My Dark Romeo

“It’s just a few kisses. You’ve done this before with plenty of boys. He was so new, so mature, so sophisticated, I didn’t even care that he was downright mean. Let’s get real here—Mr. Darcy wasn’t exactly swoosh-worthy until the last twenty percent of the book.”

Dallas’s decision to flirt with and kiss Romeo during the debutante ball captures her longing for freedom and excitement. Her future has been mapped out for her, and she’s eager to try something new with Romeo. Romeo’s steely exterior intrigues her rather than frightens her. She justifies his bad behavior using a literary allusion to Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice—a reference that authenticates her reliance on books to understand people and the world around her.

“I understood two things: 1) Romeo Costa had known exactly who I was when he’d arrived. He sought me out. Lured me in. Made sure he had my attention. I was always his objective. After all, he said it himself—Madison Licht was his enemy, and he wanted to ruin things for him. 2) Romeo Costa was such a bastard, he would marry me despite making every single person involved in this union miserable, just to spite my fiancé.”

Dallas’s first-person narration provides insight into her emotional state after Shepherd Townsend agrees to marry her off to Romeo. Although intrigued by Romeo, she feels used, manipulated, and controlled. Their arranged marriage introduces the Complex Power Dynamics of Intimate Relationships and incites the novel’s central conflict between Dallas’s dreams of freedom and Romeo’s desire for power and revenge.

“Ideally, I’d have simply tarnished the Townsend girl and sent Madison a few pictures of her virgin blood on my Egyptian sheets as a souvenir. As it happened, my parents had delivered an ultimatum earlier this week—find a bride and settle down, or the CEO position would go directly to Bruce Edwards.”

Romeo’s conflicts with his father and Costa Industries act as the primary stakes for his storyline. His callous tone in this passage captures his disregard for Dallas’s feelings and misogynistic beliefs; he desires to “tarnish” Dallas and send pictures of “her virgin blood” to Madison as “a souvenir”—language that dehumanizes her and portrays her as a prize to sexually exploit rather than a full person. He underscores his determination to hurt others—primarily Madison and his father—to get his way. His first-person narration captures his selfish desire to exact revenge for how others have wronged him via his behavior toward Dallas. This reveals the character growth he has yet to make.

“It was on the tip of my tongue to warn her grave consequences would follow if she didn’t fulfill my orders. Then I realized I no longer needed to seduce her. To coax her into my sphere. She was already securely caught in my spiderweb. Thrashing and resisting, yet glued in place.”

Romeo’s use of figurative language illustrates the Complex Power Dynamics in Intimate Relationships that define his and Dallas’s dynamic. He compares his home to a “spiderweb” where he’s “securely caught” a “[t]hrashing and resisting” Dallas. This imagery underscores Romeo’s desire for control and belief his wife must “fulfill” his orders.

“For the last thirty minutes, I couldn’t concentrate on a word in my book. Sometimes, when I read, I realized I was happiest in a world that wasn’t mine. This time, however, the only happy thing here was Romeo’s erection bobbing beneath my butt. There was no love lost between us. Lust, however, was lost, found, and begging to be converted into filthy sex.”

Dallas’s inability to focus on her book while sitting on Romeo’s lap foreshadows how their relationship will develop. Dallas’s favorite pastime is reading—an activity that normally lets her escape reality. In this scene, however, Dallas is overly conscious of where she is, who she is with, and what she is feeling. Her vivid descriptions of her emotions and arousal reveal that Dallas and Romeo are sexually attracted to each other despite their hatred for one another—an attraction that will ultimately change the parameters of their relationship.

“If you had to change yourself to be accepted, you didn’t need that person in your life in the first place. Because it wasn’t you they wanted to be with. It was their version of you. There would be no universe in which I caved to Romeo Costa’s expectations.”

Dallas’s resolved, determined tone captures her strength of character. Dallas is a loving, empathetic person, but she’s also strong-willed. She knows what she wants and refuses to alter herself just to please Romeo, evidenced by her assertion that she will not cave into “Romeo Costa’s expectations.” Her internal resolve conveys how well she knows herself and foreshadows how her authenticity will eventually endear her to Romeo.

“With just me and Romeo in the confined space, I felt smaller. Not as brave. Nonetheless, I stepped forward, coming toe to toe with him. The sooner he realized I’d make his life hell on Earth, the sooner he’d let me go.”

Dallas and Romeo’s body language in this scene illustrates Complex Power Dynamics in Intimate Relationships. Because the two are closed in a “confined space,” Dallas feels suddenly powerless and small. Instead of backing down, she moves closer to Romeo, which shows her refusal to let Romeo fully overpower her. She decides to play his games because she knows that if she doesn’t, she won’t be able to maintain her autonomy.

“I pocketed my phone, lifting my head. [Dallas] descended the stairway, reminding me why I’d stolen her. For the first time in my life, I regretted my no-sex rule. I imagined seeing this inexperienced, naïve woman writhing beneath me as I took her virginity would make my entire decade, if not lifetime. My future wife looked sensational.”

