A divorce could be long and drawn out, especially if my wife’s little Web decides to step in and assist. Every move has risk for me. If I’m not careful, it could end up dead.
If only I could have a do-over, I’d pick the pretty blonde whose only ambition was to be a trad wife.
Except that’s a lie.
Because as poisonous as my wife is, I’d pick her every damn time.
ELEVEN
Ivy
To sayI know little of freedom is an understatement. After my mother’s final husband’s demise, I was hardly away from her for more than a few hours.
But her shadow was nothing compared to the one my husband casts.
Though admittedly, his is far different, because where my mother was everywhere I went, Mateo is ever-present in my mind.
It’s been a week since I saw him last, but I still feel his presence everywhere. Asleep, as I shower, when I walk the dim corridors of the prison he’s keeping me in.
He’s in every shadow, around every corner, behind every door.
Sometimes, I think of him as I touch myself, mimicking his sinful caresses poorly.
Does he ever think of me? I doubt it.
And the thought of what could be preoccupying his mind drives me to madness.
To quell my chaos, I’ve taken to walking through the level I’m allowed to explore, hoping to come across something, anything, to make me forget my plight.
The chiming of bells catches my attention, and I look over to see that it’s already noon.
With every window boarded up in this godforsaken building, it’s easy to lose track of time. Sometimes, I’ll be wandering the halls only to find out it’s two in the morning.
As I make my way from the den to my room, Jade spots me and approaches.
“Mrs. Rossi would like to have lunch with you,” she says, her face a stoic mask of contempt.
“Mateo’s mother?”
“Who else?” Jade says, rolling her eyes.
She hardly said two words to me at my wedding, and I’m surprised she’d take any interest in me at all.
I follow Jade to the formal dining room, which could easily seat fifty people. Mateo’s mother turns from a portrait she’d been looking at just a few feet away, her lips curling into a smile.
She takes two steps forward and brings her hands up to draw my hair forward over my shoulders. “What a sight it would be to have a grandchild with bright red hair.”
“Not to disappoint you, but I don’t know if my genes stand a chance against Mateo’s dark locks.”
“There’s a rumor that I have a hint of Irish in me, but you’d never know it by looking at my family tree. I’m Bella, by the way, but feel free to call me mom.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Bella.”
“I’ll be back with lunch,” Jade says, donning her fakest of fake smiles.
As the click of her heels disappears down the hall, Bella says, “I had one like her too, though mine was rounder in the hips and couldn’t keep her tits in her shirt.”
I cock my head to the side, confused.
