink but Rio just grins at me.
I use this short moment to look over my gorgeous crush. Standing just over six feet, with dark brown-almost black hair and chocolate brown eyes and his naturally tanned skin from his Italian background. Even though he spends his days indoors at the hospital being one of the best doctors in the state, his body is toned with his muscles rippling every time he moves.
Once I've looked over at him, I quickly look away and Jenna catches my eye. She waves excitedly at me, I smile at her as I wave back. I love Jenna, she is literally my best friend...well my only friend other than my brother, even though she is only seven.
Her mother Kim; Rio's ex died in a car accident just after Jenna's first birthday. So Jenna clings to me for a mother-type figure.
After waving, I take a step back away from the door then leave my room and quickly rush downstairs to greet the guests. I'm not usually this excited for my family's monthly dinners but this is the first time Rio is coming, so it's going to be worth it.
When I reach the entryway to my house, I walk over and stand next to my brother, Liam. Then we stand behind our parents. Without acknowledging us, our Father opens the door and greets the guests.
Around six guests walk through the door. Liam and I aren't allowed to say anything to them unless we are spoken to first.
Liam and I hate it but it's our family religion so we deal with it. Though most of my parent's friends ignore us, some do give us nods.
Rio, unlike the others, walks through the door with a signature wide smile. He shakes my father's hand and gives my mother a hug and a polite kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly both my parents are grinning as wide as Rio. No one will admit it but there is mutual love and respect between those three.
He says hello to Liam then turns to me with his adorable grin. "Hello, Isabella."
"Hello, Rio. Welcome," I say to him.
He opens his mouth to say something else when Jenna pushes past him, "Bella!!" she squeals as she jumps into my arms.
"Hey Jenna" I smile as I pick her up and hug her.
My father is giving me silent scowls as he shuts the front door, behind Rio's back but I ignore him. I couldn't just reject Jenna's affection, I'm not cruel like him. After a minute, I gently put Jenna down.
She holds onto my hand tightly then we follow my parents and Rio into the dining room, followed by Liam who is dragging his feet.
I let go of Jenna's hands once we reach her and Rio's seats, unfortunately, it's opposite to where I'm sitting and not even directly opposite so I'm stuck sitting across from one of father's friends.
Once everyone is seated, Mum and I start serving the food. Only four people including Rio, Jenna and Liam are the only ones that say thank you.
"I guess we have to act formally but there is no need to be rude!" I frown to myself as I plate the last food down, then return to my seat, next to Liam.
The dinner was pleasant but boring. Of course, Liam and I stay quiet throughout the whole thing, though in our silent and immature rebellion, we played foot-kick with each other under the table to amuse ourselves.
Unlike us, Jenna giggles and talks throughout the whole dinner. Even joining in conversations with the adults. I couldn't help but smile at her. She is so confident and absolutely gorgeous. Rio is a fantastic father and he loves Jenna just as much as she loves him.
I used to wonder why he and my father are best friends.
All I know about their past was that they have been friends since Rio was a child so I grew up with Rio.
My father is twelve years older than Rio and believes in old-fashioned values. Plus he forces my mother, Liam, and me to follow our religion right down to the last stupid restriction and rule.
Rio is just a lovely nice guy that everyone instantly loves and feels at home with even if they just met him, he never restricts Jenna and never teaches her to speak without being spoken to by an elder. I love him for that.
The dinner drags on and when it finally finishes, the men walk into the living room and spread out on the couches talking about politics and the latest religion meeting and drinking whiskey.
The wives go outside to sit on the balcony and talk about God knows what. But of course, Liam and I get stuck with the clean-up.
"I fucking hate this" Liam hisses as he picks up the dirty plates.
"Liam! Don't swear! Do you want to be grounded?" I frown at him.
"I don't care, Bella! They treat us like shit, ignore us, like we are dogs then expect us to clean up after them like slaves! I'm eighteen next month and I'm gone" Liam says as he finishes piling the plates.
"You're lucky" I smile at him.
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