Romeo’s response to seeing Dallas in her new dress foreshadows how his feelings for her will change throughout the novel. He is acknowledging his attraction to her for the first time, an admission that suggests that he’ll soon give in to his desire to be with her. At the same time, Romeo uses the language of domination when imagining sex with Dallas. He sees her as “inexperienced” and “naïve”—diction which frames her as weak—and imagines himself “taking” her virginity in the same way he “stole” her from her family. This verbiage captures Romeo’s violent desperation for power and how misogynistic beliefs frame his actions and the language he uses.

“I refused to throw away the evidence that I was once a fully functioning human. Morgan’s face stamped every inch of this room. Her slight ballerina frame. Her dimpled smile. She was as graceful as a perfect autumn day.”

Romeo’s childhood bedroom provides insight into his fraught relationship history—specifically with his ex, Morgan Lacoste. Despite how Morgan hurt him, Romeo retains mementos from their relationship because he believes this memorabilia is evidence he once was capable of love. The descriptive language he uses to describe Morgan also conveys how much she meant to Romeo and the extent of his heartbreak, showing The Challenges of Overcoming Past Trauma.

“Romeo didn’t want children. I didn’t want him in my vicinity. What would he do if I fell pregnant? Would he divorce me or send me back to Chapel Falls with my dignity and wedding ring intact? The plan wasn’t completely ideal. […] But I refused to abandon my dream of becoming a mother.”

Dallas’s internal monologue underscores her desire to exact her dreams. She doesn’t let Romeo’s revelation about not having children deter her from the future she’s imagined for herself. Instead, she begins to ask herself rhetorical questions that might set her on the path toward the life she wants. This passage underscores Dallas’s strength of character and establishes the couple’s potential baby as a new conflict between them.

“‘You never asked for any of this, Dallas. I’m well aware. Every man in your life has failed you, including me.’ An epiphany slammed into me. My mind voyaged to his childhood room, sailing through the photos. The stubs. The love. Romeo Costa wasn’t born a heartless beast. Once upon a time, he’d loved. Until Morgan.”

The intimate mood of this scene between Dallas and Romeo foreshadows how the characters will soon discover The Transformative Power of Love. Romeo treats Dallas with gentleness and understanding, traits he normally doesn’t display when they’re together. His rare show of kindness, in turn, helps Dallas to understand him better. Her internal monologue also points to The Challenges of Overcoming Past Trauma that Romeo has been facing for many years.

“I barged into my room, panting. Though my thumb veered black instead of green, I hated when flowers died. They symbolized hope and strength. For after each winter, came the spring, bringing blossom with it. A tended flower grew to its full potential. I liked to think about people in the same manner.”

Dallas’s reflections on the significance of her rose underscore the flower’s symbolism. Dallas is just as determined to keep the rose alive as she is to survive life with Romeo and enliven him with her love. She believes in The Transformative Power of Love; she is hopeful that if she invests in her marriage, she might get what she wants and soften Romeo’s heart.

“When I dashed into my room to spit it into a mouthwash cup, I figured I could try to get pregnant. But leaning against my sink, observing the white thing swimming in the small cup, something prevented me from doing it. My morals, maybe. I still had them, though my husband had lost his somewhere along the way. It was sperm-stealing. It was wrong.”

Dallas’s decision not to retain Romeo’s sperm shows her desire to be honest and true. Becoming a mother is what she wants most in life. Despite the odds against her, she refuses to compromise her moral code to exact this dream, evidenced by the matter-of-fact statement, “It was wrong.” Her outlook contrasts with Romeo’s, who is willing to hurt others to get whatever he wants.

“He wanted heirs. So, I gave him none. He loved his company more than the oxygen he consumed. So, I vowed to destroy the company, liquidate it, and burn the money, if need be, just to see the pain in his face before he croaked. Morgan represented my one and only attempt at normalcy. And my father annihilated this effort.”

Romeo’s determination to hurt his father captures The Challenges of Overcoming Past Trauma. Romeo is reluctant to let go of his anger toward Senior because of how badly Senior has hurt him. He vows “to destroy,” “liquidate,” and “burn” everything important to Senior—which is exactly what he feels Senior has done to his life. His use of destructive, violent diction reinforces his emotional pain. Simultaneously, it shows how much he still must confront before he can heal, as he still uses violent language to describe his plans to intentionally hurt others.

“Her sister died of SIDS. It made sense now. Her fascination with the subject. Her tunnel focus on infants. The first death she’d ever witnessed—a tragedy of magnificent proportions—carved a different person out of her. And she begged me to help fight this demon.”

When Dallas opens up to Romeo about her sister’s death, she allows him to see her vulnerability. Dallas is tired of the power games they’ve been playing and wants to connect with Romeo on an authentic level. She shares her trauma with him, which helps Romeo see and understand her better. Although Romeo doesn’t fully give in to Dallas’s requests in this scene, this passage marks a turning point in the couple’s emotional relationship.

“‘I want you to stop having me followed.’ The words came out as if they were spoken within the cold, clinical walls of a boardroom. Before an army of shareholders, not a husband. ‘No more cars tailing Jared. No more security detail. And no more monitoring me through cameras. I feel like I’m a Big Brother contestant. Only, I can never win.’ She threw her hands up. ‘I want this to be my home, not my prison.’”

Dallas’s “cold, clinical” tone in this scene of dialogue reiterates her strength of character. Her and Romeo’s dynamic epitomizes the Complex Power Dynamics in Intimate Relationships, but Dallas is tired of playing Romeo’s games. She is using plain, direct language to express what she wants and needs. In articulating these desires, she gains Romeo’s respect. The moment marks a shift in the couple’s relationship and foreshadows how their marriage will evolve once they decide not to divorce.

“A sad smile hovered at my mouth. ‘I grew up and realized there is life beyond the ivy-laced walls of Chapel Falls. That in this life, women are allowed to make mistakes, to be human, to experience life as fully and as wholly as men, without paying a horrible price.’”

Dallas speaks up to her father to claim autonomy over her life, mind, and future. Since leaving Chapel Falls and making a life in Potomac with Romeo, she’s had time and space to reflect on her past and examine how her upbringing has impacted her sense of self. In the present, she’s claiming her voice and refusing to let her father use and manipulate her any longer. The moment shows how Dallas has changed because of her new environment and experiences. Further, it underscores patriarchal societal norms, as she now realizes women can “make mistakes,” “be human,” and “experience life as fully and wholly as men”—something she was not taught growing up.

“Not a shocker that Romeo loathed his father so much. All the puzzle pieces fused together. Senior and Morgan. Morgan and Senior. No wonder my husband almost blew my head off when I showed up looking like fair game. He didn’t want his father thinking I was fair game.”

Dallas’s revelation about Senior and Morgan’s affair helps her understand Romeo better. The authors use short sentences to express Dallas’s thoughts—a formal technique that shows her active work to make sense of what she’s learned about her husband in the moment. The revelation captures The Challenges of Overcoming Past Trauma that Romeo has been facing. It foreshadows Romeo’s coming confession about his breakup with Morgan and his anger with Senior.

“I studied Dallas, seeing her from a stranger’s eyes. Her beauty remained unrivaled. Yet, more than that, I admired her endurance, sweetness, brash honesty, and devotion to children. I wasn’t so arrogant as to think she was content with what we shared. She wanted more. Feelings. Romance. Dates. Heirs. She derived all those things, too.”

Romeo’s internal monologue reveals how his feelings for Dallas are changing. He is laser-focused on Dallas, studying her appearance and behavior to make sense of what she means to him. He uses more affectionate diction, which evokes an intimate, loving tone. Romeo has yet to claim or profess his love for Dallas, but this passage depicts that Dallas’s love is already transforming him.

“We share so much together, yet nothing at all. You don’t know me. Not really. You haven’t even attempted to learn more about me. You’ve opened up to me, and for that, I am grateful. But you know nothing about me. No enticing bits and pieces that would make me more endearing in your eyes.”

Dallas’s passionate monologue conveys her depth of feeling. She has genuinely come to care for Romeo and is frustrated by the seeming inauthenticity of their arrangement, evidenced by the phrase “We share so much together, yet nothing at all.” She firmly believes in The Transformative Power of Love and is thus begging Romeo to take their relationship seriously so that they can establish a healthier dynamic.

“My heart had long decade by the time she’d entered the picture. No. What alarmed me wasn’t my dead heart. It was the danger of what my wife might do to it. Blow off the dust with her sweet breath. Soap off its tombstone with her capable hands. Breathe life into it with her unbearable, undeniable sweetness.”

The authors’ use of figurative language in this passage shows Romeo’s complex emotional experience. Romeo likens his heart to a “tombstone” covered in “dust.” He knows his feelings for Dallas are changing and understands that she might purify and renew his heart, removing the dust and scratches and remaking him. This imagery underscores The Transformative Power of Love.

“He cared about me. He worried for me. He nursed me back to health, tended to me, and bathed me when he thought I felt the worst about him. I wasn’t falling in love with my husband. I was crashing straight into the arms of unhealthy, frenzied obsession. If he left me now, I would never get over him.”

Dallas’s illness helps her to realize her feelings for Romeo. She’s seen how Romeo has “cared,” “worried,” “nursed,” “tended,” and “bathed” her and realizes that these are signs of his love for her. Once she realizes he’s capable of devoting himself to her, she understands that she can love him back. Getting through the illness together helps the couple to grow closer and thus deepens their relationship.

“I know you’ve been hurt beyond words. The people who were supposed to be your protectors—Monica, Senior, Morgan—all failed you. But if one day your heart opens up…I hope I’ll be the one with the key to it.”

Dallas uses a sincere, heartfelt tone to communicate with Romeo after he reveals the extent of his childhood trauma. She doesn’t demand that Romeo get over his hurt and let her into his heart. Instead, she acknowledges the pain he’s experienced and the challenges of overcoming it. She also offers herself to Romeo, reminding him that he can count on her